Looking at a buying Mondeo

[RicOz]

I'm new to this site, and never owned a ford before, but looking forward to seeing and purchasing a new Mondeo wagon when they're released in July *can't wait*.

I've heard the specs should be same as the current Zetec. So I'm wanting a frozen white Zetec wagon with sunroof as an extra...

Currently the Zetec hatch is $36,990 plus $1,900 for sunroof, retail price. (I expect the wagon version may be approx $2,000 extra...).

Can someone please tell me an average discounted price that they got for their new Zetec? Is it reasonable that they may throw the sunroof in for free? Or should I ask for more off the retail price?

Whats the tips for getting the price lower? I have a 2004 trade in, and can purchase upfront, no finance.

Sorry if similar posts have been made about this before.

Much apprechiated.

[paulie0735]

Hello and welcome to the forums.

I doubt you will see much discounting in the first 3 months of release, new models especially a totally new car like the Mondeo wagon won't be discounted at release. As a general rule your ability to gain a discount will depend on a few things, like:
How many dealers there are in your area, if there isn't many or worse still if there is only one than they won't deal much if at all.
The fact that you have your own finance could actually work against you as the dealer won't be making a commission from the finance company.
Your trade in is possibly the key; shop around for the best change over price with your trade in. Forget about what the price of the car is, forget the price they offer you for the trade in, the only thing that’s important is how much are you giving the dealer to drop off the old one and drive the new car you want away. Be polite, do your homework, know exactly what you want, ask for a written quote with your trade in and ask them to fax you the quote. Let them know your won’t be signing today and shop long and hard, shop around every dealer in a reasonable distance, don't be afraid to take a trip into a regional area either, often the regional dealers work on lower margins as they don't have the overheads, and never, never, ever….. sign on the first visit no matter how hard they press you. Remember the golden rule... THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TODAY ONLY PRICE, never has been never will be. The reality is that if you had walked into the show room the day before or the day after you will still get the 'today only price' Good luck.

[Busted]

Originally Posted by paulie0735

Remember the golden rule... THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A TODAY ONLY PRICE, never has been never will be. The reality is that if you had walked into the show room the day before or the day after you will still get the 'today only price' Good luck.

Not always true.

Depends on the time of the mth.
Always look at the end off the mth and if your happy with the deal do it.
I've knocked back deals the day after when the customer has come back.
If you come back to take the deal from the day before It tells me that I'm the better deal & I now I have a chance to walk you up. I told you it was a today only deal remember yesterday. How much cred do you thing you would show to me if I did the deal the following day 0. Your not going to go without at least offering me a deal better than the next best you have and you know I am not going to sell you a car for the old price so where going to do a deal some where in the middle.
It just cost you more to wait a day when you knew you had a good deal the day before.

Ps. not all dealers will give you a quote to take away. My dealership dosn't. It will however fax you a price but there are to many ways for us to get out of having to get even close to a change over price that we fax out.
They are all subject to seeing your trade in and there never as described.

[XtRmn8]

Hi RicOz, what part of Oz are you from? if you are from Perth send me a PM once you are ready to buy.

Cheers.

[LRsedan]

Originally Posted by Busted

Not always true.

Depends on the time of the mth.
Always look at the end off the mth and if your happy with the deal do it.
I've knocked back deals the day after when the customer has come back.
If you come back to take the deal from the day before It tells me that I'm the better deal & I now I have a chance to walk you up. I told you it was a today only deal remember yesterday. How much cred do you thing you would show to me if I did the deal the following day 0. Your not going to go without at least offering me a deal better than the next best you have and you know I am not going to sell you a car for the old price so where going to do a deal some where in the middle.
It just cost you more to wait a day when you knew you had a good deal the day before.

Ps. not all dealers will give you a quote to take away. My dealership dosn't. It will however fax you a price but there are to many ways for us to get out of having to get even close to a change over price that we fax out.
They are all subject to seeing your trade in and there never as described.

Depends how bad you want to sell a car doesn't it.

Why is it that most dealers believe they are doing the customer a favour in selling a car to them? Not providing a service like everything else you buy?

You wouldn't deserve my custom.

[Simon_Koala]

Originally Posted by Busted

Not always true.

Depends on the time of the mth.
Always look at the end off the mth and if your happy with the deal do it.
I've knocked back deals the day after when the customer has come back.
If you come back to take the deal from the day before It tells me that I'm the better deal & I now I have a chance to walk you up. I told you it was a today only deal remember yesterday. How much cred do you thing you would show to me if I did the deal the following day 0. Your not going to go without at least offering me a deal better than the next best you have and you know I am not going to sell you a car for the old price so where going to do a deal some where in the middle.
It just cost you more to wait a day when you knew you had a good deal the day before.

Ps. not all dealers will give you a quote to take away. My dealership dosn't. It will however fax you a price but there are to many ways for us to get out of having to get even close to a change over price that we fax out.
They are all subject to seeing your trade in and there never as described.

Originally Posted by LRsedan

Depends how bad you want to sell a car doesn't it.

Why is it that most dealers believe they are doing the customer a favour in selling a car to them? Not providing a service like everything else you buy?

You wouldn't deserve my custom.

Ditto on this, with an attitude like this, I would refuse to deal with the salesman/dealership on the principle of it from that point on ...... sheer arrogance ......

[NZ XR6]

Thanks for your post, Busted. An interesting insight into the car industry.

Maybe we do things differently in NZ, but if a dealer tried me on with a "today only" deal, I'd be out the door and gone.

[bathurst77]

This highlights what everyone HATES about buying a car.
That feeling, as shown by Busted, that the dealer is playing cat and mouse to get yo to pay as much as possible, and in return expects the mug-punter (ahm i mean valued customer) to use the same principals to screw the dealer to the floor.

Buyers dont want that, the vast majority are happy to pay a fair price for a good car. We know the factory dealer, sales etc have to make a profit, we live in capitalist society, and we wantt ehm to make enough money to be there when we need service and to buy our next car, but we hate that feeling that if we dont use the right tactics the dealer will take us for a ride and "Walk us up", indeed.

It doesnt matter how much you pay, you always leave the dealer with your shiny new car and nagging feeling in back of your mind that perhaps you "could have got a better deal if..."

The whole thing feels a bit like borrowing money from "Louey the legbreaker"

[Busted]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

This highlights what everyone HATES about buying a car.
That feeling, as shown by Busted, that the dealer is playing cat and mouse to get yo to pay as much as possible, and in return expects the mug-punter (ahm i mean valued customer) to use the same principals to screw the dealer to the floor.

Buyers dont want that, the vast majority are happy to pay a fair price for a good car. We know the factory dealer, sales etc have to make a profit, we live in capitalist society, and we wantt ehm to make enough money to be there when we need service and to buy our next car, but we hate that feeling that if we dont use the right tactics the dealer will take us for a ride and "Walk us up", indeed.

It doesnt matter how much you pay, you always leave the dealer with your shiny new car and nagging feeling in back of your mind that perhaps you "could have got a better deal if..."

The whole thing feels a bit like borrowing money from "Louey the legbreaker"

Thats the problem with buyers. They think that they have to use "tactics" to get the best deal.
Why not try just telling the truth and I will show you respect.
Tell your dealer what you would like to pay. Make it realistick and if they can't do it ask what they can do. Never take there first offer thats a no brainer.

[paulie0735]

Originally Posted by Busted

Thats the problem with buyers. They think that they have to use "tactics" to get the best deal.
Why not try just telling the truth and I will show you respect.
Tell your dealer what you would like to pay. Make it realistick and if they can't do it ask what they can do. Never take there first offer thats a no brainer.

The buyer v's seller situation is bound to cause some pain from time to time. My point was simple enough. If I walk in today and get the today only price, and somebody else walks in tomorrow and gets the same price than it was never a today only price. I take your point re end of month, but that just means that I need to come back again at the end of the next month. End of financial year makes a difference as does end of calendar year as does how many cars have been sold that month because if the budget has been met or exceeded than there isn’t any need to discount anymore cars that month and that’s fair enough. There is nothing wrong with a dealer trying to get the maximum just as there is nothing wrong with the buyer trying to reduce the cost as much as he can. I know I’ve hit the bottom when the dealer is prepared to let me walk and that’s fine too.

You have no doubt sold more new cars than I have purchased, but I tend to build relationships with dealers that I trust and with whom I like. Etheridge Ford is one of those, they will always compete on price which quite frankly is expected anyway but the real advantage they have over every other dealer I have done business is that they actually care about their customers, nothing is too much trouble and the after sales service is second to NONE! The key word is trust and you can not put a value on that. I just hope that the people you sell cars to can say the same about you that I can say about Ron, Andrew, David and the rest of the staff at Etheridge. Cheers

[cammag]

Originally Posted by Busted

Thats the problem with buyers. They think that they have to use "tactics" to get the best deal.
Why not try just telling the truth and I will show you respect.
Tell your dealer what you would like to pay. Make it realistick and if they can't do it ask what they can do. Never take there first offer thats a no brainer.

Having sold cars and hated it because of the cat and mouse games that are played. The reason that they are played is because there are so many time wasters or "wood ducks". And sales staff need to determine if you are serious or not. Try not to take it personally.

Dealers will treat you with scepticism unfortunately. There is a phrase in selling, "buyers are liars". Cynical I know, but mostly true.

Like busted said, just be straight forward.

But Paulie made some very points too. Such as buy at the end of the month.

But I think the most important thing is to be able to walk away. Don't feel pressured into buying something.

I hope my 2cents helps.

Cheers.

[RicOz]

Thanks for the replies and advice. I'm from Sydney btw.

I'm a bit peeved that finance companies give the sweeteners to dealers. I have the cash to pay for it on the spot so you would think that dealers would love having the money in the bank from day one... seems like I'm wrong!

I really need some real figures on how much people have offered on their new Mondeo. If I can't get anything off, is there any chance they will give me the sunroof for free?

[phoonfan]

Originally Posted by RicOz

Thanks for the replies and advice. I'm from Sydney btw.

I'm a bit peeved that finance companies give the sweeteners to dealers. I have the cash to pay for it on the spot so you would think that dealers would love having the money in the bank from day one... seems like I'm wrong!

I really need some real figures on how much people have offered on their new Mondeo. If I can't get anything off, is there any chance they will give me the sunroof for free?

I think your best bet would be to contact a forum sponsor, they have a vested interest in ensuring that members of this forum get looked after.
RATT from Peter Warrens has been here for quite a while and has a good reputation from those that have delt with him!
You will find him here.
http://www.fordforums.com.au/forumdisplay.php?f=60

Good luck!

BTW: Mondeo Wagon wont be here till Third Quarter.

[paulie0735]

Sydney is good! You have choices.

Re the sunroof; there is no such thing as free, somewhere, somehow, somebody is paying for it. It will either be you perhaps in the trade in valuation, the dealer out of their margin or the sunroof supplier (doubtful). At this stage everything is speculation, you won't know for sure until the cars hit the showroom and you start your price negotiations.

[RicOz]

One more question:

How come no Sat Nav for Mondeos in Australia?

Are there any rumours that this may become available as an option? Or are there any that can be installed after market?

[paulie0735]

Originally Posted by RicOz

One more question:

How come no Sat Nav for Mondeos in Australia?

Are there any rumours that this may become available as an option? Or are there any that can be installed after market?

There is a factory option but as you say it’s not available here, I can only guess that Ford Aus wasn't confident that owners would pay the $2k or so for a factory kit when the aftermarket stuff is only a fraction of that price. Like the bluetooth kit the satnav would be fully integrated and only available from the factory.

[bathurst77]

OK
last time I went into dealer. i wanted a mondeo.I go into yard dealer shows me car "I cant possibly let it go for less than $Xxxxx. We are losing money on that. I mean it mate, the car owes us that much"
"Ok i saw one cheaper else where, I will keep looking. thanks for your time."
(I had seen one advertised at a cheaper price.)
As im walking back to my car, he is chasing me
""mate come back, we might be able to do something."

by time I bought car the price was 15% less than his "cant possible let it go less than"

So who is telling lies to who?

I said i want to buy a car today if the price is good, here is my limit.
He said he cant meet it. I thanked him politely and left. Suddenly he finds 15%.
So if i didnt walk away, i would have been "walked up" (your term). My best friend had very similar experience. The absolute minimum price cant go lower, suddenly dropped about 15%.

Who is using tactics and playing games? and who was being honest? What does "cant go lower than mean?" ( cant go lower than unless you wont buy at this price, which secretly still has quite a bit of fat in it.)

Why is it a today only price. If you can sell a car at a profit today for price X, tomorrow that price is suddenly at a loss? I dont want you to make a loss, Im a business man too, I own my own business, just dont treat me like a wood duck.

In every other retail, the product costs x from factory and supplier, then you have your business standing costs, wages etc, and you know you can sell at such and such a price for a profit, so you put a price tag on it.

[warren77]

At the end of the day, the seller is trying to get the best possible price and the buyer is trying to get their best possible price. Occasionally these line up.

I recommend reading a book on negotiating called "Secrets of Power Negotiating" by Roger Dawson. It is a great read (even if you don't get past the first 3 chapters). Wish I had read it years ago.

In a previous life I was the sales rep (try not to hold that against me) which had a particular account with a large corporate. The IT Director had a philosophy which says "Don't screw the good will out of a deal". Meaning that if the price was always low balled, the value add would simply not be there.

I have found that with my Mondeo - I got a factory deal which meant the dealer basically made nothing from my purchase. The after sales support has been pretty poor since because there was no good will in the deal.

[Dusty1]

Originally Posted by RicOz

I'm new to this site, and never owned a ford before, but looking forward to seeing and purchasing a new Mondeo wagon when they're released in July *can't wait*.

I've heard the specs should be same as the current Zetec. So I'm wanting a frozen white Zetec wagon with sunroof as an extra...

Currently the Zetec hatch is $36,990 plus $1,900 for sunroof, retail price. (I expect the wagon version may be approx $2,000 extra...).

Can someone please tell me an average discounted price that they got for their new Zetec? Is it reasonable that they may throw the sunroof in for free? Or should I ask for more off the retail price?

Whats the tips for getting the price lower? I have a 2004 trade in, and can purchase upfront, no finance.

Sorry if similar posts have been made about this before.

Much apprechiated.

What I did was get all the dealers emails addresses out from the yellow pages. I sent them and email addressed ATT: New Car Sales Manager with a list of what I wanted in my car, and told them to come back to me with their best price. I put a phone number on it, which was a mistake as I got a few call me up and say 'come and I'll do you a good deal - better than anyone else's, but you have to sign when you come in'. I don't like that tactic, like most others so they were off the list.

I put all the quotes into a spreadsheet, and went to a dealer who was decent and gave me a quote, and showed them the info (I didn't include dealer names, but had a second sheet with them on it if they questioned the figures) and told them to better the lowest deal. If they didn't, I knew I had the details for the cheapest deal, they saw it too, so it was out in the open.

Worked for me. Although I later found out that others on here had got the same spec cheaper than me. Always going to happen, but at I didn't have to trek all over the place talking to multiple dealers.