CL Fiesta 3 door - Good Buy

[hawke]

I see that these are this weekend $18k drive away. This a good deal?

[dannyhilton]

Weren't Ford doing $17,490 D/A for five door models a few weeks ago? That good value, but for an extra four and a half grand on a Zetec you get USB/Body Kit/16 inch alloys/Sport Trim/Fog Lights/Cruise Control/Voice Control just to name a few.

[hawke]

Thanks for that, but this is a first car for my 16 son who is getting his L's this weekend. I was only looking at a basic safe car for him to learn in so the base model should suit.

[dannyhilton]

Fair call. Definitly check out the $17,490 D/A for the CL Five Door manual. Could swear these were in the papers a few weeks ago. Don't forget also, for a measly $1,000 extra you'll get DSC, Driver Knee Airbag and Side Head & Thorax Airbags for the front seat passengers. Makes an already strong car that bit safer. DSC being a very well tuned unit too, well tuned and not over reactive. Good luck mate, they are sweet little cars and the Three-Door models have nice heavy doors that give you a nice thunk when they close!

[hawke]

If we get one, we'll go for the extra bags. I find it increadable that in these days extra bags and stabilty control are an extra cost.

When I got my L's, my first car was a Morris Minor - no seat belts, retread cross ply tyres, marginal brakes, no heater or radio.

[EL BURITO]

if that dose not work for you go look at the Mazda 2, same car and the 3 door Max is on run out atm

[hawke]

I got the Fiesta with the safety pack, and they only had one with metailic paint, so about $19,300 drive away. Arrives next week. Salesman great.

However, one thing that is annoying is, from the next dude you get to see, do you want floor mats, anti rust gagets, paint protection etc. How about finance etc etc. Hasnt anyone researched buyers and worked out that this stuff pi**es people off?

Every time I have bought a Ford, this sort of dealer behavour annoys me. Perhaps I should have gone next door to the Mazda dealer.

[GoesLikeAZetec]

haha yeah i know. they seem to do it to everyone... its annoying

[Zetec-4-Me]

Do they do this when picking the car up or when the contracts are signed? I haven't had anything like that "offered" to me yet from the dealer but then my car is still yet to arrive!

I know that Suzuki do it too as they did it to my brother when he bought his Swift earlier in the year. Lol, apparently there was a scantily clad woman pushing the protection packs in a seperate room after the contracts were signed hehe

[Zetec-4-Me]

Originally Posted by hawke

I got the Fiesta with the safety pack, and they only had one with metailic paint, so about $19,300 drive away. Arrives next week. Salesman great.

Congrats on the car Hawke What colour did you get for your son?

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by Zetec-4-Me

Apparently there was a scantily clad woman pushing the protection packs in a seperate room after the contracts were signed hehe

That's the only way most dealers could push such crap! In January when I fist looked at buying my Fiesta they wanted $2,000 for the protection pack! What a ripoff!

Congrats on your purchace though mate! :

[GoesLikeAZetec]

I think the protection pack cost is all relative to how good a deal you get off them with the car (ie how cheap you get it). Ours started at nearly $3000 and now its down to $1600...

[hawke]

It is Dark Blue - aka Ocean - extra $320. The safety pack was $1000, ie Stability Control and thorax bags.

Didnt buy any of the other things like paint or rust protection etc.

Did get rather peed off when asked why we only had one child, why didnt we have any more, was he gay, and then it was inferred that I was a goose in not getting window tinting. Window tinting apprarently improves the fuel economy.

Ford spend millions on developing and building cars, and they let idiots sell them. Go figure.

[hawke]

Turns out now that this good deal is not so good. Apparently the car that was available, is not so available. "We have another one in Black with 5 doors" but guess what. Its more expensive.

Notwithstanding a signed contract, City Ford Rockdale, are going to recind it.

They dont even have any interest in ordering one on the Factory at the same terms and conditions.

Told them to shove it.

Funny way to do business. My comment on letting idiots sell them stands.

[dannyhilton]

The Ford dealer I first approached asked "Why do you want a girls car, why don't you get a ute like all the other guys?" Because I don't want to you . Mate I'm sorry to hear about your car. Take your money and business to someone who appreciated it!

[GoesLikeAZetec]

yeah but this is ford australia we are talking about!!!!

ive been to 5 of our local dealers here in SA and honestly, considering they need the sales - they dont seem to care if your happy or not, and dont know their products. (ours think the illuminated gear knob is standard yet in the brochure it clearly says accessory - and they had been to the sales training!!!????)

this all leads in one direction, in the short term to people going elsewhere (happening alot - hell look at the cruze sales in the wheels mag this month)

and then later on when you go to buy your next new car... where are you going to go to buy your new car? to the ford dealer again? are you kidding?.

if most dealers are like this... i cant see a bright rosy future for ford...

[geoffa1]

I managed to screw the local dealer down by about 2K over the first change over offer - Based on the retail prices for a territory Ghia, it was about right.

The car he said was available - was -and it was delivered a week after the deal was done.

The obligatory chick with the big hoo hoos was intorduced and we had to spend some time alone (me and the missus, not me and the big hoo hood chick) to argue over the protection pack and the bits thereof.

Ultimately the paint and fabric made some sort of sense, cos the missus doesn't wash her car much and she tend to eat in it and spill stuff. I could have taken or left the vinyl protection (the interior is Polypropylene not PVC), and the Tinting came with the package if you got the other three.

I tend to think the sales guy knew almost as much as me about the car (given the research I do before I buy, that isn't too bad).

The conclusion is that some dealers are probably OK, but a lot are crap - in the last 3 years I have bought 3 Fords, a VW and 2 Kias - to be honest I was reasonably happy with the dealers for all 3 Fords - having said that, I went through 12 before signing.

[dannyhilton]

It's a shame about the dodgy Ford dealers, because it casts such a bad cloud over the really good Ford dealers who will no doubt cop slack from ****ed of consumers.

[hawke]

I remember being awake when I studied Contract Law many years ago. I may take the opportunity today to remind the dealer of the consquences of breaching a valid contract, and also those sections of the Trade Practices Act pertaining to misleading and deceptive conduct.

[Zetec-4-Me]

Originally Posted by hawke

Did get rather peed off when asked why we only had one child, why didnt we have any more, was he gay, and then it was inferred that I was a goose in not getting window tinting. Window tinting apprarently improves the fuel economy.

That's a disgusting way to treat people - customer or not! You're there to buy a car, your family life should have nothing to do with it at all :( If they think that trying to intimidate people like that sells cars then it really is no wonder that Ford seems to have trouble selling cars lately!

Originally Posted by hawke

Turns out now that this good deal is not so good. Apparently the car that was available, is not so available. "We have another one in Black with 5 doors" but guess what. Its more expensive.

Notwithstanding a signed contract, City Ford Rockdale, are going to recind it.

Again - it's no wonder they can't sell cars! I wonder though if this is a common practice (trying to pass off a car with "extras" when the customer wanted a cheaper model) as my brother bought a Suzuki Swift a few months ago but when he went to pick it up, it was the more expensive sports model, the Swift S!!!!! He paid for and expected the less expensive Swift and they told him that he could take the S for an extra $4,000. What a laugh. He told them to shove it and as he was walking out they said that they'd give it to him for an additional $500! He took it of course (I'd take the Zetec too if I paid for a CL and they offered me a Zetec for $500 lol) but is it wholly and solely a sales ploy or are the orders genuinely stuffed up?!?

[Fled74]

The old "bait-and-switch" ploy. Thought there was a law against that now.

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by hawke

If we get one, we'll go for the extra bags. I find it incredible that in these days extra bags and stabilty control are an extra cost.

ESP (Stability Control), side curtain airbags, ABS are set to be *mandatory* features in all cars soon after 2010-2011, we can think VIC GovCo for pushing this. I expect rear fog, triangle and vest shortly after.
http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/rsc...0Australia.pdf

Originally Posted by hawke

I got the Fiesta with the safety pack, and they only had one with metallic paint, so about $19,300 drive away.

This "Safety Pack"; a personal dealer thing or factory? What were the extra's of this 'pack' I mean?

Originally Posted by hawke

I remember being awake when I studied Contract Law many years ago. I may take the opportunity today to remind the dealer of the consequences of breaching a valid contract, and also those sections of the Trade Practices Act pertaining to misleading and deceptive conduct.

Let us know how you go, funny how they think it works one-way, but not the other.

[dannyhilton]

Originally Posted by Keepleft

This "Safety Pack"; a personal dealer thing or factory? What were the extra's of this 'pack' I mean?

He's referring to the normal 'Safety Pack' offered by Ford on the CL and LX Fiesta models. This brings the Fiesta from a four start rated ANCAP to a 5 star car. It contains:

- Side Head/Thorax Airbags for front seat passengers
- Drivers Knee Airbag
- DSC with Traction Control

Normally retails for $1,000 including fitment, and comes from the factory like this. Not sure what the take-up on such a pack is, considering the market I would think Ford have a limited stock of such a car due to the main game here being price?