texlaker

I also told them that I got an offer for $500 over invoice already (small gamble on my part). Wow, glad to hear that gamble paid off for you. Thanks for the detailed response above, there at two lessons I've gleamed from your expierience. The first lesson is to show the dealers you've done your homework when it comes to the invoice pricing. In this respect it is good to hear that the invoice pricing info on the web is somewhat accurrate. The second lesson is to try to foster a competitive bidding process amongst the dealers; this appears to be the key to getting the best deal. I don't think I can get $250 over invoice, however, I am hopeful that I can get anywhere between $500 to $1000 above invoice tops. Wish me good luck.

Thanks Dan. I'll let you all you guys know how things turn out in the end.

I certainly don't live in a hot market by comparison. I live in the greater Houston area and I suspect that hybrids here are no where near the demand and market saturation levels of southern California. I'm intrigued by the path you describe above in contacting the individual dealers and asking for the internet sales managers for the best deals. Did you obain the invoice costs online from Edmunds or some other website and then submit your offers in writing to the dealerships or were the discussions entirely over the phone and you then had the agreement reduced to writing via email or facsimile? Sorry for the numerous questions, I just feel like there is so much I can learn from you guys.

I think we will probably go with the tricoat, my wife compared it to the white suede on two Ford Fusions on the dealer's lot. The whtie tricoat just had more pop to it than the white suede. I certainly understand how you detest the haggling process, I'm inclined to use one of the car buying services (credit union; AMX) that are available to me just to avoid the whole thing. I'm afraid haggling is not my strong suit. As much as possible I'd like to complete this process via e-mail and facsimile to avoid the whole face to face haggling process which some people thrive off. I'm just not wired that way. In part, that is why I am devoting so much time to online research in preparation for the actual car buying expierience this time.

Wow. Thanks all for your very substantive responses above. This is really great info. fsb 99: I understand from your post that the deposit amount varys between $500 - $1,000 depending on the dealer. Whether the deposit is refundable or not is also dealer specific. Its interesting that you decided to not do business with the dealership that requested a nonrefundalbe deposit - I hadn't thought of this. If for any reason I don't get a good vibe from one dealer or the terms are not to my liking I should shop around. Thanks for the info. Quick question, did Ford take care of those software glitches? bbf2530: I certainly have been viewing the car buying sites as you suggested. In addition to Edmunds, I have also visited Truecar and Carbuyingtips.com. I thought about using the Costco service as I am a member. Additionally, I recently learned that American Express and my primary bank USAA Federal Savings Bank have auto purchase programs as well. I like the USAA and AMX programs because they provide the cost of the vehicle up front to you in the form of a certificate that you take to the authorized dealer. This allows me to research the vehicle in advance of actually going to the dealership, unfortunately the prices qouted by AMX and USAA are in excess of what Edmunds and Truecar qoute for my area - this will probably be the subject of another post. sullied: thanks for the website link and the headsup regarding the cut off order date for 2010. It makes sense for me to save some money and place a 2010 order since there is only going to be a marginal difference between the 2010 and 2011 model years. dogo88: I'm a member of two credit unions which have preferred dealership arrangements that I believe are similar to what you've described above; I'll make sure to include those in my search as well. You mentioned you ordered the white, was it the tricoat or the white suede. My wife is in love with the tricoat however I'm uncertain if I want to part with the upcharge fee for the tricoat paint. If it was the tricoat, can you tell me why you choose that color and how it has held up in the brief period you've had the car (less than a year)? Again, thanks all for your responses to date.

Hi all. I recently joined this forum as my wife and I are seriously considering purchasing a Ford Fusion Hybrid or its cousin the Mercury Milan Hybrid. (The wife prefers the Milan Hybrid whereas I am somewhat undecided between the two). In any event, regardless of which vehicle we choose to go with we do have a consensus on our preference to place an order for the vehicle rather than purchasing the dealer stock. Our prior two car buying experiences consisted simply of purchasing the dealer stock so we are somewhat apprehensive about the whole ordering process. I'd rather have as much info as possible on the process before raising it with the dealership because I don't want to seem like a lemming ready to be exploited based on my ignorance. Therefore, if possible, I'd like to solicit some info from you guys and gals on the whole ordering process. For example, I understand from viewing the posts here that there is a deposit required to place an order. Can anyone tell me the amount of the deposit? Does the amount of the deposit vary if it is Ford or Mercury vehicle? Is the deposit refundable? Is there a sales contract executed at the time of the order and submission of the deposit? Is there a difference in users' perception of the willingness of dealers to negotiate on the price if it is a stock vehicle as opposed to an order? How long is the expected production and delivery dates for the hybrids - any difference between Fusion and Milan? Thanks in advance for any responses to my questions. My wife and I are very excited about this whole process and we certainly would appreciate any input to assist in our decision making process.