Purchasing Process

[sullied]

This forum has been a HUGE help for me since I started looking at the Fusion Hybrid as a replacement for my current car. I spent hours on here and googling random stuff to figure out everything I needed to know about the purchasing process. I'm compiling my list of stuff in one post for others to use in the future. Keep in mind that this is from my experience and everyone's may not be exactly the same. If anyone has things they'd like to add to this, please feel free to. I'll edit this post as time goes on to improve upon it.

 

1. Choosing a dealer - I did this the wrong way. I chose a dealer that had the car I was looking for in the color I wanted. I should have done some research first. Choosing your dealer may not be all about who's closer or who has the exact car you want. Here's some things to consider:

Negotiating price or not? - There are sites out there like

zag.com

that will guarantee you a price based on your membership with certain banks/credit card companies/etc. In addition,

truecar.com

offers something like this as well. All you do is fill out info about the exact car you want and it submits your information to dealerships in the area. You take a printed out form to the dealer and you get the car you want for the price that's listed...sorta. There are stipulations about it having to be from dealer inventory and such...so this might not always be the way to go. Also, you could possibly negotiate a lower price than what they are giving you...it's up to you though.

 

X-plan? - Ford's Partner Recognition program gives certain eligible individuals discounts on cars without having to negotiate a price. As before, you may be able to negotiate a lower price, but for hybrids, X-plan is probably your best bet. Think you're not eligible? Not so fast...there may be a good chance you are. If you own 100 shares of Ford stock for 6 months, your eligible. You can also receive an X-plan pin from a Ford employee through the Friends & Neighbors program. Or, if you or someone in your household works for a partner company, you're most likely eligible. I was eligible because someone in my household worked at Toys 'R Us...there are over 1100 companies that are eligible. Just contact a dealership to ask if a company is eligible, or you can contact Ford Partner Recognition at 1-877-975-2600. If you do decide to purchase under X-plan, make sure that you tell the dealer when you talk to them for the first time. They aren't obligated to accept your X-plan order, but the probably will.

 

2. Ordering your car - I'm going to explain this for factory ordering a car since there is much more involved and it's what I went through. When you decide on your options, take them to the dealer and request the order.

Deposit - The dealer may ask for a deposit to place the order, and that's fine, but make sure that it is refundable if you choose not to purchase the vehicle. My dealer asked for $1000 as a deposit and I later found out that $1000 is a bit high for a deposit...but it's up to your comfort level. Don't sign any purchase agreements or anything stating that the deposit is non refundable. Purchase agreements are done when the car arrives. If the dealer doesn't want it this way, find a different dealer. There is no reason for them to need to keep your deposit if you don't buy the car...they can still sell the car to another customer just as easily as any other car that shows up on their lot.

 

DORA - About a day after the car is put into the ordering system, the dealer should receive a DORA(dealer order receipt acknowledgment). This document shows the order placed into the system including all options. Make sure you get a copy of this to ensure your order is correct. If it's not correct, it can still be changed up to the "blend date." More on that later. What your DORA does have on it is the dealer code and an order number. If you dealer is not too good about keeping you updated with your order, you can use the numbers to contact Ford's customer service to get an update. The phone number for them is 800-392-3673. My dealer was horrible about keeping me updated, so I called them for updates about once a week. Ford updates their scheduling system on Thursday evening, so Friday is the best day to call for updated information.

 

Order Scheduling - There is so much that goes into this process that I'm just going to post a link. If you interested in how the orders get scheduled to the factory, etc, you can check

this page

out. This is where you can find out about terms like "blend date."

 

3. The Wait - Now comes the waiting period. Most times they say the wait time is 6-8 weeks, but this can change based on holidays, scheduled down time at the plant, or heavy orders. In the mean time, there are a few things you can do to help your excitement build.

 

Window Sticker - About a week before you car is scheduled to be built, a window sticker will be uploaded to a website for you to view...if you know your VIN number. If you don't know your VIN, contact your dealer for it...or if they aren't helpful, contact Ford's customer service with your dealer code and order number. Follow

this link

to be sent to the page for the window sticker. Simply change the VIN number at the end of the site address to your VIN number and if a sticker exists for your car, it will be there.

 

Railcar tracking - If you are lucky enough to receive a railcar number from your dealer (just ask for one, the info is available to them), you can track your car's progress to its destination. For me, I tracked my car as it traveled from Hermosillo, Mexico to Albany, NY with some automated phone numbers. The only thing I needed was the railcar number. Here are a couple of phone numbers for automated tracking:

 

CSX - 1-877-SHIP-CSX, Option 5, Option 3

Norfolk Southern - 1-800-241-9230

 

There may be more out there, but those ones worked for me throughout the whole trip.

 

ETA - At some point, your dealer (or Ford Customer Service) should be able to tell you an ETA for your vehicle after it has been built. I had one when the car was initially shipped, but then it went away for the next couple of weeks until it showed up 2 days before my ETA...kinda weird

 

4. Purchasing your vehicle - So, your vehicle has arrived...now it's time to fork over the cash. I'll leave the financial part of this up to you since everyone purchasing a brand new car should have some level of knowledge about how to pay for a car. There are things to think about though. If you are registering your car in a state that charges sales tax, check into exemptions to the tax...you might be eligible. I ended up being exempt because I'm serving in the military...saved me about $2500. I had a lot of weird things to figure out for myself since I'm purchasing in NY and registering in WA. If anyone else is in a similar situation and has questions, feel free to PM me and I'll help as much as possible. It can be a royal pain if your dealer doesn't know how to do it (like mine). Make sure you talk to your dealer about incentives that could be offered on your vehicle. Have your sales manager check VINCENT to determine if any incentives are offered to you. Some examples are college graduate, military, quarter horse association. There are tons, but don't expect any if you're purchasing a hybrid.

 

Before actually driving away with the vehicle, make sure you inspect the vehicle for any missing components or cosmetic damage. Make sure a commitment is made by the dealer to fix these issues or have them fixed before taking delivery. If you want daytime running lights turned on, you can have it done before taking delivery...you might be able to make it part of the deal and not pay for it.

 

Now that you are a proud new owner, give back to the forum and share your knowledge with other new members. Don't forget to post some pictures of your new ride too!

 

Thanks to all that helped me make this post what it is.

Edited June 8, 2010 by sullied

[Grey]

Great summary - Reminder that Ford updates their scheduling system on Thursday evenings, so Friday is the best day to check status. When the vehicle arrives, ask your sales manager to check VINCENT to determine if there are any incentives on the vehicle you might be eligible for (college grad, military, quarter horse association, etc.) Inspect the vehicle carefully and get a "We Owe" for any missing components (mats, missing wheel cover, etc.) and determine if there are any cosmetic issues you want corrected before you take delivery. (or a committment to fix later).

PS - if you want the daytime running lights turned on, you can have that done before delivery - if you make it part of the deal, they may not charge you for this service operation. (it should only take a few minutes to turn them on.)

Edited June 8, 2010 by Grey

[sullied]

Great summary - Reminder that Ford updates their scheduling system on Thursday evenings, so Friday is the best day to check status. When the vehicle arrives, ask your sales manager to check VINCENT to determine if there are any incentives on the vehicle you might be eligible for (college grad, military, quarter hores association, etc.) Inspect the vehicle carefully and get a "We Owe" for any missing components (mats, missing wheel cover, etc.) and determine if there are any cosmetic issues you want corrected before you take delivery. (or a committment to fix later).

PS - if you want the daytime running lights turned on, you can have that done before delivery - if you make it part of the deal, they may not charge you for this service operation. (it should only take a few minutes to turn them on.)

Thanks for the addition...I'll edit my original post to include that stuff. I'm assuming you meant quarter horse...not hores. :doh:

[Grey]

Thanks for the addition...I'll edit my original post to include that stuff. I'm assuming you meant quarter horse. :doh:

 

Oops - edited

[ctrcbob]

This forum has been a HUGE help for me since I started looking at the Fusion Hybrid as a replacement for my current car. I spent hours on here and googling random stuff to figure out everything I needed to know about the purchasing process. I'm compiling my list of stuff in one post for others to use in the future. Keep in mind that this is from my experience and everyone's may not be exactly the same. If anyone has things they'd like to add to this, please feel free to. I'll edit this post as time goes on to improve upon it.

 

1. Choosing a dealer - I did this the wrong way. I chose a dealer that had the car I was looking for in the color I wanted. I should have done some research first. Choosing your dealer may not be all about who's closer or who has the exact car you want. Here's some things to consider:

Negotiating price or not? - There are sites out there like

zag.com

that will guarantee you a price based on your membership with certain banks/credit card companies/etc. In addition,

truecar.com

offers something like this as well. All you do is fill out info about the exact car you want and it submits your information to dealerships in the area. You take a printed out form to the dealer and you get the car you want for the price that's listed...sorta. There are stipulations about it having to be from dealer inventory and such...so this might not always be the way to go. Also, you could possibly negotiate a lower price than what they are giving you...it's up to you though.

 

X-plan? - Ford's Partner Recognition program gives certain eligible individuals discounts on cars without having to negotiate a price. As before, you may be able to negotiate a lower price, but for hybrids, X-plan is probably your best bet. Think you're not eligible? Not so fast...there may be a good chance you are. If you own 100 shares of Ford stock for 6 months, your eligible. You can also receive an X-plan pin from a Ford employee through the Friends & Neighbors program. Or, if you or someone in your household works for a partner company, you're most likely eligible. I was eligible because someone in my household worked at Toys 'R Us...there are over 1100 companies that are eligible. Just contact a dealership to ask if a company is eligible, or you can contact Ford Partner Recognition at 1-877-975-2600. If you do decide to purchase under X-plan, make sure that you tell the dealer when you talk to them for the first time. They aren't obligated to accept your X-plan order, but the probably will.

 

2. Ordering your car - I'm going to explain this for factory ordering a car since there is much more involved and it's what I went through. When you decide on your options, take them to the dealer and request the order.

Deposit - The dealer may ask for a deposit to place the order, and that's fine, but make sure that it is refundable if you choose not to purchase the vehicle. My dealer asked for $1000 as a deposit and I later found out that $1000 is a bit high for a deposit...but it's up to your comfort level. Don't sign any purchase agreements or anything stating that the deposit is non refundable. Purchase agreements are done when the car arrives. If the dealer doesn't want it this way, find a different dealer. There is no reason for them to need to keep your deposit if you don't buy the car...they can still sell the car to another customer just as easily as any other car that shows up on their lot.

 

DORA - About a day after the car is put into the ordering system, the dealer should receive a DORA(dealer order receipt acknowledgment). This document shows the order placed into the system including all options. Make sure you get a copy of this to ensure your order is correct. If it's not correct, it can still be changed up to the "blend date." More on that later. What your DORA does have on it is the dealer code and an order number. If you dealer is not too good about keeping you updated with your order, you can use the numbers to contact Ford's customer service to get an update. The phone number for them is 800-392-3673. My dealer was horrible about keeping me updated, so I called them for updates about once a week. Ford updates their scheduling system on Thursday evening, so Friday is the best day to call for updated information.

 

Order Scheduling - There is so much that goes into this process that I'm just going to post a link. If you interested in how the orders get scheduled to the factory, etc, you can check

this page

out. This is where you can find out about terms like "blend date."

 

3. The Wait - Now comes the waiting period. Most times they say the wait time is 6-8 weeks, but this can change based on holidays, scheduled down time at the plant, or heavy orders. In the mean time, there are a few things you can do to help your excitement build.

 

Window Sticker - About a week before you car is scheduled to be built, a window sticker will be uploaded to a website for you to view...if you know your VIN number. If you don't know your VIN, contact your dealer for it...or if they aren't helpful, contact Ford's customer service with your dealer code and order number. Follow

this link

to be sent to the page for the window sticker. Simply change the VIN number at the end of the site address to your VIN number and if a sticker exists for your car, it will be there.

 

Railcar tracking - If you are lucky enough to receive a railcar number from your dealer (just ask for one, the info is available to them), you can track your car's progress to its destination. For me, I tracked my car as it traveled from Hermosillo, Mexico to Albany, NY with some automated phone numbers. The only thing I needed was the railcar number. Here are a couple of phone numbers for automated tracking:

 

CSX - 1-877-SHIP-CSX, Option 5, Option 3

Norfolk Southern - 1-800-241-9230

 

There may be more out there, but those ones worked for me throughout the whole trip.

 

ETA - At some point, your dealer (or Ford Customer Service) should be able to tell you an ETA for your vehicle after it has been built. I had one when the car was initially shipped, but then it went away for the next couple of weeks until it showed up 2 days before my ETA...kinda weird

 

4. Purchasing your vehicle - So, your vehicle has arrived...now it's time to fork over the cash. I'll leave the financial part of this up to you since everyone purchasing a brand new car should have some level of knowledge about how to pay for a car. There are things to think about though. If you are registering your car in a state that charges sales tax, check into exemptions to the tax...you might be eligible. I ended up being exempt because I'm serving in the military...saved me about $2500. I had a lot of weird things to figure out for myself since I'm purchasing in NY and registering in WA. If anyone else is in a similar situation and has questions, feel free to PM me and I'll help as much as possible. It can be a royal pain if your dealer doesn't know how to do it (like mine). Make sure you talk to your dealer about incentives that could be offered on your vehicle. Have your sales manager check VINCENT to determine if any incentives are offered to you. Some examples are college graduate, military, quarter horse association. There are tons, but don't expect any if you're purchasing a hybrid.

 

Before actually driving away with the vehicle, make sure you inspect the vehicle for any missing components or cosmetic damage. Make sure a commitment is made by the dealer to fix these issues or have them fixed before taking delivery. If you want daytime running lights turned on, you can have it done before taking delivery...you might be able to make it part of the deal and not pay for it.

 

Now that you are a proud new owner, give back to the forum and share your knowledge with other new members. Don't forget to post some pictures of your new ride too!

 

Thanks to all that helped me make this post what it is.

 

Because you are active duty military has nothing to do with not paying the NY State Tax. When buying a car in NY, and you are going to register it in another state (such as WA), all you have to do is get an "In-Transit Permit" in NY. This allows you to not pay the NY Tax, as long as you get the car out of NY within 30 days. If your NY dealer does not know anything about the In-Transit Permit, go to the NY-DMV and get it yourself. It is just a paper tag that you use to drive the car out of NYS.

[sullied]

Because you are active duty military has nothing to do with not paying the NY State Tax. When buying a car in NY, and you are going to register it in another state (such as WA), all you have to do is get an "In-Transit Permit" in NY. This allows you to not pay the NY Tax, as long as you get the car out of NY within 30 days. If your NY dealer does not know anything about the In-Transit Permit, go to the NY-DMV and get it yourself. It is just a paper tag that you use to drive the car out of NYS.

I agree with you. I'm getting an In-Transit Permit...was just stating that I also don't have to pay sales tax in WA. There is sales tax for most people, but since I'm military, I don't have to pay it. I know that there are several states that have rules for military. NY has rules for it as well as SC...those I know for a fact. I'm sure there are more states out there that have some sort of provision for military. You pay sales tax to the state that you register the car in...if they charge it.

[chubbnig]

Congratulations Robert on getting your new car. Now all the anxiety over the waiting period has evaporated and you are enjoying the "fruits" of reading the manual. An excellent summary of the purchasing process, which I wish I had read before placing my order. Here in Canada, the process may be slightly elongated because US orders have or seem to have priority. In my case it has taken 8 weeks before a VIN was produced. Ford Canada told me to expect a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks for delivery, despite the dealer offering 6-8 weeks. So it looks as if mid-July is delivery time for mine.

Fortunately there is a sales tax rebate in effect for hybrid cars and a fully loaded Fusion Hybrid competes very favorably with other mid-sized cars.

[sullied]

Congratulations Robert on getting your new car. Now all the anxiety over the waiting period has evaporated and you are enjoying the "fruits" of reading the manual. An excellent summary of the purchasing process, which I wish I had read before placing my order. Here in Canada, the process may be slightly elongated because US orders have or seem to have priority. In my case it has taken 8 weeks before a VIN was produced. Ford Canada told me to expect a minimum of 10 to 12 weeks for delivery, despite the dealer offering 6-8 weeks. So it looks as if mid-July is delivery time for mine.

Fortunately there is a sales tax rebate in effect for hybrid cars and a fully loaded Fusion Hybrid competes very favorably with other mid-sized cars.

Did you order a 2011? If so, that's the reason for the long wait. The 2011 models won't start being produced until the end of July.

[chubbnig]

Did you order a 2011? If so, that's the reason for the long wait. The 2011 models won't start being produced until the end of July.

 

No. It is a 2010. I finally got the VIN on last Friday, so now some more waiting but there is " light at the end of the tunnel". Unfortunately the car will not arrive in time for a 1500 mile drive for a family holiday but will be something to look forward to on our return.

I ordered it in Silver with sandstone seating and all the "bells and whistles".

[DiNGoD]

chubb! Don't worry it will be worth the wait! I had to wait 6 weeks for mine.

 

Amazing car, especially if you got it fully loaded with nav and BLIS.

[chubbnig]

chubb! Don't worry it will be worth the wait! I had to wait 6 weeks for mine.

 

Amazing car, especially if you got it fully loaded with nav and BLIS.

 

Was that from the time you got the VIN number or from when you ordered the car? Yes this order comes with the Nav package, BLIS, moonroof and leather. I must admit that I have enjoyed these forums immensely and have learnt a great deal about the car. I have found the engineering especially interesting with some excellent explanations. That Prius simulator (http://www.wind.sannet.ne.jp/m_matsu/prius/ThsSimu/index_i18n.html?Language=en) really explained the whole drive methodology very well. So I continue to read the forums, read the manuals and hopefully be ready by the time the car arrives.

[greghodg]

Regarding the X-Plan pricing -

 

You don't need 100 shares, nor do you need to wait six months, at least not as of last August. I bought 50 shares and submitted my X-Plan application as soon as the trade settled in my account. My understanding is that a single share would suffice. I received my X-Plan PIN soon after. Unfortunately, it was right as the Cash For Clunkers program was about to run dry, and Fusion Hybrids were in _very_ short supply, and no dealer in my area would give X-Plan pricing on them (although they would on the other models).

 

And... I'm still +$200 on that 50 shares!

[akirby]

Regarding the X-Plan pricing -

 

You don't need 100 shares, nor do you need to wait six months, at least not as of last August. I bought 50 shares and submitted my X-Plan application as soon as the trade settled in my account. My understanding is that a single share would suffice. I received my X-Plan PIN soon after. Unfortunately, it was right as the Cash For Clunkers program was about to run dry, and Fusion Hybrids were in _very_ short supply, and no dealer in my area would give X-Plan pricing on them (although they would on the other models).

 

And... I'm still +$200 on that 50 shares!

 

It changed late last year. Now it is 100 shares for 6 months. Several people have confirmed it with shareholder relations.