When should I order a "custom" 2015 FFH?

[Mehcoib]

hi,

 

I'm planning to buy a "custom" 2015 FFH (SE + luxury package + Ruby Red + Start Button) this year. There's no rush (can wait until next winter), but I definitely don't know when is the "best" time to order. I'm a Costco member (sometimes $1000 off) and I know there's usually a Ford Employee Pricing during summer (which may be a rip off?)

 

I just don't know when to buy. I want a good price but I don't want to fight to get the best deal ever. And I also want a good 60 months finance rate (like ~1% or below).

 

What do you think? Before summer, during summer, after summer? I should have had look at prices and rates over a full year... but I didn't :)

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Mehcoib

[jeff_h]

You can probably look on Edmunds or KBB to get more info, but I think January and February are really slow months when it comes to car sales, so if you want to place an order and get the best deal, that would be the time that I would do it.

[Mehcoib]

thank you. Another question: what does "factory ordered" mean? if I want a "custom" car, it will be a "factory order"?

[hybridbear]

thank you. Another question: what does "factory ordered" mean? if I want a "custom" car, it will be a "factory order"?

Yes. It means that you go to the dealer and tell them exactly what you want and then they place the order with Ford. Dealers will usually give you a better deal if you order rather than taking a car off the lot since they avoid the inventory costs when you special order the car.

[Waldo]

The only reason to factory order a car is if your dealer can't find one to get for you. When I bought my FFH in February I wanted the dune interior. My dealer searched and found 2 dune interiors in all of Ontario. One of them had all the other options I wanted, so they arranged it with the other dealer and drove it over 500km. I got exactly what I wanted in a couple of days, the only downside was that the car had 500km on it already.

 

As far as time of the year, when I bought in February I got the $1000 Costco, the $1000 "first 4 payments on us" deal and a $750 loyalty bonus, all on a zero down lease with 0% money factor. None of those were available when I was looking last summer when the employee pricing event was on. While the employee pricing event is a good deal, you can theoretically negotiate down to very close to the employee price at any time of the year, then get all the other incentives on top of that.

 

Another thing to consider is there will be bigger incentives to clear out 2014 models later in the fall. If you really want the best price, you should buy a "leftover" 2014 just before Christmas, but then your choices may be much more limited.

Edited May 13, 2014 by Waldo

[Mehcoib]

Yes. It means that you go to the dealer and tell them exactly what you want and then they place the order with Ford. Dealers will usually give you a better deal if you order rather than taking a car off the lot since they avoid the inventory costs when you special order the car.

 

so if I go to the dealership with the printout of my configuration I "should" be able to get a better price than what I see online?

 

 

The only reason to factory order a car is if your dealer can't find one to get for you. When I bought my FFH in February I wanted the dune interior. My dealer searched and found 2 dune interiors in all of Ontario. One of them had all the other options I wanted, so they arranged it with the other dealer and drove it over 500km. I got exactly what I wanted in a couple of days, the only downside was that the car had 500km on it already.

 

As far as time of the year, when I bought in February I got the $1000 Costco, the $1000 "first 4 payments on us" deal and a $750 loyalty bonus, all on a zero down lease with 0% money factor. None of those were available when I was looking last summer when the employee pricing event was on. While the employee pricing event is a good deal, you can theoretically negotiate down to very close to the employee price at any time of the year, then get all the other incentives on top of that.

 

Another thing to consider is there will be bigger incentives to clear out 2014 models later in the fall. If you really want the best price, you should buy a "leftover" 2014 just before Christmas, but then your choices may be much more limited.

 

thanks for sharing your experience, I'll see with dealership if he can find what I want before factory ordering. The deal you got seems very interesting, but I don't know if I'll be able to wait until February though!

[djminfll]

Is there a reason why you are waiting for the 2015 models? Are they substantially refreshing the car for 2015? If not, I would go ahead with a 2014 model and satisfy your desire for the car.

[Mehcoib]

Is there a reason why you are waiting for the 2015 models? Are they substantially refreshing the car for 2015? If not, I would go ahead with a 2014 model and satisfy your desire for the car.

 

there's no major change but I want specific options and 2014 orders are closed now... The only thing I can do is to ask my dealership if he can find the car I want in any other dealership. But I doubt he'll be able to find it (I live in Quebec province, so not a big market).

Edited May 14, 2014 by Mehcoib

[hybridbear]

so if I go to the dealership with the printout of my configuration I "should" be able to get a better price than what I see online?

Yes. You can bring in a printout of the configuration you want from the build & price tool online. You should also check out what invoice price is for that configuration according to Edmunds or KBB. It won't be accurate for 2015 yet, but it'll get you a good idea.

 

2015 does bring some changes. Some of which I consider to be pretty major - the new instrument cluster design, standard DRLs & no more 18-inch wheels. Perhaps they'll also bring back the Lifetime Summary for 2015.

 

If I were in your shoes I would either buy a 2013 leftover or order a 2015. There are still a lot of 2013s leftover on dealer lots. The 2013 includes the Lifetime Summary which was removed from the 2014s. The 2014 model year had no real upgrades over the 2013.

[Mehcoib]

Yes. You can bring in a printout of the configuration you want from the build & price tool online. You should also check out what invoice price is for that configuration according to Edmunds or KBB. It won't be accurate for 2015 yet, but it'll get you a good idea.

 

2015 does bring some changes. Some of which I consider to be pretty major - the new instrument cluster design, standard DRLs & no more 18-inch wheels. Perhaps they'll also bring back the Lifetime Summary for 2015.

 

If I were in your shoes I would either buy a 2013 leftover or order a 2015. There are still a lot of 2013s leftover on dealer lots. The 2013 includes the Lifetime Summary which was removed from the 2014s. The 2014 model year had no real upgrades over the 2013.

 

Another 2015 change is the 10-way passenger power seat (I think). And standard backup camera (but I don't care it's standard now since I want luxury package).

 

I'm not interested in 2013 models, I read too many problem with mpg...

 

And I don't understand what Lifetime Summary is?

[hybridbear]

 

Another 2015 change is the 10-way passenger power seat (I think). And standard backup camera (but I don't care it's standard now since I want luxury package).

 

I'm not interested in 2013 models, I read too many problem with mpg...

 

And I don't understand what Lifetime Summary is?

The 10-way power passenger seat will be standard on the HyTi in 2015. It was an option in 2014 and not available in 2013. In 2013 the passenger seat is only 4-way power.

 

Lifetime Summary: http://youtu.be/8hc0ITSRf7o

http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/6331-accuracy-of-lifetime-mpg/

 

There were only a few Job 1 2013 FFHs that had issues. There have not been MPG issues with Job 2 2013s. All HyTis from 2013 were Job 2 which haven't had issues.

[acdii]

I :wub: :love_shower: my 2013 HyTi

[Mehcoib]

I :wub: :love_shower: my 2013 HyTi

 

lucky you!

 

I still can't decide... either I buy it now and I'll have it for summer holidays (well, I hope!), or I wait until this winter and I'll probably get a better deal... because I don't think a lot of people buy cars during snow storms...

Edited May 14, 2014 by Mehcoib

[acdii]

True but buying in winter gives false hope as the car wont get near as good gas mileage as it will when you get it now. Either way, good luck and hope you find the one you want!

[Toz]

The 2014 model year had no real upgrades over the 2013.

Umm wut? I guess it all depends on what you consider a "real" upgrade. I considered the heated steering wheel, cooled seats, 10 waypower passenger seats and safer rear seat belts to be real upgrades.

Edited May 16, 2014 by Toz

[hybridbear]

Umm wut? I guess it all depends on what you consider a "real" upgrade. I considered the heated steering wheel, cooled seats, 10 waypower passenger seats and safer rear seat belts to be real upgrades.

The 2014 did offer additional features. I meant changes in standard equipment. The 2015 has some significant upgrades in standard equipment - DRLs standard, 17 inch wheels standard on HyTi, etc. The 2014 also took away the Lifetime Summary which is a huge negative to me. I use the Lifetime Summary to track how many miles are on the ICE between oil changes. Without the Lifetime Summary you can't do that easily since the trip meters don't have a thousands digit for EV miles.

[acdii]

I just started looking at my lifetime EV. nearly half of the miles are EV, along with over 1000 Regen miles. Pretty cool and really puzzling why Ford eliminated that.

[Mehcoib]

I use the Lifetime Summary to track how many miles are on the ICE between oil changes. Without the Lifetime Summary you can't do that easily since the trip meters don't have a thousands digit for EV miles.

 

that's right, without Lifetime Summary how do you know when it's time to change engine oil?

 

How do I know if this feature is back in 2015 models? Do I have to wait for official 2015 User Manual? I didn't find anything about this in 2015 order guide...

[Texasota]

 

that's right, without Lifetime Summary how do you know when it's time to change engine oil?

The owner's manual tells you when to change it. It says not to exceed 10,000 miles or one year between oil changes. It does not say anything about factoring in EV miles. The FFH will also tell you with an alert message when to change it and that may occur far earlier than 10,000 miles or 1 year if you drive under certain conditions such as extreme heat or cold.

Edited May 20, 2014 by Texasota

[Waldo]

 

that's right, without Lifetime Summary how do you know when it's time to change engine oil?

 

When the car tells you!

[Toz]

 

When the car tells you!

Yup that's what the "engine oil life" status is for. I think it sends out alerts at %25 and %5 of oil life remaining. So while I have no idea why Ford droped the "Life Time summary" I don't see that it has any bearing on remembering when to change your oil. The car keeps track of that all on it's own. Then only thing you have to remember, is to reset it after you change your oil.

[hybridbear]

I like to track how many miles are on the ICE between oil changes. It helps me to decide if I want to wait until the car tells me to change oil or if I want to do it sooner.

[Toz]

Well you can never change your oil too often I guess, and I know lots of folks that still change their oil at 3K even though the manual says 5-7K depending on use. Never heard a mechanic tell anyone that they killed their engine with too much fresh oil.