Nissan 370Z Forum - ford dealership experience + question to mustang owners

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Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang (Post 1473090)

:bowrofl:

You know, I'm actually surprisingly content with the Mustang right now. It's been a lot of fun and I have some fun things planned for it in the next couple of months. I definitely think I will be able to hold on to it for at least another year, maybe two.

The only thing I'm trying to keep in check is my ongoing idea to drop $15k or so on an AP1 to play around with. I've successfully defeated that desire a handful of times already over the past year... I think I'll end up trying one out sooner or later, though. As an addition to the current car, of course.

TBH, at your (assumed on my part) income level, dropping $15K for an AP1 is FAR FAR more responsible than selling the 'stang and jumping into a 100K+ 991 911 (no way you can get the 911 optioned halfway decent on the left side of 100K imo).

/\ I know that wasn't very helpful tho was it? Sorry. :tiphat:

Quote:

Originally Posted by FL 4Motion (Post 1473093)

I agree. Buying the Porsche would not be a good decision. I've pretty much written that idea off for a while. A modestly optioned 991 comes in at around $115k. I don't even want to think about spending $60-70k on a used GT-R right now (even though I do think about it... a lot).

I am tempted every day to go out and get an S2K... the only thing holding me back is knowing that at some point in the next 2-5 years I need to grow up and buy a ring and a house. Damnit. :rofl2:

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang (Post 1473095)

I agree. Buying the Porsche would not be a good decision. I've pretty much written that idea off for a while. A modestly optioned 991 comes in at around $115k. I don't even want to think about spending $60-70k on a used GT-R right now (even though I do think about it... a lot).

I am tempted every day to go out and get an S2K... the only thing holding me back is knowing that at some point in the next 2-5 years I need to grow up and buy a ring and a house. Damnit. :rofl2:

/\ It's a good thing tho, trust me, you just need to make sure you find the right house. (I'm very satisified with my current residence and have not plans to move anytime soon).

At the current pricing structure fo rthe GTR, it's a bit too rich for my blood at this time at it's current new pricing so when (not if) I get back into one after the Z is paid off, depending on my debt levels, savings, # of current car payments etc, I may very well end up buying slightly used vs new. Then again, if I have zero car payments at that time, i could def swing a new one, sh!t, I feel the wheels already spinning in my head again dammit.

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang (Post 1473090)

ap1 ftw

once I'm not spending $3k+ a month on travel and multiple residences, I'll be back in an S and banking the rest, rather than dropping that money on something insane. Maybe I'm getting old, but it just makes more sense to have a nice house, a nice daily, and a fun weekend car, as well as some cushion...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pharmacist (Post 1472855)

Had a pretty interesting experience today while car shopping. I went to Markville Ford to check out mustangs. Hardly any sales people working there. I walk around and check out some mustangs in the backyard. Then I sat in a gt500 convertible inside the showroom for a few minutes checking out the interior. I try to get a feel for the clutch and manual gearbox. A sales man tells me I shouldn't do that because the transmission is dry because the car doesn't get driven or moved from its place. He asks if he can help me with something. I tell him I wanna know about mustangs. Right off the bat, he asks me my age!?!?!?!?! Him: How old are you? Me: 28. Him: Because you look young. !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then he asks me what I would like to know and I tell him I'm interested in 5.0 gt models, manual, coupe with brembo package. He checks his inventory and finds only a 2012 convertible. He has some company demo models from 2011 but without brembo pack. I ask if I can possibly test drive it. He says they don't do test drives on them in the winter because their summer tires get very hard in the cold and due to the torque the back end slides and spins out. Ok fair enough. Even though it was bone dry out there, but it was a bit cold at -3 celsius. So I ask if can test drive the base model without brembo pack since they come with all season tires. He said the same thing happens with all seasons too so no test drives on these either. I ask if he'll be getting more cars soon, and he tells me in a couple of weeks they will get another delivery which might have something to my preferences. I tell him to take down my contact info and let me know. His tone suddenly becomes less hostile and now he's actually more willing to talk and chat as opposed to a few minutes ago when he seemed to be eager to show me the exit. He gets my contact info and give me his business card which I of course tossed into the trash as soon as i went home.

I was never a big fan of fords or mustangs but I tried to keep an open mind. But that experience just left a sour taste in my mouth. Needless to say, even if by some miracle I do get a mustang, markville ford won't be seeing a single penny of my money. I was actually shocked at the way he treated me. I would have expected to be treated like crap at porsche or bmw, being young in casual dress, and looking out of place among the well heeled crowds that go to such dealers. Yet surprisingly enough, the porsche sales rep was very polite and actually offered me to test drive an 2006 c4s with a laundry list of options they had in stock, and sent me an email a few days later asking me again to test drive it. I would have, but their asking price is too steep for me so I never followed up on it. And the bmw experience was even better. I went there to check out M3 right after the ford visit, and talked to a very nice sales lady that offered me a coffee, and chatted with me. She was very open to the idea of me taking a test drive, agreeing i have to like the car before i decide to buy it, only they didn't have any cars available. They had a new one inside the showroom on a trickle charger that's never moved, and they had a used one but it was just sold so i couldn't test drive it. But she will call me in a few days when they get more inventory.

So seriously, here I am, young, dressed in casual clothes, and I get VIP treatment at luxury car dealers like porsche and bmw, while i get treated like crap at FORD of all places!!!!!!!!!!!!! One of the lowest tier car makers out there, a company that nearly went bankrupt a couple of years ago. I remember the same crappy treatment i.e. no test drive allowed BS I experienced a couple of years ago at a Mitsu dealer when i was cross shopping an EVO X.

Anyway, that brings me to my question to mustang owners. That gt500 I sat in, when i tried getting a feel for the shifter, must have been the roughest, clunkiest, harshest shifter i ever touched! I actually think it aggravated an elbow injury i had or something. It took quite a tremendous effort to get the shifter into any of the 6 gears. Heck, even just moving the shifter sideways in neutral was heavy. I really don't get the salesman's logic that the gearbox is dry as the oil isn't sloshing around since the car isn't driven. I parked my 370 for a couple of weeks at a time when on vacation and i never had such a problem. I remember messing around with the shifter in other 370's and even other cars in dealership showrooms that were never driven either. Heck, even the new m3 at that bmw dealer i mentioned, the one on the trickle charger that hasn't moved from its location for weeks if not month, still had a buttery smooth shifter you can move into gear with a single finger if you wanted. Was there something seriously messed up with that gt500 i saw today or are all mustang manual gearboxes so damn rough and clunky?

BMW treated me great, one GM dealership treated me like crap. Sales people actually walked away in the middle of conversation, etc.

BMW, Lexus, etc. sell cars based on image as well as product. Ford, GM, etc. do not.

That's what it boils down to imo.

If the dealership wasnt bsing about not allowing test drives in the winter, i understand that. There was a accident in calgary a few weeks ago because a guy took a STi out for a test drive with summer tires on it and ended up flying off the road and somehow landed ontop of the only bolder in sight.

However, it does sound like they are bullshitting. But still understandable about the test drives. You get these assclowns that go to random dealerships asking to test drive a car with no intentions in buying it.

Best dealership i have ever encounterd was the dealer that i bought my SRT-10 from. Me and the gf went to look at the truck, i was under the back of it seeing what exhaust was on it. Sales guy came out and tossed me the keys and said "take her for a rip" ended up trading in the Z for the truck that day..lol.

I can see the point with summer tires. Thats why i offered to test drive one of the base non brembo models they had. These come with all seasons not summer tires. But the guy still refused.

Like i said, probably thought u were just some punk that wanted to test drive it for ***** and giggles.

i had the sales guy that sold me my evo ask me how old i was. i said "old enough to drive a tank in the army"....ended up taking a MR out for a drive..lol

For what it's worth, when I went to test drive the 5.0 I was out driving one within fifteen minutes of walking through the doors of the dealership. I wasn't dressed particularly "classy" and I look a lot younger than I actually am.

When I decided to sit down to talk prices, though, they refused to do business with me. I basically told them that the car hadn't blown me away, and unless they'd give me a fantastic deal I wasn't interested. They refused to budge on MSRP, claiming that it was a "rare sports car."

I shrugged, said I wasn't interested and left.

On the other hand...

Went to Barlow Chevy in NJ to test drive the Camaro SS before I bought the Z. Despite buying from there in the past, they gave me a huge attitude, and grudgingly let me test drive the car -- but I could only drive it on one 15 mph back street (busy residential road that was recently paved and perfectly smooth).

Same deal. Wasn't impressed at all, sat down to talk price. They wanted close to 50 grand for it. I'm not ******** you. When I told them they were insane (and I could get a Vette for cheaper), they told me that the car was "going to be a classic" and that they'd be "rare in the future."

I walked. Now I drive by and there are 8 - 10 of them in the front. They don't move.

Likewise, I recently walked into a Subaru dealership and asked when they'd be getting 2012 STIs in -- or if they had any 2011s I could test drive. He looked at me, replied with "No" and walked away. I shrugged and left.

Oh, and one more story!

When I bought my 370 I first went to Cherry Hill Nissan. That place is a joke. The salesman REFUSED to let me test drive the car until I'd already signed the papers. Are you kidding? He also told me that'd he'd reconsider "if I came back with my parents." I was livid pissed and told him not to call back. Surprise! He bombed my phone every day asking me if I was still interested in the car. Oh, and also -- when I said I was interested in the Evo X as well, he basically made up a ton of problems with the car and went on about how it was "slower than a Civic." Wtf?

I ended up driving out to Conicelli Nissan in PA to get my current car. They had the car ready for me outside when I pulled up to test drive it. They wanted to haggle, but they did eventually give me the price I wanted, so I can't complain. They also weren't really pushy about it at all and never made any outrageous claims about the car.

i have to admit i was surprised at the experience my dad and my brother just had at the ford dealership in town..

being in the business i see all these horror stories with people trying to buy sports cars and get treated and screwed over really badly.... so when my dad told me he was gonna order a 2013 mustang GT for him and my brother... i was a little off putting to him like yeah good luck with that... as i know its not the same car but i saw boss's go for 5K over right when they came out and you know the new model year GT has alot of significant changes and new technology..... they walked right in off the street ordered one got it for $500 over invoice in writing shook the guys hand and they just got a call today saying it would be here 3rd week in april.... easy as that.... i thought best case scenario they would get sticker with the dealer giving them some BS .. and maybe this fall when they've sat on the lots they might deal...but nope the deal took about 20 mins.... they got it with every option imaginable... recaros brembo glass roof everything.....

almost shocked to hear such a painless experience at the dealer with a brand new hot car'

im still pessimistic that it was that easy but we will see when the car shows up

Bought my Z a month ago, so just spent a few months test driving cars...

What everyone else says, it just depends on the dealership and the salesperson. Some treat their potential customers better than others. I don't think you can really say that BrandX dealers are great or are terrible, because it just depends. I've had good & bad experiences at Ford & Chevy dealerships.

My local Ford dealership is well-known for being jerks. No idea how they stay in business but they do. Ford dealership one town away is usually recommended as "nice", but the few times I've been there it's mixed; sometimes ok, sometimes not. Very pushy though. Recently drove a Mustang GT at a totally new-to-me dealership and they were great. No hassle to test drive and the salesman was one of the nicest and least-pushy car salesmen I've ever dealt with. So, it just depends.

Worst dealership experience I ever had was at a Lexus a few years back. Shopping for $30-$35k sport sedans and wanted to look at an IS. The dealership wasn't busy but we were told by their "sales coordinator" that we'd have to make an appointment to look at one beyond what was sitting in the showroom. And furthermore, that they'd need to run a credit report before we could test drive one. Uh, no thanks. That one person has destroyed any chance that I'll *EVER* buy a Lexus. :shakes head: Oddly enough, the Acura dealer across the street is part of the family of dealerships, and they had no hesitation at throwing me the keys to a $40k TL-S that afternoon. Go figure. :wtf:

One of the better experiences I've had is out our local BMW/MB/Porsche dealership. I've not had the chance to actually buy anything from them, but they've always been extremely professional & very pleasant to deal with when we've been browsing. Not pushy or snooty at all.

How you look matters. It shouldn't, but it does. Dress like you're going on a job interview or out to a nice dinner, and you'll get a lot more respect than you will showing up in cut-off jeans and a dirty t-shirt.

every ford place ive ever been to, was nothing but D-bags. not that i would ever buy a ford, no offense to any ford fans, just too many testamonies of their unreliability. HOWEVER, my neighbor recently hired on as a ford salesman, and he is a super nice guy. thus, breaking the monotany. heh, better check my spelling on this one, im sure i butchered it

Quote:

Originally Posted by MC (Post 1474410)

car is due in about 10 days... now they are at 1K over invoice... who knows what it will be when its here..

MSRP on the car was pretty steep like 45K

Yeah I few years ago I walked over to the local Nisan dealer from the Mazda dealer I was at for an oil change, etc to check out the GT-R. I wasn't dressed all fancy or anything and asked for a test drive.

The sales guy then started running his suck about credit checks, signing papers,etc so I told him to suck a **** and went on marry way. Strangely enough some older guy I bumped into at a SBUX let me take his GT-R for a spin.

The car is ******* crazy fast but I don't think I'd take one over an M3 or Cayman S. Plus the cost to own a GT-R, especially a used one would be much higher than the typical 60-70k sports car.

Other than that I've never had issues test driving cars.

Quote:

Originally Posted by vo2max99 (Post 1584479)

http://troll.me/images/coolstorybrot...-it-again-.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by flashburn (Post 1584532)

http://troll.me/images/coolstorybrot...-it-again-.jpg

Quote:

Originally Posted by m4a1mustang (Post 1472886)

I've actually had positive experiences at all of the dealerships I've been to for the most part. Porsche, Ford, BMW, etc. I am always floored at these stories of dealerships treating their customers like crap, especially in an economy like this.

:shakes head: Lucky for me I ended up with my Z because of poor treatment by Ford-I contacted 3, yes 3 separate Ford dealers local to me and after numerous phone calls received ONE call back...and I think that is only because some survey company had called me and I blasted Fords customer service. I REALLY REALLY wanted a GT...and I had a hair trigger for a purchase and Ford just didn't seem to care. Their loss and Nissan's gain. As you can tell I am still pretty bitter about the whole experience (shhh-don't tell them but I still ogle the Mustangs when I see them! won't be buying one though :(

Thankful though becuase I love love love my Z!:driving::happydance:

I actually got very good treatment at Ford and horrible treatment at BMW. I went to a Ford dealership to just look at their mustangs. With me being 16 at the time I didn't know I was allowed to test drive cars, lol. A salesman walks up to me right when I get out of the car with my cousin who was only 17. I tell him I'm interested in the new mustangs and he says he has a brand new 2012 with only 5 miles on it, even though it's a V6. He almost forgot to even ask me for my license! We get inside the car and he says "You do have your license, right?" He was an amazing salesman, the best one I have ever encountered. Now at the BMW dealership... it was horrible. I waited 45mins just to get someone to even talk to me. Then the salesman sends me to someone else and he ends up being a total prick. Doesn't say a single thing to me except "Are you sure you can afford this car?" I drove 2 cars at the BMW dealership. A 2008 328i Sedan that was on sale for $20,000 and a 2008 335i Coupe which wasn't listed yet since they just got it. I was extremely interested in the 335i but they couldn't even tell me the price of it! If they don't know the price of it why would they have it sitting at the very front of the parking lot so you pass it when you drive past the dealership? I ended leaving and I will never go there again even if I ever decide to get a BMW.

The shifter is firm as hell and the 1-2 shift is a bitch but when you're putting 650+hp to the ground in the quickest way possible and getting shoved back into your seat down the dragstrip, it is very nice to have.