Why is everyone waiting to get their truck?

[Priccijr]

Other than getting the exact options you want are there other reasons you're waiting for a truck? Tasca.com has 10 of them listed right now. There must be other dealers that have them in stock. I know Tasca has some special relationship with Ford but they can't be the only dealer that has them.

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[F150ROD]

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[IdeaOfTheDayCom]

Other than getting the exact options you want are there other reasons you're waiting for a truck? Tasca.com has 10 of them listed right now. There must be other dealers that have them in stock. I know Tasca has some special relationship with Ford but they can't be the only dealer that has them.

The Lightning is supposed to be sold by reservation only and dealers aren't supposed to be able to order them for inventory.

In a perfect world, that would mean people who ordered one should get them before any extras are sent for inventory.

That said, some dealers take advantage of this by basically placing orders from fake customers, then claiming the customer changed their mind and cancelled the order at the last minute or couldn't secure financing.

This gives them a potential inventory that they can use to mark up the prices above list. My local dealer sold a lot of their trucks that way. To avoid the perception of them "asking" above list, they simply spread the word about the truck the available truck, then sit back as the customers offer increasingly higher bids to buy it as the sales rep sits by and takes the order from the highest bidder.

So, most of us are not willing to participate in a bidding war to get the trucks we ordered. I could've gotten mine a couple of months earlier if I did, but I was willing to get my truck for the price Ford promised.

One key advantage of sticking with the order system is that Ford will let you literally close the deal, including the financing online, where the price is the one they promised.

 

[metroshot]

The Lightning is supposed to be sold by reservation only and dealers aren't supposed to be able to order them for inventory.

In a perfect world, that would mean people who ordered one should get them before any extras are sent for inventory.

That said, some dealers take advantage of this by basically placing orders from fake customers, then claiming the customer changed their mind and cancelled the order at the last minute or couldn't secure financing.

This gives them a potential inventory that they can use to mark up the prices above list. My local dealer sold a lot of their trucks that way. To avoid the perception of them "asking" above list, they simply spread the word about the truck the available truck, then sit back as the customers offer increasingly higher bids to buy it as the sales rep sits by and takes the order from the highest bidder.

So, most of us are not willing to participate in a bidding war to get the trucks we ordered. I could've gotten mine a couple of months earlier if I did, but I was willing to get my truck for the price Ford promised.

One key advantage of sticking with the order system is that Ford will let you literally close the deal, including the financing online, where the price is the one they promised.

100% correct!

My Lightning Ford dealer does just that - takes bids / offers from customers and picks the highest price over ADM.

As for why people wait for an ordered Ford EV is due to MSRP pricing, interest rate and incentives that are price protected at the time of order.

My '23 Mustang Mach E that has been on order for 11 months is getting the '22 pricing thru PCO, cash incentives, and lower interest rates (4.49% vs 9%+).

Still worth waiting for my almost 1 year old order than grabbing an on lot MME that my Ford dealers have lots of ....

 

[RickLightning]

LMAO.

So the fact that you haven't heard of Tasca means what? Tasca has been in the auto business since 1943. They are a large online parts supplier for Ford vehicles. Revenue is in excess of $150 million. Tasca Automotive Group owns Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Volvo, Jeep Dodge, Fiat, Buick, GMC, Chevrolet, Kia, and Subaru dealerships (I may not have the complete list), and has a racing team.

 

[swajames]

This comes up so often it still surprises me people don't know that many of the vehicles listed on dealer websites as "inventory" are customer orders awaiting pick up and are not actually for sale. Both my Bronco and my Lightning appeared on my dealer's website as inventory because their website like many others pushes shipment data from Ford to their website. If you'd called and asked about my Bronco and Lightning, they were not actually available. The website just made it look like they were. Someone posted about seeing lots of Mach E being available on another site - and of course they all had a green window sticker. They were all customer orders.

 

[Priccijr]

I am not affiliated with Tasca I live in RI and that’s where I got my truck. I probably paid more than I should have but when I was in the market reservations were closed. I didn’t know and have never heard of dealers placing “fake” orders but I could see how that could happen or would happen. Tasca is a well known racing family here in RI.

 

[FordLightningMan]

Any dealer having a lot of Lightnings on the lot is likely a bad sign. Sure someone could've walked away from one and there are the demo models, but one or two here and there is the most you likely should see. If there's a bunch, the dealer is probably up to ordering shenanigans or trying to screw people with ADM when they go to get their trucks. A local dealer owner I know of personally orders highly in demand vehicles at the Ford discount, which he can't sell for 6 months. He then keeps it on the showroom floor for six months to drive up interest and get the highest bidder lined up. He did this with multiple Broncos on repeat and pocketed well over $100k+ in markup personally over the past few years.

I'd assume a dealer with stock through non-nefarious ways that is selling the stock at MSRP would not have a ton sit for long.

 

[RickLightning]

It's an income statement, not a balance sheet.

 

[Priccijr]

I was just curious because that is where I purchased my truck. It was on the lot along with a platinum December of last year. I didn’t want to start an argument with the members here. Sorry.

 

[Henry Ford]

You have to call to find out what is actually available. I called a lot of dealer's about inventory on their websites before I found a vehicle that was actually available. That was late last year, maybe conditions have changed. The only way to know is to call.

 

[Jherzog2211]

Just to echo what's already been said, I called over 100 Ford Dealerships to find available Lightnings (demo units). Indeed, just because a Lightning is listed on their website, usually the case was that it's a customer order. That truck automatically populates on the website but is never really for sale to the general public, just for the one person who reserved and ordered that truck. Makes it confusing for the rest of us, though! Also noticing lately that there's plenty of Lightnings hitting the used market (as to why? couldn't tell ya, probably people not used to the range anxiety and public charging and got fed up).

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I think some folks just don’t know any better. I ordered my Pro. It got here last Aug. After selling it and regretting it, I went into general population. Not wanting to wait 3 years I searched online.

I ended up finding my Lariat in the middle of nowhere (charging desert) and they were more than happy to sell it to me at MSRP and drive the 250 miles to me to do a home delivery. Best of all, no chip deletes.

Not sure why more folks aren’t doing so…

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