Swap for my dealers mannequin unit?

[p52Ranch]

I asked about a swap with my Lariat & the dealer's loaded demo Pro.

They said no - they were told by Ford to hang onto it for 6 months.
The owner is driving the truck - won't let others drive it - not even the sales people!

They also titled it (DMV plates) so does that mean the $7500 fed tax credit is gone ?

I guess it would depend on the state if putting a dealer tag on a vehicle constitutes titling it. I think in Oklahoma a D tag does not mean the vehicle is titled to the dealer. We once purchased a Mini Cooper that the dealer had moved to demo stock and it was sold as a new vehicle.

Dealers have probably lobbied the states to not require any titling of demo vehicles so they can still sell them as new and to reduce titling paperwork and taxes on their part.

Certainly if for some reason it was not sold as a new vehicle then the inability to claim the $7500 tax credit would kill my swap.

 

[vandy1981]

My dealer got a Lariat SR demo. I would have tried to swap our Lariat ER for a Pro ER in a heartbeat if they had one in demo stock. It would have been a killer application for a slide-in camper since the payload capacity is significantly higher.

 

[Rob G]

Are you still waiting on yours to arrive? Did they have a more detailed explanation on the reason they couldn't do the swap?

I am thinking the reasons they may not do the swap could be:
- Ford is implementing more strict rules on the demo's or on ordered Lightnings than are published.
- The dealer will miss out on some of the Ford bonus incentives if the swap is done. The 10% dealer profit on the Lightning has all sorts of thresholds that must be met.
- Both vehicles have to be in stock before they can do a swap. (Perhaps if they swapped out early then the time between selling Demo and receiving replacement doesn't count for the 6 months in service)
- The dealer doesn't want to hassle with the paperwork.
- The dealer already has an agreement to sell the mannequin unit.

I had the feeling they felt there would be something punitive. The unit is not yet sold according to the sales manager. In the past they wouldn't take deposits on mannequins to they were able to be sold (MME, Bronco), so I think they are being truthful. My truck should be there by Friday or Saturday so it's not a huge deal but I just wanted to leave with the shiny new truck this past weekend.

 

[p52Ranch]

Here’s the final verdict on my quest to swap my XLT with my dealers mannequin. The dealer wasn’t able to make it happen. The Ford rep told the GM that once the mannequin was in service it couldn’t be swapped out.

My interest in swapping had dropped considerably anyway. $22K is a huge difference in price. But more importantly my Bronco order finally got scheduled with a build date. Somehow I’m getting two new Fords within a couple of months.

 

[bryan995]

$22k for the Lariat ER over the XLT SR is wild for what you would get.
But then again the $12k for the XLT SR over the Pro SR is even more wild. But alas - the pro is nothing but a unicorn.

It’s really only ~70 additional EPA miles of range, but the gap closes significantly in real world driving. Either vehicle is non ideal for long road trips. I really don’t think buying for the range alone is a winning proposition.

Traveling 80mph at 2.1mi/kWh

Extended Range (15% - 80%) 180mi
Stopping every 2 hour 15 minutes, for a 30 minute wait in line and then a 41 minute charge

Standard Range (15% - 80%) 134mi
Stopping every 1 hour 40 minutes, for a 30 minute wait in line and then a 44 minute charge

 

[monsterlag]

Here’s the final verdict on my quest to swap my XLT with my dealers mannequin. The dealer wasn’t able to make it happen. The Ford rep told the GM that once the mannequin was in service it couldn’t be swapped out.

My interest in swapping had dropped considerably anyway. $22K is a huge difference in price. But more importantly my Bronco order finally got scheduled with a build date. Somehow I’m getting two new Fords within a couple of months.

Jesus Christ, $22k is an insane price difference. That’s the price of a whole other car.

 

[broncoaz]

It might be wise to take whichever truck you can get first, but $22K is more than I’d be willing to swallow.

 

[p52Ranch]

It might be wise to take whichever truck you can get first, but $22K is more than I’d be willing to swallow.

My XLT arrived at the dealer yesterday. Their mannequin Lariat has been at their store for a month and a half. I’ll wrap up the XLT purchase Monday.

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