Ford's direct to consumer will decrease dealerships.

**Lake X Kid** · 03-18-2023, 09:24 PM

Direct to the consumer with less brick & mortar stores/buildings is the business model of Amazon and Telsa.

**CDave** · 03-19-2023, 03:42 AM

Who's gonna do the warranty work?

**XstreamVking** · 03-19-2023, 08:55 AM

There will be "warranty and service centers" just no new cars sitting on the lot. They will do a pre delivery at the service center and deliver your new car to your doorstep. Local stealership guys told me of this a yr or more ago. Not happy campers and deliberately gouged a little too much this last couple of model years. People and Ford got pissed! Now you have to wonder if the "quality" will go up or down? I'm guessing it will suck even worse if that's possible. FE; New bronco's are being recalled for engine replacement AND steering failures.

**powerabout** · 03-19-2023, 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by XstreamVking

There will be "warranty and service centers" just no new cars sitting on the lot. They will do a pre delivery at the service center and deliver your new car to your doorstep. Local stealership guys told me of this a yr or more ago. Not happy campers and deliberately gouged a little too much this last couple of model years. People and Ford got pissed! Now you have to wonder if the "quality" will go up or down? I'm guessing it will suck even worse if that's possible. FE; New bronco's are being recalled for engine replacement AND steering failures.

The big boys are trying this in Australia, first move was to say cars are sold at fixed price, the first few to do that have sales drop through the floor and have almost packed up and left Australia.
https://www.drive.com.au/news/honda-...o-fixed-prices
What it has shown is now that GM Ford Toyota and Mitsubishi stopped building cars ozzies dont care what they buy ( less Toyota pickups) Hence the gov doesnt have to support anyone, when you sue a car giant you seem to win in OZ.
https://www.drive.com.au/news/uncons...-car-industry/

**Turtleherder** · 03-19-2023, 09:20 AM

Their proposed model sounds like what Saturn did years ago. Fixed price no need to negotiate. What I don’t get is the customer orders the car, it’s delivered and then the customer does a test drive. How would you know you actually like the way the car handles or how the seats feel before buying? Also this model seems to put all the profit incentive on getting the used car trade in price paid to the consumer down to the screw you range.

**rock** · 03-19-2023, 10:01 AM

I have bought many boats online but cannot imagine buying a car that way

Rock

**XstreamVking** · 03-19-2023, 10:35 AM

I have buds who have invested 25 yrs with Ford. You can imagine their attitude about this crap?

**doug7488** · 03-19-2023, 11:38 AM

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**CUDA** · 03-19-2023, 03:40 PM

Everything is always changing, everyone is playing catch up with Tesla

The elimination of the human elemet is job one/

Humans are not efficent, they have many needs

Macchines just need repair, no vacation, sick days, maternity time ect.

twenty years from now, I don't

don't believe I will be alive, not sure I want to be...

**Stoker boy** · 03-19-2023, 10:48 PM

[QUOTE=CUDA;3382386] twenty years from now, I don't
believe I will be alive

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**WaterZebra** · 03-20-2023, 09:53 AM

Originally Posted by Lake X Kid

Direct to the consumer with less brick & mortar stores/buildings is the business model of Amazon and Telsa.

Bought 2 new vehicles right in the middle of Covid19. 2 brands same dealership. I have not seen or heard from sales staff ever since. They go limp if you are not financing and you get this double talk about trade ins. I got raped on my trade in value. Have U seen inventory on used car lots since Covid19? I don't want to pay their overhead and all the paperwork they fiddle with can be done online. Sitting in a sales cube for 90 minutes while they arrange "approval" is absurd. Drive the showroom item and then order what you want. What's the problem? Service centers seem to be run by an entirely different management chain than sales staff and it's clear that they don't talk to each other. Service centers have a big problem with staff turnover. But I have to admit that after 50+ years of doing my own oil changes, they have made it economically difficult to keep doing it (synthetics).

**Forkin' Crazy** · 03-20-2023, 12:02 PM

Ford has GREED IN THEIR EYES!!! They want to put people OUT OF WORK AND POCKET THEIR PAY. F**K THEM!!!

I will never ever buy a new or newer used Fords. Done.

Originally Posted by rock

I have bought many boats online but cannot imagine buying a car that way

Rock

I have, but it was an original owner and he was so particular!!! It was a show truck. I have pictures of a line of trophies in front of it.

We had a great line of communication, both on the phone and emails. I had no bad feelings or apprehensions and being as rare as it was, I gave him what he wanted for it.

It has just over 50K on the clock. Everyone knows that a 5.9 Cummins is not even broken in at that point. I have put almost 50K on it with only self inflicted problems.

You just have to be careful. The website I found it on is WAY tighter nit than S&F. I do not blame you though. I was looking at another 911 and was going to have to pay an expert in the field to check it out, $,$$$.

But at times, that is worth it in the long run if you cannot put your hands on it.

**Forkin' Crazy** · 03-20-2023, 01:51 PM

How about that greedy DEALERSHIP mark up by GM???

I was pretty serious looking at a new Z06. Now for the catch. MSRP was 130+ options.

AFTER those were added on, the "dealers" would add $70K to $100K OVER MSRP!!!

They can go get F'd!

I'd rather spend $100K on a clone RS 911 or a mod C2!!!

**FUJIMO** · 03-20-2023, 02:41 PM

...been looking for a new car(or truck) for the last three years. i gave up. neighbor straight across the street has a really nice late model chevy truck. no miles on it. talk to him every week for years. no one else in the neighborhood ever talks to him. he just stopped driving it, do to health. all of a sudden he dies. i said to his wife. where's bob's truck? she said another neighbor just bought it. this was one day after he died...

**WaterZebra** · 03-21-2023, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Forkin' Crazy

How about that greedy DEALERSHIP mark up by GM???

I was pretty serious looking at a new Z06. Now for the catch. MSRP was 130+ options.

AFTER those were added on, the "dealers" would add $70K to $100K OVER MSRP!!!

They can go get F'd!

I'd rather spend $100K on a clone RS 911 or a mod C2!!!

Simple answer: Vote with your wallet and decide to buy or not and don't have a fit about it. Ford got upset about the dealership bidding wars in FL over the EV F150 Lightning. Very simple.......don't get caught up in the frenzy. Clear indication of people who have too much money and s... for common sense.