I’ve finally decided to buy a new car. I’m looking to purchase an 09 Ford Fusion S. Out of eight dealers within reasonable driving distance from me there is only one that has the base model manual transmission that I am looking for.
I drove it last night and told them I was not going to buy that night. They gave me an initial out the door price without any haggling by me of $14,110. Sticker is $19,200, invoice is $17,780. That price also included a $3,500 rebate.
I’m assuming if I buy that I could most likely get the price even lower as this price was their first offer.
I’m not crazy about the color (tanish), I’d prefer white or black. According to the dealer getting either of those colors would increase the price because he’d have to get it from another dealer. They’d have to spend money to go get it, and whatever dealer he received it from would get the dealer hold back of 3%, not him. That sounds truthful and reasonable, is it?
My big question if I decide to get this particular car is the length of time its been sitting on the lot. The sticker on the door indicates a manufacture date of 6/08. Is almost a year of sitting around too long? The car has 40 miles on it. Would the engine be okay after not having any oil moved around in it for that length of time?
Thanks for any insight you can give me on this!
We had a poster awhile back who asked the same question as yours, but the car had been on a lot for about 3 years. One year is not an issue. The car is fine, go for it.
You can use your computer to search other Ford dealers inventory to see if you can locate a manual Fusion yourself. You know the price range. If you find one call the dealer and see if you can make a deal on the phone. Then go get the car.
Two things.
Cars sit on dealers lots for weeks if not MONTHS at a time. It’s no big deal. I wouldn’t worry about that at all.
As for the color…Dealers deal with other dealers all the time…They usually just exchange one car for another. What I’d do…is find another dealer that has that color on their lot…and then go back to your dealer and tell him either get the car from this dealer at this same price…or I’ll just deal with them…And personally there are only TWO colors I WON’T buy…Black and White.
Color is something you live with for a long time. If you really want a specific color you should wait until you find a color you like. The best price is for a car on the lot, not a special order.
If they find you a car in another color you should expect to pay more. Or you could go to the dealer who has your color in stock and haggle with him.
There is nothing to worry about as far as the car sitting for 6 months. Happens all the time. As long as the engine isn’t running the oil doesn’t have to move around.
If they told you $14,110 when they knew you weren’t buying there’s still room to bargain. Decide how much you’re willing to pay and tell them. Be fair.
But don’t buy a car you don’t really like.
Right, slow selling cars sit on dealer lots a long time. At this time GM has a 430 day supply of Cobalts in the pipeline. It might be a full year before the last one will be sold. I would have no hesitation in buying one, at the right discount, unless it had sat on the dockside near salt water.
Aren’t some Japanese vehicles being stored exactly like you describe right now? I agree it is not a postive situation.
Yes, the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles have a hugh number of Japanese and Korean cars that were already on board when the market collapsed. They were unloaded in California but dealers turned them down, since they had no room or money for them. The Asian companies have basically stopped shiping more cars, but it will take a while to clear the inventory.
By the end of this year they will be 1 year old cars, and have to be sold at a steep discount. Southern California is dry, so I would not worry too much about sea salt in this case. If they were in New York or Florida, I would be concerned.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to address my questions. I went back to three dealers today and asked them to find me a black or white one. Nothing within a 300 miles radius of my town. One found an SE instead of an S, but it would have been $1,800 more.
Usually when dealers say it’s the last car, it’s B.S. It appears based on what they’ve all said, as well as my own research, this could be the case. I’m going to have to think long and hard about tan. Even if the dealer won’t go less than $14,100, it still seems like a decent deal.
Thank you all again.
“Southern California is dry, so I would not worry too much about sea salt in this case. If they were in New York or Florida, I would be concerned.”
The air on the coast is quite moist in California. If you go inland just 20 miles that is not the case, but Long Beach has moist air unless the desert winds blow in. They do, but the Santa Anas are not the norm. There isn’t much rain, but the humidity is usually between 40% to 60%.