silvel2edge

I thought I saw somewhere that the current mustang incentives were a $1000 rebate and $750 cash back... and thought I could use both of them, but it looks like the 750 cash back is only for an automatic, or at least that's what the dealer is trying to tell me.

So now i'm not sure if it's worth the 1000 savings for an 07... he said I could order an 07 still and get the 1000 in savings if I wanted since the car I was going to get was just sold yesterday.

Does anyone know what kind of incentives Ford usually offers? Does Ford usually only offer incentives in the late summer, such as now and that's it? Are there ever any Fall incentives or Christmas incentives or is the $1000 they are offering now still a pretty good incentive?

Thanks!

Sirsilent

the 750 $ is just for automatic, thats true. for the manual you'll just get the $ 1000 rebate.

Tri C

There's no telling what the future might hold. Late last summer they offered 0% interest for 72 months regardless of credit score, an unprecedented (and likely never to be repeated) offer.

While the current offer is nothing to write home about, the market is soft and you should easily be able to buy at invoice less the rebate. During the finance special last summer, sticks were in short supply and dealers oftengot MSRP for them.

Best advice - if you want one, go get it now. Why delay enjoyment on the chance that you might save a bit later?

Justabear

There are several websites that list all the current incentives by car type, try edmunds dot com for one, If you are tracking the Mustang sales numbers they have been down every month from the previous year, Jan, Feb. Mar, Apr, May will be interesting. I am guessing we will be seeing some pretty good incentives in the next 60 days or so.

ilmor

Just buy it!!!

Rt1Rebel

As was mentioned, those incentives are there to get you in the showroom, the real deal will be made when you start talking turkey with the sales manager. I'm not going to turn this into ahow to negociate a car price thread, but that's really what it's gonna come down to for you.

Lees07GT

It's only money. You can't take it with you. Live for today because you never know what tomorrow will bring. Money is for spending, that's why they invented it.

That's all the cliches that I can think of to help you throw caution to the wind and enjoy life now. I was going to buy a GT in 05 when the S197 came out. Then I decided to wait until 06. Sheet happened, and then I had to wait until 07. I wasted two years screwing around with my Chevy when I could'a had a V8........

ratnacage

Well, why not do a "how to" response?

Here's what you do (I sold Ford's):

Before you start:
A) know your credit and what kind of rates you qualify for if you were to get a loan from a bank or credit union.
B) know what kind of payments you're realisticallylooking at (there was nothing more frustrating than to have a customer agree to a price then be all surprised when that $28k drive outprice isn't $300/mo)

1. Deal with the internet only (assuming you don't want to spend all daydriving all over town shopping and negotiating several deals)
2. in fairness to the salesmen, tell them you're getting quotes from other dealers and that you will be buying inone to two days.This makes a huge difference in how seriously they treat your request. If you're not ready to buy, then you shouldn't ask for quotes.
3. submit requests for "drive out" price(s) - including rebates -on a car(s) they have in stock that most closely matches your specifications. The reason you want "drive out" quoted instead of just "price" is that drive out should include all fees, BS, etc. If you just ask for the best price, you're leaving the door open for them to throw in additional fees once you arrive to finalize the deal (who needs the hassle?). By shopping "drive out" you'll be comparing apples to apples. Make sure they reply with the specs of the car they're quoting. ***Get all this in writing, not just over the phone***
4. you should have an idea of what invoice is and what the rebates are (invoice = 0.935 x MSRP (approximately)). If the most desirable deal still isn't low enough for you, negotiate using what you know about invoice, rebates and the other offers you received, but you should allow for a fair profit.
5. after you select the "winner," make them verify the car is actually in stock and confirm the odometer reading and VIN#, Confirm the price they quoted is DRIVE OUT including TT&L, fees (if any), etc.
6. go buy the car immediately.

If you use this as a guide, you should be driving a new Mustang within a few days with minimal hassle or aggravation.

Rt1Rebel

^^Good advice above about financing. If you can, get the loan approved and figured out before you set foot into the dealership, and don't mention it until the final price has been set. Dealers will give you a better deal if they assume that they can make the money back on financing, so don't let on to that.

It helps alot if you are looking at two or three equal cars at two or threedifferent dealerships, the hitch is that you have to be willing to buy either one. You simply play best price vs best price back and forth until you get what you want.

A stupid mistake got me a deal on the '06 I bought now, 5 speeds were rare and I wanted a specific color, so I ended up negociating for a one of a kind car in the state. Fortunately, and unwittingly, when we called to find out what was on the lot before we drove out, Kelly, the sales girl quoted us a price on the phone before we got there, and when we sat down to negociate, Bob, the salesman, started talking a price that was alot more. Wife said that Kelly told us x, and Bob and the Manager had a heart attack. Kelly got fired.

Use every advantage you can get, be it online quotes, dealer quotes, etc. Know the car and the options inside and out. They will try the "but it has the optional quarter panel windows!' It's up to you to know the vehicle you are buying and what you are buying. In this respect you have an advantage, folks used to have to buy this info, you can get it for free and very conveniently on the internet.

ratnacage

Also, as long as we're on the subject, don't imply you're willing to finance with them unless you intend to actually do so. I good strategy is to actually finance with them in exchange for more discount.Most lending institutions will refinance your new car as long as you're the original owner and it's less than 2 years old (check with your lender to make sure what their policy is). Most states require auto loans to allow for early pay-off without prepayment penalties - this strategy only works if this is the case, so check to be sure. Let's say you qualify for 6% with an outside lender. The dealer obviously wants to make money on financing so they may charge a rate like 9%. This is ok if they're willing to lower the price even more. Let's say they lower the price by another $750-$1000 in exchange for you financing with them. Agree to make at least three payments before you pay the loan off or refinance. By making the first three payments, the dealer's profit is locked in so they get to keep the money they make on the financing (if you refinance before you make the third payment, then they'll lose that money, and the salesman will lose his/her commission- not nice). After you make the third payment, refinance the loan with the lender you qualified with before at the lower rate. For the difference in rate over three months, you'll have spent an extra $100 or so, but you saved, hopefully the additional $750-$1000 off the purchase price. In essence, you invested $100 and received a $750-$1000 return - that's smart money by any measure. The cool thing is it's win-win for you and the dealer (salesman). The other cool thing is it gives you some insurance after you buy the car that if any issues arise (missing floor mats, dings incurred on the dealer's lot, etc), they will be taken care of promptly because they don't want you to get pissed and pay off or refinance before their money is locked in.

I used to do this with my customers all the time. It allowed me to still show a decent profit, and the customer got the best deal possible with the best price and ultimately, the best financing rate they qualify for.

Information is a powerful thing. Buying a car doesn't have to be a battle! You're knowledge can help you get the best deal possible without totalling killing the dealer's profit.

NOTE: in most cases the three month rule applies, but depending on the dealer's agreements with their lenders, this may or may notwork. If it does, great. But no harm in asking.