Finding A New 08 Truck?

[snodog]

HI

We're in the final stages of moving from Scotland to our place in NH.
I've been looking for a new truck on and off for the past couple months without much luck.

Seeing as I'm 3000 miles away it's not as easy as walking onto a lot. Emails seem to get ignored and the couple of phone calls I've made have never been followed up by dealers.
It also seems really hard to track down a specific truck without checking every individual dealership. And the one time I found what I was looking for, it turned out to be sold.

I've been looking in NH and Mass for a new or nearly new
07 or 08 F350 CC 4x4 V10 Lariat (or KR) longbed. Color not important. Will be paying cash.

Any ideas on how to get a better response from dealers - I'm amazed that with all the stories of how hard it is to shift new trucks, they basically ignore a customer, who just happens to have a bit of a bigger commute than most.

[SmokeyWren]

All Ford dealers have a computer system that allows them to see all new Fords in stock at any dealer, including leftover 2008s. So any good fleet manager should be able to help you locate exactly the truck you want - if it's an unsold new truck in stock anywhere.

But human nature is that very few dealerpersons are willing to spend time helping you unless they have a pretty good chance of making a buck on your deal. So you need to know somebody in new truck sales at a Ford dealership near where you will be moving to. Or else you need a friend that lives near there to do the leg work for you, working with a dealerperson he knows.

When the dealerperson finds "your" truck in stock at a dealership 400 miles away, you need to buy the truck from the dealerperson who found the truck - so he can make a buck on your deal. Let that dealerperson find the truck, then arrange for it to be transported to a dealership near your home for a courtesy delivery to you when you get there. And yes, that will cost you some money. Transporting the new vehicle across the state will cost you a few bucks per mile.

Or maybe pay the dealerperson who found the truck $500, then make your deal with the dealership that has the truck in stock. If you won't be taking delivery for a while, then the dealership where you make the deal should expect a non-refundable deposit of at least $1,000 to cover floorplan costs and other hassles. Then you can arrive at that dealership and take delivery when you get back to NH.

But all of that is difficult to do via e-mail with people who don't know you. It's best to either have someone local to do the legwork for you, or else wait until you get here to begin your shopping. Rent a car for a few days while you find and buy your new wheels. Then if you find it in Boston or New York or Burlington you could quickly drive up there and finalize the deal.

If you want a used truck, then any good dealerperson with more than 10 years experience as a fleet manager in NH should be able to call around to his contacts in the business and locate suitable trucks in stock somewhere in NH. But again, he's not going to waste his time unless he knows he's probably going to make a buck on the deal. So I'd wait until you get back to begin shopping for a used truck. Then go into your local Ford dealer and make friends with the fleet manager, assure him you are going to buy your truck from (or thorugh) him, and let him go to work for you. That's hard to do via e-mail.

Facts of life: If I'm your dealerperson and you indicate that you're going to squeeze every last dime of profit out of the deal, then I'm not going to waste my time helping you. If I'm the fleet manager, I'll turn you over to a lot lizzard salesman and let him waste his time. So if you are the cliche of the typical Scots customer, you may have difficulty finding a dealerperson willing to bust his butt for you to help you find the exact truck you're looking for.

Good luck.

[snodog]

Thanks Smokey
That's a very comprehensive and thought provoking reply.

I can understand a dealer not wanting to spend time and effort chasing a flippant enquiry - I guess, as a customer, I'd like to have felt they had made enough of an effort to establish whether I was serious or not.

Typical Scotsmen, eh.... deep pockets and short arms

Not me, everyone likes a bargain, but as long as it's a fair price, I'm ok with that. Dealerships have wives, kids homes etc to look after too.

[05F250PS]

Trucks are available left and right. Unless you have a really unique set of needs, it shouldn't be hard to find once you come to the States. If you do have a unique need, then you may be forced to order a vehicle anyway.

I cannot speak from personal experience but there is a gentleman from CA who is often recommended.

Regardless, I would be concerned about buying any vehicle until I determined the technical maintenance competence of the dealers in the area I was going to live in. I personally would not want a vehicle that could not be diagnosed and maintained properly, regardless of brand.

Secondly, even if you found a technically competent dealer, they may not want to work on your vehicle unless you bought from them. I know folks will tell you they have to work on them, but a bad dealer can make it unnecessarily tough on you..

Your choice..