A plan for Lincoln Nautilus

[lincolnandy]

Hi Steve_C. A-Plan (Ford Employee Pricing) requires the Dealership to give you a copy of the vehicle invoice.
That means an actual copy of the actual invoice. Not handwritten numbers, verbal assurances etc.

On that invoice is a box labeled “A-Plan”. And the price in that box is the A-Plan price.

Another plus: “Documentation Fees” are also limited to $100. That helps save several hundred additional dollars or even more, since many dealerships charge $400-$500 for “Documentation Fees” nowadays.

Also, they are not allowed to charge other essentially made up, profit packing fees.

That covers the basics.

Keep us updated and good luck.

I was told that unfortunately, the A plan documentary fee of $100 does not apply since this isn't an actual A plan, just an A plan consumer offer. Can anyone else confirm this?

 

[CliffDiver]

I was told that unfortunately, the A plan documentary fee of $100 does not apply since this isn't an actual A plan, just an A plan consumer offer. Can anyone else confirm this?

Not from personal experience, but the fine-print wording on Lincoln.com says A-Plan does NOT apply. That would seem to indicate that the actual "terms" of A-Plan do not apply. "A/X/Z/D Plan ineligible". Only the model pricing.

 

[angore]

Dealers rely on those fees to bump up profits.

 

[swindler]

Dealers rely on those fees to bump up profits.

Still a good deal. However, I saw a note yesterday that if the tariffs stick around, Ford is considering raising MSRP in May. A-plan pricing might not be as good next month.

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[foo3922]

We did test drive the Black Premiere 2 today- no vibration problem (as expected, how the vehicle should be).

Exterior/Interior colors of the black P2 are a "no" for us, but glad to have confirmed that the Lustrous Gray has much worse vibration than a good Nautilus.

Back in the dealer's court - Fix the in-hand lustrous gray or find another (several exterior colors are okay, strong preference for the black/gray interior).

Interesting you say that. I've noticed the same thing on mine.

 

[markfm]

Yay, local dealer reached out to me today. They ended up changing both rims and tires on the Lustrous Gray P2. Their master tech did a decent length test drive, and my salesperson a much shorter check, no vibration any longer.

The wife and I will swing by tomorrow morning, do our own test drive. I do expect it'll be fixed. Beats me as to whether it was a rim or a tire, but it looks like my nudge yesterday got them to finally go all-in on correcting the problem. (I let them know several other fairly nearby dealers would do a dealer trade to get something that was close enough to what I wanted, and mentioned having been a buyer from the umbrella dealership since '99. Maximum leverage pre-sale -- they know I'm set to buy, have been a long-term customer, about to go elsewhere if they don't fix a problem they acknowledged was present.)

 

[angore]

Good hear.

 

[markfm]

They did swap in a new set, all 4 tires/rims. It's a day and night difference, smooth driving on even some pretty poor stretches of road.

My wife is advocating to sell the Honda as a separate transaction. She's never bought or sold a vehicle herself, but going by the "everyone on the Internet says". No way am I into FSBO, way too much hassle potential given a 2011 CR-V LS 4WD is simply not worth all that much, even w/under 38K mileage. By definition it would end up being something like a sale to Carvana.

Shrug, even losing a bit by going the Carvana route is harmless if it makes her happy (I know the KBB nominal value of the CR-V, am pretty honest in my own assessment of condition.)

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[swindler]

They did swap in a new set, all 4 tires/rims. It's a day and night difference, smooth driving on even some pretty poor stretches of road.

My wife is advocating to sell the Honda as a separate transaction. She's never bought or sold a vehicle herself, but going by the "everyone on the Internet says". No way am I into FSBO, way too much hassle potential given a 2011 CR-V LS 4WD is simply not worth all that much, even w/under 38K mileage. By definition it would end up being something like a sale to Carvana.

Shrug, even losing a bit by going the Carvana route is harmless if it makes her happy (I know the KBB nominal value of the CR-V, am pretty honest in my own assessment of condition.)

Looks like your sale is going forward then. Congrats!

DIY car sales can take a while. Just getting eyeballs on it is hard enough. I always do the CARMAX/Carvana/KBB quotes and then see what the dealer offers. With the savings on sales tax (is that for every state?) sometimes it's worth it to just get it done.

I once tried donating a car to Kars4Kids, but all they did was sell it to a salvage yard for the cash and that's the price I was able to declare on my taxes. I guess I felt good, but not really.

 

[markfm]

Looks like your sale is going forward then. Congrats!

DIY car sales can take a while. Just getting eyeballs on it is hard enough. I always do the CARMAX/Carvana/KBB quotes and then see what the dealer offers. With the savings on sales tax (is that for every state?) sometimes it's worth it to just get it done.

I once tried donating a car to Kars4Kids, but all they did was sell it to a salvage yard for the cash and that's the price I was able to declare on my taxes. I guess I felt good, but not really.

I did a quick Carvana insta-quote, sent it to her, including the fact that a trade-in is an above-the-line adjustment (at least in NY), directly reducing the sales tax on a new car purchase. Say Carvana offered 7500, but the dealer offered 7000. Where we live has 8% sales tax, so the 7K from dealer would translate into $7560.

I also sent her a few reddit and Quora discussions on the "joys" of private party car sales (from a seller perspective). I expect they'll be eye-opening.

(DW is very gun-shy on anything with potential legal risks, scammers, and having random people come by,... As to me, a fairly low-value vehicle just isn't worth my time to do a private sale.)

 

[markfm]

I just heard back from a dealer, hadn't realized, the A plan pricing (discount off MSRP, though it doesn't apply to all fees, as others have noted) for everyone has been extended to 4 July (extension announced on 30 April).

 

[Steve_C]

I just heard back from a dealer, hadn't realized, the A plan pricing (discount off MSRP, though it doesn't apply to all fees, as others have noted) for everyone has been extended to 4 July (extension announced on 30 April).

Not only that, but I was reading the fine print on the extended offer, and called a NY Lincoln dealer to confirm what I was reading.
Apparently, the offer appears to have been amended to now include a vehicle you place on order. The way I read it, and confirmed with a salesman, so long as your order is in by the end of the "A" Plan Pricing Promotion, it will be honored when the vehicles arrives at the dealer!

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[Steve_C]

I went to the North NJ Lincoln dealer I bought my 23' Nautilus from. I got an "A" plan quote for a 2025 Aviator.
They quoted a $900 dollar DOC fee!
Pretty sick!
Called a NY dealer to ask what DOC fees were at their dealership. $175.00!
Another thing I learned about Plan Pricing. It is not calculated from the MSRP of the vehicle.
It is a % markup of the dealer invoice of the vehicle. I believe it was 4% above dealer invoice, but not sure.

 

[bbf2530]

I went to the North NJ Lincoln dealer I bought my 23' Nautilus from. I got an "A" plan quote for a 2025 Aviator.
They quoted a $900 dollar DOC fee!
Pretty sick!
Called a NY dealer to ask what DOC fees were at their dealership. $175.00!
Another thing I learned about Plan Pricing. It is not calculated from the MSRP of the vehicle.
It is a % markup of the dealer invoice of the vehicle. I believe it was 4% above dealer invoice, but not sure.

Hi Steve_C. That is correct. All A/X/Z/D Plan sales are calculated off the Dealer Invoice price. Plus an Administrative fee etc.
MSRP has nothing to do with it.

I don’t have the exact numbers handy at the moment, but there are previous threads with replies outlining the exact calculations and figures.
Or if no one else does so, I’ll try to post back with the calculations later in the weekend.

Also…the dealership is required to present a copy of the actual dealer invoice for all A-Plan sales (not hand written numbers etc.).
Listed on that invoice is a box labeled “A-Plan price”. That is the A-Plan price. No need to perform our own calculations.
If a dealership does not present that Invoice with the A-Plan price visible, and refuses to do so when asked? Or in the case of a factory order, does not present the buyer a VOC (Vehicle Order Confirmation), which also includes that “A-Plan” price) box? I would recommend they walk out and find an honest Dealership.

I’m sure others will also jump in to help. Good luck.

 

[Billz]

I went to the North NJ Lincoln dealer I bought my 23' Nautilus from. I got an "A" plan quote for a 2025 Aviator.
They quoted a $900 dollar DOC fee!
Pretty sick!
Called a NY dealer to ask what DOC fees were at their dealership. $175.00!
Another thing I learned about Plan Pricing. It is not calculated from the MSRP of the vehicle.
It is a % markup of the dealer invoice of the vehicle. I believe it was 4% above dealer invoice, but not sure.

Not sure how far you are from Flemington NJ but the Ciocca Ford there is greta to deal with. If you like I can connect you with the General Manager. He is a stand up guy

 

[Steve_C]

Not sure how far you are from Flemington NJ but the Ciocca Ford there is greta to deal with. If you like I can connect you with the General Manager. He is a stand up guy

Thanks Billz,
I always appreciate a good recommendation.
I looked up my distance to Flemington, and it exceeds a 50 mile radius. Lincoln service & tow from selling dealer covers a 50 mile radius max, so I want to keep within the boundaries.
Curious though, what is their document fee charge (if you know)

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[markfm]

Burdick Lincoln in Syracuse quoted $175 doc.

We'll likely end up buying from Steet Ponte Ford/Lincoln out of Yorkville. I don't have their doc fee number yet, but they seem a lot more customer-focused than Burdick sales people. Burdick basically did "take what we've got", zero interest in pulling in a vehicle from elsewhere in the area. Steet Ponte had no problem finding a match for us (trim, interior/exterior colors, acceptable add-ons, etc.).

 

[Steve_C]

Burdick Lincoln in Syracuse quoted $175 doc.
.....Steet Ponte had no problem finding a match for us (trim, interior/exterior colors, acceptable add-ons, etc.).

Seems like NY cap on doc fee is holding at $175, which is good!
Not sure if PA law has a max doc fee cap.
My dealer is willing to locate (and did) what I want and it would be driven to my dealer.
That would put another 60 miles on the odo, on top of what this sight unseen dealer located vehicle may already have on the odo from test drives, etc.
I did mention that Lincoln extended A plan deal till early July. It seems you can order by that date and A plan pricing will hold upon delivery.
I want to go that route. Fresh off the factory floor, most recent updates...I can wait until Aug/Sep for delivery!

The dealer gave me the window sticker sheets for the 2 vehicles that matched my criteria. The sticker showed one of them was manufactured on 6/25/2024 !
Not interested in lot rot or sulfated discharged battery!

 

[markfm]

We're definitely getting a '25.

Have to be careful on vehicles not yet in the US. I've heard that prices may indeed get bumped up, it could get messy if it's something that hasn't already cleared customs (need proper contract language to lock in the price).

 

[Steve_C]

We're definitely getting a '25.

Have to be careful on vehicles not yet in the US. I've heard that prices may indeed get bumped up, it could get messy if it's something that hasn't already cleared customs (need proper contract language to lock in the price).

Very true, I would think dealer has that sorted out via FoMoCo.
One good thing is that recent news reports a US-China agreement on tariffs...For Now, that is.

For me, looking at an Aviator to replace aging 2006 Infiniti, so staying in USA is a different ball game.
I do wonder...if I pull the trigger on a 2025 USA vehicle, and the bill before senate/congress gets passed, might I get a credit on my 2025 Federal Tax?