Negotiating on an MKC

[ranger1rg]

I badly wanted to order an MKC yesterday, but walked away. Was hoping for feedback from you guys, wondering if I was right or if the dealer low-balled my trade.

I wanted an MKC pretty much fully-loaded, and the MSRP price came to $44,490. Dealer offered $1600. off sticker, which I was ok with.

I was trading in a 2007 MKZ FWD, very clean with 58k, nav, moonroof, THX audio. Dealer offered $7500., which seemed really low to me. He kept asking "What are you looking for?" and I told him I'd gone to 5 or 6 sites to get trade estimates, and no one was that low, the estimates running from $10k - $12k. At webuyanycar.com, I was offered $8500.

He couldn't guarantee me any incentives, because he said it depended on what was available when the car came in. There's a Lincoln loyalty incentive for $1000., but I didn't realize that pertained only to readily-available vehicles.

And so, I walked. The MKC is a great vehicle, and I was really impressed with the build, the ride, and the luxury. However, I don't want to feel taken. What do you guys think?

 

[driller]

First rule in negotiations is to know what you want and be prepared to walk away if you don't get it. Sounds like you got it right.

$10K-$12K would seem fair for a trade. You may want to consider a couple hundred or so in a professional detail to wow 'em a bit but maybe not. I've traded vehicles pretty much on a whim, daily dirt and junk in the trunk included. For my money, I negotiate the price without the trade and sit pretty much on whatever I know my trade-in is worth. I'm not there to haggle.

 

[MKZ_GA]

It is always much easier to negotiate for something on the lot. I've found that when you are ordering, they seem to be much less negotiable. Last year when I ordered a 2013 MKZ-H, I was not happy with the offer I received for my 2010 Acura. I lived with it since I really wanted the MKZ-H. Ultimately, they were right about the Acura. They wholesaled it to an Acura dealer who ended up selling it for quite a bit less than they wanted.

This year, when I went in to order my MKC, I was loaded for bear. I had done my homework and gone to more websites to get a value for my 2011 Jeep Wrangler. I even went to a couple places that buy cars and had written cash offers. A Wrangler is also easy to sell private sale, so I was going to get my price. Then, they offered me $1,500 more than the bottom line I was going to accept. I did not even have to negotiate! What a let-down!

In this area, there are 4-5 Ford/Lincoln dealerships within a 30 minute drive (we don't have any Lincoln only dealerships), so many folks go to around to all of them to get a better deal. It is amazing the deal difference between dealerships. I guess it all depends on their individual dealer overhead, management philosophy and maybe even the salesperson. For me, I will tend to favor the local dealership with a sales guy that lives in-county. They typically don't give the best deal according to my neighbors, but I like that it is less than a mile away. They also do a lot of community support and help local non-profits. That goes a long way with me.

 

[SteveB_TX]

In this area, there are 4-5 Ford/Lincoln dealerships within a 30 minute drive (we don't have any Lincoln only dealerships), so many folks go to around to all of them to get a better deal. It is amazing the deal difference between dealerships. I guess it all depends on their individual dealer overhead, management philosophy and maybe even the salesperson. For me, I will tend to favor the local dealership with a sales guy that lives in-county. They typically don't give the best deal according to my neighbors, but I like that it is less than a mile away. They also do a lot of community support and help local non-profits. That goes a long way with me.

Lucky! There is ONE Ford/Lincoln dealer in my part of Texas. I had to drive 150 miles to Arlington TX to get my MKZh. The local dealer does NOT negotiate. It's their price (usually sticker or more) or they send you out the door. I really don't understand how they stay in business.

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[mark95man]

Back in December 2013, I was in the market for a new 2014 Ford Expedition. For fun, I figured let's see what I'd be offered for my 2007 Town Car Designer with approximately 75,000 miles as a trade in. I already knew the retail selling price of the Town Car in turn key condition. Our famous "No Bull" Ford Dealership offered me $7,000 trade in with $3,000 off list price. They gave me an "out the door" price with no breakdown. I requested a full breakdown as they asked WHY?

This is when the BULL hit the fan. In the breakdown price, they were selling me the Expedition at MSRP + Dealer adjusted selling price value = the real trade in value was $4,000. I sold the Town Car on eBay for $12,100 with full maintenance records, knowing Dealerships would have gotten a higher price. I purchased a 2014 Navigator from another Dealership. A trade usually does not work out for me value wise. If the No Bull Dealer offered me $10,000 + the reduction in sales tax, a trade in might have worked out.

 

[ranger1rg]

I appreciate the feedback.

As I said in my original post, I was ok with $1600. off MSRP, especially since the MKC is a new vehicle. Even so, the dealer is making good money there. When I expressed unhappiness with the $7500. trade in offer, he repeatedly told me the MKZ would go right to auction, and that he was taking a chance because the MKC wouldnt arrive for a couple months.

I realize my MKZ is an '07, but it has relatively low miles and is in excellent condition, inside and out. I'm not sure I believe that car would go right to auction.

I did take a test drive, but they didn't spend much time with me. I went in knowing exactly what I wanted, including options packages. It seemed like an easy sale to me. I know this is a new vehicle getting good reviews, but you'd think Lincoln would want to give it a good start, and sales numbers are a part of that. It's not as if I was asking for a gonzo deal -- they were still going to make thousands on me even if they gave me $10k for my MKZ.

I received a form email from the salesperson yesterday thanking me for the visit and asking that I let them know if I had any further questions about my trade, etc. I haven't responded yet, but I'm surprised I didn't receive a phone call.

 

[CARR142]

Good decision, ranger1rg "I did take a test drive, but they didn't spend much time with me. I went in knowing exactly what I wanted, including options packages. It seemed like an easy sale to me. I know this is a new vehicle getting good reviews," I took this road when I purchased a 2011 MKX. The reviews at that time were thumbs up on this vehicle. Only to live to learn that the MLT would be our, (Ford/My), nightmare. My new outlook is to wait 6 months after release date before purchase of any newly designed vehicle. Then follow the forums to learn the details.JC

 

[ranger1rg]

I started this thread almost 4 months ago.

A couple days after my last post here, I DID place an order for an MKC. Another dealer beat the deal I detailed above by $2200., so I called the original dealer and asked them if they could beat it (or even match it, since it was closer to me in distance). They then beat the 2nd dealer by $100., so I ordered the vehicle.

15 weeks and counting, it's still not in. At some point, I stopped calling the dealer, because they couldn't tell me anything other than "the card hasn't been pulled." I then went to the
"Lincoln Concierge," who emails me every Wednesday with an update. Two weeks ago, she had "good news" and said my MKC was about to be built. This past Wednesday, she had "great news," that the vehicle was built and in transit. As of today (Saturday), I haven't heard anything more.

Frustration is an understatement. Has anyone ever waited almost 4 months for a vehicle??? I realize Lincoln wanted to get inventory to dealers so cars would be in stock when the Matthew McC ad campaign started. I realize they're making sure that vehicles are built with extreme care to get a good rollout. I realize I wasn't a priority.

However, this borders on the ridiculous. Just had to vent.

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[hereslooking4]

We ALSO went from dealer to dealer about 4 in all. We started looking at MKXs about 4 years ago and that is what I wanted when we started searching again (they were too much money 4 years ago) well we went to the dealership closest to our house and they tried to tell me being certified used car gave them the right to charge $3000 more for a used car. THANK YOU but NO THANKS!! Long story short we finally went with a NEW MKC fully loaded $43,000 instead of the 2011 MKX for $29,000 with no discounts.... I did not want a big car payment but we LOVE the MKC! The dealer with the 2011 was NOT informative AT ALL~~ Where we bought the MKC the guy was VERY informative about the car and did not try pressure us into a purchase. He took the TIME needed to get us to buy the car in fact my husband said between the 2 visits we made he spent about 6 hours with us.

 

[American Luxury]

I started this thread almost 4 months ago.

A couple days after my last post here, I DID place an order for an MKC. Another dealer beat the deal I detailed above by $2200., so I called the original dealer and asked them if they could beat it (or even match it, since it was closer to me in distance). They then beat the 2nd dealer by $100., so I ordered the vehicle.

15 weeks and counting, it's still not in. At some point, I stopped calling the dealer, because they couldn't tell me anything other than "the card hasn't been pulled." I then went to the
"Lincoln Concierge," who emails me every Wednesday with an update. Two weeks ago, she had "good news" and said my MKC was about to be built. This past Wednesday, she had "great news," that the vehicle was built and in transit. As of today (Saturday), I haven't heard anything more.

Frustration is an understatement. Has anyone ever waited almost 4 months for a vehicle??? I realize Lincoln wanted to get inventory to dealers so cars would be in stock when the Matthew McC ad campaign started. I realize they're making sure that vehicles are built with extreme care to get a good rollout. I realize I wasn't a priority.

However, this borders on the ridiculous. Just had to vent.

Four months isn't really out of the ordinary, particularly on a new product launch. There are almost always kinks to work out that may push production back (like the MKZ), and yes, they wanted to get inventory filled up. Then they start building the ones that were special ordered.