SoCal Dealerships - Current Prices and Discounts

[ehelmholtz]

I am interested in buying a Focus EV in southern California, particularly San Diego. Does anyone have experiences with ordering the car in this area? Are prices still at MSRP or less?

[ehelmholtz]

I heard back from a few dealerships in southern California. Not surprisingly, the prices vary widely - some bordering on ridiculous. This is reminiscent of when I ordered my LEAF over a year ago where some dealers wanted MSRP + a premium of thousands of dollars while others wanted MSRP. The really good dealerships sold for less than MSRP. I hope that we keep this thread updated so that we can help each other get the best deals and in so doing help the best dealerships sell more cars! Here's my current list:

1. Drew Ford in La Mesa will sell for MSRP minus $100 Call Curtis Watts

2. Villa Ford in Tustin will sell for MSRP + $7000 premium (if you order with them, they might decrease the premium by a bit). Call Charlie McCarthy

3. North County Ford in Vista will sell for MSRP

4. Tuttle Click Capistrano Ford will sell for MSRP Call Tony Mehdipour

5. Chris Sweetnam of Glendale Ford - asking MSRP

6. Alhambra Ford - did not call back with information. Sales person Carlos had no idea.

7. Theodore Robins Ford in Costa Mesa MSRP + $5000 premium Call Matthew Chis

8. Subaru of Santa Monica is at MSRP. Call John Marzy

9. Perry Ford in National City (SD area) is at MSRP minus $500. Call Richard Atencio



Again, let's help each other get the best deals and in so doing help the best dealerships sell more cars!

[igh]

Adding to the list:

1. Chris Sweetnam of Glendale Ford - asking MSRP, refused 1000 below MSRP
2. Alhambra Ford - did not call back with information. Sales person Carlos had no idea.

[Rwbill]

For reference, I put a deposit on a FFE in Richmond, Virginia, with $499 discount, consistent with what they'd given the first person to order. On my USAA Car Buying Service it indicated Ford had a $500 customer incentive for the month of May.

Sorry to hear about the gouging at Tustin. I am sure that will disappear if you don't mind waiting a few months.

[ehelmholtz]

For reference, I put a deposit on a FFE in Richmond, Virginia, with $499 discount, Sorry to hear about the gouging at Tustin. I am sure that will disappear if you don't mind waiting a few months.

Thanks for the data point! When the LEAF first came out, many of us got $1000 off MSRP and some $1500. Currently LEAFs can be bought for ~$2500 less than MSRP. While the current LEAF has a slower charger, it has a CHAdeMo DCQC that the Focus won't have. For me, the main reason to get a Focus Electric is so that I can buy American. In a few months, the 2013 LEAFs will have the Focus Charger and retain the CHAdeMo quick charger and it will be American made (in Tennessee). So, ~$2500 off MSRP is a good starting point for those who can wait a few months.

[ehelmholtz]

Matthew Chis of Theodore Robins in Costa Mesa is selling at MSRP + $5000; he will have 2 to sell as indicated on his email here:

"Ford has allocated 5 vehicles for us, one being the demo. Two of these vehicles have already been secured by other customers so that leaves two left. These units are being priced at $5000 over MSRP. A pretty fair price to have one of the most amazing vehicles ever built by any brand!"

[felkster]

Wow - I don't really understand how some dealers can value these cars over MSRP. I am definitely excited about the car, but it's pretty essential to keep this car's price in context with the gas version of the Focus as well as the other competing (and substantially more available) electric cars like the Leaf.

FYI - I pre-ordered in Seattle at MSRP, which I didn't mind and didn't want to go through the hassle of negotiating.

[Rwbill]

Matthew Chis of Theodore Robins in Costa Mesa is selling at MSRP + $5000; he will have 2 to sell as indicated on his email here:

"These units are being priced at $5000 over MSRP. A pretty fair price to have one of the most amazing vehicles ever built by any brand!"

WHATTTTTTT??!!!

My daughter used to live in Costa Mesa, near Adams and Mesa Verde down from OCC, so I'm not immune to Orange County sticker shock, but that's an entirely different definition of "fair price".

And I do agree that Ford has done a spectacular job of designing and engineering this car. I'm glad it's being made at the Michigan Assembly Plant. I didn't know that much about the Leaf. I don't know if frequent use of the super high rate charger is too good for the battery though.

[ehelmholtz]

I got an email by the director of eCommerce at Robins Ford, a Mr. Jeffery Goldsmith who thought that the market dictates price saying, "the price is the price," and that it was redundant to post prices on this forum (I sent Mr. Chis a link to these posts). While I agree with Mr. Goldsmith that the market dictates price, I don't think that it's redundant to provide information. What do you think?

Here's my response to Mr. Goldsmith:

"Mr Goldsmith,
I agree that the market dictates price but the posts are not meant to be redundant since they serve to provide information for others who might think that MSRP+$5K is a good deal since the dealer they might be dealing with wants MSRP+7K or 10K. For me, there are nearby dealerships who are at MSRP or less so that's what I would use. If there are dealerships, on the east coast that are at MSRP - $2K, then the shipping to California would only be ~1K and buyers would still do better.

I am certain that you could probably sell 25 cars but are only allotted 4 cars; in my experience with other cars including the LEAF, dealers who had prices closer to MSRP or less sold more cars and subsequently, got more allotment and then sold even more....and so on."

[whitgallman]

Sounds like Goldsmith is a '49er on a gold rush.
Hassett Ford on Long Island has 4 coming in and sells them at MSRP.
He wouldn't give the X plan discount or investor discount but he did give me a coupon for a free oil change, front license plate holder and that blue chalk pen. They all have leather seats, so that is their $999 mark up.
How much to ship from Long Island, NY?
Who on the east coast has them for $2k under Sticker?