Good price on leftover 2013 FFE?

[wombat94]

Hi all,

I lurked here a lot in the spring as I was considering a FFE to replace my old Honda Insight.

I ended up contacting several dealerships in the area, but ended up buying a gasoline 2013 Focus SE hatch as my daily commute, and lack of charging options at work, meant I wouldn't be very comfortable with the range. It probably would have worked well most of the time, but those days when I needed to do other errands at lunch, or something like that, would have been very tight - especially if battery capacity was significantly impacted in winter time.

I LOVE my Focus... one of my favorite cars of all time. After 6 months and 10000 miles, I enjoy driving it every day.

Well, because I am on the mailing list of those dealers I contacted, I still get emails... and one the other day caught my eye.

A local dealer has a left over 2013 FFE Ingot Silver/Light Stone Leather (MSRP $40990) that they have advertised for $28840 + 60 months at 0% financing - and still eligible for the $7500 federal tax credit. Checking out the Ford website, it looks like current deal is a total of $4500 in rebates + the 0% financing.

Also, in PA, if you take delivery of an electric vehicle before the end of the year, there is an additional $3000 from the state that I would be eligible for.

I'm keeping my gas Focus SE, but am actually wondering if this would be a good replacement for my wife's 2010 Honda Fit. She works from home and does not drive long distances very often (we have an old Nissan Quest minivan that we kept as a 3rd car, so long-distance trips are able to be done).

Anyway... long story short - what does everyone think of the $28840 price for a 2013 FFE at this point?

Would you think there is some additional room for negotiation there?

 

[michael]

That sounds too good to be true. If it's for real, take it right away.

My concern is that they have already figured the $7500 into the price. Tesla plays that game as well, as do some Chevy dealers. What I would do is lease the car, rather than buying it. That will force them to apply the 7500. If the deal is as it seems to be, the capitalized cost would be $21K or so, and even with a zero driveaway lease they payments maybe $100 a month. So with your $3000 PA money, the car would be virtually free. You can still buy the car at the end of the lease if you love it, or send it back and get whatever is newer then.

I'm afraid you will find the price is really 28,800 + 7500. Please let us know.

 

[EVA]

Sounds like a great deal. The 0% financing is even better. Ford has rolled the 0% for 60 months back out again.

If you lease, and PA is like IL, you won't get the PA rebate. Those rebates tend to be for ownership only. In other words, the leasing company gets that money, not you.

That is the most perfect car in the world for your wife. Besides, you might find yourself taking it to work some days.

Yeah - we have two Focus, an FFE and an ICE. Love both cars.

Oh the only caution I'd give you on the 60 month financing - there might be a period where you owe a lot more than the car is worth. If you happen to have a total loss of the car at that time, you could find yourself in a bit of a problem.

 

[wombat94]

Just got a reply from the salesman that the $28,840 is the selling price - and the car should still be eligible for the federal and state incentives.

My wife is not very interested in the car (she loves her Fit) but I am actually going to do the math to see if it makes sense to consider trading in my 7 month old ICE Focus SE... I know I'll get hit on the trade in value, but with such a good deal on the FFE it might still be worth it.

 

[jachady]

I think I'd go there and see them in person or call and ask for a sales manager. The invoice on that car is $38840, so they are either throwing in the tax credits or their advertiser typed in the wrong number. Either way, I'll guarantee you won't get it for $28840 without the tax credits.

John

Sales Manager - Havill Spoerl Ford Lincoln

 

[wombat94]

John,

Thanks for the input. I've done enough calculations to see that even if I am upside down by a couple of thousand on my trade of the 7 month old Focus SE, I should come out about $30.00/month ahead given my usage patterns when fuel economy is factored in (it helps that our electric company is just instituting time-of-use billing, which will mean charging the FFE for 7 cents a kWH overnight instead of 11 cents currently).

So, I think it is worth at least stopping by the dealership to see what the real deal is.

My biggest concern is that even if they are trying to move the car out the door before the end of the year and are "giving" it away for $29k, they are going to try to really hammer me on the trade-in value of my current Focus SE.

Well... nothing ventured, nothing gained. I DO love my current car, so if the deal isn't exactly as has been described to me - or if the trade-in offer is ridiculously low - I walk away.

From the VIN, it looks like the car was built in February, so it has been sitting on their lot for about 10 months... they might really be looking to get it off the books before the end of the year.

We'll see. I'll let you know what happens.

Ted

 

[Astrand1]

If you do wind up doing the deal make sure they load test the 12v battery. They had to jump and charge my car just so I could test drive it and it had been on the lot for 3 months. I had them drop in a new battery when I took delivery.

 

[michael]

My biggest concern is that they will tell you the car is eligible for the $7500 rebate but for some reason it isn't. Can you run the VIN number by the IRS to make sure they agree it's eligible??

 

[TonySpice]

I got a 2012 left-over in Nov 2013, no leather. <50 miles on the clock. Brand new warranty etc for $26K. No frills.

Dealers with older 2013 stock in NE are starting to panic, will probably want to unload fast at end of Dec or end of Jan 2014.

I'd email the dealer back and offer $24K, see if he bites.

 

[michael]

According to the CARS.COM web site, Downtown Ford in Sacramento, CA still has five (!) 2012's in stock. Anyone who's interested, maybe you can make a killer deal?

There are a few 2013's still left in CA, also according to CARS.COM. Two of them are in the Palm Springs area, so I'd be worried about battery deterioration, but a couple are in normal climates.

None of the ads for any of the above suggest that killer deals are to be had, but who knows??

 

[TonySpice]

According to the CARS.COM web site, Downtown Ford in Sacramento, CA still has five (!) 2012's in stock. Anyone who's interested, maybe you can make a killer deal?

There are a few 2013's still left in CA, also according to CARS.COM. Two of them are in the Palm Springs area, so I'd be worried about battery deterioration, but a couple are in normal climates.

None of the ads for any of the above suggest that killer deals are to be had, but who knows??

That's great info for the OP Michael.

The next 3 days are pretty much the absolute best time of the month/year to play "nail the dealer".

:lol: