Buying from a non-local dealer

[MobBay1209]

I’ve decided to move from my beloved 9 year old F250 with 260K miles to a new F150 KR PB. Have a learned a ton on this site already and that helped cement the decision to change. I’ve driven a F150 PB at a local dealer and was impressed. I have a specific set of options I’ve landed on, some must have and some nice to have. There’s nothing that comes close locally, within 100 miles, to my build specs. Using the Ford Search Inventory I’ve located two trucks that do and confirmed they‘re on the lot, at least for the moment, but they are both out of the area. I’m in Alabama and the trucks are in Texas and Georgia. I have time to order if needed but my preference would be to buy something already built. I’ve bought from a local dealer in the past with no problem so first time down this road. Any pointers or advice in this process would be much appreciated.

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[Jus Cruisin]

When I lived in Florida I bought a Corvette from Kerbeck in Atlantic City NJ and another Corvette from Hendrick in Charlotte NC. Never had service issues at the local Chevy dealership service dept. I made sure to use them for simple customer pay service and built a relationship with my service advisor. She knew I couldn't find what I wanted locally and had no problems.
I just bought my F150 from a dealer 35 miles away and I will service it at a close by dealer.

 

[jeffcrum]

No local dealer will (or should) have a problem servicing a vehicle ... no matter where you bought it.

I have a buddy that owned a Hyundai dealership on the East coast years ago. He always told me I could buy from him and he'd ship it to the local dealer for pickup. I was never in the market for a Hyundai. So, I never tested it out.

 

[MobBay1209]

I’ve wondered if I should give the local dealer a shot to find something that met my specs or even tell him this is what I want and where I found it, can you get it for me. I know they do dealer swaps on a routine basis but neither of the other dealers is close and my dealer’s inventory is so limited not sure they’d have anything comparable to swap with.

 

[TKOden]

Bought my XLT PB in Upstate NY and drove back to NC. Dealer picked me up at the airport, signed the paperwork, and drove 10 Hr home. Pretty easy and straight forward.

 

[kavm]

I bought from Granger Ford - only a little more than 1000 miles away. Very happy with the decision. It was worth it in savings as well as buying experience.

 

[BMWtoF150]

I bought my 2017 F150 about 50 miles away. The local dealer did all the maintenance and warranty work with no issues at all. Even came me loaners. I bought the 2021 from the local guys.

 

[SuperClyde]

I'm buying mine from a dealer 100 miles away. None around me had what I wanted, plus they are hard to deal with.

 

[Safetyrep]

I was going to do the same as you and the dealer only found only 1 that I was looking for and it was in Minnesota and they would not entertain even calling back, lol. So I ordered the same window sticker as the one in Minnesota.

 

[05RubiconLJ]

I have purchased vehicles out of Florida and out of Maine and had them shipped to Arkansas. Always been a no-hassle deal and I have been happy with the level of service locally once I get the vehicles here. In today's market, folks buy from all over. That is what boggles the mind when a dealer 5 miles or 15 miles away won't work with you, but one 100, 500, or 1,000 miles will take your business all day long and at a competitive price.

 

[Rich1982]

I’ve decided to move from my beloved 9 year old F250 with 260K miles to a new F150 KR PB. Have a learned a ton on this site already and that helped cement the decision to change. I’ve driven a F150 PB at a local dealer and was impressed. I have a specific set of options I’ve landed on, some must have and some nice to have. There’s nothing that comes close locally, within 100 miles, to my build specs. Using the Ford Search Inventory I’ve located two trucks that do and confirmed they‘re on the lot, at least for the moment, but they are both out of the area. I’m in Alabama and the trucks are in Texas and Georgia. I have time to order if needed but my preference would be to buy something already built. I’ve bought from a local dealer in the past with no problem so first time down this road. Any pointers or advice in this process would be much appreciated.

I generally assume the dealership will make most of their profit on the service of a vehicle and NOT on the original sale - the original sale will increase volume and maybe they will benefit from that with Ford relationship?
current inventory is limited in many places - so I think you are forced to shop the lots far and wide or place an order
my local dealer won't allow an X-Plan purchase (or order!) so they are going to service a vehicle I will purchase from someplace not-local.

 

[chrisp993]

I’ve wondered if I should give the local dealer a shot to find something that met my specs or even tell him this is what I want and where I found it, can you get it for me. I know they do dealer swaps on a routine basis but neither of the other dealers is close and my dealer’s inventory is so limited not sure they’d have anything comparable to swap with.

This would certainly be a positive thing to do w.r.t. relationship with the dealer, but not needed as others have noted. IMHO, your key relationship is with the service dept - the sales guys come and go but the service staff seem more stable. When I buy a vehicle, I will ask "my" service guy to refer me to a sales guy (so he gets the kudos) and then negotiate etc. In your case, explain you've found the vehicle, if the dealer wants to trade and give you a comparable deal - great - if not, no worries. The dealer makes *way* more profit from servicing your vehicle over a few years than they make on the original sale, so they will be happy to have you as a service customer!

The exception to the above is if there's some problem with the vehicle at delivery that Ford are reluctant to cover (cough, rust, cough) in which case your local dealer probably isn't that crazy about getting involved - in that sort of situation you have more leverage with the dealer that sold you the vehicle.

 

[MobBay1209]

Appreciate all the good input. Agree with the idea that the service department relationship is going to be the most important part going forward. I had a couple of bad experiences with the dealer closest to me on my F250 so wouldn’t use them anyway. Luckily I’ve got 4 other Ford dealers within a reasonable distance that I can use for service. Off topic some but someone mentioned X-Plan pricing in their post. Not familiar with that. What am I missing here?

 

[Derekmson]

I bought my F150 online from AndiTheoPrayoga.com . They take care of everything via email/phone. Flew out a few days later and drove it home to the greater Malang area.
I get great service from them.

 

[Jmet8]

Hi I live in Birmingham and would recommend Two Rivers Ford in Nashville Tn. They can order you one at invoice. No gimmicks I got my 2021 bronco from them. Get in touch with Mathew Barker. No hassles it was the easiest car buying experience ever.

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