Ford X Plan

[afret]

How does the X Plan PIN work?  I think there was someone on this or the old FE Forum that use to give out PIN numbers for buying a new Ford.  Thanks!

[Cyclone Joe]

Rod C has them occasionally on the FordFE site.  Shoot an post out there and ask.

Basically, its fixed non-negotiable dollar amount over invoice.  No negotiations, take it or leave it.  You walk in with the X-plan PIN and voila, the dealer tells you the price.  BTW they have to you the price on the computer.

It doesn't apply to specialty vehicles, like the high end Mustangs.  But if you want a fully optioned or specialty build Fusion Sport like I did a few years ago, dealers wont move on price, so the X-plan gets you the best deal.

Some people also say they can negotiate a better price than an x-plan, which always makes me chuckle.  When was anyone 100% honest in saying what they actually bought a new car for, lol.

Joe

[Katz427]

I had, actually still have X plan, as I worked for a supplier to Ford. Had to show I was still employed by that company ( badge). But to be honest really only helped me once. The local dealer offers the X plan price, without my saying anything. I have bought a few cars through them, so may be the reason.

[afret]

Thanks guys for the info.  So it sounds like you need some special ID to use the plan so just getting the number probably won't work.  Planning on ordering a F250 soon.  Scary how much trucks cost nowadays.  LOL

[Cyclone Joe]

Afret, no thats not right in your case as you're not a current or former Ford employee.  Once you have the PIN number, thats all you need.  No special ID or anything.  You just need to have your name match the PIN.  How does that happen? You will need to provide the following to the person holding the Xplan PIN: full name, address, and last four SSN# of the person buying/leasing the vehicle.

The person who gets the PIN number originally needs to show proof of who he or she is.  If they are a Ford retiree apparently its all online and easy.  They get a few Xplan PIN's per year they can give out to family and friends.  You can try getting the X-plan price, but it all depends on the time of the month, year, how long the car has been on the lot, options of the car, etc.

Going with the Xpin method, I was in the dealership, bought the Fusion and traded my old one in 46 minutes.  I timed it.  It was faster than a Ford oil/tire rotation service. 

Joe

[afret]

Afret, no thats not right in your case as you're not a current or former Ford employee.  Once you have the PIN number, thats all you need.  No special ID or anything.  You just need to have your name match the PIN.  How does that happen? You will need to provide the following to the person holding the Xplan PIN: full name, address, and last four SSN# of the person buying/leasing the vehicle.

The person who gets the PIN number originally needs to show proof of who he or she is.  If they are a Ford retiree apparently its all online and easy.  They get a few Xplan PIN's per year they can give out to family and friends.  You can try getting the X-plan price, but it all depends on the time of the month, year, how long the car has been on the lot, options of the car, etc.

Going with the Xpin method, I was in the dealership, bought the Fusion and traded my old one in 46 minutes.  I timed it.  It was faster than a Ford oil/tire rotation service. 

Joe

Thanks!  I was able to get a PIN from my veteran's organization.

[Katz427]

Glad you got a PIN. Be sure to check all Ford offers, cash back, etc. I once bought the car for a lower price because there was an offer to current Ford Ranger owners. It got the price lower than the X plan. I remember I could not use the X plan and take the other incentives Ford was offering at the time. As a side note, I bought a new F250 in 1973 for $3678  + tax. I believe that might cover the tires now.

[jmlay]

Afret, no thats not right in your case as you're not a current or former Ford employee.  Once you have the PIN number, thats all you need.  No special ID or anything.  You just need to have your name match the PIN.  How does that happen? You will need to provide the following to the person holding the Xplan PIN: full name, address, and last four SSN# of the person buying/leasing the vehicle.

The person who gets the PIN number originally needs to show proof of who he or she is.  If they are a Ford retiree apparently its all online and easy.  They get a few Xplan PIN's per year they can give out to family and friends.  You can try getting the X-plan price, but it all depends on the time of the month, year, how long the car has been on the lot, options of the car, etc.

Going with the Xpin method, I was in the dealership, bought the Fusion and traded my old one in 46 minutes.  I timed it.  It was faster than a Ford oil/tire rotation service. 

Joe

If that includes the paperwork and the 586 times the finance guy tries to sell you more crap you don’t need I’m truly impressed!"

[HarleyJack17]

1st and foremost good luck on your purchase. As a former Ford salesperson I can answer this assuming things have not changed. “A” and “D” plan/pricing is for Ford emoyees/or retired. X-Plan is where Ford partners with larger organizations to give the benefit of “no haggle” pricing. X-plan is around invoice price, to a couple of hundred back of invoice. A and D plan is substantially back of invoice and can go beyond holdback. You can normally negotiate as good or better than X-Plan depending on your skills. If you are an “expert” negotiator , have A/D plan, and find  the right dealer you can once in a blue moon beat A/D Plan.

What you really need to be aware of are any extra rebates/dealer cash that may be available for each plan. It was not uncommon for Ford to have an extra $500-2500 back end money for plan participants. They do not have too, nor will they normally tell you since this is profit if they hold it. There is a program they run that lists all available rebates by customer type. I forget what it was called but they do it on most bew car deals to catch any missed money. You can ask to see it but they may trick you, so know what you are looking at. I really should write a book on the subject. People have to make money but the car business will shake your hand and steal your wallet!

[blykins]

I sold cars for Paul Miller Ford for a little while after I graduated engineering school.  It is enlightening....LOL

With that being said, it does make it easier to negotiate since you know the drill. 

My biggest tip is to go the last day of the month, or the last day of the quarter if you can wait.  On Labor Day weekend, I decided that my 237000 mile Ford Explorer was about done, so I went to two Ford dealers to buy a new F150.  I broke my own rule on waiting, but I really don't have a lot of spare time for car/truck buying these days.   Both Ford dealers would not negotiate with me, so I went and bought a new RAM.   I think if I would have waited until the end of the month, I could have made them work for me, but I just didn't want to wait. 

FWIW, the RAM has 305 hp and has been getting 23-24 mpg every tank so far.  I'm pleased. 

[afret]

Thanks for all the tips and advice.  I hate going to the dealer and playing their games so if I can just get a reasonable discount and get the heck out of there ASAP, that's good enough for me.  The last car I got, it took 3 hours even though I had picked out the car ahead of time out of their stock and wrote a check.   

[blykins]

Thanks for all the tips and advice.  I hate going to the dealer and playing their games so if I can just get a reasonable discount and get the heck out of there ASAP, that's good enough for me.  The last car I got, it took 3 hours even though I had picked out the car ahead of time out of their stock and wrote a check.   

They won't like you if you're paying cash....they make more money off of a finance deal.  It's easy for them to quality you at X% (and tell you this), then finance you at a lower rate....they keep the rest. 

[chilly460]

I cut a much better deal than X plan when I bought my Mustang, so as others said, shop around. 

I've also bought my last two vehicles basically online, cut through most of the BS of dealing with the salespeople face to face by selecting the vehicle you want out of their inventory, and getting 90% of negotiations out of the way.  It's also very nice to just send them links to competing dealership deals and prices on the fly, makes it pretty easy to negotiate when they're presented with facts of what another dealer is offering.

[Falcon67]

The two dealers we work with are straight up, especially the Lincoln shop.  They'll do a write up right there, no back room junk.  The other Ford dealer in town maybe no so much.  Get a discount on the car for using their financing, then just pay off the note with your own in a month. 

Also, the "last day of the month" deal IMHO does not apply anymore.  They are all aware of the "trick" and even one dealer includes the statement "get your best deal every day even if it's the end of the month" in their TV ads, so don't count on it.

My wife used to work for a big Ford dealer - X Plan wasn't always the best deal.  I think it depends on the floor plan, because every dealer has a different one and the have to work their margins off that.  Big dealer, mucho cars usually has a better back end than a bitty small town dealer.  However, best deals are still in used - that's where the big money is.  Wife just passed on a nice one owner 2016 MKC with 7200 miles, about $12K or more off 2018 prices.  Same exact car as a 2018 MKC, just didn't have a power lift gate.

[afret]

One more question.  Do you get the incentives/rebates in effect at the time the truck is ordered or at delivery?  Thanks!