Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous (Archived)

xwesx

28firefighter said:

@breld that is a hot ride. Not bad for winter wheels at all...

No doubt! It literally looks like it is glowing hot in those images. LOL

xwesx

stever said:

The adoption rate on backup cams has been pretty good. They will be required in all new cars by 2018. The NHTSA probably could have moved that date up a couple of years.

Next up, cameras to replace mirrors.

This site needs a DISLIKE button, Steve...!

It is funny (odd) to me that NHTSA will require things like backup cameras, but mirror defrosters are still considered a convenience feature.

henryn

xwesx said:

stever said:

The adoption rate on backup cams has been pretty good. They will be required in all new cars by 2018. The NHTSA probably could have moved that date up a couple of years.

Next up, cameras to replace mirrors.

This site needs a DISLIKE button, Steve...!

It is funny (odd) to me that NHTSA will require things like backup cameras, but mirror defrosters are still considered a convenience feature.

Never used one, can't imagine why or when I ever would use one.

Oh, that's right, there are people living up in the frozen tundra who need such things. I had completely forgotten about that!

Sandman6472

I seriously looked at a Ford C-Max in December and the mileage was very impressive truth be told. Honestly, if the Golf hadn't of worked out, I was going to throw a price at the Ford dealer where we have an office at, they had a regular C-Max in silver, a '15 model I think, and they wanted $26K and change after all rebates. Not sure how many miles were on it because the VW place and I made the deal. But if not, that was to be my second choice. Looked nice in either silver or white and figured it would fit into our garage. Not sure the kid would like one but it would work mileage wise.
That Scion is more her style to be honest and will get her to try it once we start looking. The wife doesn't do used vehicles, if she can't afford something new, she just waits. Think the kid also would want new and for them, I tend to agree. Used, have done in the past and would do for the right vehicle in the future. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase new the last two times I bought. And seriously, the folks who got both my Civic and Tucson got a good vehicle, especially the Tucson which had just a bit over 16K on the clock. I tend to baby my vehicles inside and out and do most services in the book earlier than normal.

The Sandman

houdini1

slorenzen said:

rayainsw said:

Road Trip -
I drove the Charger to North Georgia on Saturday morning.
The trip reminded me of so many things I like
and enjoy about this car.
Some pictures [ not of the car ] here:

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rayainsw/slideshow/2015 amicalola falls?sort=3

- Ray
Happy Dodge Driver...

Beautiful!

Is this near Deloniga?(sp?)

My son did his Ranger mountain training there...really tough terrain...

Please thank your son for me !!

iluvmysephia1

Same here, sandman. As far as babying our rig goes. What is really aggravating is this story regarding iluvmysephia1 and Mrs. iluvmysephia1's 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. The car was paid off about May of 2014. It had about 129,750 miles on it at the very end of June 2014. We were heading to El Paso on a mission to either fix my old HP computer tower or give up and buy a new CPU. About 25 miles north of El Paso on Highway 54 we were heading south. It was about 95 degrees out and our A/C was chuggin' hard. All of a sudden the A/C stops, the car loses power, and I've got to exit the highway. As I did we heard a small explosion in the engine bay.

I turn off the ignition and get out to put up the hood. There was antifreeze here and there, not a lot of radiator hiss, really, but definitely an overly hot motor. I got back in and tried to start the Lancer GTS back up. No sound of an electrical whining going on...a few clicks, though, very minimal sounds.

Great. Called the tow truck and he hooked us up and brought us in to El Paso. Dropped the car off at a mechanic the tow driver recommended. We walked over to a motel from the shop and checked in. The next day the mechanic told us our timing chain had seized or slipped and we had, as a result, experienced catastrophic engine failure. Not good. Car was paid off for about a month and then this. 

We wanted a 2nd opinion so had the Mitsu towed to a Kia/Mitsubishi dealer. The verdict? Same thing. We were without transportation 90 miles south of our Alamogordo, NM, home. OK then...who wants a new Kia or Mitsubishi? What will the dealer offer us for our engine-less trade in? They offered $2,000 for the car. Long story short we traded for the '11 Kia Soul we have now. Bummed that we were going to be looking at payments again we wanted low payments and the 5-speed 2011 base  in clear white was that. I loved the test drive - went on to I-10 for a couple of miles and then exited off and came back. I could more than just exist driving this car and they were selling it for $11,995 with 35,875 miles on it. Bingo!

Fast-forward to about August of 2014. Mitsubishi sends us a  recall notice on the car we no longer owned. What? We called them up and asked about this prematurely failing serpentine belt problem. Yes, it's happened to our '08 Lancer GTS! "You should've called us right after the dealer told you what happened. We would've been willing ta help you....then. But not now."

Really? Would they have called their car manufacturer and sought to negotiate a truce settlement? Maybe but realistically no. Nothing from Mitsubishi on this. That's not good business management, in my view. I loved my Lancer GTS but that leaves bad feelings boiling up. Ugh.

jpp75

rayainsw said:

Road Trip -
I drove the Charger to North Georgia on Saturday morning.
The trip reminded me of so many things I like
and enjoy about this car.
Some pictures [ not of the car ] here:

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rayainsw/slideshow/2015 amicalola falls?sort=3

- Ray
Happy Dodge Driver...

Great pictures Ray! Thanks for sharing.

stever

For the first time in years (decades?), I borrowed a pickup to move something.

Yeah, yet another loom. Kinda like an upright piano. Wouldn't fit in the van without taking it apart and it's a mishmash put together from two looms, so it was better to leave it in one piece so we could study on it. It may have to come apart to get it into the house, but it's easier to take pics here if I have to dismantle it..

And yeah, the liftover height on a pickup is a killer. Should've tried for my neighbor's El Camino instead of the F-150 we used. All my friends with raft trailers live too far north.

slorenzen

stever said:

For the first time in years (decades?), I borrowed a pickup to move something.

Yeah, yet another loom. Kinda like an upright piano. Wouldn't fit in the van without taking it apart and it's a mishmash put together from two looms, so it was better to leave it in one piece so we could study on it. It may have to come apart to get it into the house, but it's easier to take pics here if I have to dismantle it..

And yeah, the liftover height on a pickup is a killer. Should've tried for my neighbor's El Camino instead of the F-150 we used. All my friends with raft trailers live too far north.

Dunno about the liftover height of the F-150, but I can tell you my F-250 3/4 ton is about 6 inches higher than my friend's Chevy 3/4 ton.

Shoulda borrowed a chevy...

stever

and a forklift....

Mr_Shiftright

You need a new hobby. Ever think about collecting miniatures?

stevedebi

henryn said:

xwesx said:

stever said:

The adoption rate on backup cams has been pretty good. They will be required in all new cars by 2018. The NHTSA probably could have moved that date up a couple of years.

Next up, cameras to replace mirrors.

This site needs a DISLIKE button, Steve...!

It is funny (odd) to me that NHTSA will require things like backup cameras, but mirror defrosters are still considered a convenience feature.

Never used one, can't imagine why or when I ever would use one.

Oh, that's right, there are people living up in the frozen tundra who need such things. I had completely forgotten about that!

Mine comes on automatically when the rear defroster is on. I find it great here in LA because the outside mirrors can get misted sometimes.

stever

Mr_Shiftright said:

You need a new hobby. Ever think about collecting miniatures?

Another reason to get a smaller hatch - more room in the garage. One year in the house (~1700 sq. ft.) and it's maxed out. Good thing we don't have two cars - one would be living outside with the rats and I'd have to leave the hood up all the time or stick a light under it, like a lot of our neighbors.


.

corvette

Does leaving the hood up all the time work after dark? (Glad I don't have that problem.)

stickguy

That alone would be enough to make sure my wife would never move there.

Mr_Shiftright

rats are very clever actually. Very hard to hit with my pellet gun. You have to respect ratlike cunning.

iluvmysephia1

That Scion is more her style to be honest and will get her to try it once we start looking. The wife doesn't do used vehicles, if she can't afford something new, she just waits. Think the kid also would want new and for them, I tend to agree.

sandman - it's a longshot with me because Mrs.iluvmysephia1 wrings hands so much, but, you might look in to the 2016 Scion iM for your daughter. I like the new design and how it's sprung for fun driving, and, a 6-speed tranny comes out of the box happy and ready for you. The CVT they offer sounds like above the garden variety CVT, but, come on, an iM with an automatic tranny? Pffft. :@

One price on the manuals and it's $19,290 which includes the destination charge.

stever

Yeah, we have kangaroo rats here and they like to nest in engine compartments. But they don't like being exposed (lots of raptors here, including owls). So you simply leave the hood up and they won't try to nest in the engine compartment.

Our neighbors had to convert their garage to another bedroom for a kiddo, so they leave two SUVs and a Bimmer out all the time. They have three of those mechanic's lights in their driveway on timers so when they get home from work, they just park on top of a light, and the lights come on automatically in the evening. Will try to get a pic sometime - seems easier than popping the hood and the led lights wouldn't burn too much juice.

Between the raptors and the rattlesnakes, coyotes and bobcats, the rats aren't too numberous.

stickguy

You are not doing a good sales job at all on getting me to move.

Michaell

stickguy said:

You are not doing a good sales job at all on getting me to move.

How about - No snow! No humidity! Smooth roads! Less taxes!

stever

It was chiggers and fire ants in MS, skeeters and black bears in TN (snakes both places), skeeters and grizzlies in AK, drunken badgers in WI, and MI had biting flies (on the beach no less), gnats and skeeters. There's always something, although ID was pretty benign. The gopher snake in my cutlery drawer in Boise did get my attention one morning, lol.

I miss the snow, but like the heat (80°F today) and the view of the mountains from every window. Don't miss the mowing at all.

And cars last forever down here. No more rust!

It's pretty nice up in @Michell's neighborhood too. You get to enjoy the snow, but it doesn't hang around, and it's easy enough to drive to it. Boise was like that.

imidazol97

stever said:

Between the raptors and the rattlesnakes, coyotes and bobcats, the rats aren't too numberous.

I think I'll stop complaining about the snow and cold here in Ohio. Sounds like the lesser of two evils.

houdini1

Mr_Shiftright said:

rats are very clever actually. Very hard to hit with my pellet gun. You have to respect ratlike cunning.

Thank you !

Michaell

imidazol97 said:

stever said:

Between the raptors and the rattlesnakes, coyotes and bobcats, the rats aren't too numberous.

I think I'll stop complaining about the snow and cold here in Ohio. Sounds like the lesser of two evils.

Here in Colorado, we get it all - raptors, coyotes, bobcats, rattlesnakes and snow. Lucky us!

stever

Lots of nice folks in the Midwest but I missed my mountains.

stickguy

maybe Jersey isn't that bad after all. We mostly just have taxes and potholes. lots and lots of each.

imidazol97

Since this discussion started talking about car insurance rates and rate increases, I noticed ads for
compare.com
to compare several insurance companies online. Give your information once and many companies will
be compared. Sort of like select quotes started out years ago for life insurance.

stever

Funny, if you go to our Insurance tips page, you get Insurance.com, the Zebra and Bankrate Insurance serving up quotes. And Flo, the gecko, Allstate and State Farm also put in an appearance.

nyccarguy

Saw one if the Dads at hockey practice pickup had a brand spankin new, white 2015 GTI, 4 door.  Sharp looking.  He said it's his 3rd GTI.  Had a 2008, a 2012, and then traded the 2012 in for the 2016.  He said the dealer was really hungry for sales.  The $2K incentive helped plus he had a decent amount of equity in his trade because it only had 21K miles.

nyccarguy

@stickguy - you & @fezo must be going crazy. I can't believe this game is still going on

stickguy

I'm dying. ready to give up and go to bed.

nyccarguy

I really have to get to sleep. I need to leave my house between 6:15 am & 6:20 am

Michaell

I stuck around to watch the whole game.

Of course, it ended around 11:20 my time

Two evenly matched teams. Should be a great series.

nyccarguy

Being a Chronic Car Researcher, I kept myself busy in between innings.  Thinking to myself:  What if I can get a smokin end of the year deal on a GTI SE w/ DSG, Lighting Package, & Performance Package?  Then I'd  to buy extra winter wheels & snow tires.  So why not just go for a WRX Limited?  Or since I'm thinking 2WD & snow tires (with the GTI), why not just go for a Charger RT Track Package?  Generous incentives plus I can get my hands on a friends & family certificate and USAA incentives would make a 370 hp HEMI V8 very attractive.  Plus I'd have to find a set of cop car wheels to mount the snow tires on:)

stickguy

Just put down the ipad and walk away.

Good thing my car is leased. Otherwise I too would have been looking for the killer GTI deal.

Why couldn't VW wait 2 years to get caught? Would have timed out much better to me.

Michaell

stickguy said:

Just put down the ipad and walk away.

Good thing my car is leased. Otherwise I too would have been looking for the killer GTI deal.

Why couldn't VW wait 2 years to get caught? Would have timed out much better to me.

I'm hoping there is still fallout a year from now ... when I'm in the market.

nyccarguy

stickguy said:

Just put down the ipad and walk away.

Good thing my car is leased. Otherwise I too would have been looking for the killer GTI deal.

Why couldn't VW wait 2 years to get caught? Would have timed out much better to me.

I tried putting the iPad down, but my hand started shaking:) I also took a look at Infiniti Q50S numbers (lease questions people say they are getting $7K plus off MSRP). Unless I was inputting the numbers into leaseguide's calculator wrong, doing a 39 month lease for 15K per year will still be expensive, not to mention I'd be over the miles by more than 15K at the end of the lease and most likely have to buy it out.

The GTI Performance Package looks sweet. 220 hp & 259lb/ft of torque:) How low will they go?

robr2

nyccarguy said:

...not to mention I'd be over the miles by more than 15K at the end of the lease and most likely have to buy it out.

Have $20 a week taken directly from your checking account and put into an online savings account and use it to pay the overage, I had a coworker who always paid more for his lease and never used all the miles.

Mr_Shiftright

Still time to bid: You won't see another for a while at least.

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-bmw-850i-4/

Gee, do you think repairs and maintenance would be expensive?

28firefighter

I'm really close - if I qualified for the $2k Loyalty Offer, I probably would have bitten already. I was able to negotiate $3500 off MSRP without much effort on my part at all.

I want a 4 door GTI DSG S with Lighthing in Pure White...

nyccarguy

robr2 said:

...not to mention I'd be over the miles by more than 15K at the end of the lease and most likely have to buy it out.

Have $20 a week taken directly from your checking account and put into an online savings account and use it to pay the overage, I had a coworker who always paid more for his lease and never used all the miles.

You are quite the enabler my friend.  Good idea though.  I Guarantee I'll go over the mileage.  I don't plan on moving or changing jobs.  My Commute remains steady at 63 miles per day/6 days per week plus whatever extra driving I do.

Michaell

nyccarguy said:

robr2 said:

nyccarguy said:

...not to mention I'd be over the miles by more than 15K at the end of the lease and most likely have to buy it out.

Have $20 a week taken directly from your checking account and put into an online savings account and use it to pay the overage, I had a coworker who always paid more for his lease and never used all the miles.

You are quite the enabler my friend.  Good idea though.  I Guarantee I'll go over the mileage.  I don't plan on moving or changing jobs.  My Commute remains steady at 63 miles per day/6 days per week plus whatever extra driving I do.

Let's do the math ...

378 miles per week (63x6)

48 weeks per year = 18,144 (I'll assume 4 weeks vacation each year)

3 years = 54,432

9432 extra miles @ .20/mi = $1886

That works out to just over $12/week (call it $50/mo) for a 3 year lease.

See! We can get you into the car of your dreams.

roadburner

Mr_Shiftright said:

Still time to bid: You won't see another for a while at least.

http://bringatrailer.com/listing/1991-bmw-850i-4/

Gee, do you think repairs and maintenance would be expensive?

If you are wired into the E31 community AND you are a fairly competent DIY guy(or gal) I'd say that it wouldn't be cheap to run- but it might-MIGHT-not be horrifically expensive either. To quote my friend Rob Seigel- AKA: The Hack Mechanic,

Opinion is divided on the economics of owning an E31. At the time, the press harped about the car’s complexity, including the proliferation of computers and electric motors. Now, I’d wager that your basic suckling Toyota Celica is a more electrically complex car. The E31 8 Series and the E32 7 Series shared the new twelve-cylinder M70 engine. The engine itself is reported to be quite reliable, but because it was basically designed as two M20 engines forced into a V, it has two of everything—two ECUs, two throttle bodies, two air flow meters, two fuel pumps—and if something isn’t right, it’ll throw the car into limp-home mode, where it runs on half the cylinders.

In addition to electrical complexity, the car was mechanically complex, with stability control and a multilink rear end. Some folks who own them tell me that, by a country mile, they’re the most expensive BMW to keep running, much less keep well-sorted—but others tell me that it’s not that bad if you hack and scrounge.

Obviously not a car for the person who wets his/her pants at the thought of changing their own oil or swapping pads and rotors.

And yes, I've been tempted to bid on it ever since the BAT auction went live...

breld

@nyccarguy -

Michaell said:

nyccarguy said:

robr2 said:

nyccarguy said:

...not to mention I'd be over the miles by more than 15K at the end of the lease and most likely have to buy it out.

Have $20 a week taken directly from your checking account and put into an online savings account and use it to pay the overage, I had a coworker who always paid more for his lease and never used all the miles.

You are quite the enabler my friend.  Good idea though.  I Guarantee I'll go over the mileage.  I don't plan on moving or changing jobs.  My Commute remains steady at 63 miles per day/6 days per week plus whatever extra driving I do.

Let's do the math ...

378 miles per week (63x6)

48 weeks per year = 18,144 (I'll assume 4 weeks vacation each year)

3 years = 54,432

9432 extra miles @ .20/mi = $1886

That works out to just over $12/week (call it $50/mo) for a 3 year lease.

See! We can get you into the car of your dreams.

_________________________

Well, and correct me if I'm wrong, but if you know you're gonna drive more miles, getting the extra miles upfront is usually cheaper by quite a bit than $0.20/mile. I did that math when we leased the Kia, and the lower residual for 15k mile/year was cheaper than paying $0.20/mile for the extra 3k miles per year.

But then again, I wasn't sure if we'd necessarily use all those extra miles, though we are indeed on track to do so.

breld

For those of you thinking of pulling the trigger if you find a good deal on a GTI, I'll just say the wife's 2015 GTI was indeed a great ride. Trading it in was clearly more of a reflection of our personal car buying habits than anything to do with the car itself. In fact, it took something like the S3 to pique her interest at all - she had also looked at the Q3 and the A3, which were not nearly intriguing enough for her to consider giving up the VW.

We also had the Autobahn version, mostly 'cause the wife really wanted navigation. The models being talked about here, particularly the S model with the cool plaid seats, combined with healthy discounts and incentives, is a screaming deal.

Not that I'm enabling or anything.

breld

Just dropped off the stepdaughter's A3 for service at our local Audi dealer - I had been using an independent but had such a nice experience with the wife's S3 in the shop (for routine maintenance) last week that I just figured we'd start using them for all the cars.

Since this dealership is affiliated with VW and Mazda, I've sort of had a nostalgic tour of cars past with the loaners - last week I had a Passat 1.8T and today I have a Mazda6.

Last week I was reminded at what a spacious car the Passat is - if backseat room is important to you, the Passat has it to spare! And I do still like that 1.8T engine.

And today, they actually were trying to get an Audi for me, but I thought it'd be more interesting to have the Mazda6, reminiscent of my recent Mazda3 experience. After driving the 6 back to work, I'd say I'd still go for the Mazda3 for its more compact size and availability with the hatchback, but the Mazda6 is definitely smoother and quieter over rough roads.

28firefighter

@Breld - You don't need to enable - I just need to find the right deal. I don't want to jump in too early, in the event they begin offering discounts for non-owners.

Michaell

breld said:

Just dropped off the stepdaughter's A3 for service at our local Audi dealer - I had been using an independent but had such a nice experience with the wife's S3 in the shop (for routine maintenance) last week that I just figured we'd start using them for all the cars.

Since this dealership is affiliated with VW and Mazda, I've sort of had a nostalgic tour of cars past with the loaners - last week I had a Passat 1.8T and today I have a Mazda6.

Last week I was reminded at what a spacious car the Passat is - if backseat room is important to you, the Passat has it to spare! And I do still like that 1.8T engine.

And today, they actually were trying to get an Audi for me, but I thought it'd be more interesting to have the Mazda6, reminiscent of my recent Mazda3 experience. After driving the 6 back to work, I'd say I'd still go for the Mazda3 for its more compact size and availability with the hatchback, but the Mazda6 is definitely smoother and quieter over rough roads.

Thanks for the quick reviews -- both the 3 and the 6 will be on my list to test drive next summer when I start looking for a replacement for the E-GT.

As are the following:

VW Jetta / Golf
Toyota Corolla / Camry
Hyundai Elantra / Sonata
Ford Fiesta ST (yep, it's an outlier)
Honda Civic (EX-T)
Subaru Impreza

I'm sure I'll get lots of additional suggestions from you fine folks .. at the moment, my primary goal is value. I'm paying $232/mo for the E-GT and I'd like the next lease to be in that same ballpark for 36 months and 15,000 miles per year.

@breld has graciously agreed to accompany me while I do some of these test drives. Clear your calendar next September / October.

ab348

Ford to Offer One of Biggest Sales Since Recession
(via Automotive News)

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. plans to start running one of its biggest sales promotions since the recession next week, offering most vehicles at no-haggle prices within about $200 of dealer invoice for the rest of the year.

The “Friends & Neighbors Pricing Event” runs Nov. 3 through Jan. 4, according to a 20-page guide distributed to dealers. Automotive News obtained a copy of the guide, which is marked confidential, from a source outside Ford’s dealer network and confirmed it to be authentic.

The guide shows discounts of up to 10 percent of the suggested retail price and says they can be combined with other incentives it already offers. In addition, the sale enables dealers to earn more from each transaction than they otherwise would — for example, $126 more on a 2015 Focus and $471 more on a 2015 F-150.

“This is truly a rare deal that we can leverage into huge sales and maximized profits,” reads a note at the end of the guide from Ford’s U.S. marketing director, Chantel Lenard, and U.S. sales director, David Mondragon.

Ford will promote the sale with a “heavy” rotation of TV, print, radio and digital advertising in which Ford employees invite consumers to enjoy discounts normally available only to their friends and neighbors, the guide explains.

“This is not your normal, ‘Let’s take $500 off a car,’” said Jim Seavitt, owner of Village Ford in Dearborn, Mich. “Last time we did something like this was … when things were pretty bad.”

Ford officials declined to comment on the sale beyond saying that the automaker had not announced any upcoming promotions.

Mark LaNeve -- the former General Motors executive hired by Ford in January as vice president for U.S. marketing, sales and service -- described the program in the dealer guide as “an inside deal - now for everyone.”

That phrasing evokes the wildly popular “Employee Discount for Everyone” sale that LaNeve ran at GM in 2005 and returned to that approach in late 2008, when GM was months away from filing for bankruptcy. Both times, Ford and Chrysler followed suit with similar offers, but all three companies experienced significant declines in the months after the sale ended.

The discounts Ford now plans to offer, known as “X-plan,” are not as steep as employee pricing, which it calls “A-plan.” And Ford, which on Tuesday reported a record $2.7 billion North American profit for the third quarter, is clearly not in financial trouble.

Market share flat

But Ford’s U.S. sales have been lackluster for much of 2015, before rising 23 percent in September. Its market share was flat in the first three quarters from a year ago, at 15.1 percent, and down from 15.9 percent at the end of 2013.

A big factor is Ford’s changeover to redesigned versions of the F-150 and Edge, which reduced inventories for months. But other important nameplates, including the Escape, Fusion and Focus, have underperformed their segments this year.

Ford introduced dealers to the sale in a broadcast on Monday. They’re being asked to hold a kickoff rally with employees and start promoting the event on Nov. 3, which is the day automakers report October sales and begin their November sales month. All Ford brand vehicles are eligible, except for high-performance versions of the Mustang, the F-150 Raptor, the F-550 and above, stripped chassis trucks and the E-450. The guide does not refer to any year-end promotional plans for Lincoln.

“This campaign will show the passion of the brand while offering a truly unique deal, so please use all the resources available to help make this the best sales event yet!” LaNeve wrote in the guide.

Maximum price

The sale sets a maximum price that consumers would pay, though dealers can agree to sell vehicles for less. The maximum price is 99.6 percent of invoice plus a $275 administrative fee, minus any vehicle-specific incentives. That’s the same way X-plan pricing usually works, though it normally requires consumers to provide a unique personal identification number linked to a particular employee at a supplier, business partner, fleet partner or other Ford partner.

An example Ford used in its guide showed that an unidentified vehicle with a $20,000 sticker price would get a “Friends & Neighbors” discount of $2,000, in addition to $3,000 in other incentives. However, for some vehicles many consumers already pay close to or even slightly below the invoice price, so the sale may not result in any additional savings.

TrueCar’s website today showed the average price paid for an F-150 SuperCrew XLT with two-wheel-drive as $191 less than invoice and $3,093 less than sticker, before $4,000 in customer incentives.

“It’s an effort to take that price worry away from people, and they’re aggressively trying to close the year out,” Seavitt said. “They’re after something that would be different, cut through the clutter and be very simplified.”

Ford said its incentive spending in September, when it offered no-interest, six-year loans across most of its lineup, was up $660 per vehicle from a year ago and flat from August. It had reduced incentives in late 2014 as it began hoarding F-150 inventories in preparation for building the redesigned, aluminum-bodied pickup.

At the same time, its transaction prices rose $1,100 from August to September and $2,100 from September 2014. The Friends & Neighbors discounts would replace any interest-free financing offers.

berri

Personally, I think Ford has gotten too aggressive with its vehicle prices to the benefit of Asia.