Ford Taurus X Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

wupwup

Thanks for the info.. that is about what I am finding.

Check out this neat web page::::::

http://www54.forddirect.fordvehicles.com/FordVehicles.jsp?target=Inventory&sModel=2005Free- style&sBrand=Ford&partner=

cgalen

We recently purchased a Freestyle SEL from Ourisman World of Ford on Rt. 1 in Alexandria. Got the employee price even before it was officailly offered, plus the 0% financing. Had to negotiate pretty hard on the trade in, but we got an acceptable offer.
One thing they offer that most dealers don't is free service for the first two years, plus free loaner cars while you're in for extended service. There's an intangible value to such an offer that goes beyond just the bottom line purchase price of your vehicle. Of course, if you live in MD, it may not be worth having to drive there for regular service.

vrm

We recently purchased a Freestyle SEL from Ourisman World of Ford on Rt. 1 in Alexandria...

Congratulations on your new car!

Thanks for the info. I will give the dealer a call. Did you buy any option packages? Are you happy with the quality and peformance of the car?

looking4help

I am just about ready to buy a FWD SEL. Options include front row comfort package, DVD (ugh), leather and aux climate control. Dealer is quoting 26,175, the price got off of ford's website. Any thoughts as to good or bad. thanks for any input.

cgalen

We are very satisfied - no initial defects in the first month. The car came with the $695 safety package, which we wanted, and the $115 split 3rd row seat, which we didn't necessarily want, but having the seats fold indvidiually is actually more handy than having just a solid bench, so it's worth it.

nitromax

Go to fordvehicles.com and plug in your zip code. It will give you the family plan price for all the vehicles in your area. Find the one you are buying (it should be listed under the dealer) and see if the price is right.

hedden

As I figured, the Family price is negotiable -- if the dealer is willing. Several told me it was a fixed price, no flexibility. One even said it was "illegal" for them to sell below that price -- claimed that Ford would fine them some amount.

But I did find a few that were willing to come down $500 off that price. But the guy I ended up buying from gave me an even better deal. It was starting to get tough to find the right color and options, so we had to settle for more options than we wanted, but with the discount it wasn't too hard to swallow: SEL FWD Comfort/Safety/Leather/Moonroof/Reverse Sense/Climate Control/Split 3rd/Console listed at $31,100 MSRP; Family price was right around $27k; dealer sold it to me for a little under $26k. About $5k under list.

Never could get the guy to tell me how he was giving me such a good deal. He just talked about them moving a lot of cars this month. My guess is that they were close to a sales goal, or perhaps past a sales goal that was giving them a rebate from the factory. Other dealers refused to match the price -- they claimed this guy couldn't sell at that price without losing money.

barnstormer64

"Other dealers refused to match the price -- they claimed this guy couldn't sell at that price without losing money."

My brother once bought a car under similar circumstances. Apparently the dealership was very close to some sort of sales record, for which they'd get a nice bonus. The guy kept giving better and better offers as the end of the month approached. That last day, I guess they still needed one vehicle, so he gave an offer my brother couldn't refuse.

tristan1

I'm still debating between the freestyle and pacifica. Any opinions about both cars will help me a lot...

nitromax

You can try checking out the problems and solutions board on the Freestyle and the P&S board of the Pacifica.

That's what I did originally. One thing you'll notice is that the P&S of the Pacifica is quite larger than the Freesytles and they seem to have a lot more problems.

Read up on the reviews for both and compare. Check out epinions.com also.

Keep in mind that the Pacifica has been out a little longer than the Freestyle too...although the Pacifica hasn't gotten much press or marketing hype so the sales for it were somewhat slow in the beginning.

It seems the biggest problem with the Freestyle is what to call it.....SUV? wagon?

The only issues I've heard about with the Freestyle is early CVTs had some programming issues and the radio is questionable.
:-)

freealfas

Picked up a FWD limited for $27.5k + tax title and such, came with homelink, moon roof, safety package, adjustable pedals, MSRP was $30,995. Funny thing now is that if you build/price one with the same exact options on the website it prices out about $1300 more @ $28.8k. We did our deal last thursday and didn't get car until monday after some dealer antics. I noticed the change in pricing over the weekend and this is with the employee pricing discount plan factored in. Not sure what Ford is pulling but I guess they reserve their rights to revise their pricing in the fine print.

Wife and I are giddy happy though with the rig itself, went black/black with it, no glare issues, we guessed right on that one, arrived with 214 miles because they had to get what we wanted from Iowa, we're in Chicago, Our new baby due in september is going to have quite a stylish and safe rig to be rolling around in.

Looked at the Pacifica as friends have/like theirs, FS was the hands down winner in all but the warranty arena, Chrysler warranty for drivetrain @7/70k is a lot better. Got an extended warranty with our new car purchase as part of our monthly car insurance payment from GEICO for 7/100k, took any hesitation away from buying the FS based on warranty comparison/issues.

Buy it, Love It, drive it...

vrm

I noticed the change in pricing over the weekend and this is with the employee pricing discount plan factored in. Not sure what Ford is pulling but I guess they reserve their rights to revise their pricing in the fine print.

Sounds like Ford has raised the list price to compensate for the employee discount. Is that correct?

This defeats the purpose of the employee discount. I prefer a low MSRP instead of this employee discount gimmick.

vrm

Anybody buy a Freestyle in Northern Virginia or Maryland?

Or is everybody driving the Honda Odyssey and now making a beeline to the dealer to get their front sensors replaced (NHTSA recall)?! :P

harborislander

I just purchased a FWD Limited with a $31895 list for $27206. They discounted
the Family Plan price by $1200. Could have had something to do with the
purchase on July 31st and end of month stuff. Had originally hesitated in buying
the Freestyle because of it being dropped after model year 2007 but simply
choose to ignore that as it is a great car/suv/??? whatever Ford wants to call it.
Drives great and so far even as brand new and not worn in at all, mpg has been
good. Will update after first trip of any length. Anyone hesitating like I did,
go for it. I agree with what one writer said that perhaps Ford has this priced
too low and will up the anty when it goes to Mercury. If interested, bought from
Team Ford in Marietta, Ga.

barnstormer64

"hey discounted the Family Plan price by $1200"

NICE price!

rgng

I just bought a 2006 Freestyle Limited fully loaded with DVD. The sticker was 34,335. I paid 30,495. I went to Koons Ford in Falls Church. They are just starting to get the 2006's.

jethrojackson

You bought a 2006 Limited for $30,495. Is that correct? If so, it's sounds like they extended the Ford Family Pricing to the 2006 model...at least at that particular dealership. That sounds like an awesome deal.

rgng

Yes it was a 2006. The dealer worked off the Ford Family Pricing, although it took some negotiation to get there.

jmphotony

Hi
I'm looking at 31k for a 2005 in NY. Limited loaded. What do you think? Should I get the 05 or fight for the 06? He won't give me the 0% on the 06 and he wants more $$$
Help

dzdncnfzd

There are not many differences between the '05 and '06. Best I can tell is only the addition of the navigation and the new Silver Birch color.

I'm going to go with the '06 just because '05 was the first model year. One can only hope they get some of the kinks worked out by the second model year. Also the '06 will have one less year of depreciation.

My grandfather retired from Ford so I can get the A-Plan prices on the '06 models so I don't have any incentive to go with the '05. You may want to try to negotiate with the salesperson on an '06 using an '05 price plan as guidance. You may not get as low as the A plan price but you may get close. Look at the options on the '05s they have in stock and tell them you don't want an '05 because you just can't live with and/or without one of the features. That will communicate you only want an '06 and they may be willing to work with you on price instead of trying to talk you into an '05.

Good Luck!

rgng

I went with the 2006 because for me the price difference was $500 between a 2005 and a 2006. I am guessing, maybe incorrectly, that I will more than make up that difference upon a trade or sale of the car down the road. The newer model year should make the car worth a little more. I have the Silver Birch, but you are right there are not many differences between the two years.

jmphotony

Do you think I can get the LTD for 31K w/ entertainment, homelink, rear sensor? They claim that there is no emp discount on the 2006's

rgng

It is my understanding that the Ford Family Plan promotion for the public is not available on the 2006, but depending on the dealer and the supply in your area you may be able to negotiate them down on their price. Good luck.

cmuniz

One way to verify whether family Plan pricing applies to the 06 models is to use Fordvehicles.com and search your dealer's inventory for the 06 model you want. Click on the window sticker icon and it will show whether you can get the discount price. Look at both an 05 and an 06 to see the difference.

dzdncnfzd

Here is a little something to help with the negotiation. I was able to get a hold of the dealer invoice for a 2006 Freestyle FWD LTD.

Options: Universal Garage door opener, Power Moonroof, Traction Control (no longer included for '06), Aux Climate, Navigation, Reverse Sensing, Safety Package, Memory pedals, Family entertainment,

MSRP: 35270
Invoice: 32647.55
Invoice - Dealer Holdback: 31607.55
A/Z-Plan 31,320.55
D-Plan 31,420.55
X-Plan 32,591.96

freealfas

We just did a deal aug 1(end of the initial employee discount program)on a FWD LTD in Chicago burb that was the following

'05 BLACK/BLACK LTD FS FWD
moonroof
adj pedals
safety package
homelink
traction control

list $30,995
purchased after all employee discounts and such for $27.532 + tax/lic

the MSRP of $35k+ seems like it should be for a AWD LTD...

just checking

pnewby

The 35K plus included the Nav which is about the same cost as the AWD.

freealfas

thanks, didn't pay attention to that one, seems like they are moving this rig right up the price ladder, feel better and better about getting ours for what we did. $4k+ for nav, dvd, extra ac controls seems a bit excessive. to us the strength of this vehicle was the mid to high $20k price point for what you got, the room, safety, & comfort. It just seems the further you move it up the price chart the the less of a "deal" the rig starts to be. The other thing that seemed odd with the '06 it seems silly to have TC free for '05 initially and now charge for it in the next model year.

Anyway, 1300 miles in and 19 days of ownership still has a smile on our face, seeing a few more on the road but am still enjoying the "exclusivity" of not seeing too many around.

rgng

From looking at our window sticker, our 2006 limited appears to have included traction control in the base price before any optional equipment.

roger1322

I have had a Freestyle for 2 weeks now and love it but am confused about one thing - Does traction control work on all wheels or just the front since this is FWD?
Thanks

dzdncnfzd

Traction control controls the amount of torque that is applied to the wheels to stop them from spinning due to lack of traction. If you have a front wheel drive car, the engine can only apply torque to the front wheels and therefore traction control only works on the front wheels.

In an AWD if there is wheel spin on the front wheels some of the torque is applied to the rear wheels. In AWD traction control will apply torque laterally (between left and right tires) to the tires with the most traction.

If you are worried about driving in conditions with low traction (snow and ice) the combination at the top of the list below will supply the least traction and the combination at the bottom of the list will supply the most traction.

FWD without traction control
FWD with traction control
AWD without traction control
AWD with traction control

Note: traction control only helps you get moving. ABS helps you stop which, in my opinion, is much more important. ABS applies to all four tires regardless of FWD, AWD or traction control.

roger1322

Thanks! That's cleared up. At least I have ABS and will use Blizzaks this winter which from past experience and proved invaluable. Does anyone know about a product called Tyre Grip which is supposed to increase traction.?
Thank you..

schilke

Just picked up a 2006 SEL AWD with dvd player. Using the ford x-plan at O'daniel Ford in New Haven, Indiana.

$26,600 - list $30,600

Love it so far!

dzdncnfzd

Did the dealership have any pamphlets for the 2006 freestyles. My dealership only has them for the '05s. I want to order an '06 but the salesperson isn't sure of all of the changes between '05 and '06. I would hate to place my order and find out there was a new feature or something I would have wanted.

So far as best as I can tell the only changes are:
1. Traction control is now a pay for option.
2. There is a new color (Silver Birch)
3. There is now a navigation system optional.

cmuniz

That's about it.....

nitromax

At least I have ABS and will use Blizzaks this winter which from past experience and proved invaluable. Does anyone know about a product called Tyre Grip which is supposed to increase traction.?

I just checked out that Tyre Grip stuff. Kind of interesting, but I wonder how well it really works.
With FWD and traction control you will be fine.....with FWD, traction control AND snow tires you will be all set for almost anything winter has to offer. Key word is "almost" .... :-)

schilke

Not sure on the pamphlets. I didn't even look at one. As for the traction control, it is standard on mine. SEL AWD.

Sorry no help.

carstenb

...got a Merlot w/black leather 2005 Limited for plain $29k out of the door in Houston three weeks ago. Should be around 27k + tax & title. It has everything except home link and DVD. Have not driven it too much but so far i really like it and the family is happy as well.

Carsten

CarMan@Edmunds

Hi everyone. Please use the following discussion to post any questions that you have about leasing a Ford Freestyle. Thanks.

Car_man
Host
Smart Shopper / Prices Paid Forums

jmphotony

Just like I thought..... Ford to extend the program to the end of the month.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050901/bs_nm/autos_ford_incentives_dc_2

Jim

quori

Living in New England area. My wife and I love the Freestyle, and we picked out a Merlot Limited with everything in it. Our daughter specifically requested we get a moonroof, and was gleeful when we showed her the DVD player too (she's 5, so she's pretty easy to please).

Sticker is ~$35k, family plan + delivery charges - rebate its $30,800. We are completely fine with the price...HOWEVER...they are only offering 1/2 of the Kelley Blue Book value for our trade-in. Mind you, I don't mean half the selling value, half of the TRADE-IN value, which is substantially lower than the price they will resell at to being with.

We really feel like they are trying to make up for the Family Price discount, by giving us nothing for our trade in. They even are telling me it has way too many miles on it, when its 4 years old with 75k on it...thats only 18k a year!!!

Anyone having similar issues, problems? Should we just walk away, even though we feel like we are going to have this problem somewhere else?

help.

cmuniz

Several thoughts.....1)Try another dealer. The car you want can be shipped from one dealer to another. 2) If your trade-in is a gas hog or big SUV their value goes down as the price of gas goes up. 3) You could sell it yourself if you think you can get above trade-in value for it.4) Not sure if employee pricing affects the trade-in value of your vehicle as much as the type of vehicle it is. 5) Under normal circumstances some dealers will inflate what they give you on your trade-in when there is a big mark-up on the new vehicle you are buying. This won't happen under the family plan pricing. Not enough profit margin for that.

kyfdx

Most people consider 75K on a four-year-old vehicle to be high miles.. Maybe not in SoCal... but, everywhere else....

regards,
kyfdx

bobw3

Absolutely they're trying to make up the money that they lose on the family plan. In general, new car dealer make much more money selling used cars than new cars, because even if they give you the trade-in value, they're still making thousands on the car when they resell it. That why it's always better to sell it yourself. When I hear people posting the great deals on cars they buy, unless you know what they got on their trade-in it's really hard to say what they paid.

dbell1

Go to other Ford dealers - the Ford website has links to every local dealer out there (and more). I had quotes from 3 dealers on my trade: $7,800, $9,700 and $10,000. With the Family Plan, the dealer base price won't change much. I had the lowball $7,800 dealer tell me that the $10,000 dealer was lying. I told him it was his sister dealership down the road. :P

scotts1512

As others have said - go to other dealerships. We purchased last month only after finding a competing dealership that matched KBB trade in value on our car. We then waited to find the one we wanted on the lot of another dealer. There initial offer was nearly 2000 less. After informing them of the competing offer, we were actually able to get them to beat the KBB by a few hunded and still get the exact vehicle we wanted. For anyone shopping in PA, New Holland Ford also threw in a year of free service (regardless of type - even new tires if you manage to run up enough miles), a few additional free oil changes, and lifetime inspection for every vehicle the family owns (regardless of make or location of purchase).

Shop around, it will pay off!

jmphotony

We had the same thing happen here in NY. They will only give us $8000 when the KBB trade in is $12. I'm still looking but I think I may sell it myself if I can

barnstormer64

Be careful of KBB values in this age of rapidly falling values.

These "family value plans" and the current gas crunch is really having an effect on the value of used cars.

I don't think that KBB is keeping up very quickly. I'd venture to say that the value 2 months from now might be more indicative of curent value than the current KBB value.

roger1322

Set a price and stick to it! I did and despite pleas that the manager would only go so much I didn't budge and after I walked out three times (the trade in price kept going up but not to my price) they finally gave me my price. I was asking Kelly Blue book minus $500. Go to the Ford site and use their own trade-in calculator. It's hard to believe they will argue with that but they will. Just stick to your guns. There is never any hurry to buy-even with the Family Plan.

volfangary

I also bought a Freestyle about a month ago. I went to KBB and printed out the page with the computed trade in value of the car I was trading in. I took the print out to the dealer, Alexander Ford in Murfreesboro TN, picked out my Freestyle and told them if they give me the KBB value they had a sale. At first they said "No", I then started to leave the dealership and they stopped me and said "OK". I also have a friend who took a different approach in buying his freestyle. He shopped around on the internet and decided what Freestyle car he wanted with what options. He looked up his KBB trade in value and then emailed 9 different dealers. He told each of them the same thing, "The first dealer to respond back to me with the following described Freestyle at this price $XX,XXX.00, who will give me the KBB trade in value of $X,XXX.00 for my car described below, at 4.99% financing for 48 months, will have a sale to me. I have a good credit rating". He had six dealers respond back in 45 minutes and he did buy it from the first dealer to respond that was within 10 minutes. If they want to sell a car they will meet your realistic request.