Ford Taurus X Prices Paid and Buying Experiences

bobw3

"a) the auxiliary heat for the second row is really only on the driver's side. There's not a vent on the passenger side."

Actually, that auxiliary heat is for the 3rd row. It's only on the drivers side, but it's designed to blow the warm air straight across the floor for row 3. The heat for row 2 comes from under the front seats.

And the sales rep is correct about the lack of cupholders for row 3 on the driver's side. If you didn't have the aux climate control, you'd get the extra cup holders. But I agree that they should have been able to fit one over there.

I also agree that there are dead spots in the Freestyle that could have been used for some storage drawers, or small cubby holes.

soccerref

I'd asked about the heat for the second row and someone here had said it came from under the front seats, but we couldn't find any duct work when we looked. And we spent quite a bit of time with two different lot vehicles on a 30 degree day playing with heater controls (front and rear) and getting nothing more than a slight draft from under the front seats. The second row passenger on the driver side cooked from the (third row?) heat vent right beside her and the one on the passenger side was still quite cold. So, what am I missing?

bobw3

There are ducts under the front seats. If you want to check, put the fan setting on high and set the air flow to your feet you'll definitely feel the warm air in row 2. The duct openings under the front seats aren't huge, but they're there. If you use a flashlight and from the second row look under the seats you can see them.

I do agree that the third row heating vent isn't positioned the best, because the second row driver's side passenger's seatbelt hangs right in front of it, which deflects the warm air forward. But it's really designed for row 3, so the heat you're feeling in row 2 is just extra.

For me it's the ceiling A/C ducts that are the most beneficial to both rows 2 & 3. I haven't had any row 3 passengers in the winter. But to keep row 2 passengers warm, use the under seat ducts with the fan on a medium to high setting and flowing to the feet. Or use the combo feet/face manual setting.

But if you do turn on the row 3 heat in attempt to warm up row 2, then you can expect most of the heat to go to the passenger side in row 2. I wouldn't even turn on the row 3 heater unless there are passengers in row 3 because you will have the hotter driver's side of the car.

minaldo1

I got a lease of $405 per month on a 2006 AWD Freestyle LTD. The car is totally loaded with every option, MSRP is $37,150. They also put in a remote starter and passive alarm system. I paid $1,712 up front, which covered taxes, 1st month payment, and plate transfer fees. 36 month lease, 12,000 miles per year. What do you think of this deal?
Thanks

minaldo1

Car_Man, any thoughts on the lease I outlined above.

Thanks

joshua447

These forums are great and I've learned a lot but I've got a couple of questions for you seasoned Freestyle buyers... several of you mentioned a Family Plan and also an X-plan. What are these plans? I'd love more information. Also the Ford web site mentions $1,000 cash back until April 2006--is this only for Ford Credit customers? I plan to find my own financing.

Thanks to eveyone for the great advice!!

bobw3

X-Plan is for family members of someone currently working at Ford.
Z-Plan is the same but for retired workers.
Family Plan is sort of the generic name, but bottom line is that it's based on a family member working at Ford.

However, what you really save with any of the Family Plans is the ability to order a car and still get a good price. If you're buying a car off the lot, you can sometimes negotiate a better price that from the Family Plan.

vwcarcrazy

The X-plan is for employees of companies that supply parts to Ford (or GM, etc). You would need to check with your employer. The Family Plan is the name Ford has used for the past several months to combat the GM sales incentive program. If you remember the TV commercials, it invites your to "join our Ford Family and get the same great deal we give to our employees". The plan was for 2005 models, and then extended to some select 2006 models through the end of 2005 - so the program has now expired. You might also check with your insurance company, mortgage company, your local AAA if you are a member and any price-clubs you belong to (Sams, Cost-co)as some have good deals that give you almost X-plan pricing.

pepbc5

Looking into a Freestyle Limited for my wife (she has to have the heated seats) and not getting close to some of the prices I've seen here. So far best offer is a 3 year lease on a demo (5900 miles) for $429/month with $1700 down. It is fully loaded but I am thinking the discount for a demo would be pretty significant and this sounds like a new car lease price.

Anyone with recent pricing experiences?

pepbc5

I would love to hear Car_man's thoughts too, because this is a better lease deal than I was offered on a demo. Same down, $29000 sales price, $429/ month.

Where did you get thsi offer and any tips I can use?

CarMan@Edmunds

I'd be happy to give you my opinion of this deal, minaldo1. However, you never mentioned the selling price of the Freestyle that you leased. This is an important number for you as a consumer to know for two reasons. First, the selling prices of leased vehicles can be negotiated, just as if you were paying cash for them. Without knowing the price of the truck that you want to lease you don't know how good a price you are getting it for. The second reason is that one needs the selling price of a vehicle that they want to lease is that it is necessary to calculate its lease payment. If you let me know what your Freestyle's selling price is, I'll tell you what I think.

Car_man
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tommycee

I ordered a Freestyle LTD on Nov 1. I was told by the dealer that it would take 6 to 8 weeks to come in. It still hasn't arrived. I was now told that I should have by Feb13. Is this amount of time normal for a car order? Also, I am an X-plan member. Is there any room for negotiating a price below X-plan?The dealer says he has no room to negotiate, however, he will throw in the roof rack cross bars and some oil changes.

vwcarcrazy

Under the x-plan, the dealer does not have much room to negotiate. In the past I have been able to get the dealer to throw in dealer-added accessories such as floor mats, bug deflector, window vent deflectors, mud flaps, paint sealant, etc such as you have. The dealer is only making approx 3%, set-up/gas fill (usually $100-150 credit) and dealer hold-back (which is like a rebate to the dealer from the manufacturer based on their annual sales - usually another 1.5 - 3%). So you can see they are only making about $1500 for your FS LTD - not much actually. Since the dealer mark up on parts and accessories is almost 100%, that is why they are willing to give you a few accessories and oil changes (which get you used to coming to them for service - as long as you are getting the oil changed, why not do your 5K, 10K, etc service recommended which is big $$$ for the dealer). Be happy you are getting such a good deal - not everyone gets the x-plan. Best luck.

minaldo1

Car_Man, thanks for the response. For a fully loaded freestyle awd with every option, plus passive alarm and remote starter:

MSRP: $37,150, plus the "free" passive alarm and remore starter
Selling price: $34,584
Residual: $21,289
Term: 36 months
mileage: 12K per year
money factor: .000625 (tier 1, or so I was told)
up front costs: taxes, 1st month payment, and plate fees

Including the (at the time) $500 lease rebate, I think the sellng price was invoice or just below invoice. I appreciate your help. Thanks

minaldo1

I got this offer from 2 different dealers in NY. The first dealer, the fiancials were the same, but they never mentioned the "free" remote starter and passive alarm that Ford is supposedly supporting as part of lease deals on this model. The second dealer offered the same financials as the first dealer (and detailed in the above message), but also told me about the "free" remote starter and passive alarm. I don't believe anything is free when it comes to car buying, but for the same financials and monthly price of $405 as the first dealer was offering, I got the same loaded awd freestyle, plus a remote starter and passive alarm from the second dealer. I took this deal and am driving the vehicle now.

The dealer I leased from is Newins Ford in West Islip New York. Very nice people there too.

tommycee

Is a manufacturer's extended warranty negotiable? What is a standard price for say a 4 year/45k mile bumper to bumper? Does the x-plan give you a discount on the extended warranty?

vwcarcrazy

The extended warranty is not part of the x-plan. Extended warranties are often through a 3rd party (ie: insurance type carrier). Ask your dealer if the extended warranty is FoMoCo or other. You can negotiate separately for the extended warranty, as they are usually pure profit for the dealer. Often, the price varies considerably with the deductible amount, most have some form of deductible. You have the same negotiation capability with financing as with the extended warranties. I personally do not believe in purchasing extended warranties. They are usually quite expensive, do not cover everything and by the time you factor in all the costs - you can prove to yourself that you are better to take the factory warranty and take the risk for anything beyond.

bobw3

I agree with vwcarcrazy. Regardless of the quality of a vehicle, I tend to believe that most problems either show up in the first 0-10 thousand miles, or begin post 100K miles when extended warranties all expire.

fpdafish

I'm in Long Island, NY. Here's the deal I got on a Freestyle I ordered and should be getting in March:

36 month lease @10.5k/year
2006 SEL AWD
Leather, 2nd row bench, DVD, Moonroof, Reverse sensor, Comfort Group, safety pkg, 3rd row 50/50, 36 month premium maintenance plan

$564 out of pocket, $411/mo (taxes in payments)

My opinion is that you should spend the least amount of money out of pocket that you can. $1700 sounds like a bit much to me. Also, why so much for a demo? I'd keep shopping. If the Limited isn't a necessity to you, you might wanna check out an SEL. The SEL I'm getting is pretty much loaded and I think the only things you can't get on the SEL that the Ltd has are the 18" tires, navigation system, and the body color cladding. I'm sure the deal I got isn't the best, but I'm comfortable with it. Good luck whatever you do.

fpdafish

Here's the deal I got in Lynbrook, NY:

36 month lease 10.5k/year
2006 SEL AWD
Leather, 2nd row bench, DVD, Moonroof, Reverse sensor, Comfort Group, safety pkg, 3rd row 50/50, 36 month premium maintenance plan. The leather and Maintenance plan are supposedly give aways from Ford.

$564 out of pocket, $411/mo (taxes in payments)

Sound good?

tommycee

I am getting ready to finance my 2006 Freestyle. My first inclination is to take the Ford Credit 60 month 4.9% financing. I have spoken with the fiance manager at the dealer and he seems to be pushing financing through 3rd party banks that the dealer has relationships with. He still hasn't gone through all of the financing terms. Are there any pitfalls I should look out for with regard to these other financing institutions? Is it better to stick with Ford Credit?

minaldo1

I don't know, the numbers I got on the lease ($405/month)were for a fully loaded limited, plus with a remote starter and passive alarm. The only out of pocket costs were taxes and 1st month. Now, Ford offered me the 36 month maintenance plan at a price of $750, but it was mostly oil changes and tire rotates. There was an occassional fuel filter chnage, air filter, etc. But, quite frankly, on a lease I don't do anything to the car but change the oil, air filter, and rotate the tires, so I thought $750 was too steep. With $500 and something up front it looks like you financed the maintenance plan and taxes, and your 1st month cost were only the 1st lease payment and registration/license fees? So, I don't know. Maybe $411 per month is good. As Car_Man said to me in an above message, he needs the MSRP, selling price of the vehicle, plus additional cap cost items (like maintenance plan, taxes, etc.) to run it through his lease calculator. I'm still waiting for Car_Man's analysis of my deal, so I am curious.

fpdafish

You got the Ltd fully loaded, so I'm assuming you got the navigation system, moonroof, etc. If so, your $405/month sounds like a good enough deal. Figure the taxes into your payment (instead of up front like you did) and you probably end up some where around $435/month.

BTW, my dealer said Ford is including the Premium Maintenance plan as a FREE incentive. We didn't ask for it, he gave us the price and as we were going over the deal, he noticed that Ford was giving it away. I don't know if this is true, but he gave us our price before realizing that this was included. If it is included from Ford, you should check into it and see if you're entitled to it as well.

Also, you say that your dealer is throwing in a remote starter and passive alarm. I'm getting an "anti-theft perimeter alarm" in the Safety Package. Do you know how this is different from a passive alarm? I assume you got the Safety Package as well and was wondering if that means you get both types of alarms.

BTW, how do you like the car so far?

cmuniz

My guess is that rates from 3rd party banks will come in over 5% and maybe over 5.5%. The reason they push those is that they get a commission. I would choose the one that has the lowest rates and fees. It will be hard to beat the Ford Credit at 4.9%.

minaldo1

Yes, the limited I got is fully loaded, so it has the safety package. The alarm system is the same (perimiter anti-theft), mine is "passive" b/c you just walk away from the car and it sets itself. No buttons to push. The remote starter is awesome. I really like the car alot. It handles well, and the interior is very nicely done (my interior is black) and surprisingly "tight" for a Ford. The stereo is very good. Only drawback, as we all know, is lack of power. Another 50 horsepower and I would say that the freestyle is close to perfect. I am dissappointed to read in some of the other forums that Ford may not be making the freestyle in the future. I would definately get another one down the road. Very pleased. Best of luck to you with yours.

baggs32

I am dissappointed to read in some of the other forums that Ford may not be making the freestyle in the future. I would definately get another one down the road. Very pleased.

True, but the other part of the rumor is that it will live on as a Mercury. So don't give up hope yet.

bobw3

Only drawback, as we all know, is lack of power.

I'm sure a lot of people, including myself, would disagree on this statement, at least the "all" part!

fpdafish

I heard somewhere that if everyone in the car leans forward at the same time, you can get an extra 50 hp
Glad to hear you're happy with yours. Enjoy it and best of luck as well.

bobw3

Thanks, I am happy with the amount of power in the Freestyle, as are most of the people who write on this forum, but for those few that want more power, then like you said, keep leaning forward

mechanics200

I purchased the Premium ESP for 60k miles fter some online research. Local dealers in MA wanted $1100 to $1200 for the plan but I found a price of $750 from an out of state dealer. I contacted the local dealer and was given the same internet price. Looks like there is lots of room in the price.

bobw3

So you're basically paying $750 to cover the chance of having a repair for 24K miles between 36K & 60K miles...correct? Is there any deductable?

minaldo1

Car_Man,

still waiting for your evaluation of the lease deal I outlined above, for this clearly under-powered Freestyle limited.

Thanks

blue05

In some case when you go with a 3rd party bank the dealer gets a chance to add to his bottom line .You may qualify for a lower rate but the dealer (the middle man) can add percentage points to the loan before selling it to the bank and this is sometimes called dealer preference .So the difference between what you qualify for; before the dealers gets his cut may cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars . The bottom line is find your own financing or Ford Credit will pre qualify you .

kyfdx

A lot of personal messages that have nothing to do with this forum have been deleted..

Let's stay on topic, and keep personal observations to yourself...

Thanks,
kyfdx
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pepbc5

Thanks for the advice. Finally agreed to a brand new (not demo) LTD AWD with DVD, Safety package, reverse sensing, moonroof, Aux climate, 7 passenger seating.

Out of pocket $811 (1st month payment, tags and 3 year registration fee)- $429 / month (taxes included) and the free maintenance program (wife was afraid of the remote starter with 3 small kids in the house.)

Much better deal, maybe not the best but I can live with it.

wbernie51

Does anyone know anything about this promotion I have been seeing on the Freestyle and the Five Hundred? It looks to be a reasonable good offer. I am debating the Freestyle vs. a Honda Pilot or B9 Subaru, anyone have any driving impressions or thoughts that might steer me?

Thanks.

bobw3

If interior space is one of your priorities, then the Freestyle wins. It has the best cargo space behind the 3rd row, and has the most space in rows 2 & 3. You really have to look at the legroom specs. The Pilot is wider, so if you just look at overall interior space by cubic feet, that won't tell the whole story. If you're not concerned about 3rd row use, or if it's just going to be kids back there and when you use the 3rd row you don't care about the lack of luggage space, I'd go with the Pilot. The B9 has more style if you want to go that route. On the price side, I have an SE FWD with safety package, convenience grp, tri-level auxiliary climate control and paid $25K, so I got all the options I wanted for a good price. I would have paid at least $5K more for either Pilot or B9, so that made a difference too.

elake

Dealer gives me an offer of 05 Freestyle SE AWD with convenience pkg for $22,273.25 before tax & fees.

I still think this is kind of high to me...

Any suggestions?

bobw3

Is this before or after you calculate any trade-in?

Plus, read the last post in the Freestyle forum and see what he got for that price.

elake

no I don't have anything to trade-in. thanks.

CarMan@Edmunds

You're welcome, minaldo1. The selling price that you were quoted for the Freestyle that you are interested in looks very reasonable to me, even if it takes into account the $500 lease cash that is currently available. The lease money factor that you were quoted is right in line with Ford Credit's base lease rate for this model as well. In your area, the New York region, Ford Credit's current 36 month lease rate for an '06 Freestyle Limited AWD is 1.5%. When one divides this my 2400 to convert it into an equivalent money factor it comes out to exactly .000625. Overall, I'd say that this is a good deal. If you like the truck, pull the trigger (you're going to need that AWD to dig out of all that snow you guys are getting there in the Northeast :P )

Car_man
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CarMan@Edmunds

Greetings fpdafish. You never mentioned the selling price or MSRP of the vehicle that you are interested in leasing. These are important numbers for you as a consumer to know for two reasons. First, the selling prices of leased vehicles can be negotiated, just as if you were paying cash for them. Without knowing this model's selling price in relation to its MSRP you don't know how much of a discount you are getting on it. The second reason is that one needs the selling price and MSRP, including the destination charge, of a vehicle to calculate its lease payment. I would be more than happy to give you my opinion of this lease if you let me know what these numbers are.

Car_man
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min1

Just picked up a demo 05 Freestyle SEL FWD with DVD, leather, moonroof, comfort package, aux climate, 6 passenger. Got a 6year 75000 mile ford esp (warranty). Took the 1000 rebate with the 1.9% financing (rather than the 2000 + 1000 rebates and finance through ford at a much higher rate). Has 6400miles on it. With everything included, taxes fees, registration, extended warranty and giving back the 2000 to get the 1.9% 4 year financing, we paid 29000. The basic quote for the car with all the rebates in place and not counting the freight and fees and taxes was 23550. I am fairly happy with this price, I've never bought a demo before, so hopefully it wasn't totally abused before, and even if it was, it should be solid enough to last 6 years of light driving. I had a Canadian (metric) Impala to trade in the US and first offer was $1000, next was 2300. We decided to give it to my mother in law since KBB trade value is 3500 and retail is 6500. She could use it and to be able to more than double the value of your $ in a gift like that.........giving up 2300 in order to give her something worth 6500.
Anywho........So far very pleased. Traction control kicked in driving up the driveway in a snow storm. I've only ever driven FWD or RWD vehicles and have most of my driving time in Canadian winters commuting over an hour to work and back for 10 years. Never wound up in the ditch then, don't expect to need AWD down here in Virginia with one trip per winter to Canada. In my opinion (and I know lots of people disagree;) you only need FWD to stay on the road and 4WD to get back on the road if you fall off. AWD just confuses the issue! Thanks for this forum. It was immensely helpful in sorting out what vehicle I felt comfortable buying, knowing what people's opinions of their vehicles are. Glad I found you!

fpdafish

This whole "negotiate a selling price before leasing" thing really confuses me. I've leased about 8 cars so far and I don't think I've ever negotiated a sale price first. I guess that means I've been paying a lot more than I should have for a long time. What confuses me is this; how do you negotiate a lease price based on a sale price? I did call my dealer and asked him what the price of the car we're gonna lease is. He told me the sticker is 32,545 after the 895 credit for the leather. He said he based our lease price on a price about 1500 less than the sticker, so figure about 30,995, and then there were rebates on top of that. He said this was just a guestimate and would have to restructure the lease to give me the exact price that he based it on.
If you could spell it out for me on how to negotiate a lease price from a sale price I'd appreciate it. Then again, maybe I'd be better off NOT knowing, so I won't be able to figure out how much I've been overpaying all these years. :confuse:

stevedebi

I'm not too good at negotiations myself. My next lease, I'm using my bank - they offer a negotiating service. Basically, a lease is based on the selling price of the vehicle, so if you negotiate a price, that should be good for either lease or sale. You could try going into a dealer and negotiating the sale price, then tell them you want to lease instead. But remember that they cannot lease a 2005, only 2006.

drivemonkey

Hi all, I've been reading all of these forums on the Freestyle, planning to buy one in the next 6 months or so. I heard an ad from the dealer Saturday for 25% select Fords, stopped by, and ended up purchasing a Freestyle Limited. Here are the details of the options and price I got:

06 Freestyle Limited FWD
Black exterior w/ dark gray leather interior
DVD
Moonroof
2nd row bench seat
Auxiliary climate control
Power adjustable pedals
Traction control
Reverse sensing system
Safety package (side curtain airbags etc.)

MSRP $33150.
Base price paid (25% off MSRP) $24862
Total out the door $27522

I didn't even bother haggling, because I think it's a pretty good deal. I even went to the competing Ford dealer, asked if he'd match the 25% off for a vehicle I slightly preferred, the manager came out and said no way (and seemed skeptical that I could get it elsewhere), I asked if he'd come close and he said no, it'd be a waste of my time, and advised me to go buy one at the other dealer if I could get that price.

We love the Freestyle! I'm so excited I could find one for such a great deal! Thanks for all the advice everyone!

barnstormer64

That's one heck of a deal.

minaldo1

That's a great deal, roughly $3,000 under invoice. Is this for a new freestyle, or a demo? Also, I checked ford's website, I think your interior must be pebble or black, not gray. On the ford website, the freestyle limited (fwd or awd) with a black exterior can only be ordered with black or pebble interior. So, I'd make sure this deal is definately for a new limited, and that the dealer's not trying to pull a fast one.

drivemonkey

The car was one of about 11 they were trying to get rid of due to overstocking. The interior is the black one from the website -- the seats are a dark gray / charcoal color, and the carpet is black. I don't think it's a demo because they had so many of them that were 25% off (at least 5 left, 1 day into their sale). How would you know whether or not it's a demo?

drivemonkey

Another reason I don't suspect it's demo is that it had 64 miles on it. Any other signs to look for? Thanks for looking into things for me!