2K Ford Explorer Sport Trac's

lasvegan

Hey can you believe it! I might be getting my Sport Trac after all......... I only ordered it 3/8/00 with the tonneau cover I might add. Well all of you's who already have theirs kept my excitement going and going and going. Thanks!
I received a email from my dealer giving me a vin # and saying it's is on the way with the tonneau cover included! It should arrive between June 3rd and June 10th.

anonymous

lasvegan - you bum! you're gonna be the first on the Edmunds block with a tonneau!

If the tonneau really, truely shows up on it thats great news for the rest of us waiting to buy one from the parts department.

Make sure you keep us up to date on your delivery and keep your toes and fingers crossed that the tonneau is on it.

good luck!!!

sirspeedy

This is what Ford emailed to me last week when I inquired to them about the Tonneau cover. Still think it is coming?

"Tonneau cover will not be available. If you read in the brochure we have the right to change the specs of any vehicle and any accessory at any time. Sorry for the inconvenience."

alcat4

I ordered my st on march 25. Took tonneau of after being lied to by original salesman. He told me material hold on tonneau would be released on may 1st. Called 2nd week of may to find out jerk doesn't work there any more. Next salesman seems better, took tonneau off order and was told my order is a priority code 10 which is highest a dealer can get. Last week I was given build date by dealer of june 5th called ford lack of customer service they said june 5th-12th. My only advice is call cust lack of service 2or 3 times a week call or stop by dealer as often as possible (I'm in tulsa Ok and dealers wont deal here so buying truck in texas). p.s.tell cust serv to read edmonds and see what people are saying
Lasvegan on tonneau have you confirmed this with both dealer and cust serv. also check out this months open road magazine

traction

yes, my gas door rubs the bed slightly too. I put a tiny piece of electical tape on the door (black to match my truck) and that solved the interface issue for now. I'll have my dealer look at it during the first oil change. I could not figure how to adjust the gas door, any ideas?

lrwizard

Thanks to everyone for such great posts. I ordered my Harvest Gold 4x2 the last week of April and its been manufactured and on the truck from KY as of last Wed. May 24 - ahead of the build date of 5/29.

I originally thought about the tonneau and moonroof, but passed on those since I didn't want to risk the wait, and the possible leaks!

I did opt for just about everything else: conv. group, sport group, leather group, 6-disc, cargo cage, 4.10 l/s. I can hardly wait... I'll post an update when I have it sitting in my garage!

Speaking of, I need to get out there and clean to make some ROOM for this thing!

craig002

I have a white 4X4 with a 4.10 ltd. slip rear end. It now has 800 miles on the clock. I am getting anywhere from 13.86 miles per gallon in town to 15.5 on the freeway. Anyone out there getting significantly different numbers?

alcat4

I need a little help. I've been reading this site for 3 months or so, and some time ago somebody listed the name of the tonneau cover manufacturer. I didn't take note however. Maybe lasvagen or dolphin66 or some other long time hopeful purchaser/reader knows where or who it is. ps. I'm pretty sure it's not ford.

traction

I think the name of the company was Budd, it is
not Ford that builds the tonneau. There used to be someone on the board here that worked for that
company and was giving us updates. Have not seen
him for a while. You might be able to use the search funtion and find his previous posts.

scoot99

Yes the name of the company that jimsteel worked for was the budd company, and they do manufacture the tonneau. However, I remember someone saying that his posts have been deleted from the message board for some odd reason.

bennb

I've been getting around 17-19mpg on the highway at about 65mpg and I usually put the tailgate down when going on long trips. Not sure in town. Will check and get back to ya. Still love this truck and the moonroof doesn't leak anymore. My ABS sensor light has come on twice but doesn't ever stay on for a long while. Have had it checked and everything's OK for now.

zack1000

I just checked my gas door after reading those posts. My door stops about 1/4" from the side of the bed in the full open position and does not touch any painted area.

jsully

I got tired of waiting for the ST on order (10 weeks so far)and found one at another dealer. He matched the 2% over invoice price and removed a bed extender from another ST on the lot so I bought it. I was driving a GMC Envoy. Here are some comparisons between the vehiucles.
The Envoy has a better ride and the Bose stereo sounds better than the 6 CD setup on the ST. That is the only good points for the Envoy which is $10k more. The quality of the ST seems much better. The fit and finish looks great. One negative point, I also have noticed that the gas door rubs the body at the hinge point when opening it. I have also heard that they may cancel the tonneau cover because they can't seem to fix the leaking problem through the center hinge. There will be aftermarket hard tonneau covers available soon that are hinged at the back of the cab. I think this may be a better way to go if you want to keep whatever you put in the bed dry.
Final point I love the ST so far. Ford has done a great job.

pgn_tx

Craig002,
I only have 500 miles on my ST, but my first tank of gas was 14.5587. We are still in the break-in period until after 1000 miles. I plan to go on a trip come July, so I should have some good highway statistics by the third week in July. In the meantime, I am having fun driving. I love the cruise control, my previous vehicle did not have the ability to bump the cruise setting up or down 1 mile per hour.
If interested, check out: http://home.iwl.net/pgn/truck.html for future info on my MPG statistics.

lasvegan

Well it might be that all the orders Ford has been holding for delivery of the cover has caused them to scrap the cover after all. Budd Co. is the maker of the top and by thier web site they make many auto parts for Ford and many others. Mr.jimsteel has disapeared from edmunds. I don't know why but woundering if it's because of his final confession about being the designer of the top or Ford really wasn't happy with the out come of their product. Middle hindge design? Really because of the size of the bed anyway I wouldn't mind a one piece top. I ask why complicate matters by putting a hindge in the middle of the top? Although the owners manual I down loaded noted neat features about the top, being able to open the front of it or the back of it at different times was interesting. But Snug Top makes some really nice tops as well with nice features like a third light in it and other things. And because of the size of the bed its not like opening the door of a cargo plane. If my truck dosn't come delivered with one "oh well"! I have tired to email ford with no luck. Can't get through with out owning one I guess. Maybe If somebody has regestered there's on line that's the direct line of comunication Im missing. Lets not give up...... not yet...... just on one oppion. Anybody else out there talked directly to Ford?

wpoe

I talked to Ford's Customer Service and got a delivery date of June 12-19. If the time table matches up with the 1st ST I ordered then It should be here next week.

Is that Daylight I see at the end of the tunnel or just another train?

yachtventura

I note that response #s 261 (dolphins66) and 278 (jsully) indicated that they were able to purchase their new Ford Sport Trac for 2% over invoice price. My husband and I are in the process of trying to purchase this vehicle; however, we have been advised by the dealers that because of its newness and popularity, it is unlikely to be discounted. Can anyone steer us in the right direction as to how to purchase this vehicle for less than the MSRP? In addition, is anyone aware of any current rebate incentives?

Thanks!

jcaustin

Don't believe it. there are no incentives or special financing available for the ST (at least that I 've been able to find) but there are several instances of people who negotiated better than MSRP on the ST. I have one on order from Lief Johnson Ford in Austin, TX at dealer invoice. I worked with Colin Moultis in their internet sales area. I just ordered a week ago so I do not have a build date yet.

lrwizard

Its kind of like anything else, just how you negotiate. The dealers are trying to make you perceive that they have the upper hand in pricing since 'demand is high.' Remind your dealer that you can place an order through any number of OTHER dealers and that they are making money on ANY vehicle that hits their lot at invoice price... i.e. Dealer Holdback.

The holdback on the Sport Trac has been noted at 3% on the edmunds page. Also if I'm correct that 3% is actually figured on the MSRP, not invoice price, and is $$ kicked back to the dealer off the invoice price to cover that vehicle sitting on their lot. Well, if you order the vehicle there is no additional cost to the dealer for the truck sitting on the lot. Don't forget that you are also paying destination charges, dealer prep, and advertising as separate charges in your final deal. With all of this, its silly to have to pay full MSRP.

I was lucky to find a salesman that has been extremely helpful along the ordering process and has stuck solidly to every promise he's made along the way. If he says he'll call me tomorrow at 10am, I can set my watch by him.

The deal we struck up was right around 3% over invoice which I am very happy to pay for the level of service I've received so far. With luck, I will be driving mine this week!

denverdave

As I noted, I initially negotiated my ST at invoice then ended up paying $500 over to get a different ST right away. Here's my secret: the telephone. I did a ton of homework, Edmunds, auto-by-tel (a total joke, btw), car mags, and multiple dealers. When I was ready to buy (this is key), I called a dealer in my area. I told the salesman that I was ready to place an order that day (which was true)--what was the best price he could offer? Next, I called another dealer and told him the offer--could he beat it? Yes! Called back the first dealer who beat it again. Finally called the second dealer who offered straight invoice. First dealer could match, but not beat it. I went with the dealer closer to my home. Of course, I went to the dealer and ordered within a couple of hours of the last phone call. Don't know if this will work for everyone, but remember the price you paid for this advice!

dolphins66

Well, believe it that we only paid 2% over invoice. Did all our homework, got in touch with the "internet guy" at Jones Ford in N. Charleston, SC who gave me a no hassle, no haggle quote via email. We test drove the first one at the dealership, made a decision a week later, and went back to deal. We sat down with him and all the figures (invoice costs and MSRP on all options from Edmunds.com) and he quoted 3% over invoice. My husband then came back with 2% over invoice on the vehicle and all the options we wanted and he agreed saying the stereotypical, "You know I've gotta feed my kids." He was just joking around. In any case, we signed the papers February 25th, put down $500 and as of this past Friday we are in our new ST.
In some parts of the country you may not be able to get the vehicle at that price depending on demand but if you do your homework, shop around, and deal, I'm sure that you can get a fair price. It is, however, understandable if you live in an area where the vehicle is in high demand. We placed our order early so that may explain the reason we were able to get such a fair price. I'm sure there are others who have paid even less. As for paying MSRP or above, that's crazy, unless you have money to throw away. But why pay more than you have to? I've never heard of anything so ridiculous. There is always someone willing to deal, even if you have to go out of state to do it. It's called shopping around and using good business sense.

blancobasin

Ordered my ST on 3/31, received from dealer on 5/24. The dealer finance person said I qualified for 6.9 for 60 months. I signed the deal and drove off. ( I was expecting to get 7.9 for 60 months.) I thought I got a deal. I received a phone call today from my salesman, who is also a friend, and said they gave me the wrong rate. Should have been the 7.9. I already signed the contract for 6.9. Any advice?

tae121

I definitely agree with everyone who mentioned that they got their best deal over the phone. That is what I did as well. BUT...make sure the dealer is not a small dealership with no allocation to even order a ST yet. That was my mistake...luckily, a larger dealer near my home was willing to give me the same deal and located one within the week. Shop around if you can, the telephone will save you a lot of time.
Also...there is a special financing deal going on through July 5th. It is 7.9% for 60 months, and I believe it decreases for shorter financing periods.

yachtventura

My thanks to everyone for the most useful information as regards obtaining the best price for the purchase of a new Ford Explorer Sport Trac. We will use it wisely.

Now for a new query. My husband and I would like to purchase this vehicle with a manual, not an automatic, transmission. We have been to Ford's website; however, it is unclear to us as to whether or not this vehicle will be manufactured with a 5 speed manual. Has anyone information regarding this possibility? Further, any input on the pros and cons of a manual versus an automatic in such a vehicle would be most helpful. Thanks again.

bennb

At first the manual tranny was going to be "late availability", but I heard somewhere recently that they were having troubles with it and it won't be offered until next model year.

jimz2

yachtventura,

Posts 214 & 219 have links & comments about the manual tranny & its status.
Check with the dealer on towing ratings which tend to be higher with automatic transmissions.

lionel5

Don't change the contract. Their mistake not yours. I got mine for 7.9% for 60 months.

I ordered my Sport Trac on April 22 and was delivered on the 25 May. World of Ford in VA on Rt 1.

Black 4X2 with the Convenience group, Cloth comfort group and Premium group with the Cargo Cage.No problems so far with 150 miles.

Does anyone know what size speakers are in the ST.The owners manuals doesn't say.They sound great.

ctreptow

Hey All

I was surfing the web today and found a company that sells a fiberglass lid for the ST.

http://www.4are.com/

click on products
then products search

follow the searchsteps and you will see the ST with a fiberglass lid.

Chris

mikeysmom

When we were shopping around for the best price on our ST, I used the internet and and e-mailed all of the local dealerships in our area (Buffalo, NY) stating what we wanted. This way I was able to have something in writing. I got one dealership down to invoice, e-mailed another with other dealerships price to see if they would match or beat it. In fact the manager of one dealership who operates two separate Ford dealerships in the area "tipped his hat" to me because I was able to get a lower price from his other dealership after he told me the price he gave me was the lowest I could get. The dealership we went with sold us the ST for $200 under dealer invoice, we ordered an Island Blue 4x2 with convenience group, cloth comfort group and sport package. We got tired of waiting for a build date and being down to just one car (sold our truck in sooner than expected), so we ended up with a Deep Wedgewood Blue with everything plus the cargo cage still $200 under invoice plus a free tank of gas and no advertising expense. The dealership just sent my husband a cookie bouquet saying thank you for the purchase. So it does pay to do your homework and stand firm with the price you want. You can always walk and deal with someone else.

jsully

Thanks Chris for the update.
I called the local ARE dealer for pricing on the fiberglass tonneau cover. The cover is $660 and the optional spot wing is $189. The price includes being painted to match the body color. If you have any color besides black you will have a 1 inch black ring around the base of the cover because of how the ST inner bed wraps around the outside bed. You could put a black cover on any color ST and it would look the same as the black soft tonneau cover. Hummm... An Island blue ST with a black tonneau cover with just the sport wing painted Island blue. Any comments ??? I am working on getting pictures from the ARE factory.

deciding2

Just to update...everything has been right on schedule for me. Ordered a Deep wedgewood,sport group,cloth capt. chairs convien. group, cargo cage 4x2 on May 10--got VIN from dealer May 17th--got build date today from ford customer service to be between June 12th and 17th. So--If it helps anyone--it doesn't appear to be the cargo cage that's the delay. Live in VA Beach\Norfolk, VA...all are dealers are pretty large. Hope that helps anyone...will keep you posted on the progress.

dolphins66

WOW! I applaud you and your husband for getting $200 UNDER dealer invoice. Why that's unheard of especially with a vehicle that supposedly is in such high demand. However, I do have a question. How can a dealer afford to sell a vehicle at BELOW invoice? Obviously they will make NO money on the sale of that vehicle. How can they manage to stay in business? Forgive me for writing this, but are you sure it wasn't $200 below MSRP?

jimz2

Thanks for the link Chris.
I've seen some nice ARE products on the road including a full size Chevy over the weekend that had chrome tube bars integrated into the cover. ARE's web site shows their tonneau top bike rack similar to the custom work I'm planning on adding to the Ford cover if it comes in.
Neither the dealer nor Ford customer service (got lucky & talked to a very real person today) were able to confirm a hold-up on releasing an ST containing the Ford tonneau.
The ARE unit looks sharp, should be waterproof & the tilt opening is slick though it's a little high looking for the already tall ST bed. The ST's tailgate is afterall, an F-150 flareside unit.
I'm still clinging to the versatility of a multi-piece unit for easy of removal & storage in or out of the vehicle when required. The roll tops are an interesting idea but icing & loosing 9" of precious bed space are too much to concede.
It's exciting to see options become available for the ST. The feasibility of aftermarket tonneau options for the ST's composite bed scared me in Feb when I placed the order but Ford's engineers covered the issue well with the screw points they provided, perhaps even better than the typical clamp systems for tonneaus on traditional beds.

craig002

Ford dealers are paid about 3% of the MSRP from the Manufacturer, irrespective of what you pay. This is called the Dealer Incentive.
Edmunds does a wonderful job providing explanations of rebates and incentives.

jcnuke

gents (and ladies) finallay took the plunge today. called my local dealer in Houston and tried to negotiate a deal on a loaded ST. He said (and i verified) that there were none to had anywhere. He said he would locate one but price would be MSRP. Instead, I ordered one for $500 over (with NO ad fees, gas fees, or other fees. $50 doc, license and tax) total out the door was 26,900. toreador red/ prairie tan. lthr, sport, cd
roof conven. package.
so a question. whats up with the cup holders?? do we have two in the front?? wife will be pissed if
she has to hold coffee between her knees. seems dumb. seats five, should have 5.
thanks.
jeff
houston

mikeysmom

The price we paid was $23,200 and the actual invoice price was $23,485. The MSRP was $25,555 approximately, from what we seen on the sticker when we stopped by earlier in the afternoon the day we were to pick it up. The dealer invoice price is the maximum for which the dealer pays for the vehicle. This way when a customer does get a deal for under invoice they still don't lose any money, of course they don't make as much as they would like, but there are other customers who will buy for MSRP. I've done that in the past. I also sent away for a wholesale price list from Consumer's Report which stated the price in which we were to start with. That is where I learned that the advertising price they try and stick you with is unnecessary and you should not pay for it. Believe me they tried to tell me they were losing money until I told them what I knew then they dropped the price. In fact before we got the Wedgewood Blue ST I stopped by another Ford dealer in the area (who by the way e-mailed me 2 weeks after we ordered the original ST) and they told me they would sell me the ST they had on their lot for invoice price but not under (it didn't have the sports package). So dealers around our area are willing to deal.

jsully

I have a picture of a ST with the ARE tonneau cover installed. It looks good! The ST and cover are Harvest Gold. I don't have a website but I could email it or if anyone knows of a website where I could post it let me know.

fordnut

http://www.4are.com/cgi-bin/html/prodimg/Fe01dxlt.jpg

fordsporttrac

In the picture it looks like the ARE tonneau cover slopes towards the rear window. If it does that can't be good for rain flow.

And the cover would have to be removed 100% of the time you carried tall stuff. At least with the Ford cover you can fold it 1/2 way and let your lawn mower handle (or tall stuff) stick out.

fordsporttrac

Just got 2 market surveys in the same day. One from Maritz Marketing Research Inc. and one from Strategic Vision Inc. Both are generally the same thing, how do you like your vehicle, service, price, ect.. ect.. But as a bonus the Strategic Vision put a $1 in the envelope as a thanks for filling out their 8 PAGE SURVEY! Woopee! It took me longer to fill out the survey than it did to drink the soda the $1 brought. But... hey Maritz didn't give me anything.

I'll filled them both out anyway cuz I had a few issues for Ford and it gives me a better shot at them hearing it.

I'm still happy with my ST and I'm still waiting for my Tonneau cover, and I still hate the rear view mirror. It continues to block my forward, right hand quarter view. But what the heck If I get hit from behind I'll see it coming. Just don't try and cross the street while I'm making a right hand turn. VBG

wpoe

I just talked with my Sales Manager at the Dealership, he said he received a letter yesterday that the Tonneau covers were going into production starting next week and that those that have a ST already should receive a letter offering the Tonneau cover at new car sales price and not the parts order price.

Of course this is the same dealership that ordered my ST wrong the first time and called me telling me the 2nd one was in when it wasn't.

alcat4

Like every one, I'm hopeful for the ford tonneau. Oh by the way thanks for BUDD co.'s name. Back to business sport truck mag.'s california concepts ad has roll-n-lock, aerocover, diamond bright form better built, top-up, gaylords ..... . The one I like (just in case ford's is a wash) is fold-a-cover from 399.00. Their site is www.calconcepts.com . Dont know web site because I've got mag. Tried finding budd co. stuff on web but no luck so far. Keep ya posted. Also got build date of june 5-12 and ship of june 19-26. we'll see. calling dealer tomorrow to check on truck and tonnaeu. good luck all T

dep7

dealer called awhile back and said build date is the week of june 5-12..with delv a few weeks later..talk to him today and ask about the VIN # and he said he doesn;t have it yet that he doesn't get it until it's built...is this Right? also ask about the tonneau cover and said that he was told it should be ready the week of JUne 13th ...? asked if I could order at invoice price...and place the order Now? wouldn't sell for invoice (said he would see what he could do)...I am starting to feel this dealership is taking advantage and I am not getting straight forward answers.... When do you get you VIN number and how should I handle the tonneau situation?

dberndt

Obviously, those who visit this site are well informed individuals researching the vehicle they are about to purchase. I sure am glad I am one of these people. I have been visiting this site ever since I test drove the ST 5 weeks ago. (I want mine NOW) I see the numerous posts about prices and I must share something with you all. There is a Ford Dealer here in Gwinnett County, Georgia that is charging $3,000 OVER MSRP for the piles of ST's they have on the lot. They call it a "Limited Production Markup". I think they have been doing some serious dealer trades to get them. They have 5 in front of the showroom and 4 in their back stock lot.
This is price gouging if I have ever seen it!
For two weeks they weren't even displaying the factory sticker in the windows!!! They created their own sticker with just a total number on it.

I plan to special order my Estate green 4x4 fully loaded and pay only $200 over invoice. Is this unreasonable? I mean, they are getting the FULL amount of dealer holdback since it's a special order. I think $200 is fair to pay a salesman for writing up a special order. His dealer is getting the bulk of the dough.

Definitely help all your friends out to ALWAYS research the vehicle on the net before walking into a dealer (aka the lions' den).
I would rather pay nothing over invoice, but I do not know if that is fair enough. Please share your thoughts with me on how to get the BEST possible deal.

wpoe

I am here in Dekalb county, Ga. I checked about 7 or 8 places around Gwinnett and the Atlanta area about 14 weeks ago. The best I found was Marietta Ford and Perimeter Ford where I bought mine. The sales persons that ordered my first no longer works there. The sales manager is pretty good. Marietta Ford said they would sell $1000 over invoice.

bennb

I really hope that's true about the tonneaus becoming available, especially at retail price and not parts department price. I really wish I would've asked the dealer to give me an IOU for the tonneau at invoice, but oh well. By the way dberndt--I believe for some reason that Ford is no longer offering the Sport Trac in the Estate Green, but don't hold me to that. Hope everyone is enjoying their STs. I've read reviews that say the ST has too wide of a turning radius, but I think it's just fine. I am really surprised how much smaller and more nimble the ST feels compared to its length. ENJOY ALL!

gpd22

I received my VIN about 4 weeks before the vehicle was built. If you have the order number, ST body style (U67), and dealer's address, contact Ford and ask for the VIN. If the vehicle's build date is correct, then Ford's information should agree with what the dealer is conveying.

My dealer called today and gave me the rail car number, so I can track the vehicle during shipment. (I wanted to see if the website sent out earlier would in fact work--it does!) Thus far, the dealer has provided me with everything that I've asked and more. Nevertheless, to ensure that I was receiving the "right" answer, I kept abreast of current events by reviewing this site and I contacted Ford at least once a week.

jimz2

Bennb,
Estate Green is available, actually it replaced a darker green that was supposed to be available. In January my dealer had just received the final paint chips that included the change (I ordered in Feb).
My Estate Green ST has a VIN number & should be here within the month, good thing, I'm like a kid at Christmas waiting for it. Mandarin Gold caught my attention at first, but like a tattoo, it lasts a long time. Ford throws in some gutsy colors from time to time.

dberndt,
If ST's are hot in your area, $1000 over invoice would be nothing to be ashamed of. If the Auto Trans becomes an option in the fall, such a price with it included may look sweet.

As for adding options after the deal, I guess I was lucky. When I added the cloth comfort group the dealer did it at invoice without me even asking for it.

dberndt

Hey wpoe,
Thanks for the advice. I went to Perimeter Ford two weeks ago and saw the Estate Green with all the options I will get. They sold it as it came off the truck. I am going to buy from them (jennifer) because I will also get 10,000 Delta sky miles when I purchase there. She said they are doing deals just over invoice. Can't wait to order mine (just a few weeks now). I think I will go for the tonneau that everyone is raving about. Not worried about water falling in the back window from the tonneau OR the roof being wet. Why would anyone have the window open when it would be wet out there?

jm47

I am planning on shopping for a ST this weekend, where is the best place to find out what dealer invoice is? Is it on Edmunds site somewhere and I am not seeing it?

I have "friends" that work at a local Ford dealership and I just want to make sure I am not getting worked over on the price.