Ford Employee Pricing

For the month of August Ford has their employee pricing event on which is supposed to be the best deals of the year. I decided to do some research to see how good the savings are right now with my test vehicle being the Ford F-150 because it looked like this is where the big savings were to be found.  If you are not familiar with ford, their pricing schemes are easily the most complex in existence.  They often switch between low rates with low discounts and high rates with big discounts, even from month to month you can see dramatic changes in their discounting methods.  I am guessing they are trying to hit a larger audience, since older buyers probably like the discounts but younger buyers like the low rates, so they try and hit both markets by switching back and forth.

That's just the start of it, lets say for instance you like the F-150 XLT.  You get 4 engine choices, 4 box length choices and 11 axel ratios..... all those are not exclusive since one type often goes with another but it is a LOT of options.  Each configuration has a different discount applied so considering they have 9 different models to apply a multitude of configurations it's safe to say there are probably over 100 different pricing models for the F-150.

I didn't have a week to put this together so I figured I would stick to base configurations of each model to look at the discounting.  The details on savings are below but suffice to say there are some really good deals on the F-150 right now.  The XLT and FX2 seem like really good deals and the rates are not bad now either with 3.49% for five years and 4.49% for seven years.  The other striking thing from looking at the F-150 is the wide margin of prices!  You can go from under $20 k to just over $50 k.

I'd say if you are in the market for a new pick-up the F-150 is a great deal!



Here is a summary:

MODEL	PRICE	DISCOUNT	NET	% OFF
XL	19,999	1,985	18,014	10%
STX	27,299	7,688	19,611	28%
XLT	30,199	8,913	21,286	30%
FX2	39,899	11,771	28,128	30%
FX4	45,799	12,597	33,202	28%
Lariat	45,299	12,527	32,772	28%
King Ranch	60,499	14,655	45,844	24%
Platinum	61,099	14,739	46,360	24%
Limited	64,799	14,757	50,042	23%

2013 Ford Fusion

Here is a good article on the new 2013 Ford Fusion, it has a radical re-design that may scare away conservative types:  http://www.autos.ca/first-drives/first-drive-2013-ford-fusion/

This will mean that pretty soon, the 2012 models will be increasingly difficult to sell, people will either be scared away from Fusions by the new look or love the new look and refuse to buy the older model.  Right now Ford are offering $7,000 off the 2012 Fusion SEL with AWD, and $7,500 off the Sport model (compared to $2,500 off the 2013 models).  Unfortunately they are charging an outrageous 5.79% interest which puts a dent in the savings for sure.  That's normal operating procedure for Ford of course, high discounts combined with high rates, it must work for their target market, they are the only company that consistently uses that approach.  The customer can walk away saying "I saved over $7,000 on the vehicle"...... yes and you paid almost $5,000 in interest charges as well.

I think the new model looks great, not Kia Optima EX Luxury great but better than most out there. I'd say better than all except the Optima right now for an affordable mid sized sedan.  The SE AWD looks especially appealing with an intercooled turbo 2.0L 237 HP engine.

2007 Infiniti M35 X

I was browsing Kijiji when I saw a beautiful 2007 Infiniti M35 X for sale at what seemed like a bargain price of $17,500 with 75,000 km, just do a search it is probably still up.  If you go to the Infiniti site you will see these are about $60,000 vehicles new.  I did some checking around the autos.ca site and everyone had a lot of praise for the vehicle but they were wary due to the price being so low.  I contacted the seller and arranged to go see the vehicle.  It looked nice and they took me for a quick spin, everything seemed to work fine, I told them I would come back on the weekend to take it for a test drive and they were fine with it.

They said they bought it 9 months ago from Hickman's used but now needed an SUV because they just had a baby.  They said it had no accidents and they had clear title to the car.  In any event this seemed like a SUPER deal, full leather, sunroof, 280 hp V6, beautiful sound system, navigation, keyless push button start and very roomy.  I did notice that the speedometer was in miles and not km's so it was a US car.  That is not uncommon with some luxury cars since they are not sold here in Newfoundland but it did catch my attention.

As I did some more research this seemed like an unbelievable deal and I had arranged to have another look.  Over the weekend I decided to buy a car proof report off the internet because I was convinced that if it came back clean I would probably buy the car.  Well here is a copy of the report:

http://reports.carproof.com/main?id=T0%2bp1XW%2b8q2B41SIm/zErw%3d%3d

The vehicle was destroyed in New York, dragged across the border as a piece of junk, patched back together in Quebec and shipped to NL to be sold to a sucker at Hickmans.  I feel for the couple selling the vehicle I really think they didn't know what they had bought.  I shared a copy of the report with them and they were not happy.  If I was them I would pay a visit to Hickmans and if no satisfaction then a letter to the evening telegram would be in order.  I wonder how much of this goes on????

So I am out $50, but not $17,500 and once again am reassured that.... if something seems to good to be true it probably is!  I think I will just stick to something new after all.

Volvo S60 Test Drive

Volvo S60

Had some free time on my lunch and decided to check out Volvo having no idea what to expect there.  Well they have this really nice looking S60 AWD sedan with 300 hp turbocharged engine.  So in I went and set myself up with a test drive.  They also have 1.9% lease rates and free AWD ($2,200 rebate) I quickly found out.  So sales guy was more than accommodating, never even took a copy of my license just told me to go have fun and show the car to whoever wanted to see it…. Now this guy knows how to sell cars.  So it has the standard upscale sedan keyless entry and push button start…. which is a cool feature.  I really liked the leather seats, they were very comfortable, on par with the bmw seats.  Nice interior layout, had a few more buttons and gadgets than the bmw, which can be good and bad.  The BMW is for driving, not for button pressing.  I actually had a hard time figuring out how to change the radio station on the Volvo, seriously, it is not intuitive at all.  There is a nice little video screen for all the audio but I could see someone really struggling to get their favorite channel on.  Imagine trapped in a Volvo with nothing but country music to keep you company…..

So once I figured all the buttons out and set the heat up to nice and toasty I promptly opened the sunroof, put the window down and set out down

Topsail Road

to the highway.  You can feel the 300 hp, it is not primarily rear wheel drive like the bmw so you don’t get the huge push from behind but this thing is really quick, definitely quick enough for going to Costco and back.  It does feel a bit heavier (and it is a couple hundred pounds heavier) than the bmw so it’s not as nimble but it handles great all the same.  I really liked the interior, lots of great features and a couple of decent cup holders to boot. 

So the test drive was a success and I asked sales guy to email me some 4 year lease quotes and a purchase quote for a 2011 they had leftover, he said they were discounting it $5,000.  He said they couldn’t lease the 2011…. Go figure.  So sure enough later on today the quote showed up, and it was a bit high at $740 a month to lease the 2012 over 4 years, the 6 year purchase on the 2011 was $800 at 3.5%.  I checked into the lease and part of the reason it is at $740 is because there are $2,700 in useless (to me anyway) options included such as active headlights ($1,200), blind spot info system ($750), nav prep ($125) and rear park assist ($600).  I have 300hp, if someone is in my blind spot I will hit the gas pedal and get rid of them, no big deal.  Anyways I haven’t gone back to ask for a better deal yet but I will of course.

I was more inclined towards the 6 year purchase, he discounted the vehicle $6000 but of course they already have $2,200 discounts on the 2012s and lower rates so really he is not giving me that much of a deal…. Yet.  Overall I really liked the Volvo, right up there with the bmw but it is $80 more a month to lease so that’s not going to work.  So I am going to go back and see if he can do a better deal on either.

In the meanwhile I posted an online poll on autos.ca to see what type of car people would buy if given the option, check it out and vote:

http://www.autos.ca/forum/index.php/topic,76236.20.html

Test Drive - BMW 328i X-Drive

Ok so I visited BMW today and took out a 328i X-Drive for a test drive. Big mistake, now I want to buy one. They actually have really good lease rates on now at 1.9% and have $4,000 off msrp. This vehicle drives like a dream, looks cool, and it's fast. It is a compact sedan but all of a sudden the vehicle size doesn't seem to matter. Really comfortable seats, nice sun roof, awd, great acceleration, steering and braking. Check it out on the bmw site.

Bottom line is $650 a month for 48 month lease which includes all scheduled maintenance with an $18,000 residual.  I am strongly considering this..... the sale of the Pilot may be imminent, stay tuned!

http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/newvehicles/3series/sedan/2008/allfacts/design/exterior.html

Mazda 0% Deal

New Car Deals

Nobody will be surprised that Mazda has 0% interest on most new vehicles since they have had this offer for at least two years now (I know this because we bought a Mazda almost two years ago - more on that later).  But now they are offering 7 YEARS of 0% on most 2011 vehicles to make way for the 2012's.  They have a new Skyactiv thing for the new model engines which increases fuel economy substantially from current models.... so its out with the old, in with the new.  7 years of free money is a good deal if you are in the market for a Mazda. 

Unfortunately the local dealership currently looks like it was hit by a bomb, but I'm sure they have the vehicles in there somewhere.

Check it out at www.mazda.ca

2012 Toyota Camry Info

New Car Deals-

Toyota Canada (http://www.toyota.ca/) has pricing up now for the 2012 Camry.  The base LE Model is actually $1,610 less than the 2011 LE ($23,700 compared to $25,310).  The fully loaded 2012 XLE V6 is almost $5,000 less than the 2011 XLE V6 with Navigation, I figured I was missing something when I checked but that seems to be right.  That being said you will pay $10,000 more for the 2012 XLE V6 compared to the 2012 LE.

Unfortunately the lower price will not translate into less coming out of your pocket.  The 2011s current have rebates of $1,500 and 0% financing for 5 years, compared to 4.8% financing with no rebate on the 2012 model.  So in the end you will end up paying $55 more per month ($3,300 over 5 years) for the 2012 LE but only $22 more per month for the fully loaded V6 XLE model.  If you are looking to lease the rate differential is not as large (4.9% and 1.9%) and the 2012 SE will only run you about an extra $15 per month over the 2011.

The Camry is all new for 2012, looks better (kind of more like the Accord) but I'm not sure it is worth the extra $3,300 if you are thinking entry level model.  Fuel economy is up about 10% (so that could save you a few of those bucks you pay extra). 

So that's the scoop on the 2012 Camry for now, the 2011 base models are priced right if you want a nice low frills (and kind of boring looking) mid sized sedan.

Ford Escape XLT Pricing Update!

New Car Deals-

I checked out the Ford Canada website, http://www.ford.ca/ yesterday I noticed they had no interest rates posted which generally means there is a new promotion coming.  I was right, they have something called "Winter Ready" that offers 0% financing and a winter care package (looks like snow tires) on Escape XLTs.  This is interesting because they still have delivery allowances of $4,000 with 5.79% financing on 2011 Escapes.  Basically they are running two different promotions on different years of the same vehicle.  The winter care thing also applies to 2011s.

So I did some calculating and the 2011 Escape XLT 2.5L 4WD comes out to a payment of $555 per month and the 2012 model comes to $563, the 2012 costs $300 more than the 2011 so basically both deals end up at the same place.  So if you are looking for an Escape XLT 4WD check out both models, I would say they will probably offer extra deals to move the 2011s.   There is also costco $1,000 still available.