do i buy an 03 or 04 t-bird(help)

[ourbail]

😕 i found in the SF bay area 2 brand new preium 2003 t -birds for 30k ,33k out the door or a 04 for 1500.00 more do you guys consider this a great deal or can i do better,has the hard top and heated seats,did i miss out on the x dealer rebate or am i getting a smoking price ,if i buy either model.Help

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[frankhj]

Sound like decent prices to me. I would go for the '04 if it was a color I liked. If you can get X-Plan pricing I would also check it that way. I bought my '04 Merlot with everything on it, Light Sand Appearance Package, etc. 9 weeks ago for 35,500 with X-Plan pricing & 4,000 dealer cash back. Some people said I could have done better, but I was and still am satisfied. I love the car. No buyer remorse. 😀

 

[ourbail]

thanks for the reply,yes i can get the silver (04)with black leather for 31400 or they have a silver (04)with sand leater interior with 268 miles on it ,they will let me have that one for 1000. less or 30400. both are 04,s or at another dealer i can get the silver(04) with sandstone interior for 31330 so do i get one with 268 miles for 1000 less.... any input

 

[Quickdraw]

thanks for the reply,yes i can get the silver (04)with black leather for 31400 or they have a silver (04)with sand leater interior with 268 miles on it ,they will let me have that one for 1000. less or 30400. both are 04,s or at another dealer i can get the silver(04) with sandstone interior for 31330 so do i get one with 268 miles for 1000 less.... any input

Assuming you like the cars equally:
Has the one with 268 miles been titled before? If you would be the second owner, with part of the warranty used up, I'd pay the $1,000 more for the new one. If however you are the first owner on the one with 268 miles I'd take the $4 per mile discount.

 

[tbird]

The number of miles on a new car is irrelevent. The dealer does not care about this.

What you need to find out is what the invoice is, and how much dealer cash there is and rebates.

Take the invoice - dealer cash - rebate and you have the amount to offer.

 

[George]

The '05's are due momentarily....in fact the brochures are already out. Therefore, if the cars you speak of are Premiums, with Hardtop and Chrome wheels they are worth much less in todays market.
The '03 is essentially 2years old regardless of miles or not and worth no more than $28,000. The '04 is now one year old, the '05's are due in and they don't want them hanging around like the '03 did so it's worth about $30,000.
With Ford sales off by about 13% they are dealing. Remember, whatever they offer, you can do much better by negotiating.......if fact stand your ground and you'll probably do better than above numbers. 😎 😀

 

[ourbail]

i think i will get the 04 with the 268 miles on it and get the discount ,the dealer will sel lthe car for 30400, plus tax and license,its the preuim model silver,with sandstone interior,i think for piece of mind i will haggle on a 7 year 60k extended warrant,if i can get that for 1400.00 extra,i would say not bad deal.yes he said its new and untitledalso. any more input before we buy.

 

[tbird]

Dave Ramsey says extended warranties are a rip off, and I tend to agree with him. 🙂

 

[ourbail]

Well we did not buy today(silver04 with sandstone interior),the sand stone softtop had some stains on it dirt, maybe two grease spots on it) and i was concerned about how fast and easy that color and the sand stone interior would stain and asked how much extra they would want for the interior and exterior protectant , they wanted 1250 for the interior and exterior added protectant and 1750 for the 6yr 70k extended warranty,the black top silver convertible with black interior looked like a better choose so when we tried to close the top it seemed a 1/4 short of the latch ,upon pulling very hard on it we got it to close,seemed very hard and i know my wife could not close it by herself,the saleman says you need to break it in,i can agree with that , but it was a turn off. you d think a car like this,the top would not be a bear to close ,and what turned me off was the rip off on the protectant and extendend warranty, I called another dealer and they only wanted 295 for the in and ex protectant and 500 cheaper for the extended warranty,go figure,so now im kinda turned of.will think about it.

 

[jerryfeldman]

Buying an 04

Just to give you more to think about in purchasing...My wife bought an 04 PCR version. Dealer originally said that few deals to be made, since it was limited edition...I said thanks, but we had Xplan and I knew he had 3000 Dealer cash back. We were trading in my wife's ML320 (2002) so I kept deal separate. We wound up getting top coating and interior coating, extended warranty, 3000 cash back (this was in March) and over 4000 off of list for Xplan. So you can keep dealing on these if they are in stock. Also with the top, when I put it up first time, it was very stiff (shipped in down position so I think they don't stretch out until they are up for a bit). My wife has no problem putting top up and down now. One other note, I have cleaner for the convertible top (Fabric tops in lighter colors show dirt) and also a sealer, I find it keeps it looking good and keeps water from soaking in.
My advice is all the prices seem reasonable that u are getting go with the dealer you like and the colors which please u the most...

 

[ourbail]

thanks for the reply will chew on the car for another day,is the xplan a ford employee perk or what i want piece of mind with the car so thats why i want a ESP,i love the sand stone but am scared of ruining the color, my friends say your blue jeans will even `stainn into the seats thats why im scared of it . it sure looks rich thou

 

[jerryfeldman]

The Xplan is for large fleet buyers and suppliers for Ford.
My company buys all their sales peoples cars through Ford, so I get to use the XPlan (works for Mazda, Jag,Volvo, etc) ..
I would not worry too much about the sandstone since it is leather and much more cleanable than fabric...On the PCR we have a fabric and leather which is slightly harder to clean, but has not been an issue...
So if you like it I say go for it...

 

[00mustng]

....personally I think the protection packages are just a profit add on for the dealer....Don't see manufacturers recommending them......Light colour tops are more labour intensive....but i'd keep the cleaners simple....You could also contact Haartz, the manufacturer of the top, for recommendations......For the Sand Leather seats....Eagle-Ottawa, the leather supplier, recommends mild soap and warm water to maintain the leather....chemicals scare me!....I have a friend with a Bond Edition that, as you know, have the white leather seats...He's experienced no issues......I've seen the Silver/Sand Combo....and I think it's awesome!.....my Inspiration Yellow notwithstanding!......Cheers! 😀

 

[ourbail]

thanks for the great replys guys, and thanks for the plan info ,i like piece of mind with an extended warranty went back to the dealer after work no deals on the interior and ex protectant(thats ok for 1250.oo they can keep it) but would sell me the ESP plan 6yr 75k for 1445.00 extra plan with 100.deductible lowest he would go said i did not have to get it but has to make 150.00 over cost so now im back on the fench.the only reason i dealing with this dealer is ,they well sell the car for 1000.00 less then another dealer(30,400, 04 model, new) because the car has 240 miles on ,which became a deal maker,but the other two factors might make it a breaker.i wonder if i can get the same cost of the warranty from ford and if the price goes up after i drive of the lot or get it within the first 3 years.

 

[Quickdraw]

ourbail,

There are four levels of ESP plans, plus the years and mileage and deductible variables but $1,400 sounds too high. I'm pretty sure you can buy the Ford policy anytime in the first 12 months, from any Ford dealer, for no penalty. I think it goes up about $100 if you buy the policy in the 13th thru the 36th month. Check out this website, give them your email but do not buy your first visit. Several days after your visit, and once in a while after that, they will send you additional "$100 off" offers. If you don't buy from the site below just make sure you buy a FORD policy, not a third party. Good luck!

http://www.fordwarrantys.com/?source=adwords

 

[tbird]

I was told by my buddy which is a manager at a ford dealer you can get a warranty as long as the factory one had not ran out. Personally I agree with Dave Ramsey, after considering the deductable, and the upfront cost, you would have to be very unlucky to come out ahead, and if you buy one every time you get a car you I find it hard to believe you would ever come ahead.

Of course, Dave also says buying a new car isn't a good idea either.

 

[ourbail]

well it looks like we are going to buy the 04 this weekend price will be 30400,plus tax and license the car has 240 miles on it but this is why its 1000.00 less than the other 04s its silver with the sandstone leather seats and top,no ex warranty or up /ext protectant, sure is a pretty bird.hope all goes well and i wont kick myself later....

 

[frankhj]

My thoughts on the extended warranties. An extended warranty is an insurance policy. Some you cannot do without because of liability issues, car insurance for example. Home owners insurance, who can afford to have their $100,000+ investment be a total loss? Remember insurance companies are out to make money and very few if any of them do not. I would bet my house that the extended warranties are very profitable for whoever underwrites them.

 

[ourbail]

what i guess im buying is peace of mind, 1200 for 3 or 4 extra years warranty if anything major goes wrong then it s paid for,on my wifes 98 malibu,it blew a head gasket at 69000 miles would have been 1700. repair bill,because of that i like ,for the right price an extanded warranty,like i said peace of mind.i will add it later before the factory warranty runs out.

 

[tbird]

what i guess im buying is peace of mind, 1200 for 3 or 4 extra years warranty if anything major goes wrong then it s paid for,on my wifes 98 malibu,it blew a head gasket at 69000 miles would have been 1700. repair bill,because of that i like ,for the right price an extanded warranty,like i said peace of mind.i will add it later before the factory warranty runs out.

So you pay 1200.00 for a warranty with a 250.00 deductable to cover a fluke blown head gasket the local repair shop would have fixed for 800.00 with some bargaining power.

The warranty company is there to make a profit, it's a waste of money and over the lifetime of all the vehicles you own, you will ALWAYS come out spending more on the warranties.