What does Ford have to do to sell their cars?

[bingoTE50]

I have never had an issue with purchasing off Ford . I go to the dealer with a preconceived idea what I am spending , I have researched the car I want ,and I do the deal. If I do ont get the deal I want first up I walk and see a another Ford dealer .
I really do not think many of you who whinge about dealers are being upfront with many of the sales guys and are just trying to get the impossible deal .
Why do they need to be experts in the product in new car sales ? They normally have overview knowledge ,not detailed technical knowledge . Buying is not hard ...
You offer a price or changeover figure , they discuss it ,screw their face up , give you a story how they are making sweet fa , and you make a decision , not to hard really.

As for ads , I thought the GT ads during the V8's and during the car type programs have been good . The new ute ads look good , and so did the BF ones with the girls following and the dogs...great aussie ads . .

Anyway I will buy another Ford down the track no risk ....

[Bossxr8]

Improving the dealers would be the first step required. My Dad just told me about a guy he met up in Darwin who was a business man looking for a new car, so he got a quote on a Prado, then went to the Ford dealer to get a quote on both a Territory and a G6E. He was told they couldn't give him a quote at the time and that they would ring him back and let him know. He waited a week before he rang the dealer to ask for the quote which they still hadn't done, so he got off the phone and went straight to the Toyota dealership to order a Prado.

I hear these sorts of stories probably on a weekly basis, people want to buy a particular Ford vehicle but get stuffed around at the dealers and end up buying a car from another manufacturer.

I'm still waiting for my local dealer to ring me and let me know when I can come in and test drive an XR6 Turbo, he promised he would ring me and let me know as soon as it came in, he wrote it in his diary and I know that the demo Turbo has been there for 5 or 6 weeks now and he hasn't rang. Looks like i'll be ordering from a different dealership then, luckily I won't be going to buy a Toyota or a Holden etc like others would.

And don't get me starting on the usual "they all do that" line that you get in the servicing department.

Ford dealerships are a JOKE.

[DENKO]

i agree, ford dealerships are crap! rip off as well as bad service!

[4Vman]

The great thing about the dealership network is the choice it gives you or competition... bad service sends customers to other dealerships, i wouldnt have thought it shouldnt effect brand choice though..

[zak88]

winning v8 supercars helps..

[snappy]

It's hard to say what would make them sell better . But other than having a great car the company itself seems bland .
Some times the best form of defense is attack . Throw a few show stoppers out there every now and again get the public talking . A couple of examples an extreme performance like supercharged or twin turbo . Also a svi optioned v8 and across the entire falcon range great car great economy you can't not go wrong. Maybe a couple convertables get the ladies interested . I dont know im not much of a business man . But ford seem to just to be happy sitting in the shadows.

[snappy]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

The great thing about the dealership network is the choice it gives you or competition... bad service sends customers to other dealerships, i wouldnt have thought it shouldnt effect brand choice though..

Ford dealers i have dealt with were below par . But have no chance of stopping me getting the car i wanted.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by snappy84

Ford dealers i have dealt with were below par . But have no chance of stopping me getting the car i wanted.

Yep, Ive had bad experiences with dealerships too when i was buying, all it did was just make me do my homework on what i wanted and shopped it around on price, at the end of the day i only had to tollerate them long enough to sign the order and pick the car up, i wasnt there to make life long friends....

[blown32]

ford /fpv and the dealers need to get there act together i ordered my fg super pursuit on the 17th of may two weeks before they where released and was told there will be a 4 t0 6 week wait on the 16th of june the salesman told us that the car was final assymbly at fpv and due the next week 24th .the next week came no car so we ring the dealer who told us to ring ford customer care so we did they told us that the car was waitng on engine componants and was stuck on the line and only arrived at fpv on the first of july the next excuse they are waiting on the rear spoiler the next week the brakes shuttering im just sick of the bull _hit this car has been paid for in full if they had of told us the car was going to be three months ok but when your told 5 times that its on its way you seem to get ****ed 0ff .why even advertise them if you can"t even fill the first orders [ this would be won of the first ordered] maybe they should change there name to mushroom moter's keep you in the dark and feed you nothing but BULL?HIT :

[snappy]

Originally Posted by blown32

ford /fpv and the dealers need to get there act together i ordered my fg super pursuit on the 17th of may two weeks before they where released and was told there will be a 4 t0 6 week wait on the 16th of june the salesman told us that the car was final assymbly at fpv and due the next week 24th .the next week came no car so we ring the dealer who told us to ring ford customer care so we did they told us that the car was waitng on engine componants and was stuck on the line and only arrived at fpv on the first of july the next excuse they are waiting on the rear spoiler the next week the brakes shuttering im just sick of the bull _hit this car has been paid for in full if they had of told us the car was going to be three months ok but when your told 5 times that its on its way you seem to get ****ed 0ff .why even advertise them if you can"t even fill the first orders [ this would be won of the first ordered]

suspense must be killing you. I'd agree that it is average service .

[SSbaby]

All of the above. Both Ford and Holden are experiencing unprecedented slowdowns with increasing competition coming from Japanese/Korean/European makes.

I guess it's a similar thing the US companies went through. People stopped buying the 'American Land Yachts' and downsized into Japanese cars. Ford and GM were losing the plot and thought the only way they could match the Japanese was to offer clones of their cars... thus losing some of their 'design strengths' in the process.

I'm hoping the same doesn't happen to our industry but the Falcon and Commodore suffer a bit of an image problem. Buyers are turning to Toyota, Honda and Mazda in incrreasing numbers. Product quality and aftersales service has a lot to do with it.

[Hunter]

Originally Posted by Rodp

Have to agree with not understanding why so many people are focusing on the adds. The fact that you're kicking up a stink about the add means it's done its job, you're talking about Ford!

I'd never base a $40k+ purchase on the strength of an add, I value my money a lot better than that. You could give me a 1hr30min infomercial on a certain car, have it driven around by 50 different women in varying degrees of nakedness and it still wouldn't convince me that paying $40k+ for it would be a brilliant idea. I do my own independant research on any car I'm likely to consider buying.

The dealers I dealt with recently were woeful, I tried to buy a Ford from countless yards and gave up in disbelief that no-one really want to sell me a car. It's not the first time it had happened, either - when I was trying to trade my EF to an AU, same BS, ended up buying an SS. To be quite honest, I don't know if I'd bother considering a new Ford in the future based on my experience with the dealer network unless something drastically changed within it.

Agreed. As some might know, I decided to with a Mazda 3 for our new car. But I also thought the Mazda ads were totally gay. But I still bought one. Why? Because the car was good and the dealer was bloody awesome. I didn't buy the Focus because it wasn't as good a product (and some forum posts made me a bit concerned about its build quality) and the dealers were terrible.

People don't base their decisions on ads (if they do they're an idiot) - ads only serve to get you interested or make you aware that the product exists. Nothing more. Well except keeping advertising executives rolling in coke but that's another story entirely.

I've seen the new FG, I thought it looked really nice and seemed very well built. But I would never buy one because the dealers are terrible terrible. Ford needs to fire the entire lot of them and start again.

Originally Posted by bingoTE50

I have never had an issue with purchasing off Ford . I go to the dealer with a preconceived idea what I am spending , I have researched the car I want ,and I do the deal. If I do ont get the deal I want first up I walk and see a another Ford dealer .
I really do not think many of you who whinge about dealers are being upfront with many of the sales guys and are just trying to get the impossible deal .
Why do they need to be experts in the product in new car sales ? They normally have overview knowledge ,not detailed technical knowledge . Buying is not hard ...
You offer a price or changeover figure , they discuss it ,screw their face up , give you a story how they are making sweet fa , and you make a decision , not to hard really.

As for ads , I thought the GT ads during the V8's and during the car type programs have been good . The new ute ads look good , and so did the BF ones with the girls following and the dogs...great aussie ads . .

Anyway I will buy another Ford down the track no risk ....

LOL mate I didn't even get as far as asking how much for the car at the Ford dealer!! They were seriously that bad. One dealer's sales staff refused to even let me in at 3:20 pm when they weren't supposed to close till 4pm :

If I had a dollar for every time someone here or offline told me how they'd be put over the table and reamed by a Ford dealer I could almost buy myself a new FG

[JPFS1]

check out newfalcon.com.au

Some more info as promised... Expect ads to follow.

[BOSSGT302]

So we buy nice cars because we love cars. Average Joe likes hot adverts not nice ones. Holden has a better advertising ageny to excite the general public. Hits them in the face and doesn't hurt. Me Ford adds put me to sleep. My GT and me are ashamed. These adds will keep a good thing down.

Originally Posted by DoreSlamR

Ok so there are numerous threads on this site telling us how good the FG is.
The latest here: http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=11229098
But on the other hand there are also numerous threads saying how bad Ford's advertising is.

I see a lot of complaining how bad the ads are but not a lot of constructive ideas.

This isn't just for the FG either, the whole range seems to be lacking the type of advertising it deserves, the exception it would seem is the ute ads, I'm in a small town and have seen 3 FG utes on the road and thats it. Obviously that's not a definitive indication of advertising but it's an indication none the less.

So what does Ford have to do?

[BOSSGT302]

I agree some people do a lot of research but a lot of other people don't and a cool add could be thing that sways their buying option. I'm a ford lover from age 8 and the ads today don't inspire me if i didn't care Holdens ads could grad me.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by bingoTE50

I have never had an issue with purchasing off Ford . I go to the dealer with a preconceived idea what I am spending , I have researched the car I want ,and I do the deal. If I do ont get the deal I want first up I walk and see a another Ford dealer .
I really do not think many of you who whinge about dealers are being upfront with many of the sales guys and are just trying to get the impossible deal .
Why do they need to be experts in the product in new car sales ? They normally have overview knowledge ,not detailed technical knowledge . Buying is not hard ...
You offer a price or changeover figure , they discuss it ,screw their face up , give you a story how they are making sweet fa , and you make a decision , not to hard really.

What would you do if several Ford dealers refused to take your vehicle as a trade because it was a scary big V8? An XR8 mind you and the only offer for a trade figure you were given for an 04 XR8 was $10k? After wasting 3 weekends visiting many Ford dealers, I decided it was time to try someone else. The deal I eventually did took less than 2 minutes and an offer of $17k as trade.

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by Craig Barnes

I agree some people do a lot of research but a lot of other people don't and a cool add could be thing that sways their buying option. I'm a ford lover from age 8 and the ads today don't inspire me if i didn't care Holdens ads could grad me.

For washing powder or tampons, maybe.. but (usually) the 2nd biggest investment people are likely to make? If a 30 second add is going to sway someone into that sort of purchase, I hope they're sterile...

[EgoFG]

funny thing, I drove past the Hornsby dealership the other day

There was no hint that there was a new Falc available - plenty of Focus signs - no Falcon signs

Originally Posted by uranium_death

What does that mean?
It is the opposite of a "no tight purchase"?

.... And sorry Mr Death, apparently my typing is impacted by my above average thumb count, I appreciate your helping by drawing this to my attention.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by zak88

winning v8 supercars helps..

how do you figure?

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by Rodp

For washing powder or tampons, maybe.. but (usually) the 2nd biggest investment people are likely to make? If a 30 second add is going to sway someone into that sort of purchase, I hope they're sterile...

very true, there's a bit of difference between buying an impulse $5.00 commodity purchase and a serious financial commitment like a new car... if someone is flippant or stupid enough to consider buying a car based on a nice TV commercial i doubt they'd have the money (or a licence) anyway...

[EgoFG]

Originally Posted by prydey

how do you figure?

Go to any shopping centre on the weekend, and see how many people have forked out their own money for the privilege of advertising holden product.

HSVDT Jackets, Shirts (and prolly intimate apparel) galore - please do not underestimate the selling power of the V8s, it is not in the individual win, it is in the groundswell. - holden are still basking in the glory of the Pre-Ambrose days.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by EgoFG

Go to any shopping centre on the weekend, and see how many people have forked out their own money for the privilege of advertising holden product.

HSVDT Jackets, Shirts (and prolly intimate apparel) galore - please do not underestimate the selling power of the V8s, it is not in the individual win, it is in the groundswell. - holden are still basking in the glory of the Pre-Ambrose days.

There is virtually no tangiable connection between V8SC results and direct car sales.. otherwise Ford would be creaming Holden in sales...

You make a good point about the pre ambrose days, Holdens popularity today is because of Brock in the 70's and 80's.
There maybe a long term flow on effect from brand loyalty, but as per the Holden situation it will take a generation to filter through.

[|||]

i'm not sure ford will ever recover the ground they lost by dumping the clevo. when i finished school all my mates had early V8 commodores. ford was basically the equivalent of toyota or mitsubishi. if you were young and wanted to hoon you got a holden. fords were for carrying the kids to school in.

all those kids who had hotted up VKs in the early 90s are now having kids & raising them to be holden fans.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by |||

i'm not sure ford will ever recover the ground they lost by dumping the clevo. when i finished school all my mates had early V8 commodores. ford was basically the equivalent of toyota or mitsubishi. if you were young and wanted to hoon you got a holden. fords were for carrying the kids to school in.

all those kids who had hotted up VKs in the early 90s are now having kids & raising them to be holden fans.

I tend to agree, there's a whole generation or 2 of people who grew up watching brock dominate in the 70's and 80's in a V8 torana then commodore, these people are the brand loyal buyers today. Mean while Ford did little on the track and to compound things dropped the v8 in the 80's while brock bought out his specials. Ford will not change that loyalty over night, regardless of how much they advertise or win, it will take a generation or 2 to will brand loyalty back.

[sleekism]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

I tend to agree, there's a whole generation or 2 of people who grew up watching brock dominate in the 70's and 80's in a V8 torana then commodore, these people are the brand loyal buyers today. Mean while Ford did little on the track and to compound things dropped the v8 in the 80's while brock bought out his specials. Ford will not change that loyalty over night, regardless of how much they advertise or win, it will take a generation or 2 to will brand loyalty back.

It's slowly happening but in my opinion it is on the back of the XR6 Turbo not the XR8.

My generation began with the Datsun GTR dominating Bathurst in the early 90's flowed on to the WRX through the 90's and an explosion of Japanese imports in the 2000's.

It's something I don't like to admit but if it wasn't for Geoff Polites and the BA I would probably be driving a Supra instead of a Falcon. Until the BA Ford was completely off my radar and Holden as well except for the Monaro.

With the BA it suddenly became "cool" to like Fords again and the "290kw" quad cam GT looked and sounded tough. The XR6 Turbo has a cult following and I personally know 5 people who were going to buy a Jap Turbo but got a XR6T instead.

The sad thing is that just as the XR6T cult is gaining momentum they are going to kill it. Unfortunately it seems the XR6T is going to follow the VLT and be an orphan poorly succeede by a limp wristed V6 ie.Supercharged Ecotec

[XWGT]

Being able to actually get a test drive of their product would help..........

Wont go too far into it but having the same problems trying to get a test drive of an FG GT and F6 as I was back with the B series..........nothing has changed

[bingoTE50]

Originally Posted by Rodp

What would you do if several Ford dealers refused to take your vehicle as a trade because it was a scary big V8? An XR8 mind you and the only offer for a trade figure you were given for an 04 XR8 was $10k? After wasting 3 weekends visiting many Ford dealers, I decided it was time to try someone else. The deal I eventually did took less than 2 minutes and an offer of $17k as trade.

Hey rodp , I have experienced the same problems , I looked at trading a WH 5.7 Caprice and a Saab 900s V6 on a Honda CRV Luxury for mywife and got offered 19k for both 4 years ago . I had the Caprice for 18 mths ,bought second hand for 31k...So I hear you . I traded the Caprice on a Mazda3 Max sport for 19k , and swapped the Saab for a Jackaroo .

There is no doubt they do not want second hand v8's as trade ins , the wholesalers don't want them . But I would have thought they could have sharpened the change over for you , depending on what you wanted .
If they do that you can wear 10k but keep your changeover the same and everyone wins..... Maybe my experiences are isolated or i am a sucker

[4Vman]

If it makes you feel better Holden cant give away V8's at the moment, V8 sales have come to a virtual stand still.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by sleekism

The sad thing is that just as the XR6T cult is gaining momentum they are going to kill it. Unfortunately it seems the XR6T is going to follow the VLT and be an orphan poorly succeede by a limp wristed V6 ie.Supercharged Ecotec

The XR6 Turbo will continue post 2010 with the new V6 Twin Turbo, Mr T (Bill Osbourne) claimed about a week ago that the V6 Turbo will be competitive with the straight 6 Turbo in the FG.

Or are you just refering to the straight 6 engine and not the car itself?

[SSbaby]

Originally Posted by 4Vman

If it makes you feel better Holden cant give away V8's at the moment, V8 sales have come to a virtual stand still.

Some evidence will be good.

From what I've read, Holden's/HSV's V8 sales have never been higher.