ZombyWoof wrote:
> On Thu, 26 Oct 2006 21:11:51 -0400, Henry > wrote
> something wonderfully witty:
>
>> Last year I put my name on a waiting list for a GT500
>> with an out of town dealer. I was number nine on the list.
>> I figured if I could get a brand new reliable Mustang with
>> 500 hp for around 45K I might go for it. After several inquiries
>> and many months, I finally received an email stating that the
>> price is $65,000. I replied that I wasn't interested.
>> So yesterday, I stop in at the local Ford dealer - not
>> the one with the waiting list - to pick up an e brake cable
>> for my Ranger. Holy ****, there's a GT500 on the showroom
>> floor! I didn't think they were going to get any, so I never
>> asked. I looked it over closely, and there are only two
>> things I don't like - the white color and the stripes. But
>> I do like the fact that the only price displayed on the car
>> is the MSRP of $43K in the window. This dealer is known for
>> its fair pricing, so when the sales guy walked over I asked
>> him if they are selling the car for the price on the window
>> sticker. He smiles and says "no". "How much is it", I ask.
>> He disappears for a minute, comes back, and says "seventy
>> thousand". I laughed and told him I'd wait for the price
>> to reach a sane number. No way is it worth that. Ford
>> should at least have used an aluminum block to keep some
>> weight off the nose. Are people actually paying that much for
>> them? Any guesses on what they'll sell for next year?
>>
> This is only my guess, but I think it is fair to say "as much as they
> can get". You have to remember that it isn't Ford that is setting the
> market price, it is the market itself. If that dealer is able to move
> the one it has at $70k it will try to move the next one it gets at
> $70k. I don't know how much the dealers are paying for the cars when
> they but them from Ford, but it is safe to assume somewhere less then
> sticker price.

I don't see why anyone gets upset over the dealers maximizing their
profit. You are absolutely right, the buyers set the price, not the
dealers. If any one of us had a vintage GT500 we would sell it for the
highest price we could get and not a penny lower. Why would we expect
the dealer to do any less than us? If Ford makes their stated
production numbers then I think the price will fall to around MSRP
sometime next year. Right now they are being gobbled up by people that
have plenty of money and desire for the car. The same thing happened
with the Ford GT and now you can get one for around MSRP. It takes time
to weed out the crazies that will pay nearly any price to have the car
today.