RichardJensen Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 The Flex is a bastard vehicle,in my opinion. The timing couldn't have been worse,to top it off. I've been a dealer for a long time,and I know a dud when I see it....Don't get me wrong,it kills me to say that. Where are you at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Where are you at? local bar and grill, on his 5th pitcher.......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Where are you at? Kentucky. I love Ford Motor Company,I believe in this management team in Dearborn,however this vehicle will not move the needle in my market. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 (edited) Kentucky. I love Ford Motor Company,I believe in this management team in Dearborn,however this vehicle will not move the needle in my market. I don't think it will in most of SD, ND or Nebraska either. Just in Sioux Falls, Fargo, Rapid City (perhaps) and Omaha/Lincoln. This isn't much of a small town vehicle. You and the vast majority of Ford's rural dealers will probably have to wait for the diesel Expy. (assuming that you're in a smaller Kentucky market, and not Louisville or Lexington) Edited August 12, 2008 by RichardJensen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 local bar and grill, on his 5th pitcher.......... Nice... Frankly,I didn't expect that from you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 (edited) Nice... Frankly,I didn't expect that from you. why is it your round?......don;t take me too serious Ironhorse, just yankin your chain you sound perturbed...if you are in the bizz I understand your dilemma....I also wish they were selling better...but vehicle has to be given a chance, especially in light of everyones frame of mind lately..... Edited August 12, 2008 by Deanh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 I don't think it will in most of SD, ND or Nebraska either. Just in Sioux Falls, Fargo, Rapid City (perhaps) and Omaha/Lincoln. This isn't much of a small town vehicle. You and the vast majority of Ford's rural dealers will probably have to wait for the diesel Expy. (assuming that you're in a smaller Kentucky market, and not Louisville or Lexington) Too much money for a vehicle that is a love it or hate it vehicle...We need a volume vehicle that dealers can potentially sell to anybody. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Too much money for a vehicle that is a love it or hate it vehicle...We need a volume vehicle that dealers can potentially sell to anybody. see, i veiw it totally differently, starts under 30k...and for 35-36 its loaded, vista, leather, nav, synch...you name it, and I perceive that as great value for a 7 passenger of such luxury and refinement...my pitcher is half full....cheer up laddie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 why is it your round?......don;t take me too serious Ironhorse, just yankin your chain you sound perturbed...if you are in the bizz I understand your dilemma....I also wish they were selling better...but vehicle has to be given a chance, especially in light of everyones frame of mind lately..... I understand.Frankly my business hasn't been too bad,despite it all...I wish the business climate was better,but I can't control that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 see, i veiw it totally differently, starts under 30k...and for 35-36 its loaded, vista, leather, nav, synch...you name it, and I perceive that as great value for a 7 passenger of such luxury and refinement...my pitcher is half full....cheer up laddie! Who's drinking too much now????? I'll bet you love fat chicks too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Who's drinking too much now????? I'll bet you love fat chicks too. ONLY MUDWRESTLING.......the bony ones leave bruises..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Too much money for a vehicle that is a love it or hate it vehicle...We need a volume vehicle that dealers can potentially sell to anybody. I don't know if those days are coming back. Ford seems to be gearing up for a very wide product range selling in much smaller volumes individually. Focus may well be Ford's top selling car for the foreseeable future. Problem is, smaller dealers get stuck with a larger inventory to make the same number of sales. Hopefully Ford can find a way to compensate you for higher floorplan costs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 This same topic came up a few weeks back. Interesting to note that Automotive News mentioned that Ford only launched the Flex in seven (yes, seven) key metropolitan areas. 10 more regions will have their startup allotment of the Flex by September. Pretty hard to set the world on fire sales-wise if most dealers don't even have the thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 The way I control floorplan costs is only buy what sells. Frankly If that is Ford's plan,no dealer regardless of size can make a business case for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deanh Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 The way I control floorplan costs is only buy what sells. Frankly If that is Ford's plan,no dealer regardless of size can make a business case for that. little tough in regards to some product, what with 3500 different options and all.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 The way I control floorplan costs is only buy what sells. Frankly If that is Ford's plan,no dealer regardless of size can make a business case for that. Either that, or urban and rural allocations are going to look even more different than they do now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 The size of the Flex? What does that have to do with anything? Did you mean fuel economy? Anyhow, I took a look @ Fordvehicles.com to check out the inventory and it seems as if dealers around the OC have a decent allocation per that website. Though, having said that I have to wonder if those vehicles were either A.) Sold or B.) Still in transit. At least from my shopping experiences in the South Florida market (which could be a different ball game in SoCal) Ford dealers were not all on the up and up in keeping their inventories updated. Yes, as you said, South Florida Ford dealers are horrible on keeping inventories updated, and it's not just my local dealer either, I've been to several Ford dealers here looking for vehicles that were 1) on the website and 2) confirmed to be on the lot by salespeople, and when we get there, the vehicle is nowhere to be found. Oh well.....and my local dealer has quite a few Flexes, probably about 20 or so, sitting on the lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomServo92 Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Yes, as you said, South Florida Ford dealers are horrible on keeping inventories updated, and it's not just my local dealer either, I've been to several Ford dealers here looking for vehicles that were 1) on the website and 2) confirmed to be on the lot by salespeople, and when we get there, the vehicle is nowhere to be found. Oh well.....and my local dealer has quite a few Flexes, probably about 20 or so, sitting on the lot. I don't know if this is true or not (and perhaps someone here can confirm), but I was once told that as soon as Ford puts a vehicle on the transport, they update their web site to show it in the dealer's inventory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkFive Posted August 12, 2008 Share Posted August 12, 2008 Look at the numbers they quoted on the Journey though. I looked at the Journey. It looks great from the outside until you get to the inside. I think Fisher Price has better plastic on it's toys than the Journey has on its dashboard. I think the 1978 Omni had better dashboard quality than the Journey. What a disappointment. In fact, every Chrysler I looked at resulted in the same conclusion. They were cheaper than ever on interior materials. These interiors were decided under Mercedes watch. FYI - this is what Mercedes thinks U.S. customers will accept. Thank goodness they sold Chrysler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 I don't know if this is true or not (and perhaps someone here can confirm), but I was once told that as soon as Ford puts a vehicle on the transport, they update their web site to show it in the dealer's inventory. Yes, that is true. I confirmed that with a local dealer while looking for Flexes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark B. Morrow Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 The Flex may be a polarizing design. Overall Ford has a great lineup of vehicles for people with families. People who don't like the Flex and need seating for 7 can choose a Taurus X Explorer or Expedition. If you don't need 7 seats then Edge or Escape are good options. The price point of the loaded Flex might move some T-Xs. Taurus and Fusion are great sedans. I think of the Flex as the successor to the Country Squire of the '50s -'70s which was often the most expensive Ford after the Thunderbird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 With the topic being "is Flex selling well" the answer is no unfortunately it is not. Like Ironhorse ( a dealer) they are not getting any traffic on the vehicle and consider it pretty expensive and poor timing to launch a large vehicle. I have talked to over 25 dealers recently on this product and they all are saying the same thing. Not me. The dealer's want to sell product and make some money. They have been trained on this vehicle and given adaquate inventory. It just is not driving traffic right now when dealer's are hungry for paying customers. Their inventory is tight on small vehicles, they are loaded up on trucks and SUV's and this was supposed to be a bright spot for their business this year. Ford offers very little money or an aggressive lease to bring people in. This will be addressed soon-Ford is not going to launch this vehicle and let it die on dealer lots. Their is a buyer for every vehicle on a dealer lot-it just depends when the customer sees the value in it. That said, I understand Ford is doing the bulk of their ad buys in September, there is still a huge market for 6+ passenger vehicles and the more people see it the more it may be accepted. For me the jury is still out. I sure hope it sells and helps everyone at Ford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkarlo Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 The way I control floorplan costs is only buy what sells. Frankly If that is Ford's plan,no dealer regardless of size can make a business case for that. What flies off the lots, and what sits there? Out of curiosity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironhorse Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 (edited) What flies off the lots, and what sits there? Out of curiosity. Focus SE's and SEL's, Fusion 4cyl SE's with sunroof, Sirus,and wheels, Escape 4 cyl with Moon & tune.,Ranger base & XLT 4x2's Base F150's and Loaded Supercrew Lariats. The rest sit. Edited August 13, 2008 by ironhorse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F150 Man Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 While walking into work yeaterday, I passed a Chrysler Pacifica parked next to a Ford Flex.... I couldn't help but make the connection. The America car buying market is soooo fickle, and it will go with Flex. Hoipefully, we will cover the engineering, facilities, and tooling, before the market turns on us. It's no wonder why the Big Three focused on trucks & SUVs for so long.. they market was safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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