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Lincoln Purchase Experience


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I wanted to post about my recent purchase experience of my 2019 Lincoln Nautilus. For a little background, I have owned Acura's, Infiniti's, and BMW's in the past, so I have experienced the sales process at these brands. My Lincoln experience was as pleasant as the people working at the dealership could make it (meaning they were friendly, quick to respond, and respectful of my time), but they could not make up for the environment in which I was purchasing. The dealership was a Ford/Lincoln brand without a separate area for Lincoln. My salesman and sales manager were also not specific to Lincoln. As I sat at the glass desk of my salesperson out on the open sales floor filling out my credit application, I could not help but feel as though I was purchasing a car from any dealership. Although the price of my vehicle was north of $50k, my 'experience' was not different than the person purchasing a Ford Fiesta. I have read the comments about Ford requiring Lincoln dealers to have a standalone building. My recent purchase experience would say that this should be a requirement if Lincoln wants to increase its perception as a luxury brand. I simply cannot compare my Lincoln purchase experience to those I have had at Acura, Infiniti, and BMW. I also would not recommend to my friends to visit the Lincoln dealer I purchased from as they would probably be turned off by the experience (yes I hate to admit that many of my friends are snobs). 

 

On the other hand, the customer service I have received through the Lincoln Concierge has been beyond expectations. I cannot say enough good things about the people I have dealt with through their toll free line. They have been extremely helpful with questions I have had about the vehicle, and they have followed up with me to ensure I was satisfied. 

 

One other item to note, what turned me on to look at Lincoln for this purchase as an exhibit that Lincoln had at a local town festival. They had a Lincoln Aviator on display, and my wife and I were impressed with the overall look and feel of the interior. It was shortly after this festival that I went to a local Lincoln dealer and ended up purchasing the Nautilus. ( I added this note so you are aware that your marketing promotions are working - at least in my case!).

 

So overall a mixed message from Lincoln - great people at the dealership, even better people/response from the Lincoln Concierge, but a non-luxury dealer experience. The car still has less than 1,000 miles on it, so time will tell if Lincoln can live up to the quality expectations I have for a $50k+ vehicle. Just wanted to share my experience with any Lincoln management that might read this forum. Thanks for taking the time to listen.

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One thing you should understand - Lincoln cannot force their dealers to have standalone facilities.   They can encourage it, provide financial incentives, etc. but dealers are independent businesses protected by state franchise laws.   Doesn't help the customer but it's important to understand why things are the way they are.

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Yes, I understand. Just wanted to post my experience and let Lincoln management know (which they probably already do) that the separate building/location for Lincoln products is the best course for the brand if they want to attract more 'higher end' customers.

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Congratulations app on your 2019 Lincoln Nautilus purchase. Fortunately, Ford executives take your recommendation seriously. Earlier this year, they consulted with Lincoln dealerships about accelerating the rollout of Lincoln standalone stores in the U.S. https://www.autonews.com/dealers/lincoln-confers-dealers-restarts-program-standalone-stores

 

One reason that so many U.S. Lincoln dealerships, including the one you did business with, share the same physical structure as Ford dealerships is that a lot of independent Lincoln dealerships closed their doors in the early 2010s after the Mercury brand was killed. At the time, there was a lot of speculation that Ford would kill Lincoln too. Plus most consumers didn't consider Lincoln a real luxury car brand until Ford gave Lincoln some appealing products that were notably different from their Ford platform mates. And that only happened in the past couple years.

 

To Ford executives: It would be nice to see U.S. Lincoln dealerships follow the model used for Lincoln Concours dealership project in China. Example in Shanghai is pictured below. Do what you can to make this the standard in the U.S. too. If it means drawing up new franchise agreements for U.S. Lincoln dealerships, do it.

 

baolide-exterior-edit1.jpg

 

7S7B3223-baolide-vehicle-display.jpg

 

Lincoln-China-Eight-Inc-Showroom.jpg

 

7S7B3181-baolide-PS.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

I think that in the long run, it's better when Ford and Lincoln are under 1 roof, at least in my experience.My dealership has standalone Ford and Lincoln dealerships now. In the past, it was Ford Mercury and Lincoln at one store and Lincoln Volvo at the other. When I bought my 07 MKX , I ordered it thorough the Ford store.When I started looking for a 12 MKT, Lincolns were only at the Lincoln store by then. I'm just a regular blue collar guy that wears jeans and tee shirt. When I went there to browse, I was practically ignored and felt like they thought I was a dreamer. When my car came in and I went with my salesman from the Ford store to pick it up, You would have thought Bill Ford had walked through the door. Everyone suddenly wanted to help me. Do you need water? There are snacks available, can we offer you anything??etc I've bought 11 vehicles from this dealership and feel more comfortable at the Ford location. I asked my salesman in April when I bought my Edge ST if he can still sell Lincoln and he said yes, so you know if I do buy an Aviator, I'll be going there and not the Lincoln location.

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I have bought Fords and Lincolns from the same dealership and from the same salesperson and sales manager for many years.    I do not expect to be treated differently when I buy a Ford vs. when I buy a Lincoln.   I expect top notch treatment either way and I have always gotten it.   I don't quite understand why buying a Ford, whether it is a $80,000 F150 King Ranch or a $35,000 Escape should be an inferior experience compared to buying a Lincoln. 

 

Before Ford sold Jaguar, I considered an XJ and visited a stand-alone Jag dealer.  The sales rep was knowledgeable and the store was nice but I can't say the overall experience was much different than dealing on a Ford.    I had a similar experience when looking at Volvos at their stand-alone dealership.  

 

Bottom line for me is that the people make the difference.   I do not expect a salesperson to have all the answers but I expect decent product knowledge and 100% honesty.   I expect to be treated as a valued and respected customer.    If those things are missing, the quality of the customer lounge or how fresh their snacks are doesn't mean a thing to me.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I live 10 minutes from the stand alone Lincoln dealer in Westmont, IL. It is small, lacks parking, outdated, perpetually under construction, and the service area is dingy and not well lit. I may not even go there for my Black Label car washes. 
 

Conversely, Fox Lincoln in Chicago, 35 minutes away, is a Ford/Lincoln. Beautiful facility with a definite delineation of Lincoln and Ford. The experience dealing with the sales guy at Fox vs the other one...night and day. 

 

So, while to seems stand alone Lincoln would be good, it is not the case at least near me. 

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