Dennis70Mach Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 As some of you know, I ordered a 2008 GT 500 about 3 weeks ago. I am needing this car by Christmas and I called every dealer in town to both strike a price deal and make sure they had the ability to order the car right now. I found a dealer who I struck a deal with for 8K over and was able to order the car the way I wanted it. They told me that they ordered the car that day. I received the VOC from them, that was about 3 weeks ago. I gave them a 5K deposit on the signed price deal. Twice in the last 2 weeks I have called the dealer in order to get a copy of the DORA. The first time the dealer told me that the same information was on the VOC and I said I know, but I want to see the DORA. He said he would look for it. I got a little nervous, so using the info on the VOC I called FORD customer service and was told that the order existed in their system, but that's all of the information they could give me. I called the dealer yesterday and asked again for the DORA and he told me that he didn't get one from FORD, but he would contact them in order to get me a copy. I have heard someone in this forum say that if the dealer doesn't receive the DORA, then FORD isn't slated to even build the car yet. My question is this, every dealer is willing to take your money and tell you whatever you want to hear. How are you, as a customer, able to tell if they really have the allotment ability to actually order the car? Since I absolutely have to have this car by Christmas, how can I verify, independent of the dealer, that they actually have the allotment ability to order the car? I asked FORD customer service if I could talk to the zone rep and they said I can, but I have to go through the dealer. I'm not sure the dealer is going to give me that opportunity, especially if they are waiting to get an allotment to really order the car. HELP!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabber Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 When you called the VOC you must of pretended that you worked for the dealer....right, or they would not of given you any information. The fact that they said that the order exsists is a good sign. The other way you can get a good comfort level is to ask to see the weekly electronic status report that Ford sends the dealer every week. This report shows all orders that the dealer has in with Ford and the exact status of them all. Your order will show there, and it's status. My dealer faxed this document to me every Thursday and I was able to keep tabs on the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis70Mach Posted September 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Thanks Grabber! I called another dealer and got the telephone number for customer service. That number was (734) 467-0200. I told them that I was a customer trying to find out the status of a car and they asked me for the dealer number and the order number. They told me that the order existed, but they couldn't even tell me the color or options, but it was there. If the order shows up on this report that you referred to, does that mean that FORD has pulled the order? In other words, would seeing the order on this report be just as good as receiving the DORA? I will call the dealer on Monday and ask if I can see this report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabber Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Thanks Grabber! I called another dealer and got the telephone number for customer service. That number was (734) 467-0200. I told them that I was a customer trying to find out the status of a car and they asked me for the dealer number and the order number. They told me that the order existed, but they couldn't even tell me the color or options, but it was there. If the order shows up on this report that you referred to, does that mean that FORD has pulled the order? In other words, would seeing the order on this report be just as good as receiving the DORA? I will call the dealer on Monday and ask if I can see this report. If the report shows that is is on Material hold, it means that it has not been pulled. What does the order status say ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis70Mach Posted September 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Grabber, you hit the nail on the head!!! The exact reply from the person in FORD customer service was that the order was on "material hold". You said that if it was on material hold then that meant the order has not been pulled. Grabber, my concern is that the dealer did not have a current allotment, as they told me they did, but they simply placed the order. From what I understand if that's the case, then my car's order won't be pulled until FORD gives the dealer another allotment. Am I right on this thinking? If I'm right, is there any way, independent of the dealer, to determine when FORD will give them the allotment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grabber Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Grabber, you hit the nail on the head!!! The exact reply from the person in FORD customer service was that the order was on "material hold". You said that if it was on material hold then that meant the order has not been pulled. Grabber, my concern is that the dealer did not have a current allotment, as they told me they did, but they simply placed the order. From what I understand if that's the case, then my car's order won't be pulled until FORD gives the dealer another allotment. Am I right on this thinking? If I'm right, is there any way, independent of the dealer, to determine when FORD will give them the allotment? Dennis, My dealers weekely print out showed 4 GT500's on material hold. I asked him about that. He told me he placed those extra orders just in case they would build more and give him another one. He was only alloted one...mine. This is why the Dora was so importand to me. I needed proof...like you. They lost my DORA so they told me. This really worried me. It was at this point that I also wanted to change the color of the order to Grabber Orange, and delete the Sat. radio. I then found out that the dealer did not know how to order cars, and that the zone rep did it for them. They were nice enough to give me the zone rep's e-mail address and have her communicate with me as to the status and change the order. She told me that a new Dora would print once the order was changed....and it did. She said a replacement Dora will not print. Once my new Dora came....my order still sat on material hold untill the order was pulled. So just because it is on material hold does not mean it is a bogus order. But bogus orders do exist....I saw that proof on the electronic print out. I also found out that the zone rep's can find out what quarter the order will be pulled in. Mine was a Q 1 build. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis70Mach Posted September 8, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Thanks again Grabber, it sounds like my next move is to contact the dealership and request (demand) to be able to communicate with the zone rep. My ultimate objective is to simply find out when this particular order is going to be pulled and more importantly, built. Based upon your experience, I'm not going to worry too much about the DORA, as long as I can talk to the zone rep and determine the build time frame. Thanks again for your help and insight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLB8SNK Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Dennis, don't get so caught up in the DORA and VIN and INFO game. It drove me nuts. I bought from a small town dealer, who got nothing, gave me nothing, took my 5k deposit, ordered the car as I wanted, and I always knew more about the car than they did (thanks to this forum). Point I am making is that not all dealers seem to be as up to snuff on the tricks of tracking. My guys had no idea what I was asking for most the time. Good news is, my car should be delivered next week, and I hope to have it in my garage by Friday. At some point you have to trust! No matter how much searching you do, or what you ask for, none of it will speed your car up or get it to you faster. Voice of experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alloy Dave Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Dennis, I'd be less worried about whether they have an allocation, and more worried about when it will be scheduled. If you absolutely had to have it by Christmas, you should have put in your contract that you get your money back if the car is not arrived by then. The zone rep can likely tell you which quarter of the year it will be built, but that's about all you can get until you have a VIN. Good luck. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe G Posted September 8, 2007 Report Share Posted September 8, 2007 Dennis, I'd be less worried about whether they have an allocation, and more worried about when it will be scheduled. If you absolutely had to have it by Christmas, you should have put in your contract that you get your money back if the car is not arrived by then. The zone rep can likely tell you which quarter of the year it will be built, but that's about all you can get until you have a VIN. Good luck. Dave EXACTLY! The dealer may have allocation for your car. The issue is whether they know WHEN it will be built - that is only known by the Ford Zone Rep who may or may not have told the dealership. Even if it is a 4Q build, that may mean it's built, depending on when Ford schedules vacation/shut-down of the plant around Christmas, it won't get to you in time to put the big red bow on it and put it under the tree. Big picture time... what's more important? That you get it? If so, don't screw around with the dealer. Buy it today from a dealer who has one in stock (Autotrader, Ebay etc...) That you got it at the price you're willing to pay? Then you may have to wait depending on what I, and others, have said about when cars are built (you MAY not know what you need to know to ASSURE delivery when you want it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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