[Shotimes] cutting vent holes in the header panel

[Ron Porter]

A-B Plan, or the X-Plan?

Yeah, you could beat B-Plan, as it is a rebate on cars sitting on the lot,
but unless your family owns the dealership, you cannot beat A-Plan. It is at
least 3-5% under dealer invoice (invoice minus dealer floorplan holdback),
plus the dealer would get an additional 5% just to take delivery, wash the
car, and bolt on the plate. Since the competition to get Plan buyers is
great, there are dealers who will do an under-the-table "rebate" of part of
that 5% handling fee, either with cash or other incentives (all on the QT,
as the mfrs highly frown on this!!).

FWIW, my dad never buys a car A-Plan, he always does B-Plan, as he likes
dickering with the salespeople, even though there are better A-Plan deals.
And, although he wont admit it, I think he has the same tendency that I have
to want it NOW and not wait for the factory to build it!! Obvious genetic
defect!!  ;-)

Ron Porter 

-----Original Message-----
From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
On Behalf Of Paul Nimz
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 1:06 AM
To: 'Shotimes'
Subject: Re: [Shotimes] cutting vent holes in the header panel


>that can get A & B-Plan cars

As an employee of the company that made Motorcraft batteries I qualified for
this plan.  I could always beat it by just being my usual self.  Of course
being an ex-Union negotiator I had many skills in this field.  #1 was the
ability to say no.  :)

Paul Nimz
'97 TR
'93 EG mtx


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ron Porter" <ronporter@prodigy.net>
To: "'Donald Mallinson'" <dmall@mwonline.net>; "'Shotimes'"
<Shotimes@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 12:39 PM
Subject: RE: [Shotimes] cutting vent holes in the header panel


> Well, Don, you really aren't familiar with the Detroit area, there is no
> other car market like it in the country.
>
> I have had the comment from MANY people personally over the years, and it
> has also been written in the press. The Detroit area has a rather low
> percentage of foreign cars versus much of the country.
>
> It isn't just the direct Ford-GM-DC employees (of which there are more
here
> than anywhere). It is also any of their direct family members, as well as
> in-laws, that can get A & B-Plan cars. And all of the retirees (hourly &
> salary) and their immediate families!! Then, there are all of the
suppliers.
> Tier Suppliers have the "X" plan deal to also get cars more cheaply. IIRC,
> Delphi and Visteon have the same deal as regular Big 3 employees (Jim
> Heaton...true??). Hell, since my dad is a GM retiree, I'm eligible to buy
GM
> cars on the A plan (if they had something I wanted), and if my company
gets
> some business with Ford again (we were a different corporate entity when
we
> did work for FMCC a few years ago), I will be eligible to buy Ford
products.
>
> This isn't stuff that I make up, this has been the case here for ages.
Even
> in the local Ad sections of the papers, there are deals pitched directly
at
> the "Plan" car buyers, since there are SO many people that qualify.
>
> It is not like a city that has a plant or two, this is a much larger
scale.
> I was even surprised in Louisville, with a metro area of 1 million or so,
> how many Ford vehicles are around. Again, when you take into account
company
> exec cars, company pool cars, and all the people who are eligible for
deals
> as employees, family members, or suppliers, it is quite surprising.
>
> I have lived in other places, and the car market around here is NOT a
> reflection of the rest of the country. Probably a part of the reason the
L/M
> set up the design studio on the west coast, and why Detroit has been
accused
> of not being tuned in to what is happening in the car market across the
> country.
>
> Ron Porter
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]
> On Behalf Of Donald Mallinson
> Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 11:23 AM
> To: 'Shotimes'
> Subject: Re: [Shotimes] cutting vent holes in the header panel
>
>
> Ron,
>
> As usual, you assume, thus making an A..  ok you know the
> rest!  :)
>
> I understand "car towns" just fine.  and in a city the size
> of Detroit with a population of over a million, and a metro
> of what?  around 2 million?  Ford employees make up a small
> percentage of the total population, and the other employee's
> aren't wedded to Ford.  Plus in the Detroit Metro you have
> other manufacturers and they will tend to even things out.
>
> So yes, there is, as I mentioned and admitted, a bump in the
> numbers, but it doesn't skew the national averages all
> totally out of whack.
>
> I would expect neighborhoods where execs gravitate, to be
> proportionately skewed, but other areas will be normal.
>
> Also, I would agree that import purchases would be lower in
> detroit than in other cities.  But I have been to a LOT of
> automotive and truck assembly/manufacturing plants, and most
> of them Ford plants.  The parking lot is predominantly Ford,
> but the amount of imports and other brands is amazing to
> see.  Much higher than I would have thought.  So while the
> numbers get skewed, they aren't absolute and don't dominate
> the percentages.
>
> There just aren't enough Ford people buying on "plan" to
> make an entire metro area, or state get that far from
> national averages.
>
> Don Mallinson
>
>
>
> Ron Porter wrote:
> > Don, I guess not living in an "car town", you don't understand. There is
a
> > HUGE difference when Ford (or any auto mfr) employees are involved.
> >
> > The average Ford employee gets the "A" & "B" Plans, which gives them the
> > best deal that anyone can get.....and many of them buy cars every 1-2
> years.
> >
> > Ford management gets the company cars, and some.....like my two Ford
> > buddies.....get two a year, then with special deals they each have
gotten
> a
> > 3rd car for their teenage daughters. When my buddy was getting SHOs,
they
> > "made" him get two '98 & '99 SHOs (6 months each), as they had to keep
the
> > line going when nobody wanted them. All of the Company Exec" cars that
go
> > through the auctions were most likely from Detroit, followed by
> Louisville.
> >
> > GM and Chrysler are the same way. I live about 10 miles north of the D-C
> > headquarters, and my subdivision is crawling with Chrysler folks. I saw
> the
> > first PT Cruiser and new Viper on the road right in my subdivision. When
> the
> > 300M first came out, I'll bet that I saw every possible color/trim/wheel
> > option combo within the first 6 months.
> >
> > People from outside the area have told me that they Detroit area has the
> > lowest percentage of import cars of anywhere they have been.....and I
> truly
> > believe that it's true.
> >
> > Ron Porter
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