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Written commitment to buy required before dealer will place order

Pleco

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Happy to receive an email from my dealer regarding ordering procedure today. But there is a paragraph about needing a written commitment to purchase before they will place the order that seems a bit strange. Signing a commitment to buy a vehicle that you can’t test drive or look at before ordering? I want the Bronco but I should be able to back out if there is a problem with it or something I really don’t like about how the vehicle drives, right?

Here’s part of the email: “In the coming days Ford will tell us how many 2021 Broncos will be allocated to (.....) Ford. Using that number, I will start with the lowest reservation number in our pool and will reach out to each of you in ascending order. I will attempt you first by email and then by phone if I don’t hear back from you. Once we connect I will ask for a couple commitments from you. I will need your written commitment that you will follow through and purchase the vehicle within a reasonable amount of time once it arrives. I will also need to know that you understand our pricing policy. Provided you can make all commitments needed, I will then push your reservation into the order system and will give you instruction on how to submit your build configuration. Please understand that if we cannot reach you within a reasonable amount of time, or if you cannot commit to the purchase, we will be forced to move that allocation to the next reservation in line.”

Is this just normal dealership covering their butt talk or does this sound fishy?
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Bronco88

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I would not sign that, pretty sure there is a guy on this forum who already got it in writing that he does not have to buy said vehicle for any reason if not happy with it, canadian buyer. I know I am going to be getting that in writing as well.
 

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Pleco

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That’s the thing. I can’t tell if this is some sort of shadiness or business as usual. There was nothing mentioned about a deposit. I don’t mind putting a deposit down at all.
 

PSUTE

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Nothing fishy about it. When you factory order a vehicle, you and the dealer are entering into a contract to buy and they are doing the same to sell at a specific price once the product is available to perfect the contract. You can put your own limitations on the contract at the time of the order, such as delivery date deadline etc.
Given what has been put out there in this forum, if you do not convert a reservation to an order, not a big deal to the dealer. Not converting an order to a sale is. If a dealer does their due diligence, I would expect them to run a credit check at the time of order to see if you can get financed. The risk is not totally on them once you commit with an actual order, they also have something to lose if you don't follow through. Order time is when you nut up and give your final answer. I fully expect to put up $500-$1000 earnest money when I order. @Granger Ford, and @NayNay should be able to provide further insight...
 

rtaylor

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Is this just normal dealership covering their butt talk or does this sound fishy?
It might not be that bad if you can still walk away if you don't like it or whatever. Need the details. They might just want something that they can show Ford showing that it wasn't their fault that they had to sell an unclaimed vehicle on their lot with 5K ADM.
 
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Pleco

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It might not be that bad if you can still walk away if you don't like it or whatever. Need the details. They might just want something that they can show Ford showing that it wasn't their fault that they had to sell an unclaimed vehicle on their lot with 5K ADM.
Yeah. Got to clarify the details with the dealer. Need the details as you say.
 

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Drex

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So... The dealer is clear that after they connect with you, you are going to commit in writing to buy the vehicle, then understand their pricing policy (nothing about that policy in writing) THEN they will start the order process.

I would personally feel better if the timeline was; go over the order with the dealer, set the options and the pricing (in writing), then worry about committing before the order was entered. Sure sounds like that want you to commit before you have a price. Maybe just awkwardly written. In any event, even if pricing is all sorted out before you commitment, please consider checking on escape clauses. Let's say the vehicle gets delayed until 13 months from now and your current vehicle is wrecked/stolen/flooded/rioted on/breaks down in six months. You have to go out and buy a replacement right away, but you signed something that probably says you have to pay the dealer something or everything when the Bronco eventually comes in. If you breech that agreement, will they be suing you or an arbitration clause that limits your rights? For me, I would never take the risk by signing anything like that, I'd find a dealer that would take the risk for me. (Or negotiate it away with the original dealer), if they want the associated profit with my sale, they can take the risk. I'm not taking the risk on calamity or not liking the truck when it comes when there are plenty of dealers who will take that risk for me.
 

linbackr99

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I have not seen anything like this . . . but if my dealership throws something like this at me I will not be ordering. I am not committing to a 61k vehicle that I have never driven or laid my eyes on. Furthermore I will be trading in my Raptor and this gives them carte-blanche to totally screw me over on the trade . . . I am happy to put down a (refundable) deposit - no question - but I am not committing unless they want to also commit to what the final - after trade - number will be . . . and even then it needs to be exactly what I order.

I have ordered two of my last three Raptors and did not have to sign anything like this.
 

Karl_in_Chicago

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I think maybe this particular dealer just needs someone with better communications skills to craft their message. There's a couple things in there that seem slightly off but I'm attributing it more to a fault on the composer of the message than anything sinister.
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