| Author |
Message |
Mr. Doody (Doody)
Member
Username: Doody
Post Number: 475
Registered: 11-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 6:14 pm: | |
listen guys, lists are simply a filtering mechanism to make sure you are a bona fide potential customer. the more expensive the car, the higher the deposit you can expect to put down.
at $500 a pop, just about any schmoe can "get on the list". but at $10K or $15K or whatnot you filter a lot of non-customers out ("well - maybe i'll win the lottery before my spot comes up!").
it is my understanding that most states strictly regulate auto list deposits. it is my understanding that in no state is the receipt of a deposit a guarantee that you'll get a car - that's an unfair contract since it's unidirectional: you're not committing to buy the car N years in advance - you just want a spot on a list via a refundable deposit.
even with a filtering mechanism, a lot of people do not take their cars off the list. by the time their spot pops maybe their financial situation has changed. maybe their life situation has changed (married, moved, kid, etc.). maybe they changed their mind. maybe they never intended to buy the car. if you're more than 3 or 5 on a given list, you should assume you'll slide up. my benz dealer assumes something like 20% to 33%falloff on good-sized lists (eg: SL55, R230 in general, etc.). and this economy doesn't help with the high-priced cars.
IMO, shelton wouldn't take your deposit because they had so many people on the list they assumed they had sold out all their 8 cylinder cars for the next 10 years (360, its successor, and into its successor!). though i don't know jack about the laws in FL except that they protect the dealers more than the customers and many FL dealers are GLEEFUL to take your deposits as a result :-(.
if you get on a 360 list and your allocation runs past 360 production, i assume the dealer will convert you over to the 3XX list. i mean, they still want your money, right?
while your proposal has its heart in the right place, martin, i don't think it's rational or feasible in the US at least. unless they do a lease-only deal like with the F50 (?), it's a free market.
my two (four?) pennies.
doody. |
Jim Schad (Jim_schad)
Junior Member
Username: Jim_schad
Post Number: 223
Registered: 7-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 4:34 pm: | |
I guess I don't understand "the list" concept. you pay to get on a list for a car you will never get and for what? to save a few bucks? the market is loaded with 360's so why not just buy one? sure it might cost a bit more and you can't hand select the options, but if you have to wait 6 years for something you won't get then what is the point? |
Jim E (Jimpo1)
Member
Username: Jimpo1
Post Number: 794
Registered: 7-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 4:27 pm: | |
As of about 6 mos ago, FOD still wants a $15k deposit. They're quoting 3 years for a 360 Spider, yet its replacement will be out before that. They won't take a deposit for the replacement to the 360. |
Martin (Miami348ts)
Advanced Member
Username: Miami348ts
Post Number: 2879
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 4:16 pm: | |
never heard of that but sounds about right. why should they be allowed to take a deposit and not be able to deliver. With the taking of the deposit the contract is sealed and a guarantee given or implied.
Just my 2c.
..and what I always said, the poor dealers have even their dogs on the waiting list for the Spider.
How about a law that would require that all cars delivered to a buyer on the list will have to be titled to the same person and tax paid and lux tax paid and then only could the car be offered for resale. That will make it a 2nd owner car and the original list holder will have to cough up some big $$$ before he can hope for a profit. Those that wish not to register their cars will have to make a deposit with FNA into an escrow account and will lose their deposit if they sell the car to a 2nd person who then wishes to register the car. After one year if you can still show the MSO untitled you will be eligible to receive your deposit back.
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J.D. Smythe (Jeff)
Junior Member
Username: Jeff
Post Number: 54
Registered: 2-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, September 24, 2002 - 3:13 pm: | |
Here is some info about dealers' lists that members may be interested in. I've been told that FNA has asked each dealer to ask for a $10k deposit. But each dealer can do whatever. Getting on a list is easier than actually getting a car. In order for a dealer to deliver you a car, you must have an residence/address for that state or there is no ferrari dealer in your state. So for example, if you live in New York and try to buy a car from Florida you better have a Flordia address otherwise the Florida dealer gets penalized by FNA. Here's the penalty. The offending dealer gets one less allocation for the year and the dealer who was harmed gets one extra allocation. If you live in a state with no Ferrari dealer, you can buy a car from any dealer.
When I was trying to buy a new 360, I had homes or relatives' addressess that I could use and say to the dealer that I lived in that state. Shelton wanted no deposit and Ferrari of Dallas wanted $15K. Three other dealers were in between. This was in 1999 and things may have changed.
Finally, as you know the mystical list really means nothing. The dealer is always going to juggle the list of names to the dealer's advantage.
As an aside, Shelton didn't want a deposit because of Florida law or something to do about potential law suits. Apparently if a dealer takes a deposit it implies that they will deliver you a car. (Maybe someone in Florida can explain this better than I have.) Shelton told me they had 300-400 people on the spider list in 2000. Shelton knew they would never get that many cars. Shelton doesn't take a deposit until they actually order the car. Like I said, things may have changed recently. |
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