Some info about Ford

[SSuperDave]

Flood damage that is repaired does not void the warranty, but a salvage title sure will. Even with a salvage title, some recalls are still valid, others are not.
I've fixed many flood cars over the years without issue, but increasingly, insurance companies are totalling anything more than s little water in the floors. Customer are educated about diminshed value, and carfax noting repairs.
I would say that if a customer had an issue that could be traced to flood, like rusted connectors in the floorpanthat were not properly cleaned, that repair could not be warranted, but as has been noted, it would not "void the warranty.

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[BoostRabbitGT]

How does one factor state tax when selling or trading in their car? Where I'm at it's 7%, if I were to get $20-25K for my EcoBoost, how much would I actually get from selling/trading it in?

 

[SSuperDave]

In Texas for example, let say you buy a $15K car and trade in a $7K car, you would only pay sales tax on the $8k delta. At 6.25%, you'd save $437 by trading vs a straight purchase.

 

[roadpilot]

Flood damage that is repaired does not void the warranty, but a salvage title sure will.

Minor flood damage, sure. But most flood damaged vehicles WILL be totaled.

Even with a salvage title, some recalls are still valid, others are not.

Recall repairs don't have anything to do with your warranty (or lack thereof).

 

[Wiley Marmot]

I moved out mid year, 2020 and was paying $3k / year in vehicle taxes alone.
I moved to Texas, no income tax, real estate tax is the same as Unfairtax county; well, I pay the same, but I have 6x more land, and 1.75x more house. No personal property tax, and starting next year, no annual vehicle inspection - which was both cheaper and less intensive than VA.

I think now, I’d be paying ~$4500 / year for personal property tax had I stayed. My salary was unchanged, my wife’s salary did get reduced, but, by less than the personal property and income tax so she actually nets more money :-)

As I’ve said many times: Virginia. Stealing your freedom since 1607

Damn! I just looked it up; and the search return said we (MI) have the highest auto insurance rates in the US. that! Not to put too fine of a point on it.

And, when I started with the State in '77; one of the biggest selling points was "when you retire; your pension is state income tax free!". So, almost exactly when I became eligible for my state pension; the Snyder Admin yelled "fooled ya!" and imposed State IT on our pensions, and boosted sales tax from 4-6%. Vehicle registration fees used to be based on weight, but were changed to vehicle value years ago causing a substantial (some say exponential) rise in plate fees.

Do you have any room in your garage you could rent me?

 

[JimC]

I had a Taurus SHO registered to my place in Michigan.

In North Carolina I had my wife's BMW and my Mustang convertible.

It cost me as much to insure the SHO in Michigan, with a $1,000 deductible and $100 glass deductible as it cost me to insure BOTH the BMW and Mustang in North Carolina with $100 deductible and full glass coverage.

 

[SSuperDave]

My '24 is $195/mo, full coverage, with a $500 deductible. Registration renewals are $75/year, and annual inspection is $25.50. We lived briefly in Georgia, and they have what they call "ad valorem" tax, which I think is Greek for anal rape. Is based off the value of the car and drops yearly. It can be as high as $2,500 the first year. I've been gone from Pennsylvania for so long that I really don't remember much, other than up thru the late '70's, inspection was TWICE a year! They went to once and added an emissions test.
There are pros and cons to all places, but seems like y'all have a lot more cons than we do in Texas.

 

[smurfslayer]

Insurance! Vehicle insurance in Texas isn’t exactly peachy, and was definitely cheaper in VA. Not DC though. I have a brother in DC and he’s been there since ... 2000 IIRC and he’s had a vehicle stolen every 3-4 years.

Here in TX though, I’ve observed 2 primary drivers of high insurance - which seems to be a recent development.

1) proximity to the border with Mexico and the resulting ease with which you can scurry a vehicle over that border.
2) Some of the laziest, do nothing law enforcement agencies on the planet. If your vehicle is stolen in or around San Antonio - I’ve heard it’s similar in some of the other areas too, all you get is the VIN is entered into the stolen vehicle db and a report number - by phone, mind you. It doesn’t matter about any of the circumstances, importance, to them, you are just another report number.
There was a vehicle towed recently with a baby in the back seat. The beside_herself_mother was pleading with 911, but it was a good citizen who followed the truck and helped secure the child. All SAPD did was show up to take the report... and then left, it “was a civil matter”. Made the 6 o’clock news though.

When you combine these two factors, thieves have easy pickings here. If you own a super crew truck - particularly the comically easy to break into F series, Mexican cartels will pay money to get one across the border. They know they can make it in a matter of hours, they can blend right in with traffic and nobody will do squat at the border.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Do you have any room in your garage you could rent me?

I can clear out some space in the peasant wing... The garage is kind of like animal farm; some animals are more equal than others.

 

[UNSAFE]

In Virginia, we pay vehicle sales tax 4.15% when we buy a new or used car but also we pay property taxes every year to our County at 4.57% of the assessed vehicle value. So keeping a car for example for 7 years will result in an equivalent 30% tax.

We're relativel

In Virginia, we pay vehicle sales tax 4.15% when we buy a new or used car but also we pay property taxes every year to our County at 4.57% of the assessed vehicle value. So keeping a car for example for 7 years will result in an equivalent 30% tax.

We moved to Virginia over two years ago and although we knew about the Personal Property Tax, it's still not easy to accept. We've never lived in a PPT state before so it's really different. Even after accounting for all the taxes in our previous state, living in Virginia, the PPT increases our overall taxes by at least 10%.

 

[Alan Applegate]

Actuarial science really is a complex science! Problem is, most folks don't know enough about actuarial science to make a judgment call about it, yet here we are!

Insurance companies are no doubt one of the most regulated businesses in America. The Fed and every state in the union have complex laws governing them. They are not ripoff artists per se. That said, some of them delay payments which is an exacerbating issue for all of us. No doubt worse, are those which don't use official (OEM) parts, but even that is changing due to safety changes throughout the automotive industry. These facts do not set the price drivers pay to be insured, however.

If you do a bit of research, one of the factors which rears its ugly head is uninsured motorists. Take a gander at this site (https://financebuzz.com/uninsured-motorist-statistics-by-state). Make sure it put the following statement into perspective:

Mississippi had the highest uninsured motorist population in 2019 at 29.4%, followed by Michigan (25.5%), Tennessee (23.7%), New Mexico (21.8%), and Washington state (21.7%). New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York had the lowest percentages of uninsured drivers, at 3.1%, 3.5%, and 4.1%, respectively.

Source: Insurance Research Center, Insurance Information Institute, USAfacts.org

Note the states with the highest uninsured rates! They're all run by ultra-liberal politicians! New York and New Jersey should be on the high percentage list too, but those two states have the most severe fines and penalties assessed for uninsured motorists.

All good food for thought.

 

[SSuperDave]

In the words of Joe Kenda, The Homicide Hunter, "well, my, my, my"

 

[UNSAFE]

All state sales tax laws are state-specific. We do not have federal sales tax.

Yet!

 

[Alan Applegate]

More taxes? Sure, as the US is in debt up to its ears! Almost fifty trillion dollars worth! Sad part is, only about 40% of the national debt can be accounted for. Hummmm. Let's see, who is the richest person serving in Washington DC? Aha! All of them!

 

[smurfslayer]

Insurance companies are no doubt one of the most regulated businesses in America. The Fed and every state in the union have complex laws governing them.

it pains my very libertarian heart to even think this, but if there is any one industry on the planet that absolutely cries out for MORE regulation, it is 100% the insurance industry. On one hand, you have the government requiring insurance and on the other hand it’s pretty much letting them get away with quite a bit more than they should.

They are not ripoff artists per se

I would view this through a very skeptical lens. I’m sure people have had trouble free claims, I read it on the internet all the time. And, as we all know: if it’s on the internet, it has to be true!

Good point about the uninsured motorists. my family have encountered 3 from my recollection over the years, what a PITA that is. Still, not running down vehicle break ins and vehicle thefts is only exacerbating the rates that are out of context with reality in many cases.

 

[Stonehauler]

I don't have any problems with most aftermarket warranties, and the few that suck we just don't accept. Keep me on the phone over 30 minutes, I'm done and will hang up and will tell the customer that I'm not dealing with it and if they want me to fix it they can pay. And our service manager backs us up on this. I had JMA Group, whos is a clearing house for multiple warranties, approve an $8,000 engine on two 10 minute phone calls and an inspector visit over a 2 day perioid, and paid CP pricing on parts and labor. ESP, I hate, we don't sell them except on direct customer request, and so their requirements on WEPA for us are time consuming and can take several days, and they pay warranty times. I called one called Route 66 last week for a trans overhaul and the rep on the phone said " let me guess, code P0767 CDF drum failure?" and bought the repair after I e-mailed a parts list. I will say they are ALL sick of the 10 speed failures. Oddly enough, we've never had a 10 speed issue on any Mustang, just F-150s and F-250s.
We may have good luck with the aftermarkets since we are willing to pass on a job rather tham take their bullshit if we know its a problem I bailed on one recently that offered $140/hr instead of our $195 rate, and said it was an area average. When presed, they said that included Firestones and Jiffy Lubes. We are the lowest hourly Ford dealer in our area.

As to your other issue, in my experience, Ford gives ZERO fucks about their dealer body, and VERY few about the customer. Come in at 36,100 miles with an issue, the customer has to call Ford customer assistance and ask for help, they will jack them around for a few days and maybe pay half of the repair. Any other mfg I've worked for, we had 24/24 goodwill capability with just a service manager signature, even cheap ass Jag/Rover.

I have to say that when I had the Ford ESP, it was extremely easy to go in and get a repair done. My truck had MANY issues for a vehicle that had as few miles as it did. Cracked Radiator, completely blown out power steering/brake line, Sunroof issues (would not close), are just a few. The service manager worked to get everything resolved. Even when I went aftermarket (more robust steering stabilizer for my Super Duty), replaced every brake/PS line with new lines, etc., I was able to count on Ford techs and my service manager.

Here is the thing, you need to develop a relationship with GOOD dealers. You also need to remember that everyone has a bad day. It's one thing if your good dealer has an issue once or twice over a 30 year relationship. It's another if your dealer lies and cheats you the minute you walk in as a first time new customer.

You also need to be a good customer. Talk to the service dealer like they were humans. Express gratitude to them for getting your car in and fixed when something unexpected happens. Remember their names, shake their hand and look them in the eye. Never yell at them or take your frustration with the situation out on them. They are trying to help you. I get it that the situation stinks, but it's not their fault. Be the kind of customer that they are happy to see when you come in.

I've had both, and I like the first and I will stop going to you and patronize another dealership 30 miles away if you give me the second (and I do not work with my local dealership for that very reason). I also try and uphold my end of relationship.

I get your sales team wants to make the most they can. if you Mark up a Ford GT or a Shelby Super Snake, that's fine. If you try and mark up a Mustang GT, F150, or Super Duty, that's a problem. You also need to honor the X-plan pricing when it's available.

Finally, I get that you want to sell me the car you have...but when I keep my cars for a very long time, I want the car I want, not the car you have. 90 percent isn't good enough. Make the order process smooth and easy. Go back through my ownership history and you will find exactly one car I did not order in over 32 years of car ownership, and that was because it was literally coming off the truck and had everything I wanted, plus a sunroof (which I did not) and they knocked that down to dealer cost.

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