Anyone ordered an '09 MMH ?
Created May 6, 2008, at 3:14 pm by Double D
I don't have a lot of time to read all the threads at the hybrid forums, but from those I have read I've seen several people who have ordered '09 FEHs. I've been waiting to hear from the salesman at my local L-M dealer who said he would let me know when he had "official" ordering info. I can't see it making any sense that there would be a different date to order the MMH, so I was wondering if anybody has placed an order for one? He seems like a good guy, but if he can't help me order one, I need to find someone else who can. The looks of the Merc suit me a little better, but if I can't get one, maybe I'll have to order the Ford.
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Double D:
In the past '08 (ha) there were some modifications to the MMH from the FEH, do not let the reviewer sway you as I was. I did some real investigating and found some differnces that for the '09 have been incorporated into the FEH. The major difference was the Keypad entry, nonexistant on the FEH for '08, but was standard on the MMH. Also there is a side marker which I guess is a mercury thing.
The keypad has been incorporated into the FEH for 09 at least in the Limited model. The side marker I don't think has crossed over. Other than that , both models are made at the same plant by the same people using the same materials, sorry to burst your bubble.
There is only one advantage to order a MMH, over the FEH and I've thought about it, and that is, there were only 667 models made for the '08 year, you will have penty of time for the tax incentive, where the FEH is nearly about to be halved.
Someone else out there can probably give you exact numbers, mine are a bit rough. Personally I like square fogs in the MMH, not round ones, but I ordered an FEH anyway, its the same damn thing.
-paul
I looked at both and oredered the '08 FEH... they were easier to come by than the MMH and the Ford dealer seemed more knowledgable and willing to order one. The MMH people actually didn't seem too enthused about it. They all want to sell you a car ON their lot and will often try to talk you into that.
Anyhow, by all I've read I've read I must have got lucky because my '08 FEH only took 6 weeks to make (04/07-06/07) I had it by June 1st 2007. I think some dealers have better contacts with Ford or some just get lucky. Regardless I was still able to get the guy to come off of MSRP by $1,500 and was able to trade my used car in.
The 3K tax credit worked easy and without a hitch which really sealed the deal for me. Other than a few annoying problems you can read about in my perfect storm blog... things have been good on the FEH and the MPG is great at a solid 35 MPG average.
Oh yeah, when you do order... be ready to put a deposit down. They let me go with only 1K, but I hear it can be much higher.
Evlar
After discussions with my salesperson last week, my 2009 MMH was ordered Monday 5-12-08. I tried to make it simple: I want everything available.
Hi HeloCaptain
Can you give us some more details - FWD or AWD, MSRP and price paid, and any news on ETA?
Just to clarify - the IRS tax credit is based on the combined sales of the FEH and MMH (both FWD and 4WD).
AWD.
MSRP not discussed.
Late June delivery date (which seems to conflict with 6-23 for the first build date seen on several sites).
Price = dealer's invoice. [The great price is the result of the dealer having sold (to someone else) my ordered 08 the day it arrived.]
For anyone who is looking for an 08 MMH, the San Diego L-M dealer seems to have the largest inventory (10+) I have seen in SoCal (that is not my dealer).
I placed an order yesterday. I'm waiting to get the fax that confirms everything and the exact figures, but here's what I know so far.
Pricing for MMH 09 FWD Premium Package plus a moonroof was $33,800. That's every option I think except for changing the wheels. I don't know if it included destination fees and such. I ended up ordering it with leather and moonroof, not the Premium Package because we didn't want the Nav System. The price was $30,800 MSRP, no negotiating on the price.
Dealer made no mention of delivery date, left it completely open-ended, which is what we expected. We had to leave a $1000 deposit, and no x-plan accepted. I'm probably doing a trade-in, and they gave me a very fair price if it was traded in today. Of course, they wouldn't hold to the price since the car won't come in for another 6 months. I only hope they hold to their fairness and give me a similarly good deal.
I'll post the actual figures when I get them today hopefully. The price was better than I expected, thought it was going up more than it did.
Update On my 2009 FEH order
Dealer confirmed today that my vehicle is SCHEDULED to be built the week of June 30. He said Ford believes it will be at the beginning of that week, but the weekly schedule still varies based on a lot of factory factors. Loaded 2009 FWD FEH Limited +NAV Black Pearl Met. FTO8 688 U49 . I am only a short train ride from the factory, and He expects it within 1 week after build, but told me to stay calm for 1-3 weeks. So I have put up a dart board with June 21st as my target.
Xplan pricing is confirmed - The vehicle will be ~900 bucks more than my original order of a 2008 in December - BUT more than worth it with all the 09 adders: More High strength steel everywhere, better rigidity, Bigger Sway bar, E-VSC, Keypad entry, Bigger ICE, Higher EV, Sync, Cooler (shiny) wheels, and although ford has not posted it, I am sure we can improve the MPG.
Hey Cougar:
When did you place that order and just confirming that you used the X-Plan?
Reason being, I ordered mine on May 3rd using the X-Plan and the dealership can't get an idea of the schedule, well that was a couple of weeks ago.
-paul
Pauli
Both Gary and I have identical orders placed and I think they logged them in on almost the same day.
It was the first day the ford system would accept orders into the 2009 order book..... I think it was roughly Friday April 18th when the Ordering System went online - and if I recall right, it was that friday in the morning that My dealer called me.... I had been in the Ford system since beginning of January with a "vapor" 2008 on order - even though I knew it would never get built. I have had many chats with the buyer over these weeks and months - and finally he gave me the "word" this week that I was Scheduled.... They build in less than a day and start to ship generally within 2- 3 days after... I have bought several vehicles from these guys over the years and they shoot straight -as long as the data they get from ford is straight .... Yes its an Xplan sale. The vehicle will come in, and I suppose (if a dealer greedy exec decides to) they could change their mind on selling it at xplan at the last moment - But it would be bad juju's and publicity for them to do so... Reputation is everything. I have been quoted at xplan - But remember if you read your xplan documentation it is the dealers choice to participate or not, in that pricing structure - Many will not. In general its a new world for auto dealers now - and a unit is a unit... and moving units is what it is all about - not quibbling over 500 here or 1000 there. too many of them do not realize this. I actually originally wanted a MMH instead of the FEH, but I could never get a Merc dealer to play ball, too bad for them 1 less unit.
I placed mine on May 30th. I hear it will be built the week of June 30th. I ordered a 2009 MMH FWD with premium package and moonroof. The MSRP is $33,835, invoice is 31,694.84, X-Plan is 31,643.06. The dealer agreed on X-Plan and now it is a waiting game.
Thanks everybody. Please keep me posted on any updated info about your orders. I hope they are all confirmed. I am still having a hard time finding a L-M dealer that can order me an MMH, but x-plan doesn't seem to be a sticking point. Could allocations be a problem ? I went to a fairly large Ford/L-M dealer in the greater Cleveland area yesterday who told me they wouldn't have ordering info on the MMH until next week (heard that one before) and that it wasn't a matter of allocations. When I mention that other people have posted their orders they seem rather evasive. I'm not sure where to go next. As a personal preference, I really do like the looks of the Mariner better, but I'm beginning to think I may need to go with the Escape. As always, any thoughts would be appreciated.
DD
The main reason I never buy a Mercury is resale value. The Ford line seems to be most popular when people are looking to buy a new or used vehicle. I had a friend that worked for a Ford/Lincoln/Mercury dealership that confirmed the Ford line had a better trade-in value.
Yes, allocation is the big hang-up, so X Plan is possible but not likely for the few units the dealerships get. I ordered my '09 FEH at sticker and I was placed 4th (priority 14) as a priority. A friend ask for X Plan from the same dealership and they never returned his call. It all depends on the size and State the dealership is in. I'm sure here in So. Florida most people will pay $2,000 to $5,000 over sticker just to get an allotted FEH from large dealers. In California, I'm sure many dealers will take X Plan with no problem also. There is only so many '09 FEH/MMH that will be built (25,000 at best) and the dealers are limited in what they can get. I've heard the dealers could only get units with a retail buyer's order now and in-stock orders are on hold. My order was not really confirmed until 4/29/08 as a priority 14 until the dealership had 3 orders over sticker. This means priority 10 will get the first unit allotted, priority 11 will get the second, priority 12 will get the next allotted unit, priority 13 will get the next unit and I will get the 4th allotted unit. It doesn't mean they will be built and shipped in that order because it depends on options, available parts and placement on the assembly line. For instance, a moon roof may be on every third unit built because of the time it takes to be installed. I hear running boards are a pain to install and take extra time also. My FWD Limited has a moon roof but no running boards and I'm hoping it will fit in the assembly line a little faster than a unit with both options.
If you want a '09 FEH/MMH, I suggest you order one ASAP.
Well, I finally got to place my order for the MMH on 6/23, so now the waiting game starts. It's a black FWD with premium package, moonroof, and optional 12 spoke wheels. The dealer is going to install the running boards, and we'll see about the engine block heater. I'm not looking at the sheet right now, but the dealer accepted x-plan, and price is about 31,700 before tax and title. Other than the running boards, it seems that everything that is available on the FEH is available on the MMH, just set up different. No limited model, just the premium package instead. Not sure if there's an optional wheel on the FEH. I'll post again when I get confirmation or build info. Hope everyone gets theirs real soon, before they raise the gas to $5 a gallon !
Good for you DD, the MMH should get to you much quicker than the FEH. There are far fewer MMH built, so your unit should hit the line faster because not as many will be built. Great price at X-Plan also.
The Limited FEH comes with a six spoke bright machined aluminum wheel and the standard FEH retains the standard 5 spoke FEH rim used since '05. I needed a change myself, but I do have a full size FEH rim as a spare that would have saved me from buying a new one for the '09. The Ford Dealer parts dept. is already working on trying to order the new rim and LRR Michelin tires for my full size'09 spare. I called and gave my new '09 VIN # to them today, but it's not coming up on his system yet. He expects he will be able to know something by July 7.
As far as gas prices, it is my opinion they will start to drop the closer to the election. Big Oil did this just before the last Presidential election to keep Bush in office. I'll be filling the boat (63 gals) and the spare gas cans soon. Lets keep our fingers crossed that the Hybrid tax credit is increased for '09 models. Hillary wanted to raise it to $10,000 when she was in the race. What would that do for the value of your new MMH and my FEH. I think you made a good choice by getting your order in now.
My dealer in Southeast Texas told me the window opened up to order the 2009's the first part of June and their supposed to start building in July. My order was placed about a week ago. Have not gotten a delivery date yet.
Future owner of a 2009 MMH
Present owner of a 2003 Tahoe
Welcome to the waiting pool! grin. I'm in Austin and ordered at the begining of last month. I have a confirmation number of my order, but nothing else. What I'm seeing elsewhere so far is that it's taking about 7 to 8 weeks before you can get real info and or a VIN. Wish I knew more than I do at this point, but that seems to be the way it's going.
Hi Lisa
The MMH should have a faster turnaround than the FEH because fewer people order them. The people who ordered the FEH have a Guy name Viper-Pilot on the Blue Oval forum that will let you know the status of your Vehicle after you get a VIN number. I noticed one person's '09 FEH has been built and shipped already.
Greetings all,
I just joined the crowd waiting for delivery of a 2009 MMH. It took a little leg work to find a dealer willing to place the order at X plan pricing, but the order was placed with the dealer on July 3. The dealer said the wait is going to be approximately 6 months. When I was calling dealerships to see if they would honor X plan, some told me the same 6 month wait, but others said as little as 6 to 8 weeks. Anyone have an explanation/theory on why I was told such different wait times? Is it just that the dealers stating 6 to 8 weeks wanted to get my order and then hit me with a 'sad story' of delays later?
Anyway, the only thing I have in hand at this point is the dealership's vehicle purchase agreement. Is there any way to confirm order has been placed with Ford or to check on the status of the order?
Any feedback from others that have already been down this road will be much appreciated!!
Hi Dave
The dealers telling you 6 months means they have no idea if they will ever get an order for a '09 MMH for you at X Plan. Why should they give you one of their few allotted units at a price they could get far above? On the other hand, there are dealerships who will sell the few allotted units at X Plan just to get an order now as a retail buyer in hand. A stock unit for the lot is limited now in many areas of the Country, so some dealers can only order with a retail buyer order X plan or not. My dealer was up front, none of his allotted units was going to be sold as X Plan. Many other people did get X Plan and their unit is being built and shipped as we speak.
I would go with the 6-8 week dealers and monitor the building progress closely. In other words, 6 months may never happen.
OK folks, mine has officially been shipped!
Ordered on May 24, produced on July 10, shipped July 14. Dealer says I should have it by next week. We live close to to KY. That'll be 2 months start to finish if it comes in by July 24, so not too shabby!
Hey,
Just trying to establish the time-line here, how long did it take to get a VIN number after you placed the order with the dealer?
I placed my order with the dealer on July 3. They have given me a copy of the DORA confirmation, but this only has a partial VIN at this point.
It's great to hear the '09s are hitting the streets! Can't wait for mine to get here!!
The VIN # was created 5/30/08, but I didn't ask my dealer about it until June 23. So it was created the week of my order on 5/24.
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