what was it like to buy a new model a?

[SeaSlugs]

After going thru the stressful new car buying experience of today, what was it like 90 years ago?

I know Ford advertized the price for thier cars - was that negotiable like it is today? Did certain dealers offer to do things like add something at no cost just to get you to buy?

Like I'm guessing the term rebate wasn't created yet but were there any Ford offered incentives?

I'm just curious how times have changed and if car dealers then were just as shady as they are now.

[SSsssteamer]

I have talked to many old timers that have long since passed on, and the had said things were much more ruthless with the car dealers here in Washington state than it is now. I have a Fordex Survey Data book from 1928 that exploits all of the features that the Ford has over the competition, including the horse and buggy. Passenger car comparisons over the competition, comparison of repair labor charges, etc. They also listed what you can buy with the money save in your purchase of your new Ford over the next higher prices competition's car. . i.e. saved $535. With the savings you could buy radio set $50., vacuum cleaner $50., Silver set., 37.50, giving total $137.50 spent with still having a balance in the bank of $17.50 Price per pound comparison of the Ford Touring vs. other makes. Pound for pound, for the 1927 Ford represented the greatest value. Less weight per horse power results in easier work...Ford was 77 pounds / horse power; the Chevrolet was 86 lbs/ horse power. Selling point: an average of 50% of all cars in the U.S. were Fords. One example that stands out was the Chevrolet dealers with the backing of General Motors, would give the Ford owners an extra high trade in for their model T Ford, just to get the Fords off of the road. After taking in the Ford model T trade in, the Chevrolet dealers would take a sledge hammer to the side of the Ford engine block and destroy the car's engine. From there they would haul the Model T down to the river bank and roll them off over the river bank. Al Eikelberry, one of my old time neighbors said that he was able to salvage some of the traded in Fords off the river bank because the Chevrolet dealers didn't do a good enough job with their sledge hammers in trying to brake up the engine blocks. The reasoning of destroying the Fords was to remove the Fords from the local scene so that we would have a community of only Chevrolets. The Ford dealers were just a concerned about the percentage of Fords left on the streets of our community. Ford Motor Company required the Ford dealers to go around to the different parking lots, like outside of grocery store parking lots, employee parking lots, and other public parking lots and to take photographs of the percentage of Fords that could still be found in towns. Bergland Ford still had the photographs on file that were taken back in the 30's through 50's of the percentage of Fords that could still be found in our local population.

[Kevin in NJ]

first off we have a big difference in your personal economy. Today the relative cost of a car to you living expenses is much higher. With the abundance of loans cars, houses, education have all increased in their cost.

In reading various historical books you start to get a better picture. Ford was very strict with the profits the dealers got. They made the dealers take stuff to sell. Like the fertilizer the New York city dealer was supposed to sell when there were no farms in his area.

Like to today profit was made off the extra stuff they sold. All the accessories you see listed were where the dealers made off well.

Of course, once you owned the car you drove it everyday. It was advertised to go 60 and everyone did that even if the roads did not warrant it. Yes go read pieces of how people drove in the 30's, they basically beat the crap out of the cars everyday and they kept working.

Back then you were trying to keep batteries, condensers, and tires working cause they were not as good.

[2manycars]

When the model A came out, the demand was much higher than the supply, so I am sure there were no rebates, or special offers. People ordered a car and waited months for it to arrive. Some smaller dealers did not even have a car to show, only the posters that showed body styles.
By 1931 sales were slowing due to the crash of wall street, so colored wheels, more body colors, and other offers were made to enhance sales. Many manufacturors failed entirely, but ford still sold cars and made a profit.

[31 Model A]

I could have had a much better experience back then if the car dealerships weren't so sexist!!!! A few 'salesladies' would have help my buying experience greatly!

[ronn]

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first off we have a big difference in your personal economy. Today the relative cost of a car to you living expenses is much higher. With the abundance of loans cars, houses, education have all increased in their cost.

absolutely true!

but in what you got............. model A's did not have A/C, roadsters and phaetons, pretty much no glass, no air shocks, no safety features- you were buying so much less. would a model A engine run you 300k miles in it's lifetime? not wo many rebuilds.
so my point, comparing apples and oranges.

can make the same comparison on housing................. how many people in 1930 had a 4 bdrm house, with 3 baths, 2 fireplaces, A/C and a 3 car garage?
what many consider the norm today................

[H. L. Chauvin]

The real truth and nothing but the truth ...... in my humble opinion ..... as far as past dealings with human beings in all walks of life ......... during all of my life's experiences:

The drama experienced with buyers buying Model A's in 1930; and the drama experienced with sellers selling Model A's in 1930 was no doubt equal to the total drama experienced with buying a donkey in Bethlehem at the time of King Herod.

[iverson]

My 99 year old uncle worked for purnell&wilson ford in DesPlaines il from 36 until he joined the army in 42 he said the only time his very polite boss would swear was when ford delevered pickups or tractors he had to pay when they came in even tho they couldn't sell them even under cost

[Bruce of MN]

Where was that dealership in DP? I lived there in the '80's.

[Gunmetal blue2]

back then they cared about people and what they made. people took pride in there work and what they had.

[ericr]

my perception is that many Ford dealers dealt in high-volume sales...you can tell by reading our reprinted materials that the dealers were more interested in cranking our new car sales than chasing $1.50 lube jobs.

have you guys noticed that the advertising was geared towards describing the quality of the car and not beautiful people?

[iverson]

Bruce P&W was northwest hwy by river rd buiding was torn down in 60"s P&W gave up cars and became a ford tractor dealer on rand road until the 90"s. my family had a junk yard in DesPlaines from 36 till 74 Iverson Bros.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by iverson

My 99 year old uncle worked for purnell&wilson ford in DesPlaines il from 36 until he joined the army in 42 he said the only time his very polite boss would swear was when ford delevered pickups or tractors he had to pay when they came in even tho they couldn't sell them even under cost

That's interesting, and I like this thread neat posts

I've heard that even today, the factory will load their dealerships with inventory the dealers don't necessarily want and is hard to sell. John Deere is good for that. Keep those stock prices high.

When I worked at a Ford-Mercury dealership in the mid '70's, they couldn't get LTD's and Marquis in fast enough they sold all they could land. BUT Pinto and Bobcat sales were in the tank SO FoMoCo made it that for every so-many full size Fords and Mercs you got, you had to take so many Pintos and Bobcats. I don't recall the ratio off hand just that the owner would be mad when the transport truck pulled up and they started unloading Pintos!!! Same as the Des Plaines, Illinois dealership Iverson talked about