Can I get a Ford X Plan pin?

If you are eligible for a Ford AXZ plan, can you still negotiate below that price?

• I am eligible for the Ford X-Plan through my employer, when I check out the price on a 2012 Ford Fusion SE on www.fordpartner.com, it says $22,830 MSRP and with the X-Plan you can get it for $21,714. Can I negotiate below that price or is is set at $21,714. If I can negotiate below that price, will I be able to negotiate the same savings as I would be able to if I started at $22,830? Or is the X-Plan discount already dipping into the dealer profit so I won't be able to get the best of both worlds?

• Answer:

  If you are buying using the X-Plan, the price is non-negotiable, however you still qualify for any existing factory-to-dealer incentives (cash back or financing). X-Plan pricing does leave a little bit of dealer profit in the deal. That said, it is sometimes possible to grind a better deal if you are a very savvy negotiator, but as soon as you pull out your X-Plan PIN, all haggling will stop immediately. I've bought using X-Plan pricing on a couple of occasions. If I could not get a better deal through the normal negotiation process, I'd come back a few days later and claim that I'd just "discovered" this new "benefit" through my employer. Also bear in mind that a dealer is NOT required to sell to you using the X-Plan pricing. And if they do, the participation fee ($149 if memory serves) is mandatory.