Price of the last V8 Ford hits top gear
FORD dealers are charging a staggering $30,000 more than the recommended retail price for the final Falcon V8 sedans as buyers try to secure a future classic.
The last batch of Falcon V8s was thought to have sold out, but some dealers held a secret stash to release on to the market in the final days of production so they could jack up the price, from $60,000 to as much as $90,000.
And there’s more bad news for Ford fans who are crying foul. There is nothing Ford Australia can do to reprimand dealers for overcharging.
An investigation by The Sunday Territorian has found most of the Ford Falcon XR8 Sprint editions are being offered for sale online for $10,000 to $20,000 over and above the regular price. But some dealers are being particularly greedy, asking even more.
There are at least 20 of the final 750 Sprint editions available online, with inflated prices.
In the wake of the Broadmeadows factory closure on Friday, Ford Australia boss Graeme Whickman was not available to comment specifically about the opportunistic Falcon pricing issue.
But he has previously told The Sunday Territorian that dealers are allowed to set the final selling price and it is against the law for a manufacturer to intervene.
“It’s supply and demand,” Mr Whickman said. “We set a wholesale price and recommended retail price … but at the end of the day the dealer and the customer decide what the vehicle is going to be sold and bought for,” he said, referring to high prices being charged for the initial shipment of Mustangs last year.
“We love the fact that (our cars) are in hot demand but we don’t get involved in those pricing decisions between dealers and customers. There is a legal environment we all work in.”
Ford built 850 of its flagship XR8 Sprint sedans (750 for Australia, 100 for New Zealand) but fans said that still was not enough.
All 850 cars have been wholesaled to Ford dealers across the country – and now they are holding out to see who can get the most for the remaining 20 or so cars.