Best tips for getting a deal on an Expedition Max?

I’ve never bought a brand-new car, but with three kids under three on the way, we need an Expedition Max.

Does anyone have tips on getting the best deal and choosing the right trim? We’re planning to put $10-$15k down—unless someone has a good reason why we shouldn’t.

Definitely go with the Max, and forget about a van. Try fitting three car seats in a van, then do the same in a Max—huge difference. We’ve got three little ones in car seats plus an older kid, and the extra space is a must.

@Mal
Exactly! These van people are out of their minds!

We went the used route—picked up a lease return for around $45k with just under 60k miles. We’re in New England, so options were limited locally, but there were plenty available in other parts of the country. Just didn’t want to make a long trip to get one.

We also have three kids under three and went with a Limited Max with a bench in the middle. This way, we can fold down the third row for all the extra stuff that comes with three little ones.

@Emerson
Thank you!

Shiloh said:
@Emerson
Thank you!

No problem! Also, we got an extended warranty up to 10 years or 175k miles for an extra $4,500 on top of the $45k price. Covers the powertrain and a few other major components.

We looked at minivans, but the Max made more sense for us. Right now, we have two rear-facing seats on the ends and a forward-facing seat in the middle. Still plenty of space to get in and buckle everyone up.

Best way to get a deal? Buy off the lot. Dealers will negotiate more on vehicles they already have instead of ordering one.

Max said:
Best way to get a deal? Buy off the lot. Dealers will negotiate more on vehicles they already have instead of ordering one.

Good to know, thanks!

Get multiple dealerships to compete against each other.

When I bought my Max, one dealer matched another dealer’s offer and even gave me a better trade-in value. I must have contacted at least 6-8 dealers asking for trade-in quotes and local deals. Ended up with an 8-seat Max and love it so far.

@Sal
Feels like dealers don’t try as hard anymore. We visited both a Chevy and a Ford dealership, and neither really tried to sell us a car. It was weirdly underwhelming.

I found the best deals using CarGurus. My local dealer wouldn’t budge on price, so we drove an hour away and got a brand-new Max for way less.

Alexis said:
I found the best deals using CarGurus. My local dealer wouldn’t budge on price, so we drove an hour away and got a brand-new Max for way less.

You might have just saved us a ton of money! Just found a new Stealth model listed online for $62k. Think they’ll negotiate a little more? Either way, great tip!

Negotiate the price first, before talking about money down or financing. Dealers like to focus on monthly payments instead of the actual price.

Also, never take the first financing offer. If you’re serious about buying, get pre-approved by your bank or credit union first. Use that as leverage to get the dealer to match or beat the rate. It’s saved me thousands over the years.

@Jesse
Good to know. We’re trying to figure out if we can wait or if we just need to buy now before things get worse with tariffs and everything else going on.

Shiloh said:
@Jesse
Good to know. We’re trying to figure out if we can wait or if we just need to buy now before things get worse with tariffs and everything else going on.

Yeah, dealers get kickbacks on high-interest loans, so they love steering the conversation toward payments instead of interest rates. Having a pre-approval in hand gives you an advantage.

Also, consider buying a lightly used lease return. You’ll save a lot, and you’ll likely still have some factory warranty left.

Let me know what trim you want (Max, XLT, Limited, Platinum) and your zip code, and I’ll find the best deal I can. You might have to travel, but I got $16.5k off by going 8 hours away. Right now, I can probably find $12k-$14k off if you’re open to that.

Also, putting money down doesn’t really change the deal—you just have to decide what works for your budget.

@Daryl
How do you find these deals? I’m looking for a Platinum Expedition in the 78723 area and would love to understand your process.

Reign said:
@Daryl
How do you find these deals? I’m looking for a Platinum Expedition in the 78723 area and would love to understand your process.

Just found one for $18k off in Arkansas—better than what I got for myself. In Texas, the best Platinum deal I could find is around $73k-$74k. This one is $71k:

https://www.superiorfordnwa.com/inventory/new-2024-ford-expedition-platinum®-4x4-regular-1fmju1m89rea64094/

Reign said:
@Daryl
How do you find these deals? I’m looking for a Platinum Expedition in the 78723 area and would love to understand your process.

To answer your question—I just search dealership inventories. Ford makes it easy because most dealers list sale prices online. I’ve been tracking this market closely since I bought my wife’s, so I pretty much know the pricing by heart right now.

Luxury brands like BMW and Mercedes are a pain because they hide discounts, but Ford, Chevy, and Jeep are easy to check in just a few minutes.

@Daryl
You’re a legend! :clap: :tada: