Mahindra Delay Excuses Don't Set Well With Importer

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Originally Posted by pee wee

I think what they probably mean is that Ford is having to go to some expense to avoid the tax, by making and putting in seats and then taking them back out. The chicken tax is directly related to a higher cost associated with the vehicle, even though the tax isn't being levied on it.

...and what I am trying to say is that, if there was no "Chicken Tax" applied to the Transit Connect, there would be a better margin in the sales price!

Ford can't mark more than 300-500 bucks off the sticker price because of the Chicken Tax - even if you use one of the Employee purchase plans! There no "wiggle" in the pricing because Ford is selling them nearly at cost because of the Chicken Tax.

Just because someone "says" they ship them without seats does not mean that they are actually shipping them without seats - allegedly to circumvent the Chicken Tax.

25 percent of $21,000 base price of a Transit Connect is $5,250 - as I understand how much the Chicken Tax is. Is that how much it costs to uninstall and install seats to "beat" the Chicken Tax? That's eight bolts and an air tool - I'm not counting the bench seat as it is removable by hand. I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams that any other cost involved in installing/removing seats would manage to gobble up the $5250 per vehicle Chicken Tax using mass production techniques.

I based my comments on actual discussions with a Ford dealer about purchasing a Transit Connect - a fact which I referred to in my original post.

If you are gonna make a statement of fact, you should, at least, try back it up with attributuion. Otherwise, Bob Keeshan becomes a Marine that hit the beaches of Iwo Jima and Mister Rogers ends up being a highly-trained Navy Seal killing machine... Neither of which are true statements!

Nothing ticks me off more than unsubstantiated BS on the Internet.

Nothing makes me happier than being told that I am full of BS based on statements of fact with BELIEVEABLE attributon. Really!

[pee wee]

Ack, it sounds like we may be in agreement, but we choose our words differently. (okay, after your edit I see we don't agree)

[ToxicSludge]

here guys,read this:

How Recycling Can Be Bad – Those New Ford Transit Connect Vans and the Chicken Tax San Francisco Citizen

[blue7.3]

Originally Posted by ToxicSludge

here guys,read this:

How Recycling Can Be Bad – Those New Ford Transit Connect Vans and the Chicken Tax San Francisco Citizen

So... Ack...
ok, I'm not going to say what you asked us to say but... Car and Driver also said the same thing as the article Tox found...

-pete

[pee wee]

I don't know exactly how they figure the amount of the "chicken tax", but I was starting to get the idea that it was 25% of the cost of the truck as it enters the country- not the list retail price or the eventual negotiated price. Anybody know the facts?

[ToxicSludge]

Originally Posted by pee wee

I don't know exactly how they figure the amount of the "chicken tax", but I was starting to get the idea that it was 25% of the cost of the truck as it enters the country- not the list retail price or the eventual negotiated price. Anybody know the facts?

I would imagine that it would be 25% of invoice,which is a fixed price and is constant,whereas msrp or negotiated price will vary with incentives etc.At least that is what I believe it to be based on,I could be wayyy wrong too.