Bought a Tacoma that can’t be configured or built online...

So, stopped by my local dealer last week and was haggling on a 19 DCOR in silver just like my current 16..decided I wanted to sleep on it but on way out I noticed a similar truck on lot. I asked sales guy and he said it was a loaner but manager was one driving it. 2018 DCOR short bed with 5k miles on it. Great price! Bought it less than 2 minutes later. I went home and noticed it was not on dealer site. Then I went to Toyota.com and was building it online but it wouldn’t let me, as soon as I added Premium and technology package it would make me change color. So then I thought maybe it was a 2019 and dealer was wrong on year. Couldn’t build that either. It was dark when I was at dealership, so I called dealer and said it was I accidentally looking at a cement truck? I need a color match for my current cap, has to be silver. I ended up calling Toyota customer service, Lady confirmed that it was in fact a 2018 with premium and technology package, so leather, JBL etc..she even sent mer her spec sheet on it to confirm it..
Dealership had no idea because couple of the sales guys and I tried building the car online at the dealership as well. Basically Toyota will send them vehicles configured anyway they want as a way to show off options on the vehicles...long story short I got a great buy on a nice truck, not sure how unique it is but this was news to me!

 

You aren't really 'building' a vehicle on the Toyota website like they want you to think you are. What you're doing is picking from available inventory in your region of the country.

You couldn't find that combination of features because there weren't any sitting on any of the lots within a few hundred miles of your house. They could build another one just like it tomorrow, or there could already be one across the country, but they won't build on specifically for you.

 

Aahhhhhhhhh, why didn’t the dealer know that????

 

They do... They don’t want YOU to know that!

 

The Premium Tech Package can be put on all models and are not color specific. The build website was either messed up or just not pulling the options.

Toyota doesn't make custom vehicles. It would cost obscene amounts of money to create one off random packages.

The dealer I bought my used 2013 from, had the truck listed as a TRD Sport "Special Edition" because the previous owner put ugly ass pin stripes on it and it had AMP Research power steps (on a stock height truck so useless). "Special Editions" don't exit.

 

Ha! Well it worked!!

 

I don’t know the exact details, but my truck was allocated from the factory exactly as I requested and it took about 3 months for me to get it with a mile on the clock.

 

Or they don't know. I've talked with more than a couple that don't understand the products they sell.

 

It’s my day off so now I need to drive the 60 miles to my dealership and slap the salesman for embarrassing me in front of my of my TW friends!!

 

Slap the taste out of his mouth!

 

I don't think you are picking a vehicle from dealership stock in your area as if that was the case it would only take days for dealer with your particular truck to transfer to your dealer not 3 to 6 months as is typical for an "order".
I believe when you 'special order' a vehicle you are choosing from factory inventory already built or vehicles already allocated to soon be built.

I agree, the salesman I finally purchased from was VERY knowledgeable on Tacomas, however some I encountered along the way didn't seen to have a clue on even basic info such as available colors and trim packages.

 

I own a 18 TRD Sport access cab with tech and premium, 4x2 AT, White. It could not be built that way on the Tacoma Build Your Own site. When I called Toyota I was told that configuration was only available in California and only in Silver.
I went to the Memphis Penske Toyota dealership, they said no problem. 12 weeks later I watched them unload it off the transporter.

 

Please bear with my new car ignorance (hard to believe, but I've made it to 47 years old buying one new car, which my wife actually did and it was off the lot). I understand that any particular vehicle is not really "custom" but rather from a matrix of configurations and options and the Toyota website builder is just an inventory search.

So when you get a dealer willing to actually "order" what you want (which is of course within the manufacturer's system) aren't you actually having Toyota build it? What I'm confused about is it seems like Ford on the Super Duty trucks can do semi-custom in the sense that you can option individual things and get a truck built pretty specifically down to individual items like ratios and locking diffs. I know that when you're building a truck with Ford picking certain things locks out or forces others, so I get that it's not infinitely configurable.

It seems like it would be less efficient at some point to attempt to predict all the configurations for scheduling and attempt to line up builds with buyers later. Obviously Ford and all of them know the typical builds that are popular and that's what is built daily. But if an OEM accepts "orders" then they must be able to schedule specific builds at some level.

Maybe that's it, that Toyota doesn't really allow options but is telling you "Here's the array of Tacomas, pick your color." So that when you "order" one the dealer is just putting your name on the list for the next run of that part number and color.

So Toyota may build a unicorn for some reason, mistake, special internal use, I dunno. But there's no way for an individual dealer to predict it or get another. I assume a big enough fleet buyer could get Toyota to build them a special version, though.

 

^Most likely this. I had to educate the salesman on the drivetrain differences between the standard 4WD 4Runner and the Limited (wife would destroy the part-time 4WD). And he drives a 4Runner.

 

So true. When I went in to buy any Tacoma, I was small talking with the old lady sales lady and I was like yeah my 2nd gen 4runner has lasted forever, 250,000 miles and still strong. Then she was spewing out crap about it that wasn’t even true. Like do you even Toyota??

 

Toyota has already made a preliminary schedule to build it and have the correct option parts ordered to be on-site at the build date. As my salesman put it, it's easy to get the paint changed, it's not easy to get the other parts changed. IOTW, the dreaded just-in-time system which means don't keep inventory on-hand if you don't need to. When you order it, that vehicle is basically being taken from somebody else meaning reallocated. A Toyota employee on TW indicated that they were allowed to truly order vehicles. So it can happen but not for you or me.

Talk about Ford and the old days. Ford produced 2 versions of the V-8. While dealers weren't really aware of it, you could order a specific version if you knew how. My father was a Ford engine designer, he knew how He would bring home the specific vehicle ordering/option books. They were about 6 inches deep worth of paper. That wasn't a good system to maximize profit.

Edited to add this:
Remember, this whole ordering thing only applies to options/accessories that must be factory installed. Many of the options are port and/or post-purchase installed.

 

No.

What happens is Toyota makes X amount of trucks in N configurations. There is a set number of trucks made of each type from Toyota. Once they are made, they are made. No more trucks of that model year will be produced.

You go to a dealer and say I want X, Y, Z and E in my truck. The dealer will put that request into Toyota. So when a truck comes off the line meeting all your requests, it will be assigned a VIN and sent to your dealer. The only exceptions being if production is close to done and there are no more being made, or TRD Pros where dealers only get a certain amount regardless of orders. If a dealer is only set to get 4 allocations for TRD Pros, it doesn't matter if they have orders for 8. They will only get 4.

It's a request, not an order. There is NO promise your dealer will ever get a truck you order. There is a possibility that all trucks coming off the line you want already have requests in or production from Toyota has stopped.

It's basically just a form of standing in line for what you want on a first come first serve basis.

Ford does custom orders in that you can order a truck in virtually every configuration you want and have it delivered to any dealer. There are a few exceptions like they don't make Lariats, King Ranches, and Platinums in single cabs, or certain engine trans combos on certain body configurations.
When I submit an order to Ford for my truck, they will make that exact one especially for me, assign me a VIN, and send it to any dealer I want.

In addition, if I want a panoramic roof on my F-150 XLT (basically the equivalent of an SR5 in Toytoas) they can put one on for me. Toyota will NOT add features only available from one trim to another. It has to be something they make.
Before 2016 Toyota did not make an Off Road in a double cab long bed and they still wouldn't make one for you even though they could just throw a locker on an SR5 double cab long bed and change the suspension and TADA you have an Off Road with a long bed.
Ford would however be able to do that.

 

@PackCon & @daveometrod - thank you for the run down. I have a better understanding. I think "first come, first served" analogy brought it home. Thinking back it makes sense and that must be more or less how Toyota has always operated. It's ironic that their system seems like Henry Ford's originally: "You can have any color you want as long as it's black."

ETA: I suspect comparing to building Ford trucks, particularly Super Duty, is apples to oranges. Since there's so many different buyers and more of them they have to be able to accommodate special uses. I assume they are less flexible on the majority of their models.

 

Did you try using a different zip code and building the truck? Chances are it's simply from another zip code. Some options are not available in certain zip codes and to get them you have to go outside your code.
Long story but if you want to hear it I'll explain. Let me know.

 

No. Not at all true.
Toyota is not steering you into "building" only what they have in inventory and building a vehicle on Toyotas site is no different than any other manufacturer with one exception:
Regional content.
There are 12 regions throughout the US. Each region orders all (not just Tacoma, everything) vehicles that they think will sell, down to the color in their region from Toyota. Most of these vehicles are the same. Most options are the same, but there are minor differences. For example, there will be far less 4WD's in Florida ordered than in WV.

That's how it works. Instead of ordering from Toyota proper you are ordering from one of their distributors. Their distributors sell to your local dealer. But, the only way their distributors know what to buy is by demand created in their region by the customer. So, if there is some odd combination not offered in your zip code then there simply wasn't enough of a demand.