My First Tacoma! Still Waiting

Hi all! I have searched the forums for info and have gathered a lot of useful information. Thank you all for that!

On 9/21/2020, I ordered a 2021 Tacoma TRD Off-Road from my local dealership in Boise, ID. I had to order as they did not have a single truck in the lot. No Tacomas. No Tundras. They required a small non-refundable deposit to order. It was only $1k.

Due to Covid-19, things aren't "normal" so I'm looking for input from anyone with recent information. I got a 10/16 production date and a VIN number that looks like a placeholder type VIN.

Based on what I've read in these forums, I don't expect to see my Tacoma until mid-November. Is that a realistic assumption? During "normal" times, I believe this is a good assumption. In today's world, I'm not so sure. Any current insight would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all and stay safe!

 

Welcome.

 

Thank you!

 

I’ve seen some people here already get there 2021’s while Others are waiting for the 20’s. There’s the lunar rock thread you can read up on.

I could be wrong here, but deposits should be refundable, ‘fees’ are not. So if you put down $1k ‘deposit’, you should be able to get it refunded.

edit: also the “what are you paying” thread for 2021’s might have some better answers for you there.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/what-are-you-paying-for-your-2021-tacoma-price-thread.685728/

Welcome to TW!

 

Congrats and welcome!!!

If the "VIN" they gave you has a letter in the last 4 digits it is a pre-build VIN. You can go to the Toyota owners site, put the VIN in and download the spec sheet for your truck. Not a lot of detail but it will show the configuration and any factory/port options scheduled for your truck. Keep checking the site every day - when your truck is in production the actual VIN will have been assigned and the one you have will no longer be valid.

Your dealership will be able to give you the actual VIN within a day or so of it being built. They will also be able to give you a copy of the pipeline tracking sheet for you truck which will reflect anticipated port and dealership arrival dates. If you've got a good salesperson, he/she will send you a new sheet from time to time.

This was the last one I got before my 2020 was delivered.

 

When I ordered mine, it was a $500 non refundable deposit.

 

Don't feel bad ... I ordered mine (2020) in early June and had to wait till mid Sept to get it. And THAT was finding a dealer who was willing to order what I wanted. The Toyota dealers in Spokane and Coeur d'Alene wanted nothing to do with me, unless I wanted to buy something they already had sitting on the lot. (Which wasn't much) They simply did not want to go through the trouble. (??)
I had to order/buy mine from the Toyota dealer in Kalispel MT. (4 hours each way from where I live) ... And they bent over backwards to get me what I wanted.
The only thing this told me was that the dealers boo-hooing about current situations and crying about lost sales because of 'COVID' .. Well, you just need to step yer game up. If somebody else can bust their butt to get me what I want and make a sale, why won't you?
That's not to say that you may not have to wait for a new build, (I did) but it seems that some are waaaay more willing to make you a happy customer and others ... Not so much.

 

do they at least put it towards the truck if you decide to purchase?

 

I would hope so

 

Yes. I had to pay $500 down also. But i knew it was gonna be awhile, so no matter. Just a matter of waiting..

 

Back when I ordered my 2018 in February of 2018, it was May 2018 when it finally came in.

 

Yeah, it went towards the truck. Just more of an incentive for people to actually follow through with their pre-orders/deposits. They must make a killing off the non-refundable deposits though. The day before I got in there they had 3-4 of them with their pre-orders cancelled so I picked the one I liked best. Sales dude guessed it might've been a fleet pre-order from a company that folded.

 

Excited for ya!

 

I didn't check with Edmark. I've always had really good experiences with the Peterson's so that was my first and only stop. They were solid and took care of our needs. My wife actually ended up ordering a RAV4 XSE Hybrid too. I did check the local online inventory and wasn't able to find anything except for the dealer in Ontario. They listed the exact same truck I ordered. Their website said it was in stock. I didn't follow up with them since I put $1K deposit down on the Tacoma and another $1K for the RAV4. They said they were non-refundable deposits. It's "only" $1K but I really don't want to lose any money if I don't have to. I'll continue to wait and do whatever checking I can.

As for Peterson's service department, I've used it a few times and it always seems to take way too long.

Thank you for the awesome response!

 

Thank you! They called it a deposit but said it was non-refundable. Based in what you're saying it wasn't really a deposit. They told me that's the only way to ensure I would get my Tacoma.

Thank you for the link. I'll be sure to check there as well!

 

This is very helpful. Thank you! I'll jump on the owner's site and poke around. I think I have an account there already. I set it up when I bought a RAV4 a couple of years ago. Thanks again!

 

Valid points. I have bought several vehicles from this specific auto group over the years and have always had good experiences. I probably should've shopped around some to see if another dealer would've tried harder or could've gotten one in sooner. Lesson learned I suppose. Thanks for the reply!

 

Is the site where I can enter the VIN www.toyota.com/owners or something else? The photo you shared looks like some kind of dealer site. When I log into toyota.com/owners, entering the VIN isn't recognized. Thanks for your help.

 

Manufacturers should have a pick up at the plant option. For the people who are very impatient about their orders. Maybe include a build video and a special certificate. Then charge them an extra $1500 for it, all the while still keeping the destination fee on the sticker price as well.

 

What devious6 said. Ask your dealer for the Dealer Daily. They can screen shoot it and email to you. Then ask for updates.