Does this sound right?

On 4/20 I placed a credit card deposit of 500 dollars down for a 4x4 utility package Tacoma at my local dealer. They were going to have to order it as there are none in the southeast region. They still have not provided me with a build date and say that it could be a few more weeks and to call back in another two weeks. Does that sound right? Is that time frame normal? What would you do?

 

3 months for the truck is about the norm, maybe give it another 11 days and check in with them.

 

Did that once - 1st new vehicle purchase. When it became obvious they were jerking my chain, it was a battle of wills to get my money back- I was pretty young and I ended up getting better educated.
Good luck, your situation is probably different.

 

They have to get it on allocation. They should know whether or not they're getting one on allocation.

I'd call around to other dealers and ask if they can get one sooner and match the deal. Then go collect your deposit and put it down with a dealer who can expedite things.

You don't "order" from Toyota, that isn't how it works. You can "reserve" one from a dealer that has one coming in on a pre-planned allocation. He either has one coming in, or doesn't and is hedging his bets that he can find one from another dealer to do a dealer trade.

If a dealer has one coming on Allocation, they can print you the details on that truck with a Production VIN # which will update to a new VIN once the truck has actually been built and is in or about to be in shipping.

 

I wanted an inferno colour. Dealership told me 2-3 months from the Toyota factory to be made and sent out. I opted for Red instead. Had it a week and a half later

 

That's knowledge...,

 

Ordering a truck isnt like ordering a pizza. It will be sometime before they even pull it off the assembly line. It never hurts to contact them to see if they have any further information. But as most have said here. About 3 months is an average turn around time.

 

Yep totally normal. I waited 2 months to get a build date. I didn't put a deposit down because I knew the owner of the dealership, but I think that's pretty standard.

 

Yup, normal. But, I would email or call them every couple of weeks to check on the status. You can be really sneaky and call other dealers and tell them your situation, and tell them whoever gets you the exact truck first will get your business. They can check the allocation list for the whole region you are in, and can see what they and your dealer is getting. Allocation lists are updated about every 2weeks.

 

Not really normal if they lied and said they know they have one then didn't provide info. If they were honest and said we are waiting to see one on allocation then different story. So question to OP is what specifically Did they tell you

 

Guys and Gals

Thanks for the quick replies and the fantastic information. They did try and trade with another dealer but that dealer had someone like up for that allocation if I remember correctly. Seems like there is a consensus to put a few dealers in the game and see who can come to bat first. I have a few that want to play ball at the same price.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/so-you-want-to-buy-a-tacoma.475482/

 

good approach. can't speak for your region, but it's likely similar to the Gulf States region where allocations are based on a number of criteria including recent sales. the dealers will not always know what will actually happen with planned allocations, so what they can show you incoming on their computer there may play out, or maybe not. my order was originally allocated for a dealer and i saw it and got a printout. 2 months later it was pulled from that dealer and sent to another as it showed in the inventory system, and 6 weeks later it landed there at the second dealer. and i bought it from that dealer, in fact. took time, planning, communication, and legwork. some good salesmen helped me. but whatever they tell you probably should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

Can I just.....why is this as confusing as he'll? Wow. I read quite a bit about allocations and "ordering" before I posted but man this is frustrating its like a magic game. With the reputation that most car dealers have its hard not to take what they are telling you with a grain o salt. I don't mind waiting at all its just the lingering feeling that I'm going to call one day after months of waiting and they are gonna say sorry we just can't get what you wanted.

 

Seems like a long time especially after you've made the deposit. I had them get me a cement gray pro back in August of '16. It took about 6 weeks till I had the keys in hand but never put down a deposit, it was a handshake deal. I'd do like others suggested and check with some other nearby dealers.

 

Yes, it can be annoying. That's why if you keep bugging them, you'll learn if they are lying or not. Plus you shopping around might mean a lost sale for them.

 

One nice thing about living in California. If your neighborhood dealer doesn't have what you want, one of the other 5 dealers within a 30 mile radius will probably have what you want. I have 2 dealers within 6 miles of my house. A third 10 miles further, a forth and fifth 12 or so miles further and too many to count once you get into Los Angeles county. I'd been watching my local dealer, literally 1/4 mile away as the crow flies but about a 3 mile drive. They had 3 exactly how I wanted them. Exact same price, exact same options but 3 different colors. I wanted white. But the day I decided to go try and make a deal, someone bought it huts hours before. So my 2nd choice was MGM. And actually I couldn't be happier. Same color as my bike and a few previous vehicles I've owned over the years. Love black but I'm not one to keep a black vehicle looking like it should. So it's always been white or dark gray.

 

The problem I have is finding a utility package 4x4 that doesn't have a ton of bs bedazelers on it that they use to mark up the price. I don't need pin stripes, seat protection, cheap window tint, or an ultra platinum maintenance plan that cost a grand for 4 oil changes

 

Anybody know a good dealer outside of the south east region that's been good to work with?