The truth about "ordering" a truck from the dealer?

Lots of facts here already, sorry it's not what you want to agree with. Good luck.

 

FYI.. this information quoted is directly from Toyota Customer Care. The rest of my posts are based on information given to me by my friend who is a purchasing manager for a Toyota dealership who handles all of their inventory orders, and from my experience with my own truck order.

 

I first tried to order a 4x4 base with the sr package. Put a deposit down. Dealer would call me once a week for a month telling me the computer is not showing one and it could be a long wait.

After 5 wks. I just ordered a sr5. And it took the order the next day, had the truck 6 weeks later.

So you can't always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you will get what you need.

 

Include Mercedes and Mini. My wife ordered those as her last two cars. The Mini was great. Just went to their online configurator (Build My Mini) and picked color, options, options within options, suspension, tires, wheels, stripe scheme, trans, interior trim, any additional exterior trim, what stereo, nav/no nav, different headlights, etc.
Then printed that off and took it to our Mini dealer and they punched in all the codes and 2.5 months later, it was at the dealer. Exactly as she wanted it.

 

When I was shopping for my first Tacoma, an 07 Sport access cab, I wanted a 6-speed. I enjoy driving a manual more than an auto but anywhos. I was looking for a specific truck. Black, Sport, access cab with the 6-speed. Went to the dealer, and was told that ordering a specific truck was not possible. All you can do is "hold" one and if possible, change the options on it but Toyota has to approve it. Needless to say, I could not get a Sport with a manual. There were plenty of Off Roads, just no sports.

As others have said, Toyota approves builds. I know for a fact that every Camry built in Georgetown is already sold to a dealer and cannot be changed once a VIN is assigned.

 

I think, and I may be wrong, but Cadillac allows you to custom order as well on the Escalade and ATS.

 

I had a similar experience where one dealer said it couldn't be done, then went back on that and said it was a hassle trying to get me to bit on something siting on the lot. I came to the conclusion that that particular dealer just didn't want to mess with the ordering process. So I went to another dealer and ordered my rig in May of 2013 to spec, I just had to wait the 6-week build & delivery time.

 

My dealer whom I will always be loyal too. Boss woman and I have purchased 11 Toyota's and custom ordered last 2 Tacoma's. They were delivered as ordered without any issue.
Just sayin'.
Fact.
Note a dealer has X amt of allocation. They typically place their orders into Toyota as early as possible based on past sales and what they feel will sell.
On my last order my dealer was able to go in and change a few specs prior to build to meet my needs on an already ordered truck.
I will tell you it is easier for a dealer to find a truck within the region with specs that may not be exact but, close and dealer trade truck for truck. Quite a few dealers will not even dealer trade unless the asking dealer has a unicorn.
You will find that many dealers know that they sell the highest selling truck in the US not having to do back flips to sell their inventory. Unfortunate.

 

can a dealer order any car with any options that are available-
answer-Yes
can the factory change that order-
answer-Yes

now what your looking for the grey area-

dealers dont like to order cars cause they might get stuck with it(bad color,bad options that no one wants)

most dealers order what is popular(what most want) so it sells fast-
dealers are on a floor plan and have 90 days to sell that car before they have to start paying interest on it (3% per month of its invoice amount)

i have only sold cars in california,but most states have same or close rules.
dealers cant keep a deposit in california(against the law) and even if i paper you(sign a contract) its doesnt matter cause you havent drove it off the lot.legally you dont own it til it crosses onto public land(driving it off the lot)
in dealer land they want to sell you a car a fast as possible as you might change your mind

so all dealers get the same cost (invoice) but this is where larger dealers rule and get special treatment,the big boy gets his cars and his picks first.
thats how allocation works.
i am dead on with my facts as i worked for stealer ships for 20yrs and ran this side of dealership work when i was internet manager.

hope this answers the question for the op and others on how dealers really work.
its all about now and not later.its sales remember!

 

Said I wanted a Prerunner, DCSB, SR5, tow, all weather mats.
Was told that mid-atlantic Toyota region didn't order/stock that combination, in particular any prerunner with the tow package. Checked around and found none with this combination, only SO's.
So what i did is checked other dealers thruout the country who'd show stickers on their sites for a prerunner currently being made; only difference was that all were shipped with alloy's.
Copied that sticker exactly (added alloy's) and put down a deposit. Dealer said it was subject to price changes, and they may still reject the order for various reasons. They didn't as apparently the prerunner with tow is ordered in other regions as stock, just needed to get into the pipeline, and divert one to the east coast!! Ordered November 19th, build date 15 Dec, arrived 3 January. (just in time for a $500 rebate i wasn't expecting.
So yes, order, but you may have to get combinations you're not expecting to meet factory build restrictions/planning...
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Caveat: Dealers will do the bait/switch on vehicles they say can exchange with another dealer.
If a dealer sez they'll get you your vehicle, put down only so much money and SO MUCH TIME (e.g. a week) to restrict them to their promise. They may say it'll come in a couple of days, and then it isn't the right equipment. But you've signed a 30 day deal so you're stuck for a month. I got nailed by one dealer on my '02 taco, and he's lost a customer forever. They can and will do this more than once if you allow them as your customer order allows them to dx as they want, and get yours on day 29. And it still may not be the right one....

 

In my experience you can order certain combinations of 'wants', but others not. For instance if the dealer cannot allocate a certain color, you can special order that and as soon as Toyota builds one in that color, that has not already been allocated by another dealer, then they put your name on it. Easy.
However, if you want a Tacoma TRD Offroad, but you want a color matched Sport grill and hood with scoop, they will not do that.
We ordered my wife's minivan like that. Any combination of options within the EX-L model could be ordered, but not anything that is for instance only available on the Touring model.

 

I see so many posts claiming that people can still just order what they want yet no one has shown proof of this. I want to see someones checklist that shows they are ordering options that cross packages and defy automatic option deletes and that they took delivery of the exact vehicle they want.

Here's a way to do it. Show me a regular cab 4x4 with the skewp, the Baja package, with a Pro grille. Then and only then would you prove your claims.

 

DUDES....I NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT ORDERING OPTIONS THAT CROSS PACKAGES AND TRIMS....I simply want to order a certain color, in a certain trim, with a suspension option and paint film option that is part of a certain trim package....I'm not talking bout Building my on package....

 

I told the dealer what I wanted and gave them two choices on color they went to another state a got it from another dealer no problem.

 

When I got my 2012 TRD sport dcsb I wanted it with the 17 inch rims and not the 18 inch bling bling rims. I went to the same place I have brought 9 Toyotas from and my friend said he is going to try to get it from another dealership first. Long story short in early 2012 Toyota wasn't shipping sport short bed models with 17 inch rims to the northeast region...so according to my friend he couldn't allocate one. Mine was a special order, within a week he had a vin number and 5 weeks later it shipped from Texas. Additionally he did tell me he could order any vehicle he wanted but only during certain months of the year. I don't honestly know what the truth is but I had very accurate info from the beginning and like I stated I even knew as the truck was being built.

 

I remember those days!!, I have purchased two vehicles that way, Yes, sitting down with the "option" page, & it was specific, kind of fun, but I am sure that way of buying vehicles is long gone!!

 

FACTS:

If you can build it on Toyota's website the right dealer can order it. Obviously you have to stay withing the packages and accessories offered by Toyota (you aren't going to be able to order a scooped hood on an OR model or a rear locker on a Sport).

I ordered my 2013 OR in mid September of 2012, and took delivery the first week of November 2012. When I ordered my truck, I called the nearest five or six dealers to me going out a couple hours from where I live. Only one of these dealers were willing to actually order the truck I wanted and the others tried to tell me that it wasn't possible or tried to sell me something on their lot. It was the largest Toyota dealer in my tri-state area that was able willing to do the order for me.

When I ordered, what they did was pick out a similar truck in a different color that they already had ordered for their dealership, but it didn't hit the factory line yet. Then they simply changed options over the computer on that same VIN, and added the all weather flooring and other options/accessories that I wanted. The all weather flooring option was the main reason I had to order as no Tacos were pre-built with it. That's what my dealer told me, and why they wouldn't be able to locate one anywhere else in the country.

 

Also don't think you have to pay a premium to order a Tacoma. I got a good deal on my order, at slightly under invoice and came out to slightly under MSRP out the door after TTL. I asked my salesman how much I could save by getting the same truck in a leftover 12', with a different color and no all weather flooring. He pretty much said it would be the exact same price, just no wait, and they had zero price difference between their leftover 12s and new 13's that were just about to hit the lot in the near future.

Some of the other closer dealers to me weren't willing to order, or budge more than $500 under MSRP on a truck with a different color and options than I really wanted. Just goes to show that all dealers are different, and don't get discouraged if the first two or three you talk to are like that.

 

This is my exact situation....the deLer willing to order for me is the largest around and I have a buying and service history with them. f those other dealers who keep lying to me! Was looking at. 4 Runner the other day and the sales guy came up to me and I asked how long they have been sitting on the truck...he says...just TWO DAYS! I called him out right then as I has been eyeing the truck on the lot for the past 2 weeks. Dumb ass didn't even know they are coming out with a new Taco. Tried to tell me the pro was the redesign! Ha! The. Tried to tell me that the 4 runner could not be order cause they are built in Japan.

Will be ORDERING from my local trusted dealer soon!

 

Go with the dealer that can walk the talk. I had a similar experience with bullshit artist dealers. I hate when salesmen in cheap suits assume your stooopid. I worked several dealers online until my local dealer pulled through with the truck I wanted. I didn't even leave the house until I went up to buy the truck.