4 ms·

I wish dealers made it easier to order cars, before the supply shortage, I couldn't get a dealer to place an order for exactly what I wanted, which was invariab

by Aloha 4y ago

I wish dealers made it easier to order cars, before the supply shortage, I couldn't get a dealer to place an order for exactly what I wanted, which was invariably never what was stocked. I'd rather return to a build to order model, with greater variety of configuration options. What I wanted was in a color not commonly stocked, with an unusual interior color, and the upgraded engine, with all the packages - but without a sunroof. That's a nearly impossible combo to find, my car is like 1 of 22. I think you need some cars on the lot for people who can't wait 3-6 weeks for a vehicle, but I think you'd see more customers move to ordering, if it was an option.

argonaut 4y ago
I don't know if this applied to your situation, but some automakers don't accept custom orders from dealers. Toyota comes to mind, for example.
bluGill 4y ago
> I think you'd see more customers move to ordering, if it was an option. Dealers AND auto makers don't like that because some people will place an order and then the next day cancel it. If the dealer instead puts them in a car that is "close enough" most people will keep the car even though it isn't perfect. They do lose customers like you who are very specific about what they want, but they gain more. (or so they think)
- Aloha 4y ago
  I'm pretty flexible on some stuff - like exterior color, but I live in Texas, and yet all the stocked cars (of the type I want) come with a black interior. Same with the sunroof problem, if I want a high end trim, it comes with everything, so at that time it meant buying what is effectively comparatively a stripper if I dont want a sunroof. The pandemic made it so they'd actually take my business, we negotiated the purchase contract at the time of order, and I got it without all of the stuff I didnt want.. like nitrogen air, tint, and the 'paint protection' BS. I did have two minor quality issues - the rear AC vent trim bit was not fully seated, I fixed that myself, the other one is the gas door sticks on, why? no idea - the dealer has tried a couple things, I've found cycling the opener 2-3 times opens it just fine.

by Aloha 4y ago

argonaut 4y ago

I don't know if this applied to your situation, but some automakers don't accept custom orders from dealers. Toyota comes to mind, for example.

bluGill 4y ago

> I think you'd see more customers move to ordering, if it was an option. Dealers AND auto makers don't like that because some people will place an order and then the next day cancel it. If the dealer instead puts them in a car that is "close enough" most people will keep the car even though it isn't perfect. They do lose customers like you who are very specific about what they want, but they gain more. (or so they think)

Aloha 4y ago
I'm pretty flexible on some stuff - like exterior color, but I live in Texas, and yet all the stocked cars (of the type I want) come with a black interior. Same with the sunroof problem, if I want a high end trim, it comes with everything, so at that time it meant buying what is effectively comparatively a stripper if I dont want a sunroof. The pandemic made it so they'd actually take my business, we negotiated the purchase contract at the time of order, and I got it without all of the stuff I didnt want.. like nitrogen air, tint, and the 'paint protection' BS. I did have two minor quality issues - the rear AC vent trim bit was not fully seated, I fixed that myself, the other one is the gas door sticks on, why? no idea - the dealer has tried a couple things, I've found cycling the opener 2-3 times opens it just fine.