Best way to find exact car

[FinanceDude]

Yep, order the car, but do not act as if they are doing a special favor or you will pay too much. As in,

"Well, I'd buy that car, but you gotta lower the price a few thousand and convince me to get a color I don't want."

"OK, you lowered the price, but I still hate the color. Maybe if you lowered the price some more, I would start to love the color."

"Thanks for lowering the price, but that color makes me puke. Can I just order the car in my color with ABS, side-impact airbags, etc and pay the same price? I can? Thanks, it's a deal."

Then when the minivan comes, "I didn't order pin-striping nor the rear spoiler. Who ever heard of a rear spoiler on a minivan? I'm not paying for those options. In fact, you will never sell this minivan with those options to anyone, but if you lower the price another few thousand, I'd be happy to take it off your hands."

I firmly believe I kicked you out of at least one dealership I worked at......

 

[Telly]

You can negotiate the same way as you do on any car. Actually, you might be able to do better on an "order-out" since the dealership doesn't pay "juice" (floorplan interest) like they do on a lot of their inventory.......

Bingo!

I have ordered every new car or truck (all except 2 of them) since the early 1970's. For buying new, I want to have exactly what I want. Ordering a car takes you out of the "impulse buyer" mainstream of auto sales, and puts you into the strange category of those who know what they want, and do not need immediate gratification. Which greatly reduces the hold over a customer.

Top salesmen will usually take an order, as it means less selling work and time for them, and adds to their unit sales total. Then they can get back onto the lot or floor to work all of those impulse buyer sheep.

I have sometimes come across salesmen who did not want to order, pulled games, etc. They were salesmen that were barely holding on, they wanted a big deposit up front from an off-the-lot sale so they could take it home that night. Losers. Just walk out. And I have. As the years went by, I have seen less of those type. But then, I don't shop on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon with a wife and kids along!

 

[travelover]

.............. Keep in mind that many options are built into "options packages" nowadays. For instance, you want intermittent wipers, but they are only available in the "Convenience Package." Naturally the "Convenience Package" has other stuff that you couldn't care less about. It's maddening.

Having been in this business, I can tell you that ultimately those packages hold the cost of the cars down and improve the quality. As someone pointed out in a earlier post, after you add up all the color and trim level possibilities and multiply them by the option possibilities the total complexity is crazy.

I can recall the day when you could order just power windows or just power door locks or both. There were four interior colors and three trim levels. The trim panels had different cutouts depending on the power window / lock combination. Also the wiring harnesses were unique depending on the power accessories ordered. Not only was it crazy stocking all the parts, but the rate of installation error was much higher.

So, in my experience, option bundling was done for the right reasons. I can see where it might be abused, but it's gotta be rare, given the competition.

 

[rescueme]

Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black.

• Remark about the Model T in 1909, published in his autobiography My Life and Work (1922) Chapter IV, [p. 71-72]

 

[Martha]

If you order a car is a deposit typical?

 

[Walt34]

I used to work for a car company. I would just order the car and have it built to my exact spec. I didn't have to dicker on the price, but I don't see why that should keep you from ordering it, after you agree on a price.

That's what I've done in the past. That said, we are those who will buy new cars but then keep them until either parts availability or reliability become issues.That's in the range of 14-18 years.

If I'm going to be living with a vehicle for that long I want it to be exactly what I want, no more and no less. The salespeople have always said it takes 6-8 weeks to get the car and that's been about right.

Was it the absolute lowest possible price? Probably not, but amortized over the length of time we keep the car it matters (to me) less and less as time goes on.

They did lower the price significantly when they realized I was a serious buyer and would put down a deposit on it. It saves the salesguy time and he's got a sale in the pipeline so he's happy about that.

 

[rescueme]

If you order a car is a deposit typical?

In my case, it was. Actually, a full retail contract was completed along with a document that stated if my trade-in was damaged before settlement that I would be liable for having it returned to current day assessed value, since they did give me a trade-in value on the day I placed the order. Additionally, a factory order document was completed where all the specifications/options I wanted was defined.

If you think about it, everything is done in the same manner as buying a car out of stock (and you pay a deposit to hold it while you complete any financial arrangements) with the exception of the factory order document and trade in value "guarantee" - which is good for both parties in the sales process.

 

[travelover]

If you order a car is a deposit typical?

Yea, it is only fair. Sometimes people order strange combinations that are impossible to later sell to someone else.

When I was w*rking, there were certain restrictions on options that you could order on your lease car for the same reasons. I recall that one year a certain color of purple was offered as an option, but we weren't allowed to order it on a lease car because they knew in a few years it would depreciate the car's resale value.

 

[Sue J]

Congratulations on being in a place in your life where you get to order exactly what you want. Nice problem to have.

 

[FinanceDude]

If you order a car is a deposit typical?

I think it is almost mandatory. Not all the cars people order are ones the dealer would want to be stuck with.........

 

[Katsmeow]

I can recall the day when you could order just power windows or just power door locks or both. There were four interior colors and three trim levels. The trim panels had different cutouts depending on the power window / lock combination. Also the wiring harnesses were unique depending on the power accessories ordered. Not only was it crazy stocking all the parts, but the rate of installation error was much higher.

So, in my experience, option bundling was done for the right reasons. I can see where it might be abused, but it's gotta be rare, given the competition.

That is interesting and I hadn't thought of it that way. That said, in this specific case, it is annoying to me.

We have a choice of getting the Town and Country Touring-L or the Town and Country Limited. Most things that are on the Limited can be obtained as an options on the Touring-L. A few things can't. Some of those I don't care about (the suede inserts on the Limited). There are two that I care about, one a little bit and the other a lot.

If you want the high intensity discharge headlamps you must buy the Limited. This is a big deal to me. I would much prefer to have them than not have them. It may end up being enough to persuade me to order the Limited.

The other is that you can get a slightly better audio system with more speakers. This is a nice to have. I might pay for it in the Limited if it wasn't much of an extra charge. But it isn't available in the Limited.

So, configuring the Limited and the Touring-L identically (except for the things that are Limited only), the Limited is $2200 more than the Touring-L. So I'm paying $2200 for HID headlamps and the better audio/speakers.

I might do that.

But....the Limited has Standard the DVD player and video screens and Sirius backseat TV (which has 3 channels -- Disney, Nickelodeon and Cartoon).

On the Touring-L that is a $2525 option ($2000 for the player/video and $525 for the backseat TV for some period of time).

We had a DVD player and screens on our old minivan and when the kids were young and we did long driving vacations it was wonderful (especially with the wireless headphones). But, now, they are older. They both have iPhones to entertain them and we hardly ever buy DVDs any more. So that whole thing is a waste.

So you might look at that the true cost of the HID headlamps and the audio is $2200 + the $2525 for the options we don't want which ends up being a $4725 upcharge.

Still haven't decided on that one. I'm sure we would get some limited use out of the DVD player but I would never buy it if I got the Touring-L. I just resent it that I can't get the HID headlamps without it.

 

[bssc]

Well, also keep in mind that a lot of stuff can be added aftermarket, such as the headlights (although I would check with a local customizer before you order). We got the basic radio and upgraded it to an HD radio for less.

 

[yakers]

Headlights should be really easy to change out. Probably <$100 for good ones. And you've got a spare. If I were a dealer I would throw in the upgraded bulbs if it made the deal.

 

[Katsmeow]

Headlights should be really easy to change out. Probably <$100 for good ones. And you've got a spare. If I were a dealer I would throw in the upgraded bulbs if it made the deal.

Hmm...that is interesting. Not sure if that would work. One thing I like about these is that if there is a car within a certain distance (so many feet) the lights will dim. Some of the complaints about the HID headlights is that they are too bright but this car alleviates that by having the dimming. Not sure if you did after market if you would get that benefit, but definitely need to look into it.

 

[bssc]

Good HID Aftermarket. There seem to be lots of options out there, in the $100-200 range for conversion kits. More if you pay someone to do it.

 

[braumeister]

keep in mind that a lot of stuff can be added aftermarket.

Very true.
When DW bought her Prius, she didn't want all the bells and whistles on the top end model, but she definitely wanted leather seats. The local dealer had leather upholstery added by a local shop at a very fair price, and the work is beautiful. You would never know it didn't come from the factory that way.

 

[chinaco]

When we buy a car... we typically go for current inventory (rather than a special order). Of course, the dealer will look for a dealer swap.

The features we "gotta have" are commonly available.

Our goals are safety, comfort, and keeping the purchase/main cost down. Now we are focusing on fuel economy also.

 

[travelover]

If you want the high intensity discharge headlamps you must buy the Limited. This is a big deal to me.............

The other is that you can get a slightly better audio system with more speakers. ............

Talk to your dealer. They will add options separately, though the parts may or may not be original equipment.

 

[Nodak]

As far as deposits on an ordered car are concerned, it depends on where you are. I've never paid a deposit on any of the four cars I've ordered. This is a low population area with only two dealerships in town (Ford and Chevy) and I've known the Ford dealer since high school.

 

[Telly]

I don't think I ever put more than $200 down as a deposit for ordering a car or truck, and that was in more modern times. I'll check the paperwork of the last few when I get a chance. I know it was only $50 back in the 70's. A top salesman can size the customer up pretty quick to see if they are the serious type or not.

Back in '73, I walked into a smaller dealership and the Mr Clothes Flash salesman said "oh, for a car like that I would need at least $500 down!". I walked. I put $50 down at a bigger dealership.

Aftermarket equipment - I would cringe at the thought of a dealer or anybody else "adding" something to a new car. "Oh yeah, I'll pick up a ground for this new stereo/whatever on one of these purple wires going up into the steering column" "I did it before and nobodys complained" "we do this all the time".

 

[BigNick]

If I was emotionally invested in a car then I'd feel really bad if something happened to it-- especially if it was due to my driver error.

Looking down the road, how would you feel if you got the car of your exact specs and then it got dinged or scratched on the way home? Would it still have been worth the extra time & effort to get precisely what you wanted

Yes, I suspect that it's a lot easier to ER if you are a satisficer rather than a maximizer...