NFT: Buying a new car - question on ordering from the dealer

but some brands only allocate a certain number of builds to each dealership. If that's the case, maybe this dealership just orders the ones that sell best.

Each dealership is different though, so I'd recommend calling another local dealership and asking them.

the more cars the dealership sells, the more allocation they get to build new ones.

I know with Jeep, you technically can order from every dealership but the smaller ones won't admit to it since they want you to clear out the inventory they have on the lot.

will actually custom build your car and you can track its progress, shipping, etc. Not sure if Honda or others do the same thing. My Challenger actually came with the sticker with all accessories, options, and msrp. Sticker even said "custom built for....". I bought mine in the middle of micro chip shortage and still had my car in 60 days.

Same deal as you found for Toyota Rav4 and Lexus hybrids.
Get on a list and take what comes in maybe 9 months down the road. Toyota wanted $7500 over list and Lexus wanted to tack on $3200 dollars worth of crap that one would never otherwise order.
So it was sayonara hybrids and ordered a BMW X3 with what we wanted and had it built and delivered in seven weeks, under list.
So it depends on the brand, demand and dealers.

You should be able to order.

when I spoke to a dealer (diff brand though).

He told me he could not spec order my car but he can edit his own allocation and make it how I wanted it. So really the same thing since the car had not been built yet.

He went into his inventory stack, found a model that was earmarked for the dealer and he changed the color/packages until it was what I wanted. he asked for a $5k non refundable deposit to secure it and there was no price negotiation (there was a markup). I didn't end up taking it but that was my experience.

try to find a DCH dealership. They are the largest on the east coast and will probably have what you want in stock. My 06 CRV has 150k+ on it so let me know how you make out.

In comment 16072929 Jim in Forest Hills said:

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when I spoke to a dealer (diff brand though). He told me he could not spec order my car but he can edit his own allocation and make it how I wanted it. So really the same thing since the car had not been built yet. He went into his inventory stack, found a model that was earmarked for the dealer and he changed the color/packages until it was what I wanted. he asked for a $5k non refundable deposit to secure it and there was no price negotiation (there was a markup). I didn't end up taking it but that was my experience.

The non-refundable deposit and no price negotiation are red flags to me. Unless you are majorly customizing the vehicle with some weird paint choice or it is an exotic car, if you back out there will be another buyer.

on new car builds because programs change. I know BMW does and I think ford started to, but most don't.

if you can hold out a few more months, the dealers will be hurting again so deals should be better. I have been watching the certified pre own prices and they are already dropping like a stone. They bought too much inventory when you couldn't get new cars due to chip shortages.

In comment 16072937 NNJ Tom said:

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if you can hold out a few more months, the dealers will be hurting again so deals should be better. I have been watching the certified pre own prices and they are already dropping like a stone. They bought too much inventory when you couldn't get new cars due to chip shortages.

With interest rates rising that should be the case, but with brands like Honda and Toyota there is still a shortage of vehicles. I dont think that will be resolved in a few months unless the economy gos full recession.

That's like going into Macdonald's and they tell you they have to special order a Big Mac from the factory.

There are a million of these on the road

In general, when buying a car, you should assume that everything that comes out of the dealer's mouth is a lie.

And this sounds like total BS to me.

where they didn't have the color I wanted so they traded with another dealer. I think they do that a lot down here. Not sure how common this is common in other states though.

You really have two choices.

Either order from what they already have on order/incoming vehicles.

Or you can do a special order for what you want. This option, especially for hybrids, take FAR longer.

I think the dealer is trying to steer you in the way to get you your car the fastest. I try and convince my customers to do the same thing. It makes sense if you can deal with what they have. If not, you’ll just wait longer.

1. I just got a new Pilot from Sussex Honda in NJ.
2. Had to put refundable 500 deposit and wait 6-7 weeks for it to come in.
3. I don’t know if they just happened to have the particular color I wanted coming in or had to order it but it was available.
4. They DO NOT mark up the cars. I ran into several dealerships in the area that lied about pricing, availability or just flat out added 10k to the price of the car and told me it was a “dealer markup”.
5. Don’t go to planet Honda in Union or Bridgewater Honda

told me the only way to get a bronco is to order it at the ford website. It will come to the dealer and he will not add anything to msrp.

The dealer can only get one bronco at a time unless it's ordered by a customer and they tack on 5g as soon as it hits the lot.

they usually will deal with another dealership to swap inventory to get what you want. Unless you have a very unique request of model and features, it shouldn't be that difficult. That said, I haven't looked at hybrids, so it is possible the market for them is even tighter than regular models.

I recently got into a new Nissan Rogue after 3 RAV4s over 9 years. We had been loyal to Toyota, but every time they called to discuss buying our most recent model at a nice gain for us (thank you low mileage), it never made any sense because it would cost us about $150 more per month to get into a new one. The same was true of comparable Hondas, Hyundais, Kias, Suburus. The only manufacturer we could into a new model at relatively the same price was Nissan.

Typically domestic brands will be happy to build to order for you. There are sometimes some exceptions on very low volume or crazy high demand situations.

Most import brands will not build to order because it takes so long to get the vehicle built to spec, then shipped by sea followed by rail/truck to the dealer for delivery. Their dealers have to go with what they can get. If a model is actually built in the US or Canada, then you might be able to get a specific spec order.

In comment 16073020 Red Dog said:

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Typically domestic brands will be happy to build to order for you. There are sometimes some exceptions on very low volume or crazy high demand situations. Most import brands will not build to order because it takes so long to get the vehicle built to spec, then shipped by sea followed by rail/truck to the dealer for delivery. Their dealers have to go with what they can get. If a model is actually built in the US or Canada, then you might be able to get a specific spec order.

A high percentage of the big import brands are manufactured in North America. Honda builds the CR-Vs the OP is interested in in Ohio and Indiana.

In comment 16073020 Red Dog said:

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Typically domestic brands will be happy to build to order for you. There are sometimes some exceptions on very low volume or crazy high demand situations. Most import brands will not build to order because it takes so long to get the vehicle built to spec, then shipped by sea followed by rail/truck to the dealer for delivery. Their dealers have to go with what they can get. If a model is actually built in the US or Canada, then you might be able to get a specific spec order.

Except the large foreign manufacturers have multiple factories in the US. In some cases it is easier to get a domestically built Toyota or Honda, for example, than Ford or Chevy, which could be built in Canada or Mexico.

In comment 16072970 Steve L said:

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You really have two choices. Either order from what they already have on order/incoming vehicles. Or you can do a special order for what you want. This option, especially for hybrids, take FAR longer. I think the dealer is trying to steer you in the way to get you your car the fastest. I try and convince my customers to do the same thing. It makes sense if you can deal with what they have. If not, you’ll just wait longer.

This is it right here...

In comment 16072970 Steve L said:

Quote:

You really have two choices. Either order from what they already have on order/incoming vehicles. Or you can do a special order for what you want. This option, especially for hybrids, take FAR longer. I think the dealer is trying to steer you in the way to get you your car the fastest. I try and convince my customers to do the same thing. It makes sense if you can deal with what they have. If not, you’ll just wait longer.

This is it right here...

a Ford, mid-pandemic - I submitted the order in May 2021 and got it in September 2021.

they told me around 16 weeks when I submitted it and it was almost exactly 16 weeks.

No idea why Honda wouldn't do this same thing.

If you're not in a hurry maybe see if this is an option - I would think even directly on honda.com - maybe they have a "build your vehicle" link or something similar.

my local dealership did try and sell me all the off-color and non-desirable leftovers they had on the lot, but why settle if you're buying the vehicle?

and then go through all of the steps at the end to get linked up with a local dealer to make the order.

Maybe there is something different with the way Honda runs their programs, but this does seem a little bit off and first blush.

(Some is a repeat of previous posts.)

Looking for a pickup....

Ford:
get what you want? 7-8 month lead time, and no promise that all the specialty but less important parts will be on the vehicle. You will have to bring it back if/when parts to complete it come in.
$5k surcharge over MSRP on all new. (They had a Shelby GT in the showroom that had a $25k surcharge on it!?)
Several of the new vehicles I looked at in December are still sitting there. Waiting them out till the end of this month and quarter to see how hungry they are to knock that $5k off.
They are only getting 25% of their normal vehicle allocation.
May be able to trade with another dealer.

Toyota:
Also getting only 25% of allocation.
Cannot order exactly what you want as of now.
They have a list of specs on what is on the way to them and you can pick from those.
No markup over MSRP.
Two dealers said they are bound by geographic boundaries, others said they can sell to anyone. ??

I'm all about supporting local businesses, but car sales are one of the exceptions. The entire process of buying a car has always been so bad that I will go to dealerships that are far away just to pit them against one another.

I realize dealerships exist b/c they were a legislated form of consumer protection during the early car era, but they are dinosaurs that need to be eliminated.

Upper Valley in WRJ. Have purchased from both.

Also Grappone and Berlin City in NH

You can still have it serviced at your local dealership

Play them off against each other for price and you'll save a lot. Dealers routinely trade cars with each other for colors and features. You should be able to get it easily.

In comment 16072974 TJ said:

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told me the only way to get a bronco is to order it at the ford website. It will come to the dealer and he will not add anything to msrp. The dealer can only get one bronco at a time unless it's ordered by a customer and they tack on 5g as soon as it hits the lot.

Misleading statements by the dealer. As far as I know, Ford dealerships get monthly allocations based on their historical sales volume. I am fortunate enough to be dealing with Stamford Ford in CT which is probably the highest volume Ford shop in the state.

I had to resubmit my order as a model year 23, but both orders I made were in the sales rep's office. They took no deposit because of the lead times (my first order was December 2021). They also gave me straight MSRP with a few hundred vig for their bs fees, but I'm not inclined to haggle, especially when other dealerships across the country are flat out lying to people, marking the vehicle up like hell and taking $2.5k deposits.

My observation of various forums indicates that there is a direct relationship between the a dealer's low allocation/distance from population centers and the levels to which they will exhibit bad behavior.

I would advise the OP to talk to several dealerships and measure the variance in the responses. Somebody out there will likely be a path of least resistance. Some dealerships focus on volume; that's who you want to deal with.

Planet Honda in Union, NJ, shows a 2023 black CRV hybrid in their inventory.
CRV Hybrid - ( New Window )

Why is the price crossed out? Does that mean markup or discount?

from the factory. It's solely up to those manufacturers what is manufactured, then allocated regionally, and to individual dealers, for colors and options. Also, many of those advertisements you see online are already sold, but the dealers keep their ads up to attract potential future buyers for their dealerships.

In comment 16072970 Steve L said:

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You really have two choices. Either order from what they already have on order/incoming vehicles. Or you can do a special order for what you want. This option, especially for hybrids, take FAR longer. I think the dealer is trying to steer you in the way to get you your car the fastest. I try and convince my customers to do the same thing. It makes sense if you can deal with what they have. If not, you’ll just wait longer.

Steve, what dealership are you at and do you work with brokers?

In comment 16074644 Kmed6000 said:

Quote:

In comment 16072970 Steve L said: Quote: You really have two choices. Either order from what they already have on order/incoming vehicles. Or you can do a special order for what you want. This option, especially for hybrids, take FAR longer. I think the dealer is trying to steer you in the way to get you your car the fastest. I try and convince my customers to do the same thing. It makes sense if you can deal with what they have. If not, you’ll just wait longer. Steve, what dealership are you at and do you work with brokers?

My recent experience was with a broker for the first time. It went very well. The first time I had a car deivered to me.

In comment 16074644 Kmed6000 said:

Quote:

In comment 16072970 Steve L said: Quote: You really have two choices. Either order from what they already have on order/incoming vehicles. Or you can do a special order for what you want. This option, especially for hybrids, take FAR longer. I think the dealer is trying to steer you in the way to get you your car the fastest. I try and convince my customers to do the same thing. It makes sense if you can deal with what they have. If not, you’ll just wait longer. Steve, what dealership are you at and do you work with brokers?

I’m at Bob Johnson Chevrolet in Rochester. We are the the largest Chevy dealership in the northeast, believe it or not. And fifth largest in the country by volume. I’ve worked with brokers before.