Special order 1966 Dodge Dart experience was enough for me. Not doing that again, NEVER EVER.
Anyone ever ordered a new vehicle verses car lot ?
- Thread starter Mr Nice
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Originally Posted By: Yah-Tah-Hey
Special order 1966 Dodge Dart experience was enough for me. Not doing that again, NEVER EVER.
What happened?
Special order 1966 Dodge Dart experience was enough for me. Not doing that again, NEVER EVER.
What happened?
Originally Posted By: Wolf359
Anyone ever do European delivery?
Yes.
Anyone ever do European delivery?
Yes.
Yes I factory ordered my wrangler.
I built it the way I wanted it online then printed it out (with the price blacked out). Brought the printout to the dealer and asked him to give me a price. I was happy with what he said so I signed the contract and he ordered it with zero fuss.
There was a guy on one of the wrangler forums who worked for FCA and if you become a supporting member of the forum (I think it was 15 or 20bux) he would track it through the system. So I got updated when it was being built and moved through the different parts of the factory (Framing, paint, etc). Then got updated as it moved through the rail system. It was delivered on a sunday night at my dealer. I drove there and sure enough there it was with the window sticker saying (Built for _____ _____) on the top.
I showed up in the morning when they opened and signed the original contract they typed up 2 months before. No games with the numbers or anyhting.
The worst part was the wait but If I ever buy another car I would factory order it again. The new car I got off the lot before I had to compromise on some things and was never really happy with it. I don't like paying for stuff I don't want or need.
I built it the way I wanted it online then printed it out (with the price blacked out). Brought the printout to the dealer and asked him to give me a price. I was happy with what he said so I signed the contract and he ordered it with zero fuss.
There was a guy on one of the wrangler forums who worked for FCA and if you become a supporting member of the forum (I think it was 15 or 20bux) he would track it through the system. So I got updated when it was being built and moved through the different parts of the factory (Framing, paint, etc). Then got updated as it moved through the rail system. It was delivered on a sunday night at my dealer. I drove there and sure enough there it was with the window sticker saying (Built for _____ _____) on the top.
I showed up in the morning when they opened and signed the original contract they typed up 2 months before. No games with the numbers or anyhting.
The worst part was the wait but If I ever buy another car I would factory order it again. The new car I got off the lot before I had to compromise on some things and was never really happy with it. I don't like paying for stuff I don't want or need.
I've bought four new vehicles in my life and they were all bought off of the lot. I'm too impatient to order and have to wait for it to be built. I'm pretty flexible on options for the most part so I don't feel the need to order.
My wife and I did not want to deal with picking up a car in her exact desired color combo/option of 3rd row at a massive VW dealer 45 mins away across border. Would have entailed 2 round trips and us footing bill for $45 inspection sticker etc.
We paid the dealer an extra $500 over in stock prices to deal with transporting the vehicle up and saving 3hrs of our lives x2 + childcare or dragging them + $50.
We paid the dealer an extra $500 over in stock prices to deal with transporting the vehicle up and saving 3hrs of our lives x2 + childcare or dragging them + $50.
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: Yah-Tah-Hey
Special order 1966 Dodge Dart experience was enough for me. Not doing that again, NEVER EVER.
What happened? Too old for the aggravation again.
Originally Posted By: Yah-Tah-Hey
Special order 1966 Dodge Dart experience was enough for me. Not doing that again, NEVER EVER.
What happened? Too old for the aggravation again.
I've never ordered one per spec but I've driven 65-miles to a dealer that had what I wanted in stock. If they have to trade inventory it cost them money. You won't get the best deal. You almost always are going to get the best deal on something that is sitting in their inventory. I'm cheap so I find what I want and wander into the dealer not letting them know that I have a specific model in mind. I don't want to give them leverage for the negotiation so I test drive the car that I am interested in and then let them go through their standard sales schmuck to attempt to work me on it and they eventually get to the question "what would it take for you to buy it today".
Go at the end of the month too.
Go at the end of the month too.
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted By: CKN
There are so many headaches in ordering a car it's unbelievable.
For those who haven't had issues.....congratulations.
I haven't had any headaches at all, unless you count having to wait longer than usual to get the car. Other than that, it's no different than buying new off the lot.
What are all these multiple headaches you're referring to anyhow?
There are so many headaches in ordering a car it's unbelievable.
For those who haven't had issues.....congratulations.
I haven't had any headaches at all, unless you count having to wait longer than usual to get the car. Other than that, it's no different than buying new off the lot.
What are all these multiple headaches you're referring to anyhow?
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: CKN
There are so many headaches in ordering a car it's unbelievable.
For those who haven't had issues.....congratulations.
I haven't had any headaches at all, unless you count having to wait longer than usual to get the car. Other than that, it's no different than buying new off the lot.
What are all these multiple headaches you're referring to anyhow?
That's been my experience as well; my only issue with ordering the Club Sport was that Munich tried to make everyone buy a sunroof- even though it was listed as an option. My salesperson stood firm and my car(along with at most 10 other Club Sports) was built without a hole in the roof.
Originally Posted By: CKN
There are so many headaches in ordering a car it's unbelievable.
For those who haven't had issues.....congratulations.
I haven't had any headaches at all, unless you count having to wait longer than usual to get the car. Other than that, it's no different than buying new off the lot.
What are all these multiple headaches you're referring to anyhow?
That's been my experience as well; my only issue with ordering the Club Sport was that Munich tried to make everyone buy a sunroof- even though it was listed as an option. My salesperson stood firm and my car(along with at most 10 other Club Sports) was built without a hole in the roof.
I have had problems with the 3 vehicles I've ordered. 1.The vehicle was 2 months overdue based on the salesman's date. 2.The vehicle was delivered to a dealer 110 miles away and was driven to my dealer. 3.The vehicle was delivered with the wrong package. I will never put money down on an order again. They either get what I want or very close on the lot with less than 10 miles on the odometer. Ed
My first (and so far only) new vehicle purchase was in 2005. I was shopping for a subcompact.
When I visited Hyundai, they had tons on the lot, but in baby blue, silver or gold color. I wanted black or red. It was available for this model, they just didn't have any on the lot. So I still did the test drive and got a price for the options I wanted, all of which could be installed by the dealer. When I specified I wanted either red or black, that's when I noticed that the sales guy wasn't keen on it. He REALLY wanted me to buy one off the lot. Even if I was ready to wait to get the right color, the guy didn't appear to be willing to order it. I walked away, a bit disappointed by this first dealership experience.
I then visited Toyota which also had a model I was interested in. I walked on their lot, again no red or black ones. I feared a repeat of my Hyundai experience. I talked to a sales lady, she said if they didn't have the color I wanted on the lot, they could transfer it from another dealership or if none available, order it from the factory.
So I happily ordered my black Toyota and I'm still using it today.
In 1985, my father bought a new Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. He wanted it with the then new 3.8L fuel injected engine. 2 different dealerships tried to sell him a carbureted 2.8L instead and he was having none of it. He was told there was a 5 months delay for this engine to be produced for this car. He ordered his 3.8L fuel injected Olds, waited 5 months almost to the day and finally got it. He kept it until 1992. It was a good car, but the bad dealership service drove him into Japanese cars in 1992 and he hasn't looked back since.
When you pay that much money for a new car, I don't see why you can't get exactly what you want, as long as the manufacturer offers that color/option.
When I visited Hyundai, they had tons on the lot, but in baby blue, silver or gold color. I wanted black or red. It was available for this model, they just didn't have any on the lot. So I still did the test drive and got a price for the options I wanted, all of which could be installed by the dealer. When I specified I wanted either red or black, that's when I noticed that the sales guy wasn't keen on it. He REALLY wanted me to buy one off the lot. Even if I was ready to wait to get the right color, the guy didn't appear to be willing to order it. I walked away, a bit disappointed by this first dealership experience.
I then visited Toyota which also had a model I was interested in. I walked on their lot, again no red or black ones. I feared a repeat of my Hyundai experience. I talked to a sales lady, she said if they didn't have the color I wanted on the lot, they could transfer it from another dealership or if none available, order it from the factory.
So I happily ordered my black Toyota and I'm still using it today.
In 1985, my father bought a new Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. He wanted it with the then new 3.8L fuel injected engine. 2 different dealerships tried to sell him a carbureted 2.8L instead and he was having none of it. He was told there was a 5 months delay for this engine to be produced for this car. He ordered his 3.8L fuel injected Olds, waited 5 months almost to the day and finally got it. He kept it until 1992. It was a good car, but the bad dealership service drove him into Japanese cars in 1992 and he hasn't looked back since.
When you pay that much money for a new car, I don't see why you can't get exactly what you want, as long as the manufacturer offers that color/option.
Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: CKN
There are so many headaches in ordering a car it's unbelievable.
For those who haven't had issues.....congratulations.
I haven't had any headaches at all, unless you count having to wait longer than usual to get the car. Other than that, it's no different than buying new off the lot.
What are all these multiple headaches you're referring to anyhow?
See Eddies post above for just a partial list. There are other things I could list but I'm not.
Originally Posted By: CKN
There are so many headaches in ordering a car it's unbelievable.
For those who haven't had issues.....congratulations.
I haven't had any headaches at all, unless you count having to wait longer than usual to get the car. Other than that, it's no different than buying new off the lot.
What are all these multiple headaches you're referring to anyhow?
See Eddies post above for just a partial list. There are other things I could list but I'm not.
I haven't read this whole post so it might have already been mentioned, but comparing purchasing one off the lot to ordering one can save a huge amount of money if one gets an employee discount.
Normally, or it use to be, if you purchased one off the lot, you were given 12% off. If you ordered one then that number jumped to 17% off.
I found this out just before I was ready to purchase a 1996 Sierra off a lot when a friend told me to go speak to someone he knew.
I was blown away as the previous salesman told me that's the cheapest I would be able to get any truck. The new salesman informed me ordering one saved you even more.
I ended up purchasing a 1997 that came with the 3rd door, in the colors/options I wanted for less than what that 1996 would have cost me off the lot.
I get/got the GM employee discount through my SIL but can also currently get it through my wife now.
Normally, or it use to be, if you purchased one off the lot, you were given 12% off. If you ordered one then that number jumped to 17% off.
I found this out just before I was ready to purchase a 1996 Sierra off a lot when a friend told me to go speak to someone he knew.
I was blown away as the previous salesman told me that's the cheapest I would be able to get any truck. The new salesman informed me ordering one saved you even more.
I ended up purchasing a 1997 that came with the 3rd door, in the colors/options I wanted for less than what that 1996 would have cost me off the lot.
I get/got the GM employee discount through my SIL but can also currently get it through my wife now.
Originally Posted By: irv
I haven't read this whole post so it might have already been mentioned, but comparing purchasing one off the lot to ordering one can save a huge amount of money if one gets an employee discount.
Normally, or it use to be, if you purchased one off the lot, you were given 12% off. If you ordered one then that number jumped to 17% off.
I found this out just before I was ready to purchase a 1996 Sierra off a lot when a friend told me to go speak to someone he knew.
I was blown away as the previous salesman told me that's the cheapest I would be able to get any truck. The new salesman informed me ordering one saved you even more.
I ended up purchasing a 1997 that came with the 3rd door, in the colors/options I wanted for less than what that 1996 would have cost me off the lot.
I get/got the GM employee discount through my SIL but can also currently get it through my wife now.
There have been several dealers in my area listing $12,000.00 discount on models ranging from $45,000.00 (or more) on new Silverados. You must buy from their inventory. That's like 25%.
There are many ways to get the "X" plan from Ford. One can join a certain Mustang Club, or a certain Airplane association-and get the "X" plan. However-depending on the model it could be just a $300.00 savings or so less than a bottom line "haggle deal".
No sure how to go about getting the codes to get a discount on GM products.
I haven't read this whole post so it might have already been mentioned, but comparing purchasing one off the lot to ordering one can save a huge amount of money if one gets an employee discount.
Normally, or it use to be, if you purchased one off the lot, you were given 12% off. If you ordered one then that number jumped to 17% off.
I found this out just before I was ready to purchase a 1996 Sierra off a lot when a friend told me to go speak to someone he knew.
I was blown away as the previous salesman told me that's the cheapest I would be able to get any truck. The new salesman informed me ordering one saved you even more.
I ended up purchasing a 1997 that came with the 3rd door, in the colors/options I wanted for less than what that 1996 would have cost me off the lot.
I get/got the GM employee discount through my SIL but can also currently get it through my wife now.
There have been several dealers in my area listing $12,000.00 discount on models ranging from $45,000.00 (or more) on new Silverados. You must buy from their inventory. That's like 25%.
There are many ways to get the "X" plan from Ford. One can join a certain Mustang Club, or a certain Airplane association-and get the "X" plan. However-depending on the model it could be just a $300.00 savings or so less than a bottom line "haggle deal".
No sure how to go about getting the codes to get a discount on GM products.
Last edited:
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted By: CKN
See Eddies post above for just a partial list. There are other things I could list but I'm not.
Why not? It seems to me that your argument not to order is kind of weak here. On the Corvette Forum there have been hundreds, if not thousands of members who have ordered their cars over the past 15 years that I have been a member, and I can't recall a single one of them who has gotten their car with the wrong options, or has had their car delivered to the wrong dealer. Yes, ordering a car can often take a very long time, especially with a new model that is very popular. But that information is something people know beforehand, and are willing to put up with in order to get the car they want. Like me, I knew the Corvette assembly plant was closed for renovations for 3 months when I ordered mine in September 2017. I knew there was a chance I might not get the car until the spring of 2018 (and in fact, my original plan long before I placed the order was that I wanted it to arrive in the spring) I got lucky and the car was built in late November/early December and delivered on Dec 20th. And that wait was worth it, because the reason the plant was closed was to adjust the assembly line process for better quality (and they slowed production from 17 cars per hour down to around 11) and install a new paint facility, and the quality of the paint on mine is better than previous Corvettes (less orange peel, and better fit & finish of the panels)
See Eddies post above for just a partial list. There are other things I could list but I'm not.
Why not? It seems to me that your argument not to order is kind of weak here. On the Corvette Forum there have been hundreds, if not thousands of members who have ordered their cars over the past 15 years that I have been a member, and I can't recall a single one of them who has gotten their car with the wrong options, or has had their car delivered to the wrong dealer. Yes, ordering a car can often take a very long time, especially with a new model that is very popular. But that information is something people know beforehand, and are willing to put up with in order to get the car they want. Like me, I knew the Corvette assembly plant was closed for renovations for 3 months when I ordered mine in September 2017. I knew there was a chance I might not get the car until the spring of 2018 (and in fact, my original plan long before I placed the order was that I wanted it to arrive in the spring) I got lucky and the car was built in late November/early December and delivered on Dec 20th. And that wait was worth it, because the reason the plant was closed was to adjust the assembly line process for better quality (and they slowed production from 17 cars per hour down to around 11) and install a new paint facility, and the quality of the paint on mine is better than previous Corvettes (less orange peel, and better fit & finish of the panels)
Patman
Staff member
Originally Posted By: irv
I haven't read this whole post so it might have already been mentioned, but comparing purchasing one off the lot to ordering one can save a huge amount of money if one gets an employee discount.
Normally, or it use to be, if you purchased one off the lot, you were given 12% off. If you ordered one then that number jumped to 17% off.
I found this out just before I was ready to purchase a 1996 Sierra off a lot when a friend told me to go speak to someone he knew.
I was blown away as the previous salesman told me that's the cheapest I would be able to get any truck. The new salesman informed me ordering one saved you even more.
I ended up purchasing a 1997 that came with the 3rd door, in the colors/options I wanted for less than what that 1996 would have cost me off the lot.
I get/got the GM employee discount through my SIL but can also currently get it through my wife now.
That is definitely true with GM, as I was able to utilize the GM employee discount (from a family member) by ordering my Corvette, but that same discount would not apply to cars sitting on the lot, since the dealer already paid a higher price to acquire that car then they would if they placed the order with the employee discount in place.
I haven't read this whole post so it might have already been mentioned, but comparing purchasing one off the lot to ordering one can save a huge amount of money if one gets an employee discount.
Normally, or it use to be, if you purchased one off the lot, you were given 12% off. If you ordered one then that number jumped to 17% off.
I found this out just before I was ready to purchase a 1996 Sierra off a lot when a friend told me to go speak to someone he knew.
I was blown away as the previous salesman told me that's the cheapest I would be able to get any truck. The new salesman informed me ordering one saved you even more.
I ended up purchasing a 1997 that came with the 3rd door, in the colors/options I wanted for less than what that 1996 would have cost me off the lot.
I get/got the GM employee discount through my SIL but can also currently get it through my wife now.
That is definitely true with GM, as I was able to utilize the GM employee discount (from a family member) by ordering my Corvette, but that same discount would not apply to cars sitting on the lot, since the dealer already paid a higher price to acquire that car then they would if they placed the order with the employee discount in place.
Bought vehicles off the lot most of my life. Ordered both our 2017 BMW 330i and 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Both processes went flawlessly. Got the same discounts/rebates as if we had purchased existing inventory. BMW took 6 weeks to arrive from Germany and the Jeep 3 1/2 from Detroit. We ordered because the cars on the lot in both cases had a lot of garbage options we did not want. I also liked the fact that nobody else test drove the vehicles other than us. Great experience all the way around.
Originally Posted By: Patman
That is definitely true with GM, as I was able to utilize the GM employee discount (from a family member) by ordering my Corvette, but that same discount would not apply to cars sitting on the lot, since the dealer already paid a higher price to acquire that car then they would if they placed the order with the employee discount in place.
They must do it differently in the States than they do in Canada. Employee pricing is the same here for the same car ordered or picked up off of the lot, although there may be other factors that impact the out the door price. US dealers pay the same amount for the car, but they get a check back (actually credit) from GM when they sell it to someone who used the GM Family First program to compensate them for selling at a reduced price. For a car in limited supply like a Corvette is at times, a dealer may not want to sell a lot car for the GM employee's price when he knows he will likely get more for it from a regular customer. Plus he may have had flooring fees that an ordered car will not incur.
Another factor is you are usually able to stack discounts and rebates that are in effect when the car is delivered on top of the employee discount. For a car you buy on the lot, you know what they are, but they may be different, more or less, when you take delivery of an ordered vehicle.
I generally like to order a new car to get exactly what I want, and avoid paying for options I have no use for. The last two trucks I purchased were off of the lot because I was able to stack discounts and get close to $10k and $14k respectively off of list price - something I couldn't have done with a special order because a number of the rebates and discounts were expiring.
Used to be the GM discount was significant - it amounted to dealer invoice less holdback, plus the dealer was not allowed to add additional dealer markup in the form of excessive Documentation Fees, prep, "Desert Protection Package", etc. Now, with everybody having access to dealer invoice on a car via the internet, the discount (because the margin between list price and invoice is much less) has shrunk, with dealers getting a lot of that shrinking margin back secretly through the back door.
I've purchased 10 GM vehicles in the last 21 years using the employee discount, with an additional Chevy truck using USAA buying services, which beat the employee price by about $300 even after factoring in the $500 doc fee. That was a one time deal I have been unable to repeat.
Least we cry for the dealers because their margin between list and invoice has shrunk, be aware there are massive amounts rebated back to the dealer from the manufactures. Dealers that order lot cars with high profit option packages get more back, dealers that meet volume levels get more back, dealers with outstanding customer feedback reports get more back. It's a way dealers can sell cars for less than "cost" and still make money. There is no way I've found to determine these refunds to the dealer and it's a way in the information age to keep the consumer from knowing the real cost of a vehicle. Owners are able to use this to also reduce salesmen commissions by not revealing the true margin on a vehicle sale.
That is definitely true with GM, as I was able to utilize the GM employee discount (from a family member) by ordering my Corvette, but that same discount would not apply to cars sitting on the lot, since the dealer already paid a higher price to acquire that car then they would if they placed the order with the employee discount in place.
They must do it differently in the States than they do in Canada. Employee pricing is the same here for the same car ordered or picked up off of the lot, although there may be other factors that impact the out the door price. US dealers pay the same amount for the car, but they get a check back (actually credit) from GM when they sell it to someone who used the GM Family First program to compensate them for selling at a reduced price. For a car in limited supply like a Corvette is at times, a dealer may not want to sell a lot car for the GM employee's price when he knows he will likely get more for it from a regular customer. Plus he may have had flooring fees that an ordered car will not incur.
Another factor is you are usually able to stack discounts and rebates that are in effect when the car is delivered on top of the employee discount. For a car you buy on the lot, you know what they are, but they may be different, more or less, when you take delivery of an ordered vehicle.
I generally like to order a new car to get exactly what I want, and avoid paying for options I have no use for. The last two trucks I purchased were off of the lot because I was able to stack discounts and get close to $10k and $14k respectively off of list price - something I couldn't have done with a special order because a number of the rebates and discounts were expiring.
Used to be the GM discount was significant - it amounted to dealer invoice less holdback, plus the dealer was not allowed to add additional dealer markup in the form of excessive Documentation Fees, prep, "Desert Protection Package", etc. Now, with everybody having access to dealer invoice on a car via the internet, the discount (because the margin between list price and invoice is much less) has shrunk, with dealers getting a lot of that shrinking margin back secretly through the back door.
I've purchased 10 GM vehicles in the last 21 years using the employee discount, with an additional Chevy truck using USAA buying services, which beat the employee price by about $300 even after factoring in the $500 doc fee. That was a one time deal I have been unable to repeat.
Least we cry for the dealers because their margin between list and invoice has shrunk, be aware there are massive amounts rebated back to the dealer from the manufactures. Dealers that order lot cars with high profit option packages get more back, dealers that meet volume levels get more back, dealers with outstanding customer feedback reports get more back. It's a way dealers can sell cars for less than "cost" and still make money. There is no way I've found to determine these refunds to the dealer and it's a way in the information age to keep the consumer from knowing the real cost of a vehicle. Owners are able to use this to also reduce salesmen commissions by not revealing the true margin on a vehicle sale.
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