Can a Toyota dealer ORDER A new build Tacoma?

[ammolab]

So I have ordered to my spec new cars from Germany, Australia, GM, and Dodge. Honda dealers CAN NOT order a car even from their US plant. I wonder if this is the same at Toyota?

I may want a new Tacoma but getting my local dealers to answer a simple question online: “Can you order a new Tacoma to my specifications” is near impossible

Emails Gets me: “We can find you the truck and trade.” Or: “Come look at the trucks we have”. Or We can request a truck, but it may never come”…. Is a request an order? Any one actually know for a fact that a dealer can place an order for a SOLD truck?

I don’t get the HONDA business plan…they build ‘em EVERY DAY! Yet you can not get one built for YOU! The dealer can search for one, find it at another dealer, and ship it to you. I gave up on that as they wanted another $1800 to ship it here. No thanks!

Is Toyota the same thing?

 

[PF52]

CAN they? Yes, of course. Will they?

That's the hard part.

 

[fantastic]

Not sure but I do know some dealers just want to sell you what they already have on there lot.

 

[cptbarkey]

Not likely. Give the dealer of your choice the parameters and they can do a broad search or find what is in the pipeline.

 

[Jetronic]

I never bought a car off the lot, they were all built to my spec. it's no issue but you have to have a bit of patience.

I ordered my previous giulietta on january 3, and it was built on feb 15 (with parts like the fuel tank made on feb 14) and delivered on feb 25.

I ordered the mg on march 30 or 31, and it was ready for pickup end of june. Maybe they had that one somewhere in china, I don't know.

 

[Jimmy_Russells]

I am unsure on the vehicle you're looking for specifically, but IME the Japanese do things much differently than the Germans or US.

German and US cars you can get a massive amount of combinations of trim levels and packages. With Japanese cars, they don't really work like that. The trim levels are what they are. Meaning if you want a Tacoma TRD, you basically just pick your color and aside from that they are all the same. Sometimes there are bits and bobs the dealer can add on but they are not put on at the factory.

We ordered our Forester but "ordering" was basically saying we want a "green Touring." There weren't twenty options to go through like when I ordered a VW or Audi.

 

[Patman]

For some reason it appears that Toyota will not do custom factory orders for people. It’s a big annoyance for people who want to get a new GR Corolla exactly how they want it. They just have to search around multiple dealers or wait a long time for their local dealer to get one in that’s close to what they want. I hear a lot of GRC owners complain about this

 

[Chris142]

I think they just search other dealers for the vehicle you want with the options you want.

 

[vavavroom]

Whenever I am looking at new cars I inquire about crank windows and the front bench seat option just to see the look on the salesperson's face. I used to order customized cars from the factory. I even got colors that weren't available that year.

 

[benjamming]

We bought our 2016 Toyota Highlander by specifying what we wanted. Being in Alabama, we are part of the Southeast Toyota Distributors "club"/franchise. But a dealer in Birmingham saw one was like we wanted which really was just color combinations in the trim (XLE) and powertrain (with AWD) & no add-on options that we requested. However, they wouldn't work with me on price. But another, closer dealer dealt very well on price & those two dealers traded a vehicle. I sent out "specs" to ~ 18 dealers. I was going to buy one and some dealer sales departments could read that and knew I was serious so they got busy. Yes, you can get a Southeast Toyota vehicle w/o those expensive, high-markup options that most dealers will say can't be done.

That was all in the "before" times though, and I can't speak to now.

 

[ammolab]

I want a manual tranny, sport, 4WD, wind chill pearl paint, WITOUT THE $8000 or $4000 upgrade package

I don’t want a “near match” in New Hampshire with 345 test drive miles and an $1800 freight charge to New Mexico.

Do they want to order me a truck, or do they want a “NO SALE”?

 

[ammolab]

For some reason it appears that Toyota will not do custom factory orders for people. It’s a big annoyance for people who want to get a new GR Corolla exactly how they want it. They just have to search around multiple dealers or wait a long time for their local dealer to get one in that’s close to what they want. I hear a lot of GRC owners complain about this

Well those come from Japan…but Tacomas are built right here. Honda is a no order for all builds, here and Japan. Dealers have told folks, “we can get you that car sir”. What they do is search dealers and, “incoming vehicles” and swap.

 

[Hall]

Toyota stopped doing orders a few years ago. Now, Toyota "allocates" all units to dealers and they get what they get.

Emails Gets me: “We can find you the truck and trade.”

This basically confirms the "can't order" change. All dealers can see other dealer's (within 500 miles) inventory, including units that are allocated (in production or in transit) and they can try and trade with the other dealer. If it's early enough, Toyota will switch them and deliver it to the 'right' dealer but if it's too late, the dealers have to hire folks to drive and meet to swap.

CAN they? Yes, of course.

No, they can't. If a salesperson tells you they can, they're lying. What they'll often do is get one that's close and say "Toyota messed up, but you'll take it, right?".

 

[Hall]

I want a manual tranny, sport, 4WD, wind chill pearl paint, WITOUT THE $8000 or $4000 upgrade package

You can go on Toyota's website and look for what you want and the website lets you search dealers as far out as 500 miles.

Do they want to order me a truck, or do they want a “NO SALE”?

Toyota (corporate) doesn't care. Their sales numbers are doing just fine with many models sold sight-unseen. Dealer's hands are tied on this.

 

[CKN]

Not sure but I do know some dealers just want to sell you what they already have on there lot.

You cannot order a vehicle from Toyota. Toyota sends out allocations to dealers. You can then search dealers for a vehicle that closely matches what you are looking for.

 

[RooflessVW]

Do they want to order me a truck, or do they want a “NO SALE”?

There is no shortage of Tacoma buyers.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Toyota stopped doing orders a few years ago. Now, Toyota "allocates" all units to dealers and they get what they get.

Stopped? I didn't know they ever did orders in the first place!

Toyota's stupid allocation system is stupid. They should just let you order the car you want.

 

[skyactiv]

Tacomas are now assembled in Mexico. This Jalopnik article from 2023 explains the sucky custom ordering of a Tacoma:

https://jalopnik.com/actually-getting-that-all-new-tacoma-with-a-manual-is-n-1850456148

 

[Hall]

Stopped? I didn't know they ever did orders in the first place!

Apparently you were able to have some flexibility but no 100% custom build.

Toyota's stupid allocation system is stupid. They should just let you order the car you want.

For people who want something exactly a certain way, sure. For 99% of buyers, they take what they find on dealer's lots or what a dealer has coming in.

 

[ammolab]

There is no shortage of Tacoma buyers.

Really? There are many dozens of 2024 Tacomas unsold on lots here in Albuquerque…
All automatics of course and discounted