“Have it your way.” “Made to order.” These are phrases our culture has come to embrace. When it comes to buying a new car, I’m often asked about special ordering. People want a certain color, feature, or option that will make their car unique or better for them. Unfortunately, when it comes to cars, it’s just not that simple. Here’s why.
Most automakers don’t accept orders on new vehicles between two and three months before the end of the production year. Generally speaking (depending upon model and manufacturer) you can’t order anything between the months of April and August because production years tend to end in the last few months of summer.
Many auto manufacturers produce their vehicles overseas. Since the vehicles must be shipped across the ocean after production, the standard two-month shipping time must be added to the two months it takes to special order (4 months total). Overseas auto manufactures prefer not to accept special orders on cars due to the length of time it takes to reach the consumer. In fact, these manufacturers may not accept special orders at all. If they do accept them, they’re often strongly discouraged.
When you’re thinking about special ordering a new car, keep in mind that some automakers force you to buy some options as part of a package. Toyota and Honda, for instance, are famous for making customers buy certain options in groups – a lot of times they won’t sell you a car with a sunroof unless you buy the “sunroof package.” The “sunroof package” might include leather seats and an upgraded stereo, in addition to the sunroof itself. Don’t want the leather or the stereo? Then you might not be able to get a sunroof because these features are “packaged.”
It doesn’t always make financial sense to special order a vehicle either. You should special order if there is a certain feature that you just have to have, but if you order something out of the ordinary it may negatively affect your resale value. When you want to resell your car, it may be difficult to find a buyer if your car is too unique. Most people buy vehicles similar all the other cars out there, so it might be difficult to find a buyer who wants one that is very different.
Finally, before you special order a new car, consider buying a car off the lot. Although you may have to compromise on things like features or color, you will probably get a better deal. Most of the time, buying a car from the lot is the best deal. Dealers pay interest on all the cars on their lot, so they want to sell those cars quickly as possible. If they don’t, their inventory costs them quite a bit of money in finance charges. So dealers will discount what they have now before they discount something two months out.
It used to be that you could special order whatever kind of car you wanted, but those days are fading fast. Dealers want you to buy what they have, auto manufacturers often don’t want to honor special requests, and shipping times and production cycles have conspired to make ordering cars very difficult. Special ordering just isn’t what it used to be.
see also........
- Things To Consider Before Special Ordering A New Car
- With most products, special ordering means that you are going to get exactly what you want. However, special ordering a new car isn’t always that simple. Once upon a time, car manufacturers would be happy to build you what you wanted. Today? Not so much. Here are a few things to consider before you special [...]...
- Mercedes-Benz Museum To Present Two Special Winter Exhibitions
- If you plan on visiting the Mercedes-Benz Museum this winter, two special exhibitions will be on hand, depending on when you go. The first takes place from November 2009 through March 2010, and is entitled “A Journey of Innovations.” A total of nine vehicles will be featured in this exhibit, including the Benz Patent [...]...
- Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Dealer Ordering Guide Leaked
- More information pertaining to the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG has made its way on the Internet, courtesy of a leaked dealer ordering guide. In it, a wide variety of standard and optional (preliminary) equipment is revealed, allowing you to start planning in advance how best to customize your new-generation Gullwing. Select standard equipment includes the AMG [...]...
- 10 Tips on How to Shop for a Car the Smart Way
- Purchasing a car is a highly emotional experience for most people. You think about a couple car brands that you like, you go to a car lot, test drive a few and then the trouble begins. You fall in love with a car. You want it. All you car about is getting that car. All [...]...
- Car Buying Tips: What’s Your Budget?
- When it comes to affording your next new car (used cars too if they are new to you), how closely do you look at your budget? And from what perspective do you evaluate your budgetary parameters? Based on my years of experience, I would say that many people only have a mild idea of how much [...]...
- Bugatti Veyron production run nearly sold out?
- When Bugatti started production of the Veyron back in 2005, it was supposed to build 300 examples. For a long time, that total seemed pretty ambitious considering the seven-figure price tag on the most super of contemporary supercars, but according to Molsheim, all but 50 have been built and sold. Add to that another 150 [...]...
- Covers For Caravans – Why You Need One!
- The potential damage that can be caused by leaving a vehicle outside in bad weather is well known. Few people with garages take such a risk with their car during the winter months. For some reason cars seem to get special attention though, whereas taking care of caravans often gets forgotten about. Just like your [...]...
- Who Is Entitled to the No Claims Discount?
- The No Claims Discount (NCD) is an important facet to a car insurance policy since it can save policyholders quite a bit of money year after year. The typical discount for maintaining the No Claims Discount can be as large as a thirty percent decrease in the cost of the car insurance cover. Who wouldn’t [...]...
- Mercedes-Benz Cars Worldwide Sales Drop 13.2 Percent In August 2009
- Daimler AG is reporting today that worldwide sales at its Mercedes-Benz Cars division dropped 13.2 percent in August 2009 to 73,200 new units ? this compared to 84,400 new units in August 2008. As a result, sales of the Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and smart brands now total 711,300 new units through the first eight months [...]...
- Are Driving and Cooking similar?
- It may seem like a strange comparison, but actually it’s true. Ask yourself a few simple questions. How do I avoid disaster in the kitchen? My guess is you follow a recipe. What happens if you leave something out? My guess is disaster. What happens if you use all the ingredients but in a different order? Chances are [...]...
