Black BC (grey int) 9/17, Carson Toyota

Cris Lombardi · 04-06-2004, 06:14 PM

Dealer Ordered From (Incl. City/State):Carson Toyota, Ca
Timeframe given for delivery:None given
Color:Black with grey int.
Option Package: BC #9
Your # on Dealer's Waiting List: 57th as of 2/23/04

Well, it's starting to look like I might become the poster boy for long waits! It's been around 6 1/2 months now, just passed day 200 a couple of days ago.
A bit of background: I placed my order at Hollywood Toyota on 9/15, and on 9/17 I discovered Dianne's list and put my name on her's as well. On 2/5 I got the call from H'wood: they had the exact car I'd ordered! But the good news turned to bad when I went to pick up the car.. they jacked the price up $2000 from the quote they'd given me less than a month earlier. I had to walk away from that. Couldn't live with the idea that I'd let them rip me off.
So Dianne it is. I know, I know, if I didn't need that specific model and color, I'd get the car much sooner, but I keep the cars I buy for a long time and black is the only color of the bunch that I really dig. Looks like I'm in for a lot more waiting, and I'm trying to abide, babying along my 18 year-old Saab (which I bought new), but one thing would really help..
Dianne, you've probably got the longest waiting list in the country, hundreds of people probably. You could satisfy everyone's need to know how long, if you would just post the waiting list on the Carson website. Just think, once you did that, the endless calls from impatient waitees could disappear overnight, just like that!
I'm doing my best not to be tempted by other seductive possibilities.. Passat, mm, new Volvo S40, mmmm. I want to do the right thing and get a hybrid. It would be great if there was a list I could check on every now and again just to let me know I'm getting closer.
How bout it Dianne? Please?

Dianne · 04-08-2004, 03:12 AM

Hiya Cris! I sure wish I got more cars and wow, it'd be GREAT to get a black one! :/ Sory sweetie... just hang in there. Are you sure that no other color could make you happy?

Quote:

Originally posted by Cris Lombardi
Dealer Ordered From (Incl. City/State):Carson Toyota, Ca
Timeframe given for delivery:None given
Color:Black with grey int.
Option Package: BC #9
Your # on Dealer's Waiting List: 57th as of 2/23/04

Well, it's starting to look like I might become the poster boy for long waits! It's been around 6 1/2 months now, just passed day 200 a couple of days ago.
A bit of background: I placed my order at Hollywood Toyota on 9/15, and on 9/17 I discovered Dianne's list and put my name on her's as well. On 2/5 I got the call from H'wood: they had the exact car I'd ordered! But the good news turned to bad when I went to pick up the car.. they jacked the price up $2000 from the quote they'd given me less than a month earlier. I had to walk away from that. Couldn't live with the idea that I'd let them rip me off.
So Dianne it is. I know, I know, if I didn't need that specific model and color, I'd get the car much sooner, but I keep the cars I buy for a long time and black is the only color of the bunch that I really dig. Looks like I'm in for a lot more waiting, and I'm trying to abide, babying along my 18 year-old Saab (which I bought new), but one thing would really help..
Dianne, you've probably got the longest waiting list in the country, hundreds of people probably. You could satisfy everyone's need to know how long, if you would just post the waiting list on the Carson website. Just think, once you did that, the endless calls from impatient waitees could disappear overnight, just like that!
I'm doing my best not to be tempted by other seductive possibilities.. Passat, mm, new Volvo S40, mmmm. I want to do the right thing and get a hybrid. It would be great if there was a list I could check on every now and again just to let me know I'm getting closer.
How bout it Dianne? Please?

Cris Lombardi · 04-09-2004, 04:12 PM

Dianne,
For now, I'm gonna stick with Black, but my hand might be forced if I get a new job that requires a lot of driving.. don't think the old Saab would be up to that. I'm in the moviebiz here in socal, and last year got a job that had me commuting to places like Piru and Fillmore on a regular basis, often putting in 500 miles per week.
Soo, if that happened again, I'd want to get some new wheels in a fairly short time frame. If I decided to add Tideland as a choice, would that help, or is the wait just as long for that color?

Dianne · 04-09-2004, 04:13 PM

Cris, adding any color is a good thing, believe me. Any other colors you add just add more choices for you in the long run!

Dianne

Cris Lombardi · 04-10-2004, 05:13 PM

I saw a Tideland today and had a good hard look at it... I'm gonna stick with Black. I'm just hoping that somehow, sometime, Toyota will either catch up with demand, or start filling orders based on how long people have been waiting. Seems only fair.
If they continue with the status quo, I figure I won't get my car till the end of this year, a total wait of 15 months or so. With the current random allocation system, I've seen postings of folks in other parts of the country getting the same Black BC after just a couple of weeks wait.. how can Toyota not think that this alienates their customers?

Raenstoirm · 04-10-2004, 06:13 PM

I dont know, but I honestly dont think it works like that. Toyota has so many cas going to a certain dealership. It would take a lot of time to actually go through the lists like that......ok joe X wants this color and this package...ok so what dealership is joe using.....ok what transport is heading to that dealeship....ok what vessel is suppling that port when that transport is getting ready to leave....ok when does that vessel leave the port in japan. That is so many steps for one car, let alone the thousands and thousands of cars that are entering this country and others across the globe. When the ship lands in japan, they fill it up with as many cars as they can and ship it out. The same things happens at each step. My dealer told me what colors he thought would be likely to come in and regardless of my choice the color he suspected did come in (liuckily it was my second choice).
I think luck is just not on your side in this. Hopefully that will change soon!

Bill60546 · 04-10-2004, 09:25 PM

Toyota has one of THE BEST supply chains on the planet. Just think about the thousands of manufacturing firms that make parts for a specific assembly plant. Getting a car from plant A to customer B is the easy part. If the supply base can be vertically integrated, the dealer order and customer requirements are a piece of cake. There has to be a specific reason for certain cars going to certain dealers, it most certainly is not a random reason. We just dont know what that reason is.

Raenstoirm · 04-11-2004, 12:58 AM

What you just said is exactly my point. Toyota orders 100,000 air compressors for example. Each one of those is the exact same thing. It doesnt matter which ones go to which plant because they are the exact same. When you special order a car (and yes I actually have done this) you can track the car from the plant to your door. Some person inputs its location at every point. The only way toyota could do it...is if they assign every order a VIN as soon as the car is completed. That way they now VIN xyz needs to get to Carson toyota. They coul scan it like fedex and track it. Assigning VINs like that would be very difficult though since so many orders and multi orders are placed everyday.

tmorrowus · 04-12-2004, 05:56 AM

Hey, buddy. I ordered on the same day from Carson, but not black. Good luck to you!

It seems to me that there are probably two reasons Toyota allocates in the current "random" way:

1. There's probably some agreement Toyota has with its dealers that they will provide cars in a certain way, and changing that would likely be a big deal, like renogiating contracts with a union.

2. In the current system, orders aren't really verifiable. Even if a customer places a deposit, the customer in most cases can get that deposit back without buying the car. If the car was allocated to the customer who decides not to buy, it probably goes to the dealer whose lot it's on. That creates incentive for the dealer to take orders and then do something outrageous (like refuse to sell at the agreed upon price) to make the sale fall through. The alternative of having the car go back to Toyota for redistribution is expensive in shipping and time.

On the flipside, for cars with less demand, the dealer doesn't want to be stuck with the car if the customer backs out.

Of course this would be solved if the customer could buy direct from Toyota, with the dealers as paid middlemen.

Cris Lombardi · 04-15-2004, 02:08 PM

Thanks for the enouragement everyone! I'm still hanging in there.
As of today, April 15, I'm #41 on the waitlist at Carson Toyota. Tomorrow will mark the end of my 7th month on the list. Dianne pointed out that I've painted myself into a serious corner by holding out for a specific color and interior.. I'm hoping that, regardless of the above messages, Toyota will get their act together and start prioritizing shipments. At the very least, they could tag cars as they come off the boat + send them to those who've been waiting longest, no?

04-06-2004, 06:14 PM	#1
Cris Lombardi Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 30 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Black BC (grey int) 9/17, Carson Toyota Dealer Ordered From (Incl. City/State):Carson Toyota, Ca Timeframe given for delivery:None given Color:Black with grey int. Option Package: BC #9 Your # on Dealer's Waiting List: 57th as of 2/23/04 Well, it's starting to look like I might become the poster boy for long waits! It's been around 6 1/2 months now, just passed day 200 a couple of days ago. A bit of background: I placed my order at Hollywood Toyota on 9/15, and on 9/17 I discovered Dianne's list and put my name on her's as well. On 2/5 I got the call from H'wood: they had the exact car I'd ordered! But the good news turned to bad when I went to pick up the car.. they jacked the price up $2000 from the quote they'd given me less than a month earlier. I had to walk away from that. Couldn't live with the idea that I'd let them rip me off. So Dianne it is. I know, I know, if I didn't need that specific model and color, I'd get the car much sooner, but I keep the cars I buy for a long time and black is the only color of the bunch that I really dig. Looks like I'm in for a lot more waiting, and I'm trying to abide, babying along my 18 year-old Saab (which I bought new), but one thing would really help.. Dianne, you've probably got the longest waiting list in the country, hundreds of people probably. You could satisfy everyone's need to know how long, if you would just post the waiting list on the Carson website. Just think, once you did that, the endless calls from impatient waitees could disappear overnight, just like that! I'm doing my best not to be tempted by other seductive possibilities.. Passat, mm, new Volvo S40, mmmm. I want to do the right thing and get a hybrid. It would be great if there was a list I could check on every now and again just to let me know I'm getting closer. How bout it Dianne? Please?

04-10-2004, 06:13 PM	#6
Raenstoirm Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 179 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I dont know, but I honestly dont think it works like that. Toyota has so many cas going to a certain dealership. It would take a lot of time to actually go through the lists like that......ok joe X wants this color and this package...ok so what dealership is joe using.....ok what transport is heading to that dealeship....ok what vessel is suppling that port when that transport is getting ready to leave....ok when does that vessel leave the port in japan. That is so many steps for one car, let alone the thousands and thousands of cars that are entering this country and others across the globe. When the ship lands in japan, they fill it up with as many cars as they can and ship it out. The same things happens at each step. My dealer told me what colors he thought would be likely to come in and regardless of my choice the color he suspected did come in (liuckily it was my second choice). I think luck is just not on your side in this. Hopefully that will change soon! __________________ tideland #9 Picked up 4-23-04

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04-09-2004, 04:12 PM	#3
Cris Lombardi Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 30 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Dianne, For now, I'm gonna stick with Black, but my hand might be forced if I get a new job that requires a lot of driving.. don't think the old Saab would be up to that. I'm in the moviebiz here in socal, and last year got a job that had me commuting to places like Piru and Fillmore on a regular basis, often putting in 500 miles per week. Soo, if that happened again, I'd want to get some new wheels in a fairly short time frame. If I decided to add Tideland as a choice, would that help, or is the wait just as long for that color?

04-09-2004, 04:13 PM	#4
Dianne Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Laguna Niguel (but I work in Carson) Posts: 484 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Cris, adding any color is a good thing, believe me. Any other colors you add just add more choices for you in the long run! Dianne

04-10-2004, 05:13 PM	#5
Cris Lombardi Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 30 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	I saw a Tideland today and had a good hard look at it... I'm gonna stick with Black. I'm just hoping that somehow, sometime, Toyota will either catch up with demand, or start filling orders based on how long people have been waiting. Seems only fair. If they continue with the status quo, I figure I won't get my car till the end of this year, a total wait of 15 months or so. With the current random allocation system, I've seen postings of folks in other parts of the country getting the same Black BC after just a couple of weeks wait.. how can Toyota not think that this alienates their customers?

04-10-2004, 09:25 PM	#7
Bill60546 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 338 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Toyota has one of THE BEST supply chains on the planet. Just think about the thousands of manufacturing firms that make parts for a specific assembly plant. Getting a car from plant A to customer B is the easy part. If the supply base can be vertically integrated, the dealer order and customer requirements are a piece of cake. There has to be a specific reason for certain cars going to certain dealers, it most certainly is not a random reason. We just dont know what that reason is.

04-11-2004, 12:58 AM	#8
Raenstoirm Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Maryland Posts: 179 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	What you just said is exactly my point. Toyota orders 100,000 air compressors for example. Each one of those is the exact same thing. It doesnt matter which ones go to which plant because they are the exact same. When you special order a car (and yes I actually have done this) you can track the car from the plant to your door. Some person inputs its location at every point. The only way toyota could do it...is if they assign every order a VIN as soon as the car is completed. That way they now VIN xyz needs to get to Carson toyota. They coul scan it like fedex and track it. Assigning VINs like that would be very difficult though since so many orders and multi orders are placed everyday.

04-12-2004, 05:56 AM	#9
tmorrowus Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 425 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Hey, buddy. I ordered on the same day from Carson, but not black. Good luck to you! It seems to me that there are probably two reasons Toyota allocates in the current "random" way: 1. There's probably some agreement Toyota has with its dealers that they will provide cars in a certain way, and changing that would likely be a big deal, like renogiating contracts with a union. 2. In the current system, orders aren't really verifiable. Even if a customer places a deposit, the customer in most cases can get that deposit back without buying the car. If the car was allocated to the customer who decides not to buy, it probably goes to the dealer whose lot it's on. That creates incentive for the dealer to take orders and then do something outrageous (like refuse to sell at the agreed upon price) to make the sale fall through. The alternative of having the car go back to Toyota for redistribution is expensive in shipping and time. On the flipside, for cars with less demand, the dealer doesn't want to be stuck with the car if the customer backs out. Of course this would be solved if the customer could buy direct from Toyota, with the dealers as paid middlemen.

04-15-2004, 02:08 PM	#10
Cris Lombardi Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 30 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Thanks for the enouragement everyone! I'm still hanging in there. As of today, April 15, I'm #41 on the waitlist at Carson Toyota. Tomorrow will mark the end of my 7th month on the list. Dianne pointed out that I've painted myself into a serious corner by holding out for a specific color and interior.. I'm hoping that, regardless of the above messages, Toyota will get their act together and start prioritizing shipments. At the very least, they could tag cars as they come off the boat + send them to those who've been waiting longest, no?