Were you told "There's No Such Thing as a Toyota Special Order?" Read This

I think there have been other isolated posts pointing out that Toyota does not actually do special factory orders, but I thought it might be useful to others to dedicate a thread to this issue, and detail my personal experience with this.

For the avoidance of all doubt, here is the official Toyota line on this matter:

If the dealer doesn't have the vehicle I want, can I place a special order?
Toyota dealerships work with our regional offices to determine what vehicle combinations are in demand in their geographical market, and request vehicle allocations accordingly. Because of this, some model configurations and options may not be available in your area, while other options may be available, but only as part of a combination of packages. Your local Toyota dealership can advise you whether a preference can be submitted for your desired vehicle. This preference request does not guarantee you will receive the vehicle with the exact options requested, and may create an extended wait-time.

Why can't I configure a vehicle with the equipment I want using the Build a Toyota feature?
The Build a Toyota feature on our website is regionally based and is designed to identify vehicles commonly available in your area. The information is not necessarily indicative of all the option package combinations that are available through your local Toyota dealership. Additionally, not all options/packages are available in all regions of the country.

Our vehicles are generally equipped with options and model grades that we have found to be popular in the geographic area in which they are marketed. We do extensive market surveys and studies to assist in forecasting product features and equipment that will be desirable to the consumer.

And in some instances, particularly with new models just launched, your region might have limited or no availability of certain trim levels or selected options while we build up inventory.

If you would prefer to purchase a vehicle with no options or additional/different options, please contact your local Toyota dealership for availability or the possibility of placing an order for such a vehicle. The dealership may also be able to perform a vehicle exchange with another dealership to accommodate your preference.
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In my case, I went through a local dealer to "special order" a 2015 Hybrid Camry XLE with Advanced Tech package (with PCS), including specific exterior and interior colors. I did this because the wholesaler for the Gulf States region (Gulf States Toyota or GST) is not bringing in any Camrys with the Advanced Tech option installed. At the time, a few cars with the specs I wanted were available in some other regions, but my dealer had offered a fair below MRSP price (based on KBB), I wasn't in a hurry, I didn't want the added trouble and expense of buying out of region myself, and I didn't want to press this particular dealer to do an out of region trade.

FYI, I previously assumed out of region trades were not common, but Frodoz737 says in another thread that
"6-8 weeks is to long a wait and usually means waiting for one already scheduled into Regional make-ready, a special factory order or a tactic to get you to settle for something else on their lot. They can Dealer trade within their group or outside to another Region, and it takes 3 days to slightly longer than a week depending on location and negotiating the trade. Gulf States is not a problem, but sometimes the Dealerships are." and also: "They can, do and will trade within and "outside" the GST Group if they want to...I know first hand...but face time makes all the difference."

I ordered 11-14-2014. From what I can gather, GST had to approve making this special order or preference request, and then submit it to Toyota in the course of their regular ordering process. The dealer was not able to confirm this "order" had "taken" until early January, when it showed up in the computer. An ETA date did not show up in the computer until recently (hard saying exactly when, since I haven't been calling every day or even every week, and the sales guy hasn't exactly been diligent in following up). The ETA for arrival in Houston of this "preference" car is currently 4-7-2015, and it won't get to the dealer until a few days later (since it has to go through GST's port system).

From what I can gather from a brief google search, and from the info provided above by Frodoz737, this 5 month wait period is rather long, with 2 to 3 months being more common. I'll update this thread when the car is received, or I get new information.

 

I still remember being told during the 1980s (in newspapers and business classes) how robotics, computers and just in time inventory were going to usher in a golden era of quickly delivered custom cars and other custom products. Turned out that was right up there with the Jetson's flying cars. In the age of rapidly evolving technology, cars need to become far more modular and far easier to upgrade and customize.

Good question.

 

I did just that for my PIP. I wasn't in a hurry and had no reason to go to any extra trouble or expense for this particular car, though my wife might disagree!

 

Seems like no one gives much credit for the extra options on used cars anyway. The best way to lose money on depreciation is to order cars like I do - fully loaded. I won't give up on having PCS though. It has proven its worth to me. Should be standard equipment or at least available as an add on option on every car.

 

And now, to put on coda on this thread....


The car arrived in Houston port (e.g. GST parking lot) on April 147th, and was delivered to the dealer April 18th, which is the same day I picked it up. Since I originally ordered 11-14-2014, that was a roughly 5 month wait. I'm still not sure why it took GST 7 weeks to confirm the special allocation, but the bottom line is that I eventually got exactly what I ordered, for a fair discount, without having to mess around with an out of state order or extra shipping charges. There was some last minute dickering about the dealer installed tint I had not ordered, and the value of my trade in, but other than that, the process was drama free. On top of that, Toyota Financial has a zero percent financing deal on the HyCam right now, with $500 "loyalty" cash back. The only minor hassle with all this was having to check in now and then on the status. For somewhat understandable reasons, the sales guy never remembered to give me regular updates. I kind of feel sorry for him, having to wait for his commission all this time.

First impressions are pretty good. We seem to be getting around 35 to 37 mpg by the computer. The seats are better than I originally thought (not as bench like as the 2007 HyCam, and nice compromise between soft and firm). Nice highway cruiser, and soaks up the bumps around town pretty well (even with the tires way overinflated, which I just discovered and fixed yesterday). The electronics seem slightly improved over my PIP. I especially like the info screen in the middle of the gauges. The steering wheel extension is bordering on not having enough travel. I had to experiment a bit to find the right combo of adjustments to be comfortable and still have the steering wheel close enough for highway cruising. That was a lot easier in the 2007 HyCam. The handling is much improved. It's not floaty at all (unlike the 2007 HyCam). Probably still too light for folks that like a more linear feel (like the Accord), but good for folks that just want the car to drive itself.

Forgot to mention:
The blind spot monitor system includes a backout feature that beeps at you if cars are coming up behind you. Seems to work well. The wife likes it.
The lane keep system seems to work pretty well. You get anywhere near the lines and it beeps at you a few times (not incessantly, since they seem to understand you may be doing it deliberately). Works a little too well for my wife's taste, since she has a habit of edging away from trucks, etc.!
Radar cruise (which includes PCS - the main reason for the special order) works just like on the PIP, but you can set the follow distance for the PCS warnings, similar to the separate follow distance for the radar cruise.