What did you try to order?

Some cars they just can't do. Like I've seen people try to order Honda Odyssey LX with Navigation, but that's just not possible because the LX and Touring models have completely different wiring harnesses. Back in the late 90s, I saw people try to order the Civic DX with a sunroof, but again not possible because the sunroof models (EX) had completely different wiring harnesses and a different engine/transmission to boot.

I am sure the points I am about to touch on have been mentioned but I haven't read the entire thread. However, I have over a decade of dealer experience and most of that time was as an inventory manager. My experience is with a different brand but I imagine the ordering process is similar. I now own my own business that deals closely with this issue.

First, it is always better to sell your current inventory. That is obvious.

Second, you don't want to get stuck with someone's special order.

Third, manufacturers only build one model at a time. They run X amount accords. Then, move on to civics. Then, rigelines etc. It could take quite some time for your vehicle to be built.

Fourth, as a dealer you are restrained as far as what quantity and kind of vehicles you are allowed to order. So, if you are in the western region and 25% of Honda's sales in the region are Accords, Honda isn't going to let you order 95% Accords. Or if you ordered 30% 2015 Accords and haven't sold but 10%, Honda is going to lower your allowable order quantities.

Finally, if you can't sell something off the lot, you are considered a weak suck salesman and will be excoriated by your manager and peers.

So, the easiest answer is to pick up a specific model/package/color combo from another dealer. The other dealer is going to want to trade (for a more desirable unit). This is usually out of state unless it is a sister store. (You wouldn't trade with a competor). However, the dealership will have to pay shipping both ways. They usually utilize a transportation broker to facilitate the trade. I am sure you could find a reputable broker right here on Arfcom.

There are other nuances involved but that is the jist.

Should have gone with mazda.  They would be rather likely to have a 3 with a manual on the lot.

I guess that was the nice thing about GM in the 90's, same harness for almost everything.  Impala, Camaro, Caprice, Firebird, Roadmaster, Fleetwood; all had the same harness.

See, I'd buy a car from you, then I'd buy my next one  from you too.

Yup.  Pretty straightforward.

I see.

Here's her new car


n/m automatic....

Isn't it amazing how many people want to tell you how to spend YOUR money?  



Just don't get the kid a pink car. PLEASE!



 

Ayup.  Capital is tied up in stock and they want to move it.

Let's make that a law so you're not offended.

And fuck off on a $1500 pos.

My kids first vehicle will be something German that can survive an accident and keep them safe from your kids driving their $1500 shitbox.


Txl

This is why Tesla needs to win. Dealers are the worst part of buying cars.

I did the same thing with my VW TDI Sportwagen.  I required a TDI sportwagen with a manual transmission, non-navigation system, and a panoramic sunroof.  It could have been 3 different colors.

They said it was impossible to find.  When I asked them to order it, the salesman said "I've worked here for 15 years and we've only ordered 3 cars".... so I asked him "Would you like to make it 4?"

We ordered it.  It took 5 months to show up.  They said it would take 2.

My truck was a leftover sitting on a lot a couple hundred miles away, it was someone's "unique" special order. They had been sitting on it for a while, and I got  smoking deal on a pretty cool truck.

I work for a dealership, but we don't sell cars. Usually "special" orders require a significant non-refundable deposit. First reason is that many times it's a weird spec that nobody else would want. Second reason is that many times the person that wants the "special" order is a flaky goofball that is not in a position to complete the purchase in the first place. Not saying the OP fits this description, but there are a lot of reasons why a dealer may want to avoid a special order if they can help it.

In my case, they refused to talk dollars and cents until the car showed up.

It was quite an annoying process.

buying your kid a truck is not a huge deal i think, BUT A F-ING PLATINUM? thats like a 50k truck!

$1,500 might be a bit low, IMHO.  My first vehicle, in 1988 or thereabouts, was a 1977 GMC High Sierra.  My folks paid $2,300 for it.  When we sold a couple years later, they got $2,000 for it.  Not a bad deal at all.  Wish I still had it.

That said, there could be some legit options in that range.  Also, I think the value of learning a stick is way overrated.   I never really never learned (took a couple lessons), and I can't say I feel even slightly disadvantaged for it.



If I were buying for my kids today, I'd be thinking seriously about a Volvo s70.  Designed (and many built) before Ford bought the company, it can be found under $2,000 and even in manual if you insist.  The previous model, the 850 seems to have a bit of cult following.
 

It used to be that the dealers were happy to order cars for a customer.  You could get a little better deal because the dealer didn't have to pay the "Floor Plan Financing" on it.  

My buddy is a GM at a dealer and has schooled me over the years.  There are so many ways a dealer makes money.  It's actually  pretty amazing.

What year do you think this is?

1) Any car you buy for $1,500 likely won't run for long, especially without expensive repairs.

2) OP is shopping for his daughters. I'd teach a teenage boy how to turn a wrench and set him loose with a shit heap and the expectation that he'd need to keep it running. While girls can be taught the same skills, I'd be far more concerned about a girl breaking down at the wrong place or wrong time. There are some creepy motherfuckers out there.

3) For some kids, sending them out to flip burgers or work a register to earn the money for their car isn't a bad idea, but for many teenage kids, there are better ways for them to focus their efforts. If I had a kid with strong academic performance and active engagement in things like Scouting, 4H, or even something like HS bands, I'd want my kids to continue doing those things around those people, not flipping burgers next to some burnt-out tweaker at BK.

FJ?

Green vehicles tend to have low take rates when new and lower resale value when used.

Put that color on an expensive ass, loaded-up F350, and you have your answer.

I had to order my F-350 a couple of years ago because the dealer, and the other dealers around me, simply did not have a SuperCab with an 8' bed.  Everything on their lots were four door crew cabs.  Even the 8' bed was hard to find.  The dealer told me that it was an "unsellable configuration" and wanted a $500 deposit, because he was afraid that if I backed out he'd be stuck with it.  It showed up 10 weeks later and I must have ruined his day; I wrote him a personal check for it.

As long as we've come to an agreement, I can't imagine not being comfortable with putting down a substantial deposit on anything I'd be ordering rather than buying out of stock.  I do that for guns and other things of course, so it is only natural to do that for this.  Most customers would be the same- which is why some dealers' aversion to it is annoying.

Nothing special: 2016 Honda Pilot EX-L AWD, gray metallic exterior with black interior. Accessories: Tow hitch, tow hitch bike rack, all-season floor mats.

I understand about the accessories, but it was damned near impossible to find one with a black interior, let alone AWD without going Touring Elite. I have two small kids: the gray interior would get trashed in a heartbeat. Beige would too, in addition to looking hideous. Aaaaannnnndddd, the black interior only comes with two exterior colors: black or gray.

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This. It's pretty obvious.

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I work for a Subaru dealership and we have no issues ordering a vehicle.  We are always up front and tell them how long it may take, which is normally 6-8 weeks.  For us, it's all about the time line the customer has...some customers want it ASAP and others are willing to wait.

IMO, ordering is the best as you get exactly what you want and you don't have people test driving the vehicle you are buying.  I know that if we do a dealer trade, that some of those cars can have 200 + miles on the odometer and that matters to some customers.

You guys must have some crap dealerships in your area.

Our approach is as follows.

1) Sell what's on the lot or inbound vehicles.
2) Dealer  trade if customer wants vehicle ASAP.
3) If customer isn't in a rush, order vehicle for customer.

It's all going to boil down to what time frame the customer wants the vehicle.

I guess I never thought of it that way.
Thanks for the response.

Some day, all will be automatic.  And all will be well.

You bring up great points and they are the reason we went with new vehicles for both our kids.

When my daughter got her license in 2011 we bought her a 2011 KIA Forte EX.
Well the price of gas shot way up so my wife drove it for a couple years since she drives 40+ miles a day and our daughter was only driving 5 miles a day.
She got to drive our 2007 Honda Pilot EX-L RES since it got 21 mpg and the Forte got 34 mpg.

In 2015 she traded the Forte in on a Soul because she liked it more than the Forte.

We just bought our 17 year old son a 2016 KIA Soul + so he would have the room to carry his stuff to Scouts and his Trombone for band.

Insurance is much lower on a newer, safer vehicle than and old junker and that is something that many people never consider.

BigDozer66

Selling an overpriced one to a sucker is no more work.