Buying off the lot vs ordering a 2020?

Can you get a better deal buying off the lot vs ordering on a new 2020? My dealer tends to stock trucks with steps, exhaust, etc. Basically things I don't want. I have 3 month old RB20 steps and a 1 month old BA muffler system that I'll be taking off my current truck and adding to the newer one. I basically want a Platinum in either MGM, Silver Sky, or Super White with sunroof and bedliner only.

 

Just my thoughts

Why pay more for something you don’t want?

Why not have the dealer swap over the parts you have as “part of the sale terms”

 

That's my deal, I don't want to pay extra for things I don't want I was just wondering would I be able to deal on a truck I ordered or they found vs getting a better deal on one that has what I want and nothing more but not the color I want and it's sitting on the lot. As far as my steps and exhaust I put them on I'll take them off and re install.

 

Maybe find a truck you like in stock

Then negotiate a good price

Then hit them with the “make it stock and lower the price more”

That might be an option for you if the wait for delivery is a concern

 

When I bought my 17 new at the same dealer I inquired about one but asked if they would remove factory added options (steps, door edge guards, etc) they said no because it's on the sticker and goes with the VIN.

 

All of that stuff is added by the dealer themselves, if you only buy from that dealer you can see about getting one off the delivery truck. But if they do it to every truck that's probably how they make a lot of their profit and might not want to deal with you.

There's no "ordering" a truck because Toyota doesn't do special orders, but they search through available and upcoming builds to bring it to the dealership.

 

Dealers make a killing on all the add ons. "Paint sealer" : $600. SMFH

 

When I got my truck, I spec'd it out exactly like I wanted. Figured out what I was willing to pay and though I lived in SC the local dealer found it in NC and had it transported. I have done that the few times in my life I have bought a new car (we tend to keep cars for 15-20 years) and it is all done in advance with no dealing with a high pressure sales person or any emotions while on the lot. . At the time the only thing I wanted I did not get was backup camera and sensors because I wanted the tow package and SR5 trim level so......no camera....but the options were pretty clear on the site as to how you could configure the truck.

 

That's odd, I got SR5 with tow package and camera.

 

Some add ons are done at the port and some are done at the individual dealership. But as others have said, tell your dealer exactly what you want, and they can find it in their regional inventory or find one that is scheduled to ship and they can get a rough estimate of when it will be done. I did this exact thing. Funny thing is, when mine got to the dealer it somehow had the predator step bars which I specifically didn’t want to pay their ridiculous markup for because I knew I could get some here on the forum . Anyways, guess who got “free” bed steps due to their mess up?

 

Perhaps it was a year model option. Mine was 2007 and I think only the limited trucks got camera then. Now cameras are in everything...but the point was that you can figure out what packages are available for the truck you want and that will help focus the available options

 

Yeah, 10 years might make a difference. I'm in a '18.

 

My 07 SR5 had tow package and camera.

 

The dealer closest to me does the same thing. $400 to tint the front 2 windows, $500 for door edge guards and "door cups"! I told them I don't want that stuff and they said I can't get one without it. So I'll find a dealer that doesn't do that. I hope!

 

My dealer charged me $200 extra to order a truck in MGM instead of taking the black one they have on the lot. I believe the one on the lot also has a spray in bedliner while the one I ordered won't so it will end up costing me a bit more than that but I figured that was a pretty nominal cost to get exactly what I wanted.

 

Have always heard there is a premium, or lack of discounts when ordering.

 

Sure they do special orders, there were not any ground nor upcoming with the accessories I wanted and that wasn’t already allocated to a dealership and mine is coming straight from the plant to the port to the dealership of my choice. I’m not sure how they do it elsewhere but when ordered a vehicle here in the Southeast Toyota region all of the add ons and accessories are done at the port. Toyota dealerships may tell you that they cannot “special order” because it is a long process and not worth it in the end for them if you decide to back out of the deal for whatever reason.

 

That kind of shady shit is what gives car dealers a bad reputation.

 

I sat down at the computer at the dealership to order my 2016. I got a Limited with tow mirrors that deleted BSM and a few other items in a package not compatible with the Tow mirrors. I ended up "saving" a few grand on a package I really didn't want. I know they did not find it somewhere and have it transferred. If you are going to keep it a long time is it worth a few extra bucks to get exactly what you want?

 

In my experience these are the dealers you want to stay away from in general. VIN acid etch, useless add-ons, paint sealer, undercoating, etc are all signs of a shady dealership padding their numbers.

 

You'll get the best pricing by not being inflexible or too specific in your requirements. Compromise is pricing's friend. If compromise is distasteful to you, you're going to pay more. Just be aware, and don't whine about your dealer not dealing. As the model year tails down to the end of factory orders, fulfilling your special requirements (color, trim level, options) will become ever more difficult until it is impossible.

The longer a stock unit has been around, the more likely the dealer will be to deal. A stock unit on the lot is a known set of conditions for the dealer; he knows his cost, he knows his cost of keeping it on the lot vs. selling , he knows his desired profit, he knows his advantage/disadvantage regarding time of the month or time of the year, etc. All dealers have an absolute minimum profit level to stay in business; some want more profit above that minimum than others. But, if they don't sell as many cars by wanting higher unit profit, they lose in the long run.

OTOH, if your requirements can be met with a factory request, then the dealer can get the deal done and have the money in his bank account before he ever gets the invoice from Toyota. A dealer is less likely to deal on a swap with another dealer. The other dealer's cost would be the same as your dealer, plus he loses a unit "allocation", and forfeits his opportunity to make that profit...he wants to make a little for his trouble.