Do all dealers know in advance what they are getting?

From what I have seen on this and other Prius sites, dealers seem to know well in advance what they are getting. Do all dealers know in advance what they are getting, and if so, how far in advance do they know?

The dealer that I am working with does not seem to know what they are getting for this month, and this is making me wonder whether this is a stall tactic. I'm looking for a package that is not normally shipped to my area, and the dealer claims that Toyota may be changing the regional package allocations, however, the dealer wants to be sure what they are getting and is asking me to wait until they know for sure.

So, what does this sound like? Does it sound legit, or does it sound like the dealer is just trying to keep me from going elsewhere including to an area where Toyota ships the package that I want?

Thanks.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mssmith95 @ May 3 2006, 10:57 PM) [snapback]249489[/snapback]</div>

Interesting. I just found this http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...l=toyota+region and it seems to indicate that combinations are independently orderable regardless of region - which does not seem correct given that others report that only certain combinations are available for their area.

I was contacted this morning by my local dealer and I was told that the interior/exterior color combination I would like is not being shipped to this area as well as the package that I would like not being shipped to this area either. Well, now to decide whether it is worth it to go to another region of the country to get what I want.

IMHO, even with demand as it is, it would seem like it would be good business to fill orders with what the customer wants rather than what is being shipped to the area (yes, you can have your Prius if you like Pink :angry: ). It is not like there are an infinite number of permutations of options that one could choose that would make it impossible to fill each individual order. When gas prices were lower, some dealers had Prii on their lots that might have been sold far more quickly if they were shipped to other dealers that actually had the demand for them.

With the tax credit, the way I see things is that I have at least until the end of September of this year to make my decision.

Thanks for the reply.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Betelgeuse @ May 4 2006, 11:24 AM) [snapback]249689[/snapback]</div>

Agreed. Just remove the "A" from the word at the beginning of this paragraph, and I think we have the answer. I spoke with a dealer in another area of the country not too far from me, and he indicated that the package I wanted any dealer in my area could get. Well, I've agreed to get a package #5, seaside, grey when I really wanted a package #6 (for the HIDs), seaside, bisque. Dealer kept telling me that the combination that I wanted was not available in this area. Actually, two different sales people at the same dealer told me two different things.

However, after seeing this post http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...l=paint+sealant
and seeing how accommodating this particular dealer was makes me realize that Prius buyers (myself included) may be part of the problem in that people accept the cars that they are offered rather than demanding what they want. I find it really hard to believe that this person got leather seats in a package #5. My dealer told me that they were available only in the higher packages.

I gotta wonder if part of the problem is that the dealers, themselves, don't realize that the car is more customizable than indicated.

Whatever. :blink:

At this time, I really do think that it comes down to the demand still being so high for prii that what one person does not buy, another will. I can just imagine what it will be like when 2008 Prii are finally available with that 94MPG EPA rating and Li-ion batteries.