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Custom Ordered Vehicles – Advantages and One Disadvantage

By: J.D. Rucker

Pay Only for the Options You Want

Is it possible to find a vehicle at a car dealership that is exactly the way you want it. Possible, but unlikely.

Can a dealership locate a vehicle that is exactly the way you want it? Probably, but it will have transportation costs to consider, plus the possible loss of “dealer holdback” holding back the negotiations.

As a society, we settle for what is available and we just don’t have to. Why would you pay an extra $550 for a 6 disk CD/MP3/AM/FM/Satellite Radio when all you want is a single CD and a radio?

You might find a car that has everything you want, but no side-curtain airbags. Is it worth settling?

Customers pay a lot of money for their new cars. Why would they want to spend money on options they don’t want and not get some of the options they do want? Seems silly, but it happens every day because people are unwilling to custom order,

2) Better Incentives

Cars are depreciating investments for consumers, dealers, and manufacturers alike. Everyone is motivated to get rid of what they have.

It is extremely rare that an incentive will ever be worse when an ordered vehicle comes in than when it was ordered. Still, many manufacturers allow the consumer to have the option of taking the incentives at the time of ordering or the time of delivery, whichever is better for them.

3) Strangely, It’s Cheaper

At most dealerships, custom ordered vehicles are sold at or below invoice. Very few people know this because car salespeople and their sales managers are like their customers. Just as customers want what they want and they want it now, dealership employees want the sale and they want it now.

As fickle as the car business is, the sales manager, the salesperson, and anyone else involved with ordering a vehicle might not be at the dealership when the ordered vehicle arrives.

Still, it saves the dealership money to custom order vehicles for a customer. No interest for the vehicle sitting too long on the lot, no insurance other than possibly a money, not wasted space, and very little chance that the customer will not like the car since it was built to their specs. It happens from time to time, but normally, custom ordering customers are the ones most satisfied with their vehicle purchase.

Trade-Ins can complicate things, but there are solutions:

1) Consumers who are able to trade their vehicle in and drive a second car while they wait have the easiest way.

2) Some dealerships have loan or rental programs for the trade-in situation.

3) Consumer drives the trade until the ordered vehicle arrives. This can cause problems, but as long as both parties are honest with each other, it can normally get resolved fairly easily.

4) Get Everything Set Ahead of Time

Many dealerships are shifting to "virtual inventory" instead of listing their new cars online. A good example of this is at Portland Toyota. The idea is that if someone can configure a vehicle, the dealership can either find a way to get it through dealer locating or ordering, or they can switch the customer to something similar.

A few websites have "Build a Car" features that allows customers to plug in their desired model, options, and colors, look at the prices, and make an offer on the vehicle. Dealers such as Johnson City Honda have this feature for customers to be able to design their vehicle without coming into the dealership.

Conclusions

The idea that good things come to those who wait rings true when buying a vehicle. Consumers can save money and not settle for something they don’t want.

Patience pays. With automotive purchases, it pays well.

Article Source: http://www.articles4meandu.com

J.D. is Marketing Specialist for Auto Dealer Website Design. He gives Car Buying Tips and Automotive SEO advice.

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