Used to be you could go down to the local dealer and "order" your vehicle with exactly what you wanted on it. Then you would strike a fair deal and wait 6 weeks for your truck to be delivered because they wanted your continued business into the future. These days, they only deal on what's in stock or what they can trade with another dealer 150 miles away because the factory sends inventory already pre-loaded with options and packages and the dealer is trying to make money on their sales incentives from the factory. If you want rubber/plastic mats you have to delete the carpet, etc. I wish I cold find a dealer who specializes in ordering from the factory and is willing to give a square deal. I'd even travel out of state to do business on that basis.
Actually, you can still order vehicles with the options you want. Granded, they have to be options that are compatible within the peg group but it can be done providing the dealer is willing to get off their can to enter a sold order or willing to get off their butt to change an incoming pattern order to what you want and you are willing to wait 90 to 180 days. The ’13 Tahoe Z71 we just took delivery of last month was a special order where we ordered it as a bare bones Hoe Z71 (bare bones, for its peg group anyway). No Navigation (-$$$$), no entertainment meaning DVD player and flat screens (-$$$$), no All-Star package (I am not into blingy chrome door handles and other chrome BS -$$$), no sunroof (-$$$), etc. The only option it has for its peg group is the trailering package (because I wanted a deeper gear ratio) and center row buckets. If I could have ordered it with a manual transmission and transfercase you can rest assure I would have, but those are not compatible options for the peg or platform.
Most dealers would not stock such a Hoe as they would rather stock and sell a fully loaded $55K Hoe with all the trimmings. In the GM world, dealer’s monthly allocations are dealt out in what are called pattern orders. Pattern orders are generic packages with content that the manufacturer think consumers want. Dealers have the ability to tweak these orders as they are generated on a monthly basis to add or subtract options but most dealers are too lazy to make changes to their pattern orders (other than colors) and just take what they were dealt, which is why pretty much everything you see on dealers lots are identical except for colors. Other manufacturers other than GM do pretty much the same thing. For example, look at the Ram Power Wagon where rubber flooring is an option instead of carpet. No dealers order rubber floor covering because they can make a tiny bit more profit on the carpet option plus carpet is a standard pattern order. If you want rubber flooring you pretty much have to order the truck that way.
I have college alumni friends that work for Chrysler and it sounds like their new vehicle ordering and distribution system is about the same. One friend in particular is in charge of supply chain based out of Phoenix. Not sure if his area covers SoCal but if you are interested in ordering a Dodge let me know. As you know, I have GM connections too. I know plenty of GM dealers here in CO and throughout the Midwest that would be happy to enter a sold order to your specs.
As you eluded, when ordering a new vehicle you still have the ability to haggle on price but what you cannot haggle are incentives. Incentives, regardless if cash back or low interest are based on the vehicle delivery date to the customer…not date ordered. On the new trucks and SUV’s we have gotten over the years I always taken the cheap interest over cash back which is risky as one month interest can be 0% then the 4% or higher the next. It all depends how much interest the brand wants to buy down that month. Just hope the rig you ordered arrives on a good incentive month. :coffeedrink:
