doug_999

Yes, but compared to Acura, Lexus/Toyota have a TON of options. Most Acuras come with no options whatsoever (with the exception of NAV). Thus the TL is prices so reasonably compared to other vehicles that offer that level of content. Personally, I would rather have every option at a great price.

J.P.

I guess I mean options as in Lexus\Acura packages everything to together without much choice, and with the BMW\MB setup, you can pick and chose anything you really want.

EGainer

i agree with jpa, notice how you cant get ML stereo without getting NAV? they group the options together, makes things easier and less costly

mooretorque

uh................I have ML without NAV. I DID factory-order it and wait 3 months, but..................................it can (or could) be done.

EGainer

well they group the packages so that you just get everything together, and interior options are different than leather and paint and engines

doug_999

Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), each region decides what packages they will offer and color combinations. If you want something outside of these choices, you have to do what EGainer did and custom order. Even then, a bunch of the dealers I talked to were not interested in custom ordering a car for me.

BusinessWeek just gave BMW an award for their ordering process. Apparently they can have the car built and ordered to your exact specifications within something crazy like a couple of days. Of course you still have to wait for it to get here and if your dealer doesn't have the car allocated you SOL until they month they do. Still I give them credit for letting the customer decide what they want. If you are paying $50K+ for your car, you should have it exactly the way you want - right EGainer?

EGainer

yes i think you should have the car you want, but as with mercedes, i dont want options of
engine1
engine1 with supercharger
slightly larger engine2
slightly larger engine2 with supercharger
medium engine
medium engine with supercharger
big engine
big engine with turbos
medium engine tuned differently for amg

and i dont want 8 different c class models for under 40 thousand.... trying to appeal to everyone is what they are doing, instead of sticking with what they are good at....

as for ordering options, you should be able to get what you want.... but i pretty much choose every option, not pick and choose through the bunch, because i dont want to regret not having that option later...

usually you can find a car with what you want on it, either in the states or on its way to the states, but if it doesnt exist, you can make posts on your respective car forums looking for a specific car. i helped some guy on audiworld find a car by calling my dealer who found 4 of his car in the states, while his dealer claimed there were none.... if you do end up custom ordering from dealer then you might end up paying more....

and personally, even though i want a car the way i want, giving someone little options like whether to have all auto windows or not, or to have adjustable gas pedals, or to have a cigarette lighter in the back or not, some small stuff should not be left to choice... and there should be packages to make it easier such as "ultra luxury" or "premium" or "sport"....

just my opinions

yea and different dealers do offer different options and packages....

doug_999

Mercedes doesn't have options. GM and Ford have options. They make Mercedes look bland on the options sheet.