I listen to the facts and I’m open to feedback. I’m not challenging anyone in here. Maybe you special ordered your vehicle. That’s fine. But at the moment, Lexus isn’t accepting any special orders up here in the northeastern USA region. If things change up here and if special ordering starts up here in the near future, then that will be a good thing.

Meanwhile, I’ve just been only telling you all the facts of what I’ve been experiencing with my purchase process. Nothing more. I’ve heard facts in return too from people in here as well. I’m not trying to argue with you guys. Please understand this. What I’ve said in here about my vehicle allocation is only what I’ve experienced with the lexus dealership and nothing else. Everything that I’ve mentioned here has been my own experience with the general sales manager and with the dealership. I know that I have differences about our conversation here, but I only do so because of what I’ve been exposed to with everything that I’ve learned from my allocation and how the Lexus allocation system works.

 

That may be how it is working where you are, but don’t try to tell us how things work where we are. Your word is not the Bible for everyone.

 

I'm not going to continue down this rabbit hole as I feel it's leading no where. But my final comment is for you to take into consideration that there are more people telling you that they successfully special ordered a vehicle vs people telling you they haven't been able to. That in and of itself should spark a potential doubt that your dealer could be the culprit, whether it be because of negligence or ill-intentions. And if we get down into the nit and gritty, your desired spec should not even be classified as a special order as you are simply adding things to an already allocated vehicle. If you feel like going one step over us or even the dealer, feel free to call the Lexus Eastern Regional Office which is the assigned regional office for your area, and ask for yourself. They might redirect you to the dealer, but there's no harm in asking. 973-884-1011

 

So what if my vehicle allocation doesn’t have those two options that I wanted. It has 99% everything else that I want in it. I made myself clear in my previous posts that I do NOT care to add these 2 options after post production. I have my reasons why I don’t want to add them.

I’m not saying that poster above here who said that his vehicle that’s incoming on special order is wrong. If you read my post carefully you would see that I mentioned that Lexus IS not taking special orders up here in the northeastern USA region. What’s so hard to understand about that? Maybe they are taking special orders where the poster lives, but they’re certainly not taking special orders up here where I’m at. Everything up here is ONLY allocations. I congratulate that poster for being able to get a special order through to Lexus. But since special ordering up here where I live is impossible, I would think that if special ordering is open now, it should be open nationally. Not regionally if you understand what I mean. At this point, I don’t know what to believe about special ordering a Lexus. All that I know is that it’s nonexistent up here where I live. I hear all dealers up here saying the same thing that there’s no special orders at the moment. But who knows. Maybe they’ll reopen special orders up here by summer.

 

Yes, you have an excellent point there. Look, the only reason why I’ve been telling everyone that Lexus isn’t taking special orders is because I’ve been told the same thing now for the last 3 months since I’ve joined the forums here. Also, every single Lexus dealer up here has been telling me the same thing. I haven’t been aware that special orders have opened up in other parts of the country right now. I will give the Lexus eastern regional office a call and try to find out what’s going on. Thank you for giving me the number. I will be perfectly honest with you here and say that I will be very happy if special orders have reopened right now. It will give me a chance to order another 2nd Lexus vehicle in the fall a few months before my Mercedes Benz lease expires in February of 2023.

 

Okay, you’re located in northern Virginia. I will make some phone calls tomorrow to my Virginia Lexus contacts and I will find out more about Lexus special orders opening up in Virginia later on this month.

 

Yes, in your location, but you're coming off as in you're speaking for the whole continental US. Now you see why other users are having issue with what you're presenting and then you coming off as being dismissive to what they present. You even quoted me a page or two back then Lexus isn't taking special orders when I said my sales manager put one in for me, so you're brushing off others as easily as others have you now. Your region isn't taking special order, that sucks, but apparently some dealerships in other states are. Give and take man, that's how forums work. No one's word here is the say all and be all, as how you've presented it. So I would highly suggest you stop arguing and start listening to what others have to say. WARNING: Their experiences may differ from yours.

 

You're right. The only reason why I’ve been adamant about special orders is because from what I’ve been hearing from all the dealers around me telling me that Lexus doesn’t take special orders. Also, I always thought that this special order stoppage thing was for the entire country and not regionally. If different regions in the USA have reopened up special orders, I’m not aware of it. Today is the first time that I’m hearing that special orders have reopened for certain regions. I wasn’t aware of this. It’s a good thing if special ordering has opened up regionally. I’m going to make a few phone calls tomorrow to a few Lexus contacts that I have to find out more about this.

 

Let me elaborate more on my experience. About 2 weekends ago, maybe 3 weeks, I hit up 4 dealerships, all within a radius of 50 miles. The closest one to me is the largest Lexus dealership in the Bay Area. The three dealerships within 30 miles of me said "we and Lexus are not taking special orders right now." I got in contact with the dealership that is roughly 50 miles away from me through a personal contact of mine. My contact is a sales manager at this dealership and he said "let me know what you want exactly and I can put in the order". Fast forward to last week, my "special order" was submitted to Lexus and is awaiting approval. However, he has found a vehicle that matches my spec except for the missing power rear sunshade (not a dealbreaker) and that car in allocation should arrive next month. Now I still haven't heard any updates of approval from Lexus, but that dealership, and I imagine region in general, are taking special orders. I know another user, I believe 19ES350, said special orders can be cars in allocation with modifications to the packages, so perhaps maybe that's what it being done with my special order, BUT for now there is a car that is what I want without the one feature available much sooner. The only timeline I was given was "once Lexus accepts the order, it'll be 90-120 days".

All I'm saying is we all have our sources and personal experiences. To dismiss others in the way you have so far isn't going to make you any friends on this forum or any group for that matter. The point of forums is to exchange knowledge and information, not shove personal experience as fact down the throat of others. Keep it humble and keep it moving.

 

I agree with you and I will take your advice seriously and I will do that. I will keep an open mind about everything and about what others in here have to say about what they know, what they’re hearing and what their personal experiences are. I’m trying to find things out just like everyone else in here. I apologize and I will keep an open mind from now on for everything. And I will go with the flow.

 

glamglam, are you purposely trying to torch what remaining credibility you may have?

Both of those statements of "fact" you've made cannot both be true.

Also, even if one ignores the falsification by the second quote, the first quote of yours is merely a local area configuration snapshot and as such is insufficient to support your claim that 99.9% of all ES 350's, 250's and [erroneously included] 300h come with [optional] rear spoilers.

 

Now that a few others in here have made me aware that special orders have reopened in other regions of the country, yes, you’re absolutely right about this. When I presented the fact about not being aware that special orders have reopened in other parts of the country, I still believed that there was still no special ordering. And I only said what I said because of what all the Lexus dealerships around here in my area have been telling me. Honestly, I didn’t know and I had no idea that special orders have reopened up in other parts of the country in other regions. I’m sorry for being such close minded about special orders like this. If I had known that Lexus is reopening special orders only regionally and not nationally, I would’ve been more receptive to this. But stupid me, I always thought that Lexus would reopen special orders nationally for the whole country all at once and not regionally. That’s the ONLY reason why I was adamant about the special order topic and that’s also the only reason why I was disagreeing with the ones in here that were telling me that special orders were open only regionally. I’m sorry about that. I’m having an open mind from now on about this and I accept what others have said to me that special orders have reopened in certain regions of the country as being the truth. Please forgive me for thinking what I was thinking about special ordering. I will take that special orders being reopen in certain regions in the country with an open mind. I don’t want to argue about this topic anymore. Again, I’m sorry that I only believed that special orders were closed for the whole country when they aren’t. I will be talking to Lexus in the morning to find out more about what everyone in here has been telling me to get more insight on the special ordering being reopen regionally in other parts of the country. Who knows, maybe they might tell me that special orders are reopen for my region too which will be very good news for all of us up here who want to have access to the Ultrra Luxury vehicles.

 

That would not have been what I would have referred to as a special order. But it can be so confusing that I realized it's probably a good idea to break it down in an attempt to provide some clarity to this complicated process. I've marked #3 and #4 as the sections of interest for the purpose of this post. I have ***** in front for designation.

First things first! This post is in no way meant to confirm or deny any posters stance of whether they did or didn't have a special order. In regards to whether special orders are being accepted again I will say this. When Lexus ended special ordering, they did so nationally. As to whether Lexus is now accepting special orders, one would presume it would also be nationally. Being regionally selective seems to me an overly complicated process and how that would be determined would be a nightmare even at their level. So while I don't question whether it's open or not for special ordering, in my opinion, they are likely either being accepted or not being accepted nationally. But, I've been wrong before and I have yet to hear back from my Lexus contact for confirmation.

A few things to consider. I have a strong feeling what is often communicated to a buyer as being a special order is often technically not a special order. It is often actually a change request to an allocated vehicle in a dealer's pipeline. It is often "understood" or even communicated to a customer as being a special order. I'm sure it's easier to say that to a customer rather than to attempt and explain what is a very complicated process. Just look at how much spirited conversation this topic has produced! I mean asking for a change to a vehicle that hasn't been built and having that request be fulfilled does have a connotation of being a special order, maybe even a custom order. Many would say semantics. As a case in point, my order took nearly 6 months. So timelines in the post below are based on pre-pandemic guidelines.

The outcome of a vehicle purchase should be the same whether its a true special/custom order or whether it's an allocated vehicle in the dealer's pipeline in which a change request can be successfully fulfilled. Yet there is still technically a difference between the two fulfillment processes. A true special order, which is outlined in Fulfillment option #4, is not yet an allocated vehicle in the dealer's pipeline. It will eventually count towards a dealer's allocation, which is another reason why dealers typically try every other fulfillment option first before going this route. I won't go in-depth regarding that part because it's even more complicated. I'm also, NOT here attempting to distinguish between the two fulfillment processes for anyone that specifies their vehicle purchase was or wasn't a true special/custom order. If the outcome is the same and you have the vehicle you wanted it ultimately doesn't matter. You've likely received the car you wanted! I do feel with so much confusion around the process that it probably should be spelled out more clearly so that those that want to understand will be better equipped to distinguish between the two fulfillment methods. Of course, that also requires more transparency from the purchasing dealer. As many of us know all too well, that can be a challenge in and of itself. So I would pay special attention to Fulfillment option #3 and on to understand the difference between the two methods to help give you guidance in distinguishing between what is a true specially ordered vehicle and what is actually an allocated vehicle in the pipeline in which a change request can successfully be made.


*************
Regarding Vehicle Allocation, here is a "brief" overview highlighting a very small part of the process. I've skipped a few steps down to the regional and local level.

Vehicle Allocation-

National, regional then on to the dealer level.

Regional allocation-
Is performed monthly 6 weeks prior to the production month.

Once the monthly allocation is done the region must create a vehicle order for each unit.

Dealer allocations-
The dealers can maintain an allocation preference database that describes the type of vehicle specifications that they desire—or do not desire. Similar to a profile.
Dealers can also submit special orders from customers.

Once the dealers receive their allocation of vehicles, they have a few days to accept the vehicles.

After the dealers accept the vehicles, they appear in a pipeline inventory report. At this time, dealers can make changes to some of the factory specifications and also add accessories that will be installed at the marshaling yard and/or port

Now that the dealers know which vehicles are scheduled for production and approximately when they will be built, they can use information regarding these vehicles in combination with the dealer stock to fulfill demand.

The primary difference between the Lexus allocation model and other allocation models (Toyota does it once a month regionally and twice a month at a dealer level.) is that Lexus vehicles are allocated to dealers based on a quarterly sales plan. Unlike the Toyota models that are based on actual sales to “turn-and-earn,” Lexus’s vehicle allocation is based on the forecasted sales of each dealer as a share of each region’s total sales

Dealer fulfillment-
There are four options for dealers to fulfill customer demand.

1. Dealer Stock. The first option is to fulfill the customer’s order from dealer stock. The salesperson will attempt to influence the customer to select a vehicle already in stock. Such an approach is preferred by the dealer because the sale can be consummated immediately, before the customer leaves the dealership. The salesperson is always concerned that once a customer leaves without the keys to the car, she will change her mind and end up buying from another dealer or a competitor. The order-to-delivery lead time for vehicles purchased from stock is usually zero to two days.

2. Dealer trade. In that case, the salesperson can access a dealer locator system to determine if the vehicle is in another dealer’s stock in a nearby city or state. Usually the distance is limited to less than 500 miles, because if the vehicle is driven more than 500 miles before it is sold, the excessive mileage may violate the warranty. This issue can be avoided by hauling the vehicle on a trailer. In most cases, the dealers actually swap vehicles, meaning that two vehicles need to be transported instead of one. This method of fulfillment will add several hundred dollars to the dealer cost, because the dealer must pay a driver as well as cover the cost of fuel to transport the vehicle. That extra cost may or may not be passed along to the customer depending on how anxious the dealer is to sell the vehicle. It also adds miles to a new car before customer possession. The order-to-delivery lead time is usually two to three days.

*****3. Locate a vehicle in the dealer’s pipeline. These are vehicles that have been allocated or assigned to the dealer but have not arrived at the dealer. The pipeline can be divided into three segments:

1 Vehicles produced and in transit from the plant
2.Vehicles that are either in the process of being built or for which the specifications
have been frozen just prior to production
3.Vehicles scheduled for production with specifications that have not yet been frozen


If an exact match of the customer’s specifications can be located in the first two groups, then the vehicle can be reserved for the customer and should be delivered in two to three weeks.
The next choice is to locate a vehicle that is scheduled for future production and request a change in specifications. That step requires the manufacturing plant to agree to change the vehicle specification. The process is as follows:
* The dealer submits an online request to change a vehicle that has still not been produced. The change request can be a simple one-for-one change; for example, “I have a red ES 350 and I want a blue ES 350.” The change request can also be one-to-many or many-to-one; for example, “I have a red ES 350 and I want either a blue or white ES 350,” or, “I have a blue ES 350 and a black ES 350 and I want a silver ES 350.”
* The next step is for the sales company’s computer system to analyze and determine if any of the change requests can be satisfied by simply swapping the vehicle with a dealer who has submitted a change that is the exact reverse change request. For example, if a dealer in Boston wants to exchange a blue ES 350 Lux. for a black ES 350 Ult. Lux. and a dealer in Chicago has a black ES 350 Prem. and wants a blue ES 350 Lux., then the computer can simply swap the dealer assignments. If this online swap is successful, then the virtual swap is made and both dealers will be notified.
* If the above swap is not available, then the changes are sent to the manufacturing computer system that checks to ensure that the change can be made without exceeding any of the manufacturing constraints. Each assembly plant establishes a fluctuation allowance for each vehicle option, including color. Each dealer change request is systematically evaluated to make sure that none of the allowances are exceeded. If the change is accepted, the vehicle specifications are changed and the result is sent back to the dealer via the sales company. Also, the dealer will be notified if the change cannot be accepted, so the dealer can modify it or leave it in a pending status to be reprocessed the next day. Vehicles changed at the factory are usually delivered in 30 to 40 days.

*****4. The last resort (or fourth option) is to request a build-to-order vehicle from the regional office. That step would require the region to input the special order in the next month’s order cycle. A special request order typically has a very long lead time (usually three or more months).

 

I couldn’t of said what you said any better.

 

@UltraLux22 I appreciate the breakdown of what a special order can entail. I recall reading your exact same post earlier in this thread or in another, it's very good information and much appreciated.

With the information provided I have apparently two options that were given to me, with a request-to-build order in and waiting on approval. Otherwise, the allocated vehicle should be coming in next month and will most likely be the vehicle I purchase. The only thing that would hold me back from purchasing the allocated vehicle is if I hear an update on my request-to-build order. The interesting thing about the allocated vehicle is that it has an option that is no longer available on the Lexus website, intuitive parking. I haven't seen it for some time.