vp911

Does the dealer know where a car is at all times? I had come to an agreement with my dealer last month to buy the RX330 and an IS350. They said that the car I wanted (color and options - although had a couple extra things - spoiler and mats that I didn't ask for) was coming into port the end of Dec and should be here sometime in Jan. Do they know where it is at all times and when will they know when it will be at the dealer?

SilverBolt

Once it loads on the boat in Japan they know where it is. Typical boat ride from Japan is about 3 weeks. Then it's pre-delivery prep at the port. From there it is trucked to the dealer. 1-2 days at the dealer then it's yours.

vp911

How long does it stay at the port for the work? How long should it take to get to michigan? Thanks!

SilverBolt

Port time can vary with the amount of cars on the ground. I have no idea where the Michigan cars dock. Lucky for me the port for the NW is under 10 miles from the dealer.

vp911

I remember the dealer saying that the car goes to Washington (state) then Chicago then finally comes here. He guaranteed it would be here by the end of Jan, but at this point, I would have thought they would have an exact date since it is so close....yet so far away.

MatadorIS

I wish I knew the port-to-dealer time for the northeast region. I think the port is in NJ and it has to be delivered to MA.

BobsGX

Your car will come in at Port Newark, NJ. There they install among other things: rear spoiler, trailer hitch, floor and cargo mats, owners manuals, etc. This is the busiest port on the East coast but it is amazing how fast they can move vehicles through the system. From the port it would go by truck to your dealership. That can take up to a week depending on how many stops the truck has along the way.

MatadorIS

Do you know how long cars stay at the port before they are loaded onto the truck?

AsianGirl007

iTrader: (1)

Yes, the dealer can track it every step of the way.
"A" catagory stands for allocated, meaning it's on the boat, this takes about 2 weeks.
"F" catagory stands for freight, meaning it's at port and they're getting ready to put it on a truck.
"G" catagory stands for ground, meaning it's at the dealer.
The closer you are to the port the faster you get the car. Usually the car stays at port 2-7 days, depending on how busy it is or if it's a weekend or holiday as they do not work on those days.
You can ask your dealer where the port is and also ask them to "hot tag" your car so it gets pushed to front of line to get on trucks. Hot tag can ONLY be done while it is still in "A" catagory, after that you can only wait.
Good luck.

vp911

Thanks for the information. All I can do is sit and wait... it was supposed to be in Washington Dec 29-31st - so I assume it sat there till the 2nd at the earliest before they did anything because of new years. Hopefully it gets here next week, but I know, with my luck it won't be here till the end of the month at the earliest.

BobsGX

I had my GX hot tagged after it arrived at the port. It arrived at the dealer the next am. As with many things, its who you know.

AsianGirl007

iTrader: (1)

I worked at dealerships and I hot tagged all the time. Even without hot tagging, we got cars in the next day from port because we are only 1 hour drive from Long Beach port as it appears you live close to your port. Perhaps the dealer told you this to make themselves look good.

BobsGX

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My dealer is a 5 hour ride from the port. And the dealer was useless as far as getting the car to the dealership faster.. I contacted the port myself.
As they say, if you want something done right, do it yourself.

MatadorIS

How did you get the telephone number of the port? I'm thinking of doing the same myself.

Jherb350

iTrader: (1)

I thought cars going to the midwest where put on a train after they got into port, shipped to Chicago, installed extra's (spoilers, manuals...) and sent out to the dealers by truck from there?