mail_junky

Has anyone tried to place a special order with a color combo that's normally not available in the US?

For example, Tungsten Pearl with Cashmere interior.

Looking at the Lexus Japan website, it seems like they do allow any exterior / interior combination (I am guessing here since I cannot read Japanese) in Japan.

Does anyone have any experience on this?

BTW, I believe they have improved their color choosing tool:

http://lexus.jp/models/is/design/color_exterior.html

AsianGirl007

iTrader: (1)

Yes, but be prepared to wait 3-4 months for it and good luck getting a decent discount (some guys have but others have not).

Welcome to Club Lexus btw!

mail_junky

Thank you, AsianGirl007!

I got an offer for $1000 over invoice from one dealer and $2000 over invoice from a couple other dealers for special order. One sales associate actually claimed he could do $500 over, but I was not sure if he was being serious. They are all in the Bay Area.

Do you think dealers in SoCal will give better deals?

TimboIS

Nope, Tungsten is only with Black or Sterling leather. Special order won't get around that.

Soda

I agree, if it's not avail here, you're not gonna get it. And technically, there is NO SPECIAL ORDER. Cars are preferenced and can sit in the system for a LONG time. That's why some are quick, some are very slow. There is certain build percentages they do for each region depending on model & packages. And if the one you want isn't building that month, you'll have to wait til it is.

Wish

That first time I hear that.. I'm really tired of waitting it's been almost 2 months now..no news from the delaer

I wanted a GFM with black interior but this dosn't come in my region so I had to go with Cashmiri ..

mine was ordered with Xpackage..dealer told me to wait 3 to 4 months it;s long waitting .. I really dont know how long I can wait specially when I'm driving rented Toyota Corolla.

Gojirra99

I don't think you can special order unsupported color combination even for the LS flagship, so good luck with the IS

Irishman06

For the second or third time, the ENTIRE toyota production system is based on special orders! If you want a specific car (unsure of non-standard color combos...), tell the dealer you want to place a special order. If they say they can't special order them, go to another dealership! That is a flat-out LIE. Toyota/Lexus will not produce a vehicle unless there is a customer for it. Usually, this customer is Lexus Motor Sales deciding allocations, but a dealer can always special order a car. It will take up to 4 months, however. You can get any combination from any region if you special order, that's how most people are getting their mark levinson/lux package cars, due to the normally low order volume of the system.

TimboIS

You CAN special order any valid color/option combination. You CANNOT custom order invalid combinations (ie. Tungsten w/cashmere, Sport w/wood, etc, etc).

sdbrandon

You are not custom ordering anything. If you want a specific color combo you are more or less reserving one off the line that matches your criteria. Toyota does not build cars to order. If they did, you would be paying a whole lot more. The cookie cutter approach keeps costs down.

rhsmd

i remember back in 1989, i went to scarsdale ford in ny and ordered my 5.0L mustang, exactly the way i wanted it. andit could be tracked by the dealer on the line, even down to the vin while it was being built.
there was a plate attached to the radiator, with all the codes for the build, as it went down the line.
sigh!!!

p.s. i'm still waiting for delivery and pick up of my is350, due to the blizzard here in denver. should be good tyo go on friday the 29th.

Irishman06

I'm sorry, but you need to read up on your manufacturing history. The basis of the Toyota Production System is only to build what the customer orders. Its referred to as a "pull" system, and minimizes excess inventory like the problems DaimlerChrysler has encountered recently, building cars without customer orders. Before a car is scheduled at the assembly plant, the final destination of the car is already known, and its options have been decided based on what that dealer or customer ordered. As I said, though, you have to wait for your order to go from the dealer to the regional sales manager to Lexus Motor Sales USA to TMC in Japan, then wait for the car to be built, then wait for it to be shipped on a boat here. If you were ordering a US-built Toyota, you could cut the 3-4 week shipping time off of the order, but nonetheless, there's a wait.

sdbrandon

I did not know Toyota allows custom orders outside of their normal packaged offerings.

Why is it such a secret? I would like to be able to order colors, leather combos, options, etc. a la carte like BMW does. It seems every lexus dealer sells packages whether custom ordered or not.

Irishman06

Brandon --

Not quite. My point was that if you want a specific car, they will schedule and build it just for you. However, you won't be able to get a completely "custom" order, with any color combination/option combination you want. It is a "cookie cutter" approach, but if you want a specific cookie, they'll make it for you as soon as they get the order.