pishta

If it is on a lot, it should be available to anyone with a checkbook, no matter where he/she lives. My friend ordered a 06 GMC Diesel SHORTBED pick up, not even in the catalog, but the dealer punched the code in and there were 3 special orders made for customers nationwide and one no show was sitting in a lot in OK. He bought it right then and there and the truck was on a trailer and on the CA lot in 7 days.If it is available somewhere in the dealer network, it can be bought and shipped. the dealer is still making the money. Now if it had a special option that had to be done at the factory like a different interior option or a right hand drive, I can understand the build date delay, but a stock code car? C'mon. Im sure the Torrance dealer would be more than happy to unload that car to a buyer wherever it is, that is a huge nut for a salesperson!!!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

i don't have a good answer to that, but personally i think if the dealership is willing to talk to the right person, they can find out better answers on the status of the cars

and also, no one really knows how soon the order list actually began. if anything i'd thing owner/GM they'd be the first to know

Gojirra99

That's probably the case here, & that's exactly where their problem is - there's no systematic way to track. Had there been a system in place to trace the orders, any dealer should be able to easily get the details regarding the orders, the building dates, the delivery dates, etc. just by punching in some numbers in their computer system for example, & give the information to their customers right away, & not dependent on whether they are willing, or figuring out the right person to ask.
It should have begun the second any dealer accepted a deposit from a customer. And as soon as the factory in Japan had worked out a schedule for building different colors/option packages, which they must have done months ago, since they have been selling the car for a couple months already, that information should be made readily & easily available to the dealers so they can inform their customers when they can expect certain colors/option packages to get delivered.

Johnny

In the initial stages of my purchase, I considered many configurations, options, colours and delivery times until I settled on the one I have now. To assist me in this process, my salesman allowed me to review the Lexus production schedule which listed all the units destined for North America by VIN number. This schedule provided complete details such as a unit's position in the production queue, its completion date, the delivery date to the pier, whether it was in transit, on what vessel, its scheduled arrival in North America, at what pier, whether the unit was already sold or its allocation to what dealer. Each unit could also be opened for further details like the model, colour, and equipment.

All of this data is available to Lexus dealers, helping the salesman assist the client in making his/her decision. If a dealer is reticent or not forthcoming with the client, I can only surmise that the unit he/she is interested in, is either not available, or the dealer is trying to prod the client in another direction, imho.

Gojirra99

Good to know that at least JP in N.Vancouver let you know all these info openly, so I assume that those info should be readily available to other Canadian & U.S. dealers as well.
I always feel there is something not right about it when I read the complaint of the original post in this thread, just want to figure out exactly what it may be.

Almost 5 years ago, I bought my SC430 from JP & they just happened to have my favorite color combination just arrived from Japan, so I just picked it up immediately, I didn't even have to go through the order process, but at the time, the SC430 was out for 1 1/2 years already, in it's second model year, & no more waiting list (it was a one-year waiting list when it was launched in Spring 2001).

rominl

iTrader: (4)

no, what i was trying to say is that no one knows when the owner/GM of south coast lexus placed the other. let's just say hypothetically south coast is the first dealership to get the black opal. then yes others still have to wait

i don't want to go too deep into it, i know it's never ending. i can see how some of us are frustrated with the situation, and personally i think it would be good if lexus can improve their order / tracking system, if they ever install one.

however, the way i see it, it is what it is. while it is true (and i agree) that it will be great if lexus can do it, i don't know if i would agree "for a 100k car, i'd better be able to know where it is". to me it almost sounds like some owners i have heard before saying "this is a 30k car and i don't expect rattles".

(please don't flame me, i won't reply at all, it's just my comments. again, i fully agree it would be great if lexus can have a tracking system, which i actually think dealership can find out if they talk to the right person)

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

^^ Do you mean South Bay Lexus in Torrance???

Why do a few of you keep thinking the GM (he or she) placed an order to get this Black Opal LS600h L ??

I confirmed today it was just one of their allocations delivered to the dealership... and it just so happened to be Black Opal..

Also, why do people think an order tracking system does not exist...?
Well it does, especially when the dealership receive their incoming allocations & VIN#'s, 1-3 weeks before it gets there... That means the car was built an on its way to the US or etc... There are even time periods that you can add/remove Port Installed Options (PIO), while the car is still on the boat.
Dealerships can see it coming on paper and on the computer once they get the info, which is pushed down from Corporate computer systems.
Dealerships also see their propsed allocations months in advance.

Example: I special ordered my 2007 IS350 June 16th.. Was explained it would take anywhere from 3-4 months
Order accepted by Japan on June 20th and forced into a 2008.. 1st week of July I received confirmation of the order being slated for August production.. 1st week of Sept I got word the car is on the boat and I have the VIN.. Car lands on US soil 9/10.. its at the dealership late evening 9/12, PDI and in my garage by 9/13 evening. All plastic still entacted
Total time: just shy 3 months.

As I all ready stated in prior posts (#24 & #29 in this thread)...
The information on the LS600h L is NOT Top Secret!!! You just have to know the person that knows how to correctly be updated on SPECIAL ORDERS..
Its actually very easy... Look how well informed I was on my so called, No longer available, Sport Pkg IS350..

Here are a few more pics I took with the Digi cam of the stunning Black Opal.. enjoy!
Sorry, I only walked by & snapped quickly as I then ran to my brand new IS350.







Please take my information, facts & opinions and use it wisely!!!

Joe Z

Johnny

No flame here, Rominl... With all due respect, please read my post; Lexus have a great tracking system in place, and all the dealers have access to it. I saw it with my own eyes, and researched a number of possibilities with my "helpful & open" salesman. It is very powerful and interactive allowing the sales team to trade with other dealers, and re-route allocations that may be pier'ed elsewhere. It is designed to provide a buyer with all the available choices for short-term and long-term deliveries. It compensates for Lexus clients' inability to custom order automobiles from the factory like domestic manufacturers.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

joe, it has to be pre-ordered somehow coz' all 1800 + 200 private ls600hl were sold out already even before the reached dealership. so there is no way there could be a random allocation. that's a fact

burnaby, no i read your post. and actually if you read what i said, i didn't say they don't have one now. i know they do coz' that's how i tracked my last few cars. what i said is they could have IMPROVE (same word i used in my post) their tracking system, including better exposure, better training to dealership, better utilization, etc...

hope i clear myself

Gojirra99

So any guess why they would just let Iceman cancel his order rather than trying to find out for him when he can expect to get his Black Opal ?? Seems like many dealers aren't even eager to try using their tracking system to help their customers, same for zzzdoc's 600hL order, & Joe's IS350, he had to try several dealerships & worked very hard to get what he wants, that's poor sales service that makes Lexus looks bad

rominl

iTrader: (4)

attitude problem (of sales or dealership). for the 600hl, i bet they don't care coz' they know the car will sell, there are so many people down the list. and for joe's case, i know a lot of sales they don't want the trouble to go through this and that to help people track their cars, etc... they rather ask people to take whatever they have on the lost for pretty much the same profit

it takes a good sales to be willing to work out the details with customers.

encore888

Interesting, this makes me think of the adversarial relationship that sometimes/often exists between dealers and corporate hq in the automotive industry. Can it be that the special order iffy-ness is largely due to dealership foot-dragging? If the system is clearly in place, and the sales staff is too lazy to utilize it...

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

^^ I agree 110%... and that is why South Bay Lexus got my business...
The Internert Sales Mgr went above & beyond to make sure I got exactly what I wanted..
Gloria bascially said to me: "If they make it, there is NO reason why you can't Special Order it".... She felt that I shouldn't settle for something on the lot that I really didn't want... Which was Lux Pkgs which have Wood Trim & no Sport Tuned Suspension..
I'm not old enough to have wood


On that LS600h L sitting at South Bay.. What I was getting at ,is if they are given 5-10 allocations a month (not sure of actual #).. this is one of them that wasn't sold yet.. But is was in their dealership allocations... So if you mean SOLD out because the dealershis filled their qoutas, then I agree.... But this is on the Showroom Floor screaming Buy Me.. Its been there for about a week... and I did ask her if this was a cancelled order... it was not... Just a New Arrival..

Jz

Iceman

I can't wait to move back to SoCal where customer service is more than a buzzword they teach in night school MBA classes. South Bay Lexus will be my "home" dealer--I even bought a used car from them 14 years ago when I last lived in LA.

So now we're further isolating the problem. It appears to be inconsistency in the nationwide Lexus dealer network. They need to maintain and enforce common high standards of behavior across the entire brand, which I believe was the original intent when Lexus was launched.

4TehNguyen

iTrader: (1)

are you gonna jump on this unsold one? dont need to wait for a special order anymore