Toyota's special order process for cars is irritating

Don't get me wrong -- I love Toyota cars.

But I'm not loving what's happened since February 5 of this year, when my wife and I thought we were putting in a special order for a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid in Limited Trim -- Blizzard Pearl color with black interior, plus several option packages.

Based on my experience with special ordering several other cars fairly recently, a Mini Cooper S and a Chevy Volt, I expected that after we told a salesman at Capitol Toyota here in Salem, Oregon exactly what we wanted in a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid, that information would be used by Toyota to manufacture a car to our specifications.

In retrospect, the first hint that this wasn't what was going to happen came around the first of March, when we asked the salesman if he could give us an update on our order. He said something like, "Toyota hasn't started making RAV4 Limited's yet."

That didn't send off major alarm bells, because I figured that as soon as Limited's did begin to be made, Toyota would manufacture ours -- since we had ordered a RAV4 Hybrid even before the car was officially introduced, basing our decision on reviews we'd read of the 2019 RAV4.

However, March came and went with no news about our order. This month I decided to check out what RAV4's were showing up on dealer web sites in our area, including Capitol Toyota's site. I saw that several RAV4 Hybrid Limited cars were available, though none with the color and options that we wanted.

This caused me to phone our salesman again, and to also do some Googling about "Toyota special order car." What I learned was more than a little disturbing. 

So far as I can tell, Toyota doesn't actually build a car based on a special order.

Rather, that order merely tells the dealership what sort of car you want. If they ever get one that matches those specifications, the dealer will sell it to you (assuming someone else hasn't put in an order for the same sort of car before you did).

Or, the dealer might be able to get another dealership to send them a car that matches what you want. How long could this take? Last time I talked with our salesman, who knows? It could be a month. Or two months. Or longer.

It just depends on how long it takes for a 2019 RAV4 Hybrid Limited with the exterior and interior colors we want, plus the options we want, to become available in the Pacific Northwest.

This seems screwy to me, but it sure appears to be Toyota's policy. 

Toyota has a FAQ site. One question is "If the dealer doesn't have the vehicle I want, can I place a special order?" Here's the answer. 

Toyota dealerships work with our regional offices to determine what vehicle combinations are in demand in their geographical market, and request vehicle allocations accordingly. Because of this, some model configurations and options may not be available in your area, while other options may be available, but only as part of a combination of packages. Your local Toyota dealership can advise you whether a preference can be submitted for your desired vehicle. This preference request does not guarantee you will receive the vehicle with the exact options requested, and may create an extended wait-time.

To which my blunt response is, WTF? 

My wife and I want a fully-loaded 2019 RAV4 Hybrid Limited, which retails at around $40,000. When we put down a $500 deposit on our special order, we didn't view this as a "preference." We want to buy a car that has the colors and options we asked for.

Yet Toyota thinks it is just fine to make customers endure an "extended wait-time" for the car they want, whereas Mini Cooper and Chevrolet built us cars to order within several months (our Mini came from Great Britain, even).

Another FAQ is "Why can't I configure a vehicle with the equipment I want using the Build a Toyota feature?' Here's part of the answer to that question. 

Our vehicles are generally equipped with options and model grades that we have found to be popular in the geographic area in which they are marketed. We do extensive market surveys and studies to assist in forecasting product features and equipment that will be desirable to the consumer.

And in some instances, particularly with new models just launched, your region might have limited or no availability of certain trim levels or selected options while we build up inventory.

So again, Toyota isn't going to manufacture a car from our special order. Rather, our order, which turns out to be not very special, simply means that if Toyota ever sends our dealer a car that matches what we want, we have a good chance of being able to buy it.

Someday. Date undetermined. 

Now, maybe I'm not completely understanding the Toyota special order process. A Capitol Toyota supervisor told me that after a VIN (vehicle identification number) is connected with our order, the car can be tracked.

But it still seems to me that this won't be because a car has been specifically made for us, but because a car that matches our order happens to have been made by Toyota.

Hopefully our special order saga will have a happy ending. I just hope that ending occurs fairly soon, since right now we have no idea when we might see the RAV4 Hybrid we've ordered.

And I want to emphasize that my wife and I are totally pleased with how Capitol Toyota has treated us. We've bought several Prius'es, several Highlanders, and a MR2 from Capitol Toyota over the years. It's just Toyota's special order process that I find irritating and in need of improvement.

Comments

[Skyline]

In comparison, we ordered a heavy truck (that cost twice of your Rav4) last year from Skyline Ford and got EXACTLY what we wanted.
We set down with the fleet manager and went down the build sheet line by line.
5 weeks later, our truck appeared as ordered. NO complaints.
Did you fill out a build sheet?
Did you place a deposit?
If so, I would be talking to the consumer fraud division.
They should have told you up front, " I'm sorry; you have to just take what ever we have on the lot".
Weak. VERY weak....

[Brian Hines]

Skyline, we didn't fill out a build sheet. We just told the sales guy what we wanted. We've never seen an actual order document/form. And we put down a $500 deposit on a RAV4 Hybrid.

Now I don't know what that deposit does for us. Seemingly it guarantees us first grabs at a car the dealer gets that matches what we want. But like I said in this post, that could take months. Or maybe, tomorrow. No way to tell.

[Helo]

It sounds to me the that they take these information for orders and make a decision based of the general average and not exactly on the specific want of the customers. It is all about business.

[John Rocksen]

Toyota does not make cars the way you want. You can get your Blizzard Pearl Tacoma and I can't buy a Super White Prius. They just flat out refuse to do it. They have the sales numbers to allow giving their customers the finger and they'll be happy to continue doing so until they don't have the sales numbers.

[Greg Loughry]

I'm having the EXACT same experience ordering a 4Runner! Exact Same!

[Dan C]

I’m worried about this as I am extremely interested in getting one of the RAV 4 plug in hybrids when they come out this summer. However we live in the south where hybrids aren’t super popular, and plug in hybrids even less so. Very concerned that it will be next to impossible to get one, particularly with options that I want.

[Samuel J Hartman]

Thanks for writing this, going through the same thing in 2020; I was quoted three months and now I'm even more skeptical (RAV4 Hybrid XLE)

[Anna Kate]

I'm in Georgia but I'm experiencing the same exact problem with the same exact vehicle but a 2021 year model. I've been waiting since October and am beyond frustrated! I've decided to look outside the Southeast Region and maybe increase my chances of getting what I want. Toyota is very independent. Have you gotten your vehicle yet and how long did it take?