Does giving a dealer a thousand dollars really help me get a car?

[aprayiii]

I have contacted a dozen or so dealers in a 500 mile radius to get on a waiting list for a 6MT. A few -but not all - are asking me for a thousand bucks. Toyota determines which dealers get which allocations - right? Does my thousand dollars really have any affect whatsoever on that? I can see a dealer adding a markup - then it is up to me to decide if I am willing to pay more. But realistically speaking these dealers may never get a car, yes?

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[XtremeMaC]

yes, they may never get one, but if they're asking for a deposit, chances are, you'd hope, they know that they're getting one.
and yes, even during Supra launch, many placed deposits to be in the line and speaking from experience, it paid off. I had 2 deposits. One didn't come through, as in, somebody else had priority, so they refunded me. Other did and I was the first and got the car..

Just triple check that it's refundable.

 

[JTN]

When I put down my refundable $500 deposit back in July I was told it "guaranteed" me a certain price for a certain allocation. I was given paperwork showing my deposit, showing the anticipated price of the supra I wanted along with all fees and whatnot, giving me an estimated "out the door" price for a car they did not have yet.

The mechanism of the system as it was explained to me is that my dealer needed the refundable deposit as "good faith money" from me of my intent to buy the car they eventually locate. They would then "preference" for the supra I wanted in the regional allocation system. This "preference" was basically the dealer telling the system that doles out vehicles that they want a specific vehicle in a specific color with specific options. It does not mean that vehicle will ever be made or available in the region, it just lets the regional allocation system and the other dealers in the region know that that particular dealer wants this particular car. If that particular car, or one close to it, becomes available in that region then chances are that dealer who placed a "preference" for that particular car will be allocated that car. If the dealer is NOT allocated that car and it goes to another dealer in that region, then the dealer who originally preferenced for it can try to trade for it with the dealer who got the allocation.

In a long rambling roundabout sort of way, your deposit is being used as a carrot on a stick to encourage that dealer to preference for and make moves within the allocation system to get the car you want, or a car very close to what you want if it is available. Your deposit does not guarantee you a car, it simply greases the wheels of the system to work in your favor.

As I said, my dealer only wanted $500 and I put in my deposit back in July. Since then all my dealer has really told me is that the car I want (2023 Nitro Yellow manual) is not available yet in our region. The dealer said they "have an allocation for a supra, and are just waiting for manual Nitro Yellow to show up" for whatever that is worth. They found a 2022 automatic Nitro Yellow at another dealer and asked me if that one would work and offered to trade that dealer for it, but I said I wanted a manual and would only take an auto if a manual simply wasn't available. So the dealer went back to preferencing for my car in the regional allocation system... which still shows zero manual Nitro Yellow supras.

And from what my dealer told me there is a legitimate chance that a 2023 manual Nitro Yellow may NEVER become available in our region. True or not the dealer said yellow cars don't sell well here in the midwest, and they tend to all go to the coasts. So even though I have a deposit and my dealer is by her words "shaking her tail" get my allocation filled, if the allocation system never gives one to our region then I won't get one.

 

[razorlab]

Act like a dealer is always trying to scam the F out of you and you should do well.

 

[ChuckD]

And from what my dealer told me there is a legitimate chance that a 2023 manual Nitro Yellow may NEVER become available in our region.

2023 3.0 Premium Nitro MT -

Not sure if it's still available and not midwest but worth checking into.

https://www.koonstoyotaarlington.co...ngton-va-ed708f220a0e0a907e9f004ae547af04.htm

 

[PrincipleZ]

2023 3.0 Premium Nitro MT -

Not sure if it's still available and not midwest but worth checking into.

https://www.koonstoyotaarlington.co...ngton-va-ed708f220a0e0a907e9f004ae547af04.htm

All the non-A91 3.0 currently listed as MT are actually AT. Dealer website is just one of the shittest technology
I was wrong it's actually a manual

 

[PrincipleZ]

Make sure to place your deposit with a credit card, so that if the dealer plays shady on refund you have an extra layer of insurance.

And yes, they may never get the car so if you really want one you should place deposit at multiple places.

Just got a call this morning from a dealer in MN claiming that they can directly order the car. After I told them I knew they are lying because it's an allocation system they said "we are different from other dealers, we can directly order the car" lmao

 

[ChuckD]

All the non-A91 3.0 currently listed as MT are actually AT. Dealer website is just one of the shittest technology

According to Toyota it's a MT.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/my-vehicle/vehicle-specification

 

[PrincipleZ]

According to Toyota it's a MT.

https://www.toyota.com/owners/my-vehicle/vehicle-specification

Ok just called them. It is actually a manual and it's at MSRP accepting deposit. I'm in CA and yellow is not my top preference so I'll pass on this. Very glad to hear that the 3.0 manuals finally are being released

 

[JTN]

That listing more or less confirms what my dealer told me a few weeks ago, which was that she saw manual Nitro Yellows being allocated in other regions but not in ours. I don't know what it is about our region but several dealers have given me the impression this region is like the red headed step child of the Toyota network... everyone gets everything before us, and in greater numbers.

I'm content to wait for them to get an allocation. They promised me MSRP (and its in writing) so I'd rather wait and see what they get rather than have to drive a brand new unfamiliar car halfway across the country in the unpredictable fall over unfamiliar roads, then deal with all the out of state purchase stuff related to taxes with the local license office.

 

[PrincipleZ]

That listing more or less confirms what my dealer told me a few weeks ago, which was that she saw manual Nitro Yellows being allocated in other regions but not in ours.

I'm content to wait for them to get an allocation. They promised me MSRP (and its in writing) so I'd rather wait and see what they get rather than have to drive a brand new unfamiliar car halfway across the country in the unpredictable fall over unfamiliar roads.

It's totally up to you but I would pull the trigger and get it shipped. 1k shipping better than the unknown waiting.

 

[JTN]

It's totally up to you but I would pull the trigger and get it shipped. 1k shipping better than the unknown waiting.

I honestly don't care about the waiting now that fall is in full effect here. If I bought one today I'd probably drive it once or twice then put it up for the winter anyway. If I get the car I want locally, then I get the car I want. Supra's aren't Ferraris... they'll be available at some point in some configuration. If I can't get what I want there will always be other cars, other dealers, other deals. Nothing is "take this one or get nothing".

And honestly if I miss out on the 2023's I might just take it as a sign that I shouldn't buy a car right now. I mean, it is still a really really bad time to buy a car... ANY car.

 

[aprayiii]

Thanks all. One of the dealers that wants 500 dollars told me that since he has sold an MT he feels he will get another allocation "next month". I guess that sounds like a reasonable argument - you are more likely to get another if you already sold one - but I am not sure. The other factors are of course making sure the deposit is refundable and getting them to tell you if they have a markup and/or a bunch of addons.

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