Has anyone had their online "build" assembled by Toyota?

We're looking to either buy a new tundra or Tacoma, even before the '24 Tacoma was announced. So, I've been playing around with the Build function on Toyotas website. I show my dealer one I've built and and say "I'd like to order this one". Two dealers have said "..Toyota doesn't let you build and order a vehicle, we just get allocated and what comes, comes. ..". And that they can sort of pull from an allocation to another dealer.

Is this true, or are the dealers just not wanting to go through whatever process of submitting my website build to Toyota? We even went through this with my wife's Rav4.

 

100% true!

 

Well that's interesting. I guess the online Build is to help visualize what you might get?

I wish they'd give better descriptions and pictures of the truck though.

 

Yes, Toyota doesn't do true orders like the other manufacturers do. You can request one built like that and they'll put you in the queue to receive one, but the more specific you are, the longer you'll likely be waiting. It would likely be easier to go to car shopping websites, put in what you want, and be willing to travel to get what you want.

 

Yeah, the cars. Com or other sites might be best. Around here most trucks are loaded with packages and options, dealer added accessories, or a base model 2wd. Not much in between

 

Yeah, I ended up driving 2 hours away to get mine. I didn't buy it new, but it was worth the drive. Coincidentally it was the same dealership we got our 4Runner from after our local dealership wanted to charge more for the exact same vehicle (and by exact same, I mean I looked at the VIN).

Autotempest is another good one. They shop several of those car sites for you in one place which is good since not every dealership uses every website.

 

I'd utilize Cargurus & Toyotas inventory websites to see incoming and pre-sold inventory. Don't bother waiting on an allocation, too late in model year to hope something comes in equipped how you want it.

 

In my experience this is mostly true. I rattled the corporate cages to get something close to what I could building online. As a 40+ year Toyota customer I felt I deserved some modicum of preference in exactly how my new Taco was configured. While they came very close, the order was complicated by model year changeover. I 'ordered' a 2020 TRD OR AC auto in June. Received a 2021 TRD OR AC auto in December. Of course, the 'packages' had changed. Most of the options were port added with the LED fogs being a dealer add. Overall I got what I wanted, but it took a fair amount of perseverance and patience to get there. YMMV

 

They can “order” what you want if the change in the allocation is made 30 days ahead of time. Dealer can pretty much ask the factory to build the vehicle exactly how you want it. Guess it’s a hit or miss though. This is what my dealer did for us when we ordered my girlfriends Toyota Corolla cross.

 

Sort of like Burger King now. Order something special, and be glad you got something.

 

+1 on what everyone else said. With Toyota you are putting in a request for an allocation, not an order. They will not build a truck to your specifications like you are used to with the Detroit manufacturers. Kinda like "take what we give you and consider yourself lucky". And as others have said, don't wait for a 2023 allocation now. It's too close to turning the lines over for the next model year. I'd search inventory and see what you can get, even if you have to fly to get it.

 

The 'build' feature let's you find a vehicle in inventory in your area. (If you are lucky...)
It is not a form for order placing.

Find tour truck (as suggested above) and the next hurdle is the dealer. (They often present a big hurdle!).

I drove 9 hours out of state to get the model / color / price I wanted.

 

Times a tickin’ I’d definitely suggest being flexible. I’m not saying buy what you don’t want, but don’t let some $149 LED bed lights derail everything.

 

Do a build online. Email it to your local dealer. They can do a search and see it one is close. I did that with my '19 and there were 2 exactly how I wanted it within 500 miles. They did a dealer trade and about 5 days later I had my truck.