Toyota not doing custom builds? Dealer BS?

Just stopped by my local dealer to ask about a custom build for a 24 off-road manual transmission. Sales person gave me a line about ever since Covid, Toyota doesn’t allow them to do custom orders anymore. I find this hard to believe when you can go to their website and literally build your own. Then he went on to talk about how high volume of a dealership they are and how they can get any vehicle that the customer wanted. I then told him about the manual transmission and he said there was no chance I would get one of those. Can somebody tell me if this sales person is just blowing smoke up my ass because he won’t make any money off an ordered vehicle? I did this exact same thing with my 2017 Tacoma with the same specs and the smaller dealership I used were more than happy to accommodate me.

 

Toyota does not take custom orders. The best you can do is tell them exactly what you want and hope they get one on allocation and if not, then they may be able to search your region and do a dealer trade for one.

 

Last few years dealers will try and locate as close to the spec you want. No more custom orders.

 

When you are finished "building" your Taco on the Toyota website, you are then ushered off to search available inventory.

 

The US Toyota build tool is just a daydreaming tool to hook you & make you optimistic. Actually creating that truck after the fact will be about 20-50% more expensive than the 'Build MSRP' price.

 

My day has been ruined.

 

Use toyota's inventory search tool, or the kissmygrits table to find a truck with close to what you want....
I flew to get my truck, was worth it.

 

Is the kissmygrits table linked somewhere on this site?

 

https://flatgithub.com/kissmygritts/flatdata-vehicle-inventory


There is a script that queries the Toyota API every morning to update the table. I found it easiest to copy/past VIN# straight into google search and trying to find the direct dealer website/listing after narrowing down trucks w/ model/trim/color options...

If they show up in the KMG table, they may or may not already be sold, or listed yet on the dealer site.

 

Toyota has never done custom orders not in the last 20 years at least. It’s allocation, your dealer can trade another dealer for it or go to a high volume dealer and they’ll have a higher odd of getting what you want

 

Build the one you want on the website and then it will tell you which dealers have the closest match to that. You can absolutely get a manual transmission, but you may not get it in the color you want or with the exact option package you want. And there will be port options installed by your dealers distributor that you’re going to pay for whether you want them or not.

 

It’s not since COVID, it’s since forever. Toyota has never done custom orders, you just tell the dealer what you want and they find an allocation Toyota has being built with those features.

 

Time for a cybertruck. Do you want grey or light grey?

 

Not to argue with you, but I went to a very small dealership in 2016 and requested a 2017 offroad in quicksand, manual transmission, premium package and they put me on a list. I got all the updates about the build date, delivery time and everything. Took over four months. I find it hard to believe that dealership was able to get that exact vehicle allocated to them or a surrounding dealership.

 

Dealerships can trade allocations with each other within and maybe beyond Toyota regions. Some dealers trade away GR Corollas for base 4Runners because of their market area... So it's possible.

Many dealerships I asked in person in 2021 said 'Oh yeah, we take orders, Toyota lets us custom order!' And then wanted deposit and guesstimated an ETA (6+mo out), which I assume was just a front for them putting in an allocation request and trying to get what I wanted....

There are stories on here of people 'ordering' a truck at a dealer, and then when it arrives, it is missing something they 'ordered' or mysteriously is sold to another buyer before they can even see it... I think that supports the allocation story.


Sometimes it all works out, and an allocation is available with what you want, and they can immediately provide you a factory/temp VIN before the vehicle hits production.


And it sounds like some dealers are able to modify or add port options if it is early enough to make it what you want. But I've never experienced that. They all scoff at me and say no when I ask.


I've gone to 3 Toyota dealers to test drive, provided my info and asked for a call when they see something close to what I want & my budget, and never received anything from those salespeople. Shame.

Funnily enough, there is one dealer local to me that let me test drive, even though I said I was looking at flying to buy a Tacoma. They were very receptive, let me test drive a new Tacoma with like 15 miles, and let me floor it. Then when we got back, the salesman sat down with me, I told him what I wanted and what my current option was, and he basically told me he couldn't get any, and to fly out to get the one I found. And then a week later he followed up with me asking if I needed anything else... Super amazing experience with them. It's funny.

 

That makes sense. That script is only showing me a listing of all dealerships. How do I see what they have been allotted?

Nevermind. Figured it out.

 

You can't. Some guy did it several months ago and the Eye of Sauron cast it's gaze on him and he is Nevermore.

 

Yes you got an allocation. Toyota never made it specifically made it for you. If you were able to special order it your stealership would have placed the order and Toyota would have specifically made it for you. An allocation is they’ll make 10,000 quick sand Tacomas and 1,500 of those will be manual and 500 of those will be access cab and they ship them out to various dealers none of them with specifically you ever in mind. Basically Toyota never built it with you in particular mind to buy it, it was built for anyone

 

Any tips for sorting by dealership location on the inventory table? Other than searching each VIN? I see the dealership ID, but it's just a number.

 

Don't they know I'm special?