So, I went to the dealership to check out a new Camry, but they didn’t have the color or the options I was looking for. I asked the salesperson if I could just order one with the stuff I wanted, but he said they couldn’t do that anymore. He claimed that Toyota just sends them whatever, and they can’t pick specific features. That sounded odd to me. I was ready to buy if I could get exactly what I wanted, but he tried pushing me towards something else with features I didn’t even want. Do car dealerships really not take custom orders anymore?
Nope, custom ordering isn’t really a thing anymore. You can still build your ideal car on Toyota’s website, but then you’ll just have to search around and hope a dealer has something close.
Toyota uses some computer system to decide what gets built based on past sales. I think it’s based on the last fiscal year. It means they make more of the models and options that sold well before, but not exactly what everyone wants.
Ordering exactly what you want is kinda old news. Now, it’s all about searching dealer inventories and hoping you get lucky.
What I’d suggest is putting a deposit down at a few different dealerships. That way, you can just ask for your money back if you find the right car somewhere else.
I custom ordered my last two Ford trucks, so I just assumed all brands would do the same. When I was shopping for a RAV4, I couldn’t find the exact setup I wanted, so I asked about custom ordering. They said it was possible, but that it could take months, maybe longer. It felt like they didn’t really want to bother with it. Not sure if it’s truly an option or if they were just saying that to make me give up.
@Niall
Toyota doesn’t actually do custom orders. Dealers can request certain setups, but whether you get it or not is up to Toyota’s system. If you’re looking for something very specific, you might end up waiting for a long time.
@Niall
Sounds like they were just saying whatever. There isn’t a real custom ordering process. The most you can do is request small changes to a car that’s already allocated to a dealership, like changing the color or a few options. But even that doesn’t always work, especially with certain models like the 2025 Camry.
Well, we do special orders pretty often where I’m at.
Toyota USA doesn’t really allow custom orders except for certain models like the LFA or LC500 Bespoke. The dealerships mostly rely on what’s allocated to them and can suggest certain features, but there’s no guarantee.
In Germany, you can definitely do custom orders. You either configure your car at the dealership or online. But I heard that in the US, it’s more like, ‘see a car, buy a car’—no waiting for a custom build that takes 6-12 months.
I was on the Mazda website, and they had a ‘build your own’ option. But there was a $1,000+ destination charge. Not sure if I’d actually get that exact car, though.