- First Name
- David
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2022
- Threads
- 37
- Messages
- 410
- Reaction score
- 572
- Location
- California
- Vehicle(s)
- 2023 Maverick XLT
- Engine
- 2.5L Hybrid
My wife just purchased a 2023 Honda Accord EX. Went on a near by dealership’s web site. Found the car we wanted on the “coming soon” pages and answered some questions. I was quoted an out the door price. We put down a deposit and a few weeks (not months or years) later, the dealer called us to make an appointment to pick up the car. Pretty damn simple. No up selling, no ADM NO BS. We even got the wax and interior protection for free.Let me get this straight: if you HAD put down a deposit on the Maverick order, you think it WOULD be "your" Maverick? Nope. And the same is true for the Corolla your wife ordered... I'm not a lawyer, but IIRC the "business law" courses I took for my degree, unless you have a purchase agreement signed by both parties, with ALL the terms and conditions clearly stated, it's not "your" vehicle. Even if you do, it is technically not your vehicle - you just have an enforceable contract where the dealer has agreed to sell you a vehicle equipped a certain way to you (at some point in time) for the stated price.
Just placing a deposit along with an order does NOTHING to convey ownership. Since the dealer doesn't own the vehicle until it arrives at their lot, how could they possibly convey ownership of that asset to you? Here's a quick "reality check" for you: Can you insure the vehicle through a normal automotive policy? If not - you don't own the vehicle yet.
In point of fact, if your dealership filled out a COVP, that Ford Maverick order IS "associated" with you. Nope, you still don't own it, but the dealership has made a commitment (non-binding on either party's side) to order and sell that vehicle to you. Technically, there's nothing to stop the dealership from getting "your" order in, and selling it to anyone they choose. We've had several documented cases of that here in the forum.
What is HUGELY different between the way Toyota handles "orders" and how Ford handles orders is this: Toyota builds what they want to build, and vehicles are allocated to the regional distributorships, who in turn allocate those to the dealers within their territory. When you place an "order" with a Toyota dealer, you are telling them "Please look for a vehicle equipped similarly to the way I prefer, and in the color (or more commonly - one of these three colors that I can live with), and let me know when it arrives.
Ford actually allows you (the customer) to request a special-order from your dealership, and they will build EXACTLY the vehicle the dealership orders for you. Unless you (or more accurately - your dealer) makes a change to your order, you SHOULD receive exactly what you ordered. That is, of course, assuming "normal times" and vehicles that are established in production. The Maverick has many constraints that maya prevent your particular vehicle from being built. But Ford (the company) will absolutely NOT change anything in your order to be able to deliver "something" to your dealer. You'll either get what you ordered, or not get anything at all. (See plenty of folks still waiting on their XL Mavericks with trailer hitch...)
Your Toyota (or Mazda/Honda/Subaru/Hyundai/Kia/etc.) dealer will find something in the delivery queue that is "close" to what you ordered, and offer it to you. If you refuse it, they go on to the next person in the waiting list, and so on... The factory absolutely does NOT custom-build cars to order. There isn't even a mechanism in existence for placing such an order.
We can debate all day about which approach is better, but if you want a "unicorn" vehicle (some combination of features that is unique to your needs) you have ZERO chance of getting that from the Pacific Rim manufacturers, who "pre-decide" what combinations they will build. In contract, you have a fairly decent chance – subject to order-guide and supply-chain limitations, of course – of (eventually) getting it from Ford, GM, or Chrysler.
I’ve owned 21 Fords. They need to get their crap together.
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