2007 T4R Limited

[jlalanas]

Went to order a 2007 T4R Limited V8 yesterday and the dealer gave me some news I wasn't expecting.

1. The taupe interior isn't available with shadow mica exterior - they told me that color combos are available by region and in the northeast this wasn't available.

2. The rear leveling suspension isn't available in 2007 (not sure if they said that was specific to the limited or not)

3. The Xreas suspension is only availble on the sport edition, not available on the limited.

Has anyone out there experienced this? Just want to make sure the dealer isn't being lazy with my order.

Thanks in advance.

 

[HiVel-JR]

I would find another dealer.
Sounds like a case of the salesman being lazy...
or they are just want to get rid of what they have on their lot...

 

[toto]

I agree that it sounds like they're trying to get rid of inventory or known allocated vehicles coming soon.

A factory order will take months, though, so you have to either be patient or take a "standard build" for your region. To find how how they're being built for your area, go through the "build and price" process at toyota.com. The option combination names (Combo A, Combo B) don't mean anything, but the groupings are accurate, and they list the correct codes for each option.

If one of those builds would work for you, then you just need to find another dealer with a more open mind to work a deal at a regional level.

 

[jlalanas]

Thanks all. I was placing a factory order, but they gave me the "available in the region" excuse as to why the color combo wasn't available.

Regarding the suspension options, if you go on Toyota.com and do the build, the xreas and leveling suspension aren't an option you can choose any longer. They were as recently as a week ago though.

Guess I missed the boat in 2006......

 

[ProMed]

Thanks all. I was placing a factory order, but they gave me the "available in the region" excuse as to why the color combo wasn't available.

Regarding the suspension options, if you go on Toyota.com and do the build, the xreas and leveling suspension aren't an option you can choose any longer. They were as recently as a week ago though.

Guess I missed the boat in 2006......

Try typing in a different zip code when trying to "build" your new 4runner. I was just able to select xreas and rear suspension on a limited in my area. The "build your 4runner"function is actually just searching for 4runners already available in your area. So the xreas and air suspension vehicle(s) you were able to "build" last week were just sold.

 

[toto]

The toyota.com web site isn't connected to inventory; it's not quite that smart. But it is possible that the build allocation has changed for your region, and no more are coming near you with X-REAS and Air Suspension in the next month or so.

If you're looking to make a factory order, forget toyota.com and just talk to a dealer. Don't worry about what's going on in other regions. The factory should still be offering all available options, though lead times may vary if they haven't ordered a lot of a particular part.

 

[ProMed]

The toyota.com web site isn't connected to inventory; it's not quite that smart.

Interesting, what is it connected to? For the last month there were no V8 limiteds available on the site using my zip code and now it shows 2.

 

[toto]

It's just using build plans and allocations for your region.

When you're seeing two V8 Limiteds, you're really seeing two possible configurations being sold in your region. Maybe there haven't been any V8 Limiteds shipped to your area for a while, but now they're coming. Those two configurations could actually be on dozens of units being shipped into your area.

Toyota lists many options on their products, but they only build them in certain combinations for each of 12 sales regions. Which combinations are shipped to which regions is determined by past sales and marketing data. The combinations can change every so often (roughly monthly, I believe) to react to actual demand.

When a boatload of units arrives at the port, they're assigned to dealers (allocated) and shipped. The port prints the window stickers; that's when they decide exactly which car is going to which dealer. Each region has x number of units, then each metropolitan area gets a percentage of that, and then ultimately the dealer gets their specific units.

When dealers are trading within their region, often what they're really doing is trading allocation slots with other dealers in their area. The trading is happening before the unit even gets off the boat! That's when it's cheapest to make the switch, as there's no actual shipping cost involved since the vehicle isn't here yet.

Some dealers don't like to place special factory orders because that unit comes out of their allocation quantity. Now I don't get it, since the factory order is pretty much a guaranteed sale of a unit, but nonetheless, some dealers don't like the fact that it will mean one less unit for their inventory.

 

[ProMed]

Good info, thanks!

 

[HiVel-JR]

quote:
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Originally posted by toto
The toyota.com web site isn't connected to inventory; it's not quite that smart.
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yeah, but it would be cool if it was!!!

How easy would that be? You would not even have to leave your house to car shop, and the poor car salesmen would get lonely.

 

[toto]

Wouldn't that be great?!?

The most help I ever got from a manufacturer was when I bought a 1991 Dodge Stealth. Called an 800 number and they were willing to tell me which dealers had the exact car I wanted! That was a HUGE timesaver, and I quickly bought a car.

All I usually hear from the manufacturer's sales office is that I need to visit a dealer for more information.

Thank goodness for the Internet, as many dealers now have inventory online. Again, that facilitates my running out and spending money, so I don't know why all dealers don't do it.

 

[LP_4Runner]

Actually the southeast region (SET) web site WILL show current and incoming inventory for all configurations of 4Runners (and other Toyota vehicles as well).

X-REAS, the rear air suspension, and pretty much all factory produced color combinations are available for 2007. In fact I ordered a 2007 Ltd with rear air and X-REAS and took delivery of it a week and a half ago.
There are a couple with this configuration currently listed in the queue as arriving shortly.

I did notice that other regions seem to not list the rear-air option at all and that rear-air and X-REAS seem to be getting pretty rare. In fact, just plain V8 models in general are getting super-rare.