Wait list oddities

[sopranojam]

In mid-March, I put a refundable deposit down and got on a wait list at a dealer nearby for a Tacoma Sport 6 speed manual. They wouldn't tell me how many people were on this wait list, and said it could be up to a year before the specific truck I wanted would come in. I was actually fine with that, since that was a better timeline for me.

A few weeks later, I was able to test drive a Sport Tacoma, just to get an idea of the ride quality. I decided that I actually disliked the fake hood scoop, and it seemed to impede visibility. I told the first dealership I would like to change my order to a TRD Off-Road instead.

Then, just this last weekend, I was told that the exact truck I had asked for (TRD Off Road) was coming, and would arrive in a few weeks. So wow, I thought that was fast. From the time I got on the wait list to the time the truck was possibly delivered, is less than 3 months.. and if you count me changing my mind on the model I wanted, it is really about 2 months. This all for a process that they said could take up to a year.

I find it surprising that I am "next in line" for what, as far as I can tell, might be only the 2nd manual transmission Tacoma delivered to my metro area. Has no one else requested one and put deposits down in all of Fall last year and Winter / early Spring? My excitement is tempered by 2 things. 1. I am afraid I am simply not ready financially for this vehicle. Buying it late 2024 or early 2025 would have worked better. 2. Some things aren't adding up in terms of the wait list, and there apparently not being anyone else on said wait list. Did they call multiple people and they'll just wait and see who puts money down first? Just checking what your experiences have been with wait lists at dealers. Thank you.

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[tacotaco]

There isn't really a line or list, and virtually every salesperson has their own ongoing list of customers and what they are looking for. You tell them what you want, and if something comes in their system that matches what you're looking for then they'll call you. But if you want a White truck and the next customer wants Black, and a Black one is available, then they'll call the customer that wants the Black one - regardless of your "place in line." It is very possible that you are the only one that wants a manual transmission, they don't make many because not many people want them anymore - so you could be first in line for a manual.

 

[sopranojam]

There isn't really a line or list, and virtually every salesperson has their own ongoing list of customers and what they are looking for. You tell them what you want, and if something comes in their system that matches what you're looking for then they'll call you. But if you want a White truck and the next customer wants Black, and a Black one is available, then they'll call the customer that wants the Black one - regardless of your "place in line." It is very possible that you are the only one that wants a manual transmission, they don't make many because not many people want them anymore - so you could be first in line for a manual.

Well, that is a weird thing to say about not many people wanting the manual. Every truck owner I know goes crazy about a MT, either because they have one and love it, or wish they had one. For what it's worth, I did put my name on a second dealership's waitlist a few weeks ago mainly because they only pre-authed me and didn't charge the deposit. That dealership said I was only the 2nd person on their list, too. They haven't gotten any MT in yet. I would very much love to test drive an MT Tacoma whenever it gets here, just to firmly make up my mind that this is the truck I want. I may have to pass on the purchase and ask about targeting the right time of year for me. We will see what happens when it gets here.

 

[broadadventures]

I will be picking up my 6MT Sport next week. In Canada, the allotments really dictated availability. The dealership I purchased from, I am the first MT and I was 5th on the ordering list in late 2023. The four other orders have already arrived and picked up.

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