Culturally, Americans but what’s available now and in inventory. Europeans have always preferred to order exactly what they want.
I don’t think Americans like to order their cars.
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We just don’t like to wait. Why wait 8-12 weeks for a car when you just got a big ole bonus last week and you want something NOW when the specs you wanted are pretty much on the lot down the road. Granted buying a car these days is mostly just pick a trim and a color. That’s it.
Why not?
Where? I know about EV ones such as Ford Express Buy or VM ID, but not for the regular car like BMW X5, Honda Civic, etc. I cannot do built-to-order online and get exactly what I want and what I do not want.
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You can’t type your order in online, but you can build to order through the dealer, especially on stuff like bmws.
You can build exactly what you want online and send the configuration to the dealer for ordering.
I was referring to the online ordering like how Ford Express Buy did it. E.g. when I was looking at BMW X5 last year, I can’t just go to bmwusa.com and order exactly the specs I want like ordering from Tesla.
IIRC, BMW no longer have European delivery.
Well now you’re changing the conversation. You were talking before about the issue being people not being able to get the car ordered exactly to their specs, not that they have to process their orders through the dealer instead of directly.
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You can build online and give the dealer your build code. They’ll gladly put it through provided they have allocations. But you can kiss the dealer discounts goodbye and with this model being the permanent strategy, you can also bet that manufacturer incentives will be limited to nothing. Not sure that is an ideal situation for the customer but to each their own
Well that’s hardly true
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Neither of which are true. He can both order exactly what he wants and build online with a build code that you hand over to the dealer.
Why? Most dealers like to go deep on in stock inventory. What’s their incentive to discount heavily when the car has to be ordered?
During a normal market, I agree that one can generally do a bit better with in-stock inventory, but that’s a far cry from saying custom orders can’t be discounted. In these crazy times, you’ll see things like the wrangler 4xe where you get a significantly larger discount by ordering because the dealer allotment system works out in their favor to do so.
There’s a $1500 rebate with Ford going on right now if you order a 2021 vehicle. In addition to any other rebates. Plus of course any discounts you can get from the dealer. There’s a Ford dealer offering 4% off any order (Including Mach 1’s) so it’s definitely possible to get discounts when ordering.
Unfortunately you won’t be able to customize an order like the good ole days. It will be limited. So you can’t get get a car “any way you want”. They don’t like too much variety on that production line.
I was able to order a 3.08 rear end and stereo delete in my 1991 5.0 Mustang. No packages required. That could never happen today. Still though, it’s a great feeling ordering and receiving a vehicle.
That damn wait though… 
Right but I’m talking about a normal market. The 4xe is an exception to the rule I would say. If this is the future model, I don’t think it would be to the benefit of deal seekers.
Yeah, I know about this, but this is not the same as built-to-order where I can choose exactly what I want and what I do NOT want.
Ya, and in a normal market, discounts on orders have been a dime a dozen. Slightly less than in stock units, sure, but still plenty available.
How does it differ? With many manufactures, when you order, you specify exactly what you want and what you don’t want, and the car is built to your configuration.
Yes, there are some that won’t allow custom orders.
Well my guess is if manufacturers start taking the Tesla approach, they’ll also limit the options available to consumers. So not sure that it would work in your favor either.
Wouldn’t you agree that a deep dealer discount in conjunction with manufacturer incentives such as trunk money (which would be a thing of the past I think) is the catalyst to unicorn type deals? I just don’t see that happening if this model becomes the future.
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I was referring to the other post where the order depend on the allocations.
For example, I can’t order a BMW X5 online and have it build per my specs. Hence the “build” aspect of build-to-order. Ford Express Buy does, though.
Some manufacturers will offer the ability to really pick and choose every option while some, like BMW, will offer packages that may contain 3 things you want, and 2 things you don’t. It’s up to each manufacturer to decide the strategy that best fits their needs.