Apply factory order deposit to in-stock car?

The new car we ordered is taking a long time to arrive. Is the dealer likely to consider switching us from the car we ordered to one he has in stock?

I would really expect a question like this to be asked of the dealer first because they are the only ones who know what they can do or will do.

A lot depends on what you ordered. If the dealer thinks it will be difficult to sell because of specific options or colors, they probably would not want to switch. What car are you buying, and what options/colors are on it?

You should be having this conversation with your salesman, they might just by willing to either transfer your deposit to an in-stock deal or trade with another dealer if possible, have they tried to locate something close to what you want? If it’s an in demand model they should be able to find another buyer but it depends on the Color/Tim level. Buyers these days usually want a specific package.

Your salesman should have told you up front that you should expect about an 8 week waiting period before the car arrived. Is your car being made overseas, like in Japan? If so, the wait time could be up to 12 weeks.
I ordered my CX-7, made in Japan, in January of 2010, it arrived in May of 2010

Our Subaru is built in Indiana. It’s a Legacy Premium with Eyesight, no nav or moonroof, which is a combination I can’t find at any dealer in our region. To get Eyesight on a car that’s in stock, I’d have to upgrade to a Limited, which is much more expensive.

powerdogvt If you currently have sufficient reliable transportation I would wait for the exact car you want. I could see the dealer possibly agreeing to the in stock Limited. Otherwise there is nothing in your proposition for them and they risk being stuck with a combination of features that only you want.

You’ll probably own the new car a long time. I’d say wait for what you want. You should check with the dealer for a “build date” and a projected date of delivery. Subaru should be able to supply that. Make certain they ordered it. Will it get there before the snow flies? Can you wait? I’d say wait, unless the dealer makes you an offer you just can’t refuse.

It’s difficult to be patient, been there before. Checking on a Outback specific forum it seems like most others have to wait the same 6-8 weeks between ordering and expected delivery. Someone @ your dealer should be able to give you a more specific time line. It may come sooner than expected. Subaru isn’t the only manufacturer not to offer some sort of way to track your order without calling the dealer. You can try contacting Subaru directly to see if they can find out the status (Email and other contact info is on the Subaru website)

I guess I’ll see if Subaru knows anything yet. I have noticed that once a car appears in the dealer’s online inventory list, it seems to stay “In Transit” for several weeks. They must take the scenic route from Indiana to Vermont. Anyway, ours isn’t on the list so far.

Is your Subie built in the US or overseas? If in Indiana, it should arrive a lot quicker, unless the special systems you want aren’t currently available at the factory.

I bet the reason your car is taking so long to build is that “Eyesight” option…If they are having trouble with this complex system, they will limit production until the bugs are worked out…

Ah, Eyesight is usually part of a $4000 trim package that includes GPS and a sunroof…By dropping those toys, your order dropped to the bottom of the stack…

Even when your car is ready to ship it will wait until a truck or train car bound for your area is full.

Caddyman, ah ha! I think you’ve got something there. We wanted Eyesight, but had no interest GPS, moonroof, and the extras (leather, woodgrain) that come with the Limited. I checked about a dozen dealerships, just out of curiosity, and didn’t find one Legacy Premium in the inventories with just Eyesight. A few premiums with GPS, etc, but mostly Limiteds with all the extras.

I didn’t realize that our choice would put us at the end of the line. I wonder if that’ll put us beyond the 3 month maximum wait that I was guessing.

It shouldn’t matter at all. They put your order in the queue with all the other orders. It should be at the end of the line when the order arrives at the factory, but will move up to production just like any other order from the dealers. You could ask Subaru corporate if this will slow your order for some reason. You probably won’t get a satisfactory answer from the person that answers your call, but ask to speak to a supervisor or someone else to determine how orders are processed. Continually pushing your order to the end of the line would jut result in a lost order. I can’t imagine that Subaru is that foolish.