Response from Toyota

[Driver]

Below is the response I received from Toyota When I emailed them concerning the difficulty in purchasing a Yaris of my choice. Seems they throw it all back to the dealers. I still think everyone with a horror story concerning the purchase of a Yaris should email Toyota.


From: "Ask Toyota" <toyota_cares@toyota.com>
To: <swright3@nyc.rr.com>
Subject: Unable to purchase a Yaris I want [Incident: 060811-000313]
Date: Saturday, August 19, 2006 12:09 PM


Recently you contacted Toyota. Below is a summary of your contact
message and our response.

Subject
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Unable to purchase a Yaris I want


Discussion Thread
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Response (Erin) - 08/19/2006 09:09 AM
<as-html>
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.<p>

We appreciate your interest in the Toyota Yaris and apologize for the difficulty experienced in trying to find your vehicle of choice.<p>

We apologize; we are not equipped to take special orders for specific vehicles. Vehicle allocation is based on the geographical area in which they are marketed. Toyota dealerships and distributors are prepared to take your request and make every attempt to obtain the desired vehicle.<p>

If the dealership is unable to locate the vehicle of choice, they may submit a preference request for your desired vehicle. This preference request does not guarantee you will receive the vehicle with the exact options requested, and may create an extended wait-time.<p>

We encourage you to contact the Customer Relations Manager at your <a href='http://www.toyota.com/dealers'TARGET= BLANK>local Toyota
dealership</a> for further assistance.<p>

Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #200608190126. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to <a href = ' http://toyota.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/toyota.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=4164'TARGET=_BLANK >contact us</a>.<p>

Toyota Customer Experience
</as-html>

Customer (Simeon D. Wright) - 08/11/2006 08:08 PM
After reading many Horror stories on line in The Yaris forums about people wanting to buy a Yaris and ordering them and not getting what they ordered, or being told that what they wanted would take four to six months to get it. I couldn't believe all these tales till I went to order one for myself. I sat down with the salesman a very nice person and told him what I wanted. A manual shift, silver streak mica, Sedan with the power package and fog lights. He wrote it up and I wrote out my deposit check. He takes the paper work to the boss who tells us that there are no manual shift Yaris' with the power package in the country and Toyota isn't going to send any more over till the next model year and I could have an automatic with some of the add ons I wanted. I chose to wait until next year
or purchase a Honda or Nissan with equivalent gas mileage savings. I find it unbelievable that a company like Toyota could bring a new model to market with so little variety for purchasers to choose from. I wiuld really like to buy the vehicle in the near future.


[---001:002250:27165---]

[ECHOKnight2000]

Sorry to hear about your troubles and unfortuanatly you're not the only one! I think the part where you said they won't get a 5-speed sedan with power package and what not till next model year? I think that is total B.S.!! Dealers or sales people especially don't know shit. Maybe check at other dealers to see what they're saying. They're probably trying to get you in a car fast so maybe that's why they are saying that. Think about it, you have a hot car and it came out in 2006 (USDM) as an 07 and Toyota is going to wait till next year when the 08's come out for the 5-speed manual sedan with power package??? NO! Anyway I wish you luck and hang in there, I can't imagine how frustrating it is.

[ChinoCharles]

I love this car, but I now understand why some people insist on buying AMERICAN.

Having said that, I never will. EVER haha

[riceboy]

I don't blame anyone.. it's all supply and demand.. hopefully everyone can get the car they want.. ultimately it won't happen.. so if you can wait it out.. then do it, to get what you want.... otherwise get something else, and move on...

[MWill517]

A quick search at buyatoyota.com gave me this.
They told you there were none in the country? Hmmmm......
Is this like what you were looking for? Sounds fishy to me.
Notice the available date, it is not sold yet, looks like it is available to whoever would want to buy it.

[tomjasz]

SOME OF US HAVE CLEARLY REPORTED THERE ARE SEDANS IN MOST CONFIGS, IT'S THE LB THAT GETS TOUGH

[DonnyRebel]

I can sympathize with your wanting something more than just what the factory will give you. I just bought an 07 liftback "off the truck" with automatic , convenience, and cold weather package but I really wanted a car with all those things + the power package, armrest and roof spoiler. The dealership did offer to install the power package for $650 and the spoiler for $275 with a 1 week lead time (which I declined) but they threw in the armrest for free (2 day lead time).

My point is, find a dealer that's got a car with the color and transmission options you want already on its way, and then upgrade it with whatever other "dealer installed options" you want. You really cant blame the factory or the dealerships for not letting you custom order your Yaris. By building "lots" of certain packages, they keep the production line moving and a constant flow of cars coming to the market and also thereby allowing the dealerships to make a little $$$ on the customization without impeding overall production.

[David81]

Is this problem only in the U.S?

Cause here in Canada, Toronto, Ontario, i see Yaris everywhere in the Toyota dealers lot. I bought mines and only waited 1 week and a bit.

[Violin]

One more reason we should become the United States of Canmerica.

Hell... I'd even learn to like hockey.

[riceboy]

went to a dealer today and helped a friend put an order on a yaris sedan w/ c pkg... the car is arriving sometime november..... apparently a lot of dealers underestimated the demand for this car... so there's a shortage of cars...

[swng]

My sympathy to those who want a Yaris but cannot get what they want soon enough. People are more fortunate here in BC. There are lots of the various models of the Yaris on the roads. Just on the way home a couple of hours ago, I saw a big double deck car delivery truck fully loaded with Yaris HBs and sedans. The one at the end of the lower row was a white HB.
Some people waiting for their ordered cars are going to be happy very soon.

[sroberts]

Originally Posted by MWill517

A quick search at buyatoyota.com gave me this.
They told you there were none in the country? Hmmmm......
Is this like what you were looking for? Sounds fishy to me.
Notice the available date, it is not sold yet, looks like it is available to whoever would want to buy it.

MWill517 - How do you pull up that page on buyatoyota.com? I looked but I do not see how to get to see the cars in my area.

[MWill517]

Originally Posted by sroberts

MWill517 - How do you pull up that page on buyatoyota.com? I looked but I do not see how to get to see the cars in my area.

After you enter your zip code, pick a dealer. Then choose the Yaris, on the right of the screen will be the number of cars found. Under the cars found will be "click here to view inventory". That will yield all cars at that dealer, above that will be a statement saying "your dealer Toyota has x matching vehicles in inventory or search from xxx more across the Southeast (or wherever you are) "Click on the xxx where that will be the number found in your area. Hope that helps. Any questions just ask
(In looking at different zip codes, it seems each region has different options. This may not work outside the southeast region)

[Wayside]

Not sure if I just got lucky or what but I ordered my sedan on 8/15 and it was delivered 8/22.

Same ride as you are looking for in Flint minus fogs.
I'd be happy to forward my dealers info to you if you are so inclined.

[pxpaulx]

Originally Posted by MWill517

After you enter your zip code, pick a dealer. Then choose the Yaris, on the right of the screen will be the number of cars found. Under the cars found will be "click here to view inventory". That will yield all cars at that dealer, above that will be a statement saying "your dealer Toyota has x matching vehicles in inventory or search from xxx more across the Southeast (or wherever you are) "Click on the xxx where that will be the number found in your area. Hope that helps. Any questions just ask
(In looking at different zip codes, it seems each region has different options. This may not work outside the southeast region)

you're right, the regional websites are different. If i enter my area (chicagoland district) i'm not able to search actual inventory. but if i put in a georgia zip code (as i see you're from there), i was able to view specific inventory, what a nice touch!

checking the different regional sites is actually quite interesting. searching inventory for a 5spd manual sedan brings up different packages in different regions. in my region (chicago) the only choice is the convenience package.
in the Kansas region (dakotas, iowa, kansas, missouri) you can choose from the convenience or power packages. in the northeast region, you have 4 different options packages to choose - all weather package, all weather w/ABS, convenience package w/airbags or the power package.

weird!

[static808]

i recently wrote to toyota.com about the difficulty in getting a yaris w/ side airbags in my region, and this seems to be the automated reply. i got the exact same response as Driver. i wonder if every car company is this good at giving us individualized and "unique" answers to our problems...

--B

[tomjasz]

Please excuse my sarcasm, but what did you expect from a company now near the size of GM? We're all just a year ahead of Toyota's schedule. Their marketing is designed to create a demand not market a supply.

[static808]

point well taken...