For the few people that have one, curious about your experience.

Did you buy one off the lot, or have the dealer order it how you wanted it?

In talking with the sales guy yesterday, he said they don't really take custom orders & that I'd have to wait for what I wanted to come in, or have one traded in from another dealer.

It's been a while since I worked for Honda & I only worked in service. Then I worked for Chevrolet for a few years.
With Chevrolet, they get an allocation each month of what the inventory manager can order; say 6 Impalas. That way, if a customer wants particular options, the dealer can order it that way.
Does Acura not do things that way? I'd rather get the car just how I want it, with no miles on it. Rather than just waiting for the right one (especially since the 6MT seems to be stocked in low numbers) or getting one that's been driven across the state. I know it's not like a Civic Si that's likely to get driven like a Civic by a trade driver, I'd just rather know that with 2 miles on it, no one's had a chance to abuse it.

 

We special ordered ours. Took about a month for delivery. The regional manager has to get involved. In our case, they didn't specifically build it for us, but "reserved" and "redirected it" to our dealer.

 

I am wondering if this isn't a "problem" of a definition of terms. It is possible that the sales consultant meant that they don't order combinations of the car that are not already offered by the factory i.e. custom orders.

However, if they are saying they won't order an offered combination for you (assuming it's not available, or in transit, or already on order) on their next scheduled MOVE* then I find it a little strange. It goes without saying that they will need to order cars sooner or later, and if they don't have what you want why wouldn't they get something for you?

*MOVE is what dealers use to order cars. We order once a month for the following months production. Sometimes the cars arrive the next month, sometimes a month +2 or 3 weeks.

 

the dealer said I could get any color or option package I wanted so long as it was offered by acura..but I wanted instant gratification so I got the cbp.

 

I don't think it was a miscommunication of words. I'm not wanting anything "custom", but would likely order it with a few accessories. The 2 6MT ILX on the lot had no options other than tint & wheel locks.

He made it sound like, if I want one in Fathom Blue, I'd pretty much have to wait until they get one, that they can't put in an order for a particular color/set of available options.

I guess I'm relating it too much to how Mini does it, where you option it out & they send off your particular order. Or, how Chevrolet does it with their allocations for a particular model.

 

^you should be able to get the car ordered in the color you want, the dealer is likely trying to move inventory and push you to a sale...tell them you'll go to another dealer that is willing to find you the car.

 

I think there is a misunderstanding. All accessories are done at the dealer level. All Acuras are ordered "one-way" from the factory. The only options are color and trim. And yes, if they don't have a fathom blue, they would need to order it. However, any additions you make beyond that request are done locally. So yes, this is different than Mini or Chevrolet.

Edited to add: So if your selected "option" is a rear spoiler, they cannot order it this way. It has to be installed once it arrives. I would suggest the sales guy use the term 'accessory' since 'option' implies a factory choice.

 

Thanks for that. I wasn't aware that all accessories were dealer installed.
When I get closer to getting serious about buying, I'll likely have them just order the color I want, if they don't have one on the lot.