Dealers know exactly WHAT they are getting; they have to order their floor plan. Dealers have a good idea when they are getting their cars in based on automated shipping. There are 3 things that hold up a shipment:
1) Factory delay (minimally a few days-possibly due to a parts supply issue or line failure/breakdown)
2) Shipping hold up on the departure dock
3) Shipping hold up on the receiving dock

Customs is never an issue as it is all automated and pre-cleared for Japanese products; weather can delay a ship by about a week. So really just delayed departures or reception are the main culprits.

I work for a very famous Japanese company (non-automotive but you'd know the name-an icon in the industry) and I learned a lot from my current Acura dealer, an acquaintance at another Acura dealer, and our customs person, so I know of what I speak.

What does happen, very often, is a dealer has a car on the lot that another one wants to trade for and vice/versa. When that happens, then the dealer cuts a deal with the other dealer-often sacrificing the very car you thought you were on the waiting list for. Of course the other dealer is getting it for their customer who has cash in hand.

Dealers want as little saleable inventory on their lots because of the floorplan costs, holdback monies and insurance and financing for their inventory. In states where there is an inventory tax, dealers REALLY want to clear their inventories to a bare minimum by the end of December. California and New York have these taxes.

The dealer who tells you they don't know, is usually a lazy (or ignorant) salesperson or else a mildly deceptive dealer.

 

Mickster,

I think the dealer telling shoebox that the car will be in 2 weeks after it's built is ludicrious. If they do a dealer trade I could see it only being a couple of weeks but not with a new order. Unlike my previous car that was a dealer trade, this car was the one that I ordered on March 13. I think that the dealer in Shoebox's case was being deceptive to get the deposit and hopefully the sale. My salesperson said on march 13th that the computer shows a build date of 3/29. He then went on to say "You'll have the car either the last week of April or the first week in May" I watched my status in the Honda computers and I know that my car came over from Japan exactly 4 weeks after it was made. It then decided to go from San Diego where it was received to Chicago and finally to here in Columbus, Ohio - which accounted for the extra 10 days or so.

He said basically the same thing you said about it possibly being held up for weather, or a hold at one of the docks. I'm not going to pretend to know the shipping business but I do know that my salesperson knew based on previous history how long it would take to get here.


Jayson

 

Totally agree-missed that part of Shoebox's message. Of course the dealer could have the Civic air-shipped over for only more than the car will cost

Your points are dead-on. Many auto transporters have GPS with tracking for liability and insurance so they can pretty much track the auto the second it is released from the docks (well minutes).