[Mean TT]

Just curious hwo long it takes to deliver a car here in Texas after the invoice process is complete. I understand my car was invoiced last week (or maybe the week before, but I don't remember exactly) and was wondering what the process is that follows invoicing. If any of the dealers know, I would love an explaination of how the car gets into the hands of the customers! Thanks for any input. I am optimistic that it will be here sometime this week!

Also, do the Elises get transported as a group from dealership to dealership? Does one transporter for example deliver cars to Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, or is each dealership on thier own?

 

[LarryB]

Local dealer has received two shipments. Both times invoiced on a Friday, delivery Wed or Thu (~500 mile drive). My understanding is they get the invoice when it's released to the transport company.

 

[Randy Chase]

The transport company might take Elises to various dealers or not. Whatever is the most efficient for them, along with the other cars going to other dealerships.

The date of delivery can be anywhere from immediate to two weeks or so... but is up to the transport company and in some cases has been longer, such as with Criswell.

 

[TimMullen]

such as with Criswell.

With Criswell's delivery, that particular truck had seven Elises on it (I believe). Four for Criswell's, I think one was going to Pennsylvania, one to New York, and one to Connecticut (or something like that). Other pictures of the other transporters has shown a couple of Elises and the rest were other manufacturer's cars...

Tim Mullen

 

[huggy bear]

quote:
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Originally posted by iain
I worked in the car business for many years and I can tell you that the dealers are getting screwed as badly as the customers in respect to slow delivery times.

Dealers have little or no control in how fast cars are delivered to them. You can call the shipper and 'hot flag' a car, but this has little or no effect on delivery. Shipping companies operate on a last in first out system. This means that cars coming from a rail head get shipped befors cars that have been sitting in a storage yard. The bottom line is that the customer and the dealer are desperate for the car but the shipper and the manufacturer don't care. Bear in mind that the dealer is invoiced for the car as soon as it is shipped. This means that the dealer has already paid for the car even though they do not yet have it. The dealer wants the car as basdly as the customer, they can not get paid until they deliver it to the customer.


BTW a finance approval is usually rate protected on a sold order. If rates go up you should not be penalized. Even if it is not, a finance manager can get an application re-approved at the old rate provided that the original approval has not expired. If you are being bumped on rate, the dealer is probably trying to get extra profit from finance reserve. Tell the dealer that you plan to call the bank to complain about the rate bump and see how quickly the rate goes back down.
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[Randy Chase]

With Criswell's delivery, that particular truck had seven Elises on it (I believe). Four for Criswell's, I think one was going to Pennsylvania, one to New York, and one to Connecticut (or something like that). Other pictures of the other transporters has shown a couple of Elises and the rest were other manufacturer's cars...

Tim Mullen

My point was not the mix... but that the cars were sitting in port for a LONG time... and would have been longer had LCU not called and provided some more personal motivation.

 

[Racer X]

My dealer got one Ellise off a truck that had been filled with Lamborghini's for another local dealer.

Greg

 

[TimMullen]

My point was not the mix... but that the cars were sitting in port for a LONG time... and would have been longer had LCU not called and provided some more personal motivation.

Agreed on that point. My car was supposed to have hit port on the 18th. A delay to install the Star Shield, but that should have only been a few days. Tom at Criswell called me to tell me that the car was on the truck sometime around the 28th, and they expected delivery sometime between the 2nd and the 4th. The truck arrived fairly late on the 6th.

But it's definitely in the hands of the transport company, and not Lotus...

Tim Mullen