Phil Caskey wrote:
> On 11/25/97, I ordered a 98 CC SLT+ 4x4. The dealer said there was an off
> chance of my getting it by the end of December since they had an allocation
> for 2 trucks. I didn't think that was realistic, but they said it would be
> 6-8 weeks otherwise and that seamed reasonable. Two weeks later, I called
> back to see what the status was and they said it was "being built" at that
> time. End of December seemed out, but I figured the 6-8 weeks seemed likely
> if it were in the building stage then. Well, 7.5 weeks have passed, and
> each week since #2 the truck's status has remained "being built". For me to
> get the truck by Friday (8 weeks), it would certainly be in the shipping
> stage by now.
>
> Meanwhile, I asked the dealer to order a copy of the shop manual for the
> truck, and they acted like I was speaking Martian. "Uh... Whaddya mean?",
> and "Well, we have manuals that covers all the vehicles by system, but not
> one for all the systems in a particular vehicle". Now I've purchased two
> other vehicles (not Chrysler) for which shop manuals were not a problem. Is
> it the case that Chrysler is different? (Please forgive me if I don't trust
> this dealer...)
>
> Anyway, is there a way to verify when (or, God forbid, if) the dealer
> placed the order? I have heard of other cases where dealers neglect to
> place the order in hopes the customer will buy off the lot. Or is there a
> way to get more information that "it's being built?"
>
> Once again, sorry if I'm re-hashing old topics. Any guidance will be
> greatly appreciated. I think you all might understand if I'm *really*
> anxious to get my new truck.
Phil,
Sounds like I was shopping for my truck about the same time as you. I
was very close to ordering, as I hadn't been able to find exactly what I
was looking for (or close to it). I lucked out when a truck that was
very close to ideal finally arrived at a dealer only a day prior to my
placing the order.
In late November the story I was getting from the dealers was that 6-8
weeks was normal. However, with the holidays approaching, the more
honest dealers were estimating a more likely order time of 10-12 weeks.
Don't know what kind of factory shut down Dodge actually implemented
during the holidays.
Just as another data point, once the vehicle leaves the factory they
must be shipped via China. The truck I ended up buying was scheduled for
delivery to the dealer on November 24. It didn't actually show up until
December 8, and I had just about given up hope (and patience) of
snagging it. Whenever the dealer checked the status, they said it was
'in transit'. It was also 'in transit' the first time I checked with
them 2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving - let's see, it took a month+ to ship
from the factory... its at most a 16 hour drive from Michigan to
Georgia... hmmm...
Hang in there.
jeff
98 RC V8 5spd 3.55LSD
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