Ordering a Vehicle Directly From the Manufacturer: Is it Really a Done Deal?

Ordering a car direct from a manufacturer through your dealer -- and customizing the vehicle you are purchasing -- can allow you to get the vehicle of your dreams. Unfortunately, many things can go wrong with this process. A California lemon law lawyer can help you to explore remedies available to you if problems arise with the vehicle itself and if you experience repeated defects. 

Another possible problem that can arise could involve the dealer not honoring the quoted price for the ordered vehicle. According to Jalopnik, when you order a car from a car dealer, it is possible that the order will get changed because of errors made by the dealer or because of issues at the factory when your car is being constructed. This means you cannot necessarily count on the pricing and terms of the deal to stay the same after you have entered your order.

Dealers Do Not Have to Honor Pricing on Vehicles You Have Ordered

Jalopnik explained that while transactions in which cars are ordered from dealers generally go smoothly, this is not the case in every single situation. In fact, the article provided a few different scenarios in which car buyers had experienced changes in orders placed with their car dealer.

In one situation, a dealer and a buyer entered into a contract to purchase a vehicle with Limited Trim for $26,000. However, the paperwork on the deal ended up saying Premium instead of Limited and the buyer wanted to know what would happen because the order essentially specified the costlier package at the lower price.  The buyer wanted to know if the dealer would need to honor the contract and accept the $26,000 price for the better vehicle.

In another situation, an order was placed but the buyer was subsequently told that it would not be possible to get a heated steering wheel as a standalone option. The buyer would instead need to purchase an additional package. The added cost of having to purchase the entire package would raise the price by several thousand dollars.

In both of these scenarios, Jalopnik indicated that dealers would likely not honor the original orders. The buyers would need to pay more in both cases, unless they changed their order or corrected the mistaken in the original order.

Problems with orders that change pricing are a common occurrence when ordering a vehicle from the factory, especially as configuration options and allocations can sometimes shift. Dealers typically honor a discount or deal when it turns out a buyer has to purchase a costlier car – for example by giving the buyer the same percentage off MSRP – but will not honor a deal that results in a buyer getting costlier options or a more premium car without paying the difference.

When your vehicle order does come in, you could find yourself facing big problems if it turns out that the car has serious defects. You'll want to reach out to a California lemon law lawyer in these circumstances to make certain that you pursue legal remedies to help protect you from financial loss.