The idea of custom ordering a car used to be reserved only for the wealthy or for those willing to wait a long time. However, these days, custom ordering a new car can be price-efficient and can look a lot like getting a new car off the lot.
Because of supply chain issues, new cars aren’t as readily available as they once were. That’s especially true if you are wanting to order a car with certain features, or in a certain color.
The price of new cars has risen as well. When you add those two factors together, you might decide that you want to custom order a car instead.
But where do you start? Here, we’ll go over the ins and outs of custom ordering a new car.
Buying a New Car
Is now a good time to buy a new car? It’s a great question, and one worth asking. Because of the pandemic, prices for new and used cars have skyrocketed. In fact, the average new car price in 2022is right around $48,000 — well above the average from a few years ago.
However, trade values have gone up as well. That means that if you are looking to trade in your car, now is a great time to buy a new car using money from your trade-in.
Before you get a custom-order car though, you need to expect to wait a while — maybe not as long as you would have back in the day, but at least a few months. That means that you should start planning well before you are at a point where you need a new car.
You are also going to want to take good care of the car you have, as the trade-in process typically happens when your custom-order car hits the lot. You’ll want to be prepared for that moment so you can get your new car as soon as possible.
The Steps of Ordering a New Car From the Factory
Now that you have decided to order directly from the factory, you need to know what the process is going to look like.
- Talk to your bank – If you are going to need a loan, you will need to secure it before you can move forward in the process.
- Choose your dealership – Some manufacturers will let you order directly from the factory, but most likely you will be working with a dealership, just like if you were going to buy a car off the lot. This could also be where you begin talking about what it would look like to trade in your car so you have an idea of what the dealership can offer you and how that would affect the price of your new car.
- Design – Now that you know who you will be working with, it’s time to build the perfect car for you. Most car companies have a feature on their website that will allow you to do this.
- Finalize plans – Now you will talk with a salesperson to finalize the plans for the building of your car. Once you have done this, you can negotiate the price. During this part of the process is when you will go over financing options. After choosing the one that works best for you, you will sign the paperwork, and the wheels will be in motion!
- Wait – The salesperson you worked with should be able to give you updates on the progress of your custom-order car.
- Delivery and trade – If you are doing a trade-in, this will likely be completed when your new car is delivered. This will be a separate negotiation from when you first negotiated the price of your new car. Once the trade-in is completed, you will be driving your brand-new car home.
Things to Think About
When designing your car, it can be tempting to go wild with it. But be sure to keep the future in mind. Adding a lot of unique features and designs may affect the price of a resell and could be something to keep in mind if you buy new cars often. On the other hand, if you have no plans to sell the car in the future, you can get as extravagant as you want.
Another thing to consider is the features that you don’t want. Depending on the type of car you get, there might be features that you would never use. It is possible that, even though they come included in the package, these features could cost you extra money. If you decide that you don’t need a certain something, talk to the dealership and you could save yourself some money.
If you are thinking about getting a custom order Ford, please contact Chaparral Ford today!
