Good morning forum members, I am from Central Texas, and have owned several Toyota's, small pickup, Corolla, and Camry, and currently in a Lexus 300h, but this will be my first Land Cruiser, for 2024, now that they are a little smaller. So first off let me start by saying how much this forum has helped me out in my final decision for what trim I am looking for. The wisdom and input on this site has been invaluable. Much more insight here than any dealer I has spoken with, for which I am very grateful. Now I know there are a lot of different tastes and opinions out there, and there was a lot of sound reasoning given with every trim level. So, I don't believe you can go wrong with any of the three trim levels.
With that said, I have been following every video and link that I can find since the release date on Aug 1st. I am now so excited about this vehicle, and I started trying to get on dealership list beginning the first week in September, one month after the unveiling in Utah. However, because I decided I would like to have the "First Edition," I knew it would be work, with only 5000 for all of North America. With 1276 Dealers in the US, (as of Sept 2023), and 247 in Canada, (as of Oct 2023) that works out to about 3.3 per dealership, even though we know some will get 1, others 3 to 4, and most probably getting 2. So, to have a shot I surmised that I need to get to a place where I was at least number 3 or better. However, here in Texas, after calling numerous dealerships throughout the State, the best I could do was #8 in the Houston area. My dealerships I was #40 and #18 for the two closest.
So, because I know Toyota has 12 regions, and that I can only purchase within the region I live in, (5 States within the Gulf Coast Region), I began calling and spoke with at least 40 plus dealerships. Now I'm on 5 separate lists where I am #2 or better. There are two list where I am #1, and both dealers have been in contact with me on a regular basis, knowing I'm ready to sign the contract with the first dealer who calls me once they get their allocations. So, again, thank you forum members!
On a side note, almost all dealerships but a few, that i contacted are charging over MSRP, probably around $10,000. I understand this, there's been a lot of discussion on this forum, but it is what it is, and I'm going in eyes wide open. Unfortunately dealers will have the upper hand on this with the 5000 limit out there. But I'm willing to do what it takes to get the "First Edition," which is my preference. I'm hoping everyone gets the vehicle they desire as well; I don't think you can go wrong with any of the trim levels, based on preference. Thank you gentlemen for all your help!
With that said, I have been following every video and link that I can find since the release date on Aug 1st. I am now so excited about this vehicle, and I started trying to get on dealership list beginning the first week in September, one month after the unveiling in Utah. However, because I decided I would like to have the "First Edition," I knew it would be work, with only 5000 for all of North America. With 1276 Dealers in the US, (as of Sept 2023), and 247 in Canada, (as of Oct 2023) that works out to about 3.3 per dealership, even though we know some will get 1, others 3 to 4, and most probably getting 2. So, to have a shot I surmised that I need to get to a place where I was at least number 3 or better. However, here in Texas, after calling numerous dealerships throughout the State, the best I could do was #8 in the Houston area. My dealerships I was #40 and #18 for the two closest.
So, because I know Toyota has 12 regions, and that I can only purchase within the region I live in, (5 States within the Gulf Coast Region), I began calling and spoke with at least 40 plus dealerships. Now I'm on 5 separate lists where I am #2 or better. There are two list where I am #1, and both dealers have been in contact with me on a regular basis, knowing I'm ready to sign the contract with the first dealer who calls me once they get their allocations. So, again, thank you forum members!
On a side note, almost all dealerships but a few, that i contacted are charging over MSRP, probably around $10,000. I understand this, there's been a lot of discussion on this forum, but it is what it is, and I'm going in eyes wide open. Unfortunately dealers will have the upper hand on this with the 5000 limit out there. But I'm willing to do what it takes to get the "First Edition," which is my preference. I'm hoping everyone gets the vehicle they desire as well; I don't think you can go wrong with any of the trim levels, based on preference. Thank you gentlemen for all your help!