ken.vs.ryu

I'm thinking about trading in the truck for a new fj cruiser. Do you think there will be hiccups since it's the 1st run?

The 5000lb towing capacity means a 500lb tongue weight, which my motorcycles are under, so the pickup won't be needed as much.

Anyone ready to take the plunge?

BT17R

I just got off the phone with my dealer to change my FJ order placed last January to one of the few Special Edition 202's coming into the region (see the FJC thread).

FilthyRich

I hate you j/k, but....

ken.vs.ryu

We need that 202 Special Edition in it's own thread. I can't find anything on google about it.

BT17R

It was news to me, too. I guess this is the first mention of it anywhere and Google hasn't indexed it yet. You read it first on YotaTech! BTW, 202 is the paint code for Toyota Black (Lexus Onyx), not the code for the Special Edition that will be called something else. I'm guessing the timing would be right for a 50th Anniversary Edition.

BT17R

Edmunds article released today confirms Special Edition is on the way

Flamedx4

I just might join you! Today I should get word on the specs for their unit #3 (the first two already on deposit) a yellow MT. Sad thing is they are certain that for at least a year all will be loaded up whether you like it or not - option 1 plus at least 2 are inevitable. So I have to decide whether I can live with option 2... June delivery if I take it.

Tim-in-TX

Well, with a possible job loss in the near future, and the fact that my 4Runner is only a little more than a year old, I was going to wait a year before I started looking. HOWEVER, now that there is the possibility of a soft-top in the future, I will definatly wait till then...I like the idea of a soft-top!

frank69m

Hey ken.vs.ryu, Angelina is pregnant and taken, you can take that picture off ....no pregant women to admire please :-)

ken.vs.ryu

what is that fetish called? i'll change it tonight. i have it up there because of the fifth of whiskey.

the fj is supposed to be on sale next month - when can we expect them at dealers? i'd like to see how small it really is.

Flamedx4

It ain't particularly small. It's about the size of a 4Runner.

Flamedx4

Here's some info that could prove useful to potential FJ buyers.
My father is retired, but he used to be a Toyota dealer. One of his fishing buddies is a Toyota dealership owner and he's been chatting him up on my behalf.
Tip#1 - drive out to a dealership in a rural area that sells mostly trucks to farmers or comfy cars to old folks. Status rigs like the FJ will be less popular there. I've heard waiting list numbers in the city as high as #70! At this particular dealership he only has 2 deposits! (Both young women, both loaded Autos by the way.)
Tip#2 - the way Toyota dealers get their vehicles. The shipments are scheduled pretty far in advance. They can't 'custom order' a vehicle, but what they do is "preference" what they want. Then out of the shipment, vehicles go to the dealers who desire them based on the their preference lists - 50% Limiteds, 80% automatics, 10% blue, 20% green, 75% with A/C, sort of like that. (It's more complex than that but you get the basic idea.) They don't get specific vehicles this way, but they get a predetermined mix of what they think will sell at their dealership.
Tip#3 - Vehicle models, such as 'SR5' or 'Limited' come in off the ship as the base version of that model with no addtional items, all the option groups and individual options are either port-installed or dealer-installed. So you CAN get (for example) a base equipped SR5 4Runner or a base model FJ in a certain color if you want it - you just have to talk the dealer into getting it for you. He has to do a bit more work to get it, and he has to be willing to sell it to you plain rather than more loaded up which will bring him more profit, but maybe not sell as fast.
Tip #4 - contrary to rumor, the dealers CAN and most definitely WILL charge hefty ADM (additional dealer markup) as long as the traffic will bear, so the best you are likely to get is an MSRP deal for a while. Use the fact that the vehicle is SOLD as your leverage. If you just want to be "on the list" and be able to refuse it later, it's not Sold and you have no real bargaining position. This is difficult with a new vehicle that you haven't had a chance to test drive. So consider whether you want to be one of the first, or wait and take your chances later.

That's all I have but I thought I'd pass it along.

I am really struggling with the decision to take that #3 slot (June delivery) or save my money and buy a beater. (I need money right now, so it's really tough.)

BT17R

FYI, if Sun Fusion is what you want, of the 180 FJC's our region is getting in March (~2 per dealer), there will be 10 6M/T's in 2JU (Sun Fusion). Of those, 3 will be base but with alloys, 2 will be loaded CQ's and with running boards, 5 will be loaded CQ's w/o running boards.

Tip #3 above is incorrect. All models are unique factory builds. Post production options are limited and are almost always installed at the port of entry.

Flamedx4

Well now that's interesting. That's not how it was in the past, and now a long time family friend (and Dealer) has apparently lied to me. Although perhaps he is saying that the June shipment has open 6M/T2JUs with no frills coming and he can get me one, and the rest was just misunderstood by me. And my father. And my GF. (And my father and GF weren't drinking either...)

Are you looking at a dealer's incoming sheet (from the port) or the production sheets for the shipment as built (arriving at port)?

BT17R

Doesn't necessarily mean anyone lied. Mistaken, maybe, if the Dealer is getting his info second hand.

The FJ's haven't even been built yet. The distributor order is confirmed for Feb build, Mar arrival. None have been shipped to the port or dealers besides press preview trucks. Nobody knows the build beyond Feb yet.

Have your Dad's dealer friend access Dealer Daily and print out the details, it's all there.