How bad is the availability on LTZ+1.4 Turbos?

[leaky]

Hi,

Looking to pickup a Sonic or something similar (consideration into Cruze and Focus, Sonic looks like more bang for the $$ though, plus lighter with same engine as Cruze). Just tired of the gasoline mortgage and looking for inexpensive cool little american car that will get me near the 40 MPG range..

In my area (northeast) I'm not seeing a single model available for 150 miles w/ the 1.4 Turbo and a manual transmission.. Actually just finding the turbo is nearly impossible. I'm reaching out to a couple dealerships, seeing what they can come up with, basically told them I didn't even want to bother showing up to see anything other than an LTZ with the 1.4 Turbo and a manual..

Anyone else run in a problem just finding a dealership with one to test drive? In the past buying new I've filled out an options list with the discounts I'm available for, and then sent it out to multiple dealerships for quotes..

Looks like if I go this route I might end up needing to order (how does that work out time and $$-wise?) at a minimum gotta see if I would be OK driving one in the package I want.

Thanks,

Jon

 

[EVOX_SPEED3]

The turbo 1.4's are very hard to come by. I live in San Antonio, and i was looking for one in the entire state of Texas and by luck they had one here SA; I jumped on it as soon as I could. It wasn't even off the trucks yet to be prepped for sale. I have yet to see another turbo 1.4 sonic in town.

 

[wingman]

Not exactly the LTZ +turbo, but check this thread http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/t667/

 

[Danny5]

When our Camry died and needed a couple grand in repairs, I checked our 4 neighboring states, and my own for Turbo models.

I supposably found a 1.4 LTZ, and spent almost 2 hours at the dealership before I found out that they didn't have it.

That following Monday, I only found 3 turbos. A sedan and 2 hatchbacks. And of those 3, only 1 could be located on the lot. I bought it that day. 1LT turbo.

Good luck finding them before the Spring.

 

[laborsmith]

Turbo Sonics are in very short supply, but for the first two months of Sonic I would say no supply at all (a slight exaggeration as there were maybe half a dozen that actually reached the dealers NATIONWIDE). As best as I can tell, dealer inventory turbo Sonics are about 1% of production since the beginning of October. More than that are being built but it appears they are all customer orders.

LTZ Turbo Sonics began production in a very small number the first week of November and picked up the second week of November.

I would guess if a LTZ Turbo order went in before Tuesday and was picked up Tuesday it would go into production right after the winter break. But remember, the Buick Verano is to start regular production January 9, and that will take away from Sonic production.

A quick primer: dealers are told on Thursday how many of each vehicle line they can order and what is constrained therefore can not be ordered. The next Tuesday they put their orders in within those numbers, with the exception that a retail sold order that has no restraints attached to it will be picked before a dealer inventory order, provided the dealer has allocation for that model.

The system is complicated because in the past dealers and regional execs have gamed the system, law suits ensued, and thia system invoked to settle the lawsuits.

My best guess: if you order Monday and the order is picked up Tuesday, the car will be built either the week of January 2 or the week of January 9.

Laborsmith

 

[leaky]

Thanks guys

Wow, that is lame.. I guess maybe they are just behind in production? Or is it just that dealers aren't ordering them equipped like this? If it's the dealers that seems silly to me, once nice thing about the Sonic is you go from the base model to very well loaded for 4K in options; you'd think the turbo versions would sell easier and dealers would be putting those on the lot first.

Even on a Cruze, equipped the way I'd like to see it anyway, they are very hard to find (ie turbo, 6 speed manual, LT level options). Seems like once they go much beyond a base model it gets ordered with an auto every time.. Fairly confident though I could find one of those if I wanted..

After comparing Cruze versus Sonic I don't think I've got much interest in seeing a Cruze, unless they change incentives. When I build the two and compare the Cruze ends up $2000 more, and the incentives aren't really any better, can't think of any reason why it's worth more to me..

Someone mentioned the spring, anyone have any solid knowledge on when we might see the turbo Sonic LTZ's showing up at dealers in numbers?

I guess I'll see what the dealers get back to me with. Maybe I can at least find something to test drive and can order one. Waiting a couple months would be OK. Though I'm definitely not willing to pay a premium on an economy car or to buy new without just the right options..

My original plan was to buy something, save my 215K GMC Canyon for snow storms, then take it off the road for a list of do-it-myself repairs in the spring.. Could dump some $$ into it and wait.. Else there's also the Focus, X-plan pricing and incentives on that are much better than what Chevy is offering anyway and I know I can find those.

Jon

 

[laborsmith]

I agree, that is lame. As an explanation, I would point out American dealers tend to stay away from manual trans cars, even those cars widely acknowledged to be sports cars such as the Chevy Corvette or the Cadillac CTS-V. Also, I am not sure Chevrolet and their dealers understand the Sonic market. I say this because when the LT turbos started appearing in dealer inventories, well over half did not have the Cruise Control/Connectivity option. Why Chevy paired cruise control with Bluetooth capabilities I do not know, but to build a car specifically aimed to be a buyers first new car and then have the suggested pattern for orders not include options that would appeal to the potential consumer buying their first new car defies common sense.

Contrary to what dealers have been known to state, they are not locked into ordering the pattern when ordering for inventory. They do have to order per allocation or risk losing an allocation in the future, but they can add options as they desire, it is just easier to order to the pattern.

The Lions are being whipped and I am feeling ornery, so I better end this rant sooner rather than later.

Laborsmith

 

[leaky]

I agree, that is lame. As an explanation, I would point out American dealers tend to stay away from manual trans cars, even those cars widely acknowledged to be sports cars such as the Chevy Corvette or the Cadillac CTS-V. Also, I am not sure Chevrolet and their dealers understand the Sonic market. I say this because when the LT turbos started appearing in dealer inventories, well over half did not have the Cruise Control/Connectivity option. Why Chevy paired cruise control with Bluetooth capabilities I do not know, but to build a car specifically aimed to be a buyers first new car and then have the suggested pattern for orders not include options that would appeal to the potential consumer buying their first new car defies common sense.

Contrary to what dealers have been known to state, they are not locked into ordering the pattern when ordering for inventory. They do have to order per allocation or risk losing an allocation in the future, but they can add options as they desire, it is just easier to order to the pattern.

The Lions are being whipped and I am feeling ornery, so I better end this rant sooner rather than later.

Laborsmith

Yes I found blue tooth + cruise control and odd concept as well.. There's some similar thing on the Cruze as well. I think anything that's got power windows & doors should come with cruise control; it's a basic option..

A large part of the market on these small inexpensive cars is MPG driven (not just purchase cost). Those of us who are most impacted by fuel cost drive a long distance, and that always entails the highway, ie cruise control..

When I plug in my plan and compare similarly optioned Sonic, Cruze, and Focus, Sonic comes in at 2K+ under Focus, and Focus is 1K or so under Cruze.. Granted Sonic is a little less car than the other two, it's all I need.

Provided actual quotes still have Sonic 2K+ under the others, I'll probably be inclined to wait it out. Will see what the dealers are talking; if I can find one to test drive ordering may end up being the solution. My dad has ordered a few GM's and makes out pretty good by going dealer to dealer with a list of quotes & options until they bite.

Jon

 

[Papasonic]

They appear to be still scarce here in the midwest region. I was fortunate to get our Inferno Orange LTZ Turbo Hatch on 11-30-2011 from a local dealer that had one earmarked for a GM district representative; But GM put him in a Cruze instead. Even the window sticker said vehicle not for sale because vehicle pricing information was not available at time of shipment. I first found it during an online search early November; but was said to be in transit. It arrived at the dealer 11-29-2011, and we took delivery the following day. So far I really like it. Another search today shows none available in 150 mile radius.

 

[AxelRipper]

They're just starting to roll in here in MI. Dealer told me that they get told by GM what vehicles they're expected to sell most in their market, and in this case that is a 1.8 auto sedan. I ordered my 1.4t hatch 2 months ago and am picking it up tonight. They're just starting to actually stock 1.4t's but most of those hit the lot and are sold immediately. Especially if they have the Connect and Cruise (apparently people who want manual transmissions don't want cruise control or bluetooth... thats been posted a few times as quote from dealers)

 

[laborsmith]

AxwlRipper: There are two concepts not necessarily mutually exclusive in play here. The first concept is that the dealers are told every Thursday how many of a model they are allocated, say ten Corvettes, then the following Tuesday the order is submitted. If the dealer orders eleven Corvettes, there will be pushback.

The second concept is what options may be ordered. Some options, such as polished wheels or a bright red color may have limited availability, which makes ordering outside of the pattern more time consuming. Pattern orders are made by a simple click of the mouse, non-pattern orders,including retail customer orders, take a whole bunch of clicks, even for a vehicle with limited options such as the Sonic.

So the dealer is correct in the sense of the first concept. I leave it to the imagination of those who read this posting as to how their dealers handle my second concept. The pattern order IS based on what the marketing department believes will be the most likely set of options to sell. But obviously there are customers who want something other than or in addition to the pattern, otherwise there would be no need to offer additional options.

Laaborsmith

 

[Alfaromeo]

Hi leaky,

I do not know where you reside in the Northeast, but would this do?

New, used, and pre-owned Chevrolet, cars, trucks, and SUVs for sale at Cantin Chevrolet in Laconia

Chevy dealer in Laconia, NH.

I think there is still one 1LT turbo in black at Criswell Chevy, in Gaithersburg, MD., as of last week.

We picked up our 1LT turbo in silver ice, manual, connectivity, etc., from Len Stoler Chevy in Westminster, MD last Wednesday night. More on that in the next post......

Best of luck,

Jay

 

[AxelRipper]

AxwlRipper: There are two concepts not necessarily mutually exclusive in play here. The first concept is that the dealers are told every Thursday how many of a model they are allocated, say ten Corvettes, then the following Tuesday the order is submitted. If the dealer orders eleven Corvettes, there will be pushback.

The second concept is what options may be ordered. Some options, such as polished wheels or a bright red color may have limited availability, which makes ordering outside of the pattern more time consuming. Pattern orders are made by a simple click of the mouse, non-pattern orders,including retail customer orders, take a whole bunch of clicks, even for a vehicle with limited options such as the Sonic.

So the dealer is correct in the sense of the first concept. I leave it to the imagination of those who read this posting as to how their dealers handle my second concept. The pattern order IS based on what the marketing department believes will be the most likely set of options to sell. But obviously there are customers who want something other than or in addition to the pattern, otherwise there would be no need to offer additional options.

Laaborsmith

Yes, true. However at the time I ordered my Orange 1.4t Hatch, they had 10 Sonics ordered, all 1.8 autos and I think only 2 of them were hatches.

 

[2>4]

So my wife wants to get a 1.4 turbo with an automatic, but she also doesn't want to commit to buying one before driving one. Does this mean there's a decent chance that by the time these hit the dealerships, it'll be too late to actually order one?

 

[laborsmith]

GM normally announces its final order acceptance and buildout dates in late spring, say around the middle of March. The typical last dates for orders are usually the last week of April to the first week of May and model year production will normally end at the end of June.

This is normally what happens. This is also what I expect will happen. There are plenty of exceptions to prove the rule.

To my knowledge, GM has not stated a specific date when auto turbo Sonics will begin to be built. I expect it will be in January, but with the Buick Verano start of production date pushed back to January 9, I'm not sure.

No one has said if order are being accepted for auto turbo Sonics, but I suspect they are. If you order and after the car arrives does not meet your needs, reliable dealers will return your deposit. Deposits for Sonics and most other Chevy cars are usually $100, for Camaros and Corvettes $500. Some dealers will do a retail customer order w/o a deposit, Gm does not require one.

If you do get a dealer to submit an order let us know. Inquiring minds (mine especially) want to know.

Laborsmith

 

[leaky]

Hi leaky,

I do not know where you reside in the Northeast, but would this do?

New, used, and pre-owned Chevrolet, cars, trucks, and SUVs for sale at Cantin Chevrolet in Laconia

Chevy dealer in Laconia, NH.

I think there is still one 1LT turbo in black at Criswell Chevy, in Gaithersburg, MD., as of last week.

We picked up our 1LT turbo in silver ice, manual, connectivity, etc., from Len Stoler Chevy in Westminster, MD last Wednesday night. More on that in the next post......

Best of luck,

Jay

Thanks, unfortunately what they are showing are the no-turbo's only..

 

[leaky]

Problem getting LTZ's w/ turbo's seems to be dealers

Just got off the phone with a dealer, the salesman was sorta a chump, but he seemed honest and did know the spread of options available on a Sonic at least..

His angle was they didn't have an LTZ on the lot, and had no idea when/if they might ever, but come test drive the low end Sonics, a Cruze Eco w/ the turbo and 6 speed manual, and let's talk about ordering one..

Grilling him on when they'd get a turbo LTZ he basically said they had no plans to order Sonic's that way because it's not considered a popular configuration by the department that does the orders for the lot, and that they just order a bunch of "****". At least he's honest I guess ..

Without any work on my end or discounts applied, the quote I got came in 1K under MSRP for the Sonic. If I order one will try and chip away at that further by applying a supplier discount. So, even though they may not even be in stock, there is some wiggle room on these cars.

Sounds like ordering one is definitely do-able, and there's no need to pay a premium due to supply/demand, the downside is just finding one to test drive!

Jon

 

[oldertech]

Without any work on my end or discounts applied, the quote I got came in 1K under MSRP for the Sonic. If I order one will try and chip away at that further by applying a supplier discount. So, even though they may not even be in stock, there is some wiggle room on these cars.

Jon

How'd you manage that? I was getting the idea that there was no wiggle room. I've not done the final deal on mine yet and I could use some tips.

 

[RockTheShazbot]

There is about $1500 between MSRP and invoice if I remember right. And dealer cost is about $500-700 below invoice. Dealer is only making like $300 off me

 

[leaky]

How'd you manage that? I was getting the idea that there was no wiggle room. I've not done the final deal on mine yet and I could use some tips.

I just dumbly asked for a quote via the dealers internet system, that's what they came back to me with as an "internet price". Most dealerships seem to have such systems. A salesman sent it via email and then gave me a call attempting to get me to come by; I think that's typically how it works now.

On the particular LTZ model MSRP was a bit over $18,000 and quote provided just under $17,000.

You might want to go around looking for dealers websites where you can request a quote for starters. That'll give you contacts for salespeople at a few dealerships and a point to begin. Request the details and vehicle options are included (there's a sort of form they'll provide if you ask).

With those quotes you then take the lowest and go back around again (see if they will beat it and by how much). In between you may need to call and say "hey X dealership gave me X quote", they will probably request you send it over and may give you a better quote or may just say "sorry we can't touch that".

Eventually you are getting down to rock bottom that way.. Finally take the lowest quote into another dealership, in person, and try and knock another 200-500 off the lowest to get the deal done that day. Worst scenario if it's a no-go, just go with the lowest quote.

It actually doesn't take much time because remotely you can send information to 5 dealerships in a few minutes.. Now days I think they are accustomed to dealing with customers remotely and most seem responsive.

I think it is true that there is less wiggle room on these cars (usually I figure you can get a new vehicle for 15% under MSRP)... I'm guessing because they are a new model, lack of supply, and priced fairly rock bottom to begin with.. apparently though there is some.

Jon