[Jstyle]

I looked around but I can't seem to find the answers to a few lingering questions:

What does TPW stand for?
After the dealer took your deposit how long did it take before you got whatever information you needed to check your status?
People ordering right now do you think we'll get our cars before the new year?

[laborsmith]

TPW = Tentative Production Week, the week GM believes the order will be built.

My standard for a leaving a deposit is give me the entered Order # (six character alphanumeric) and I will leave you a deposit. No sense in playing games, if the dealer wants your business and a deposit, the order will be entered even if he has to call his Aunt Ellen in on her day off to do it. Sarcasm intended.

As to dealer delivery, too early to say for sure but an order entered this coming order cycle which should cycle through October 27 if your dealer has allocation could be built early December making a pre New Year Day delivery very possible.

Laborsmith

[Sledgehammer70]

Originally Posted by Jstyle

I looked around but I can't seem to find the answers to a few lingering questions:
After the dealer took your deposit how long did it take before you got whatever information you needed to check your status?

To pile onto Laborsmith's responses...

The dealer can take your order and enter into the system that day. But it will not get picked up by GM until they have allocation to match the order too. So verify they have allocation and that should eliminate any potential extended wait.

[laborsmith]

Good point. Allocation is the key. Allocation is a term that means a dealer has a slot to get an entered order accepted for production.

Laborsmith

[DentinFender]

The dealer that I have ordered through states that "we do have an allocation available" but if so, one would think that my order would have moved past 1100 sometime this last month. Perhaps the better question is "when" is that allocation available??? (I need to ask them that question). What tool does the dealer have that tells them this information?

[laborsmith]

First, many dealers do not understand the allocation process. There are numerous posts on t6his Forum to prove this point.

Second, dealers are told at the beginning of every model year the number of units they are expected to order. This is their Guide Number, so called because it is intended to help a dealer "floor plan."

Third, many dealers confuse Guide Number with Allocation. I have no problem with that as 97.5% of dealer orders are retail stock, and the difference is meaningless except for the 2.5% retail sold consumers.

Fourth, dealers are told every other Thursday how many Allocations (a portion of the Guide Number) they can use over the following two weeks AND this number of orders will be divided over two weeks.

To summarize, say the dealer is given 50 units as a Guide, that means about 1 unit every weekly ordering process from 2 units awarded in the every other week ordering process. If the dealer sells a dozen Camaros every year, change the 50 to 12 and reduce the bi-weekly consensus to conform. By the way, this awkward system meets laws and demands of court decisions.

Laborsmith

[Sledgehammer70]

Originally Posted by DentinFender

The dealer that I have ordered through states that "we do have an allocation available" but if so, one would think that my order would have moved past 1100 sometime this last month. Perhaps the better question is "when" is that allocation available??? (I need to ask them that question). What tool does the dealer have that tells them this information?

If your order is still at 1100 after a month, they do not have allocation or did and gave it to orders ahead of yours. As Laborsmith mentioned above in great detail, they may be confused.

But do note, whoever does their ordering should be able to see in the system how many they can order right now or what they have ordered. It could be a case where they did have allocation, but the dealer build a few cars ahead of yours to submit so they get cars and those orders took the initial allocation they had.

The guy who submits the orders controls what cars are getting to GM first and what cars are waiting.

[DentinFender]

Thanks guys for the info... I have read many of the other posts regarding this issue and have understood enough to know that it is a bit complex. I appreciate Laborsmith's detail. To help clarify, I was wondering where specifically in "the system" they can see what allocations they have (or don't have) for this next 2 week period? I'd like to point the guy to the right place and ask him what it says. Is it also possible that allocations have not yet opened up to dealers in different areas (such as Minnesota)?

[2SSRS@Gen5diy]

I played this game back in 2005-7 trying to get a Z06, 3 dealers all telling me they had allocation, never did get a Z06, if after 1 month your car did not move find a dealer that can get you a car, member on here was sitting for 2 months at 1100, then he found the right dealer and in 7 days he was at 3000.

[laborsmith]

Originally Posted by DentinFender

Thanks guys for the info... I have read many of the other posts regarding this issue and have understood enough to know that it is a bit complex. I appreciate Laborsmith's detail. To help clarify, I was wondering where specifically in "the system" they can see what allocations they have (or don't have) for this next 2 week period? I'd like to point the guy to the right place and ask him what it says. Is it also possible that allocations have not yet opened up to dealers in different areas (such as Minnesota)?

I have not seen anything to indicate allocations are distributed based on region, with exceptions such as the Spark EV or the Volt, which allocations are based on other demands, such as the California demand regarding no emissions. For the Camaro, no such restrictions apply.


Consensus is every two weeks and a dealer can not be certain what future consensuses may offer. They can guess but you already suspected that, but can not know for sure.


It comes down to trust. If you believe your dealer will be upfront and will treat you right, than stay with him. It is hard to find such a dealer but if you have found one, waiting an extra few weeks would be worth it. If you are uncertain, place your order with Becky Doyle and you will know you have found one. You can take delivery here in Michigan, she can help arrange a courtesy delivery to a dealer near you, or she can arrange to have one of the Rodgers Chevrolet haulers drop your order off in your driveway.


Laborsmith

[2SSRS@Gen5diy]

Originally Posted by laborsmith

I have not seen anything to indicate allocations are distributed based on region, with exceptions such as the Spark EV or the Volt, which allocations are based on other demands, such as the California demand regarding no emissions. For the Camaro, no such restrictions apply.


Consensus is every two weeks and a dealer can not be certain what future consensuses may offer. They can guess but you already suspected that, but can not know for sure.


It comes down to trust. If you believe your dealer will be upfront and will treat you right, than stay with him. It is hard to find such a dealer but if you have found one, waiting an extra few weeks would be worth it. If you are uncertain, place your order with Becky Doyle and you will know you have found one. You can take delivery here in Michigan, she can help arrange a courtesy delivery to a dealer near you, or she can arrange to have one of the Rodgers Chevrolet haulers drop your order off in your driveway.


Laborsmith

+1

[DentinFender]

Thanks all... informative and helpful. I will be visiting the dealer next week and will ask some questions based on what I have learned. Will make a decision then about what to do. Becky will be my next choice for sure if that decision gets made. A flight to Detroit and a roadtrip home would be a bunch of fun!

[SSport16]

Originally Posted by 2SSRS@Gen5diy

I played this game back in 2005-7 trying to get a Z06, 3 dealers all telling me they had allocation, never did get a Z06, if after 1 month your car did not move find a dealer that can get you a car, member on here was sitting for 2 months at 1100, then he found the right dealer and in 7 days he was at 3000.

Same here back in '08, when I placed an order for a 5th gen SS. Dealer insisted he had allocation and I would among the first to be built, found out from someone else that was number 2 on their list, I was number 1, that their vehicle was delivered like 6 months later...I ended up canceling long before because I was told so many lies and people were let go of the dealership, whole big mess. Learned my lesson, different dealership and I have learned so much about the ordering from with GM over the last 7 years.

[SSport16]

Originally Posted by DentinFender

Thanks all... informative and helpful. I will be visiting the dealer next week and will ask some questions based on what I have learned. Will make a decision then about what to do. Becky will be my next choice for sure if that decision gets made. A flight to Detroit and a roadtrip home would be a bunch of fun!

I would go w ith Becky if I were you. She was my alternate person to order from if my dealer couldn't get their poop together, but they did and all is well...but she is awesome, I would use her and her dealership in a heartbeat!