2008 4 cylinder with VSC in California?

[toyweb]

I went to the Build Your Toyota website to see what was available in California and noticed there are very few choices on the Camry. All you can do is pick from a couple preconfigured packages in each trim level and choose colors.

The only way to get VSC in California seems to be either on the Hybrid or a fully loaded V6 XLE or SE. Even fully loaded XLE 4 cylinders with leather and nav are not equipped with VSC.

I'm interested in a 2008 XLE 4 cylinder with no options other than VSC.
Is this something that will ever be shipped to Calfornia dealerships for the 2008 models?

VSC is standard on even the most basic 4 cylinder LX models of the 2008 Accord and VSC is available in a package on fully loaded Toyoa Corolla LEs with MSRP of about $20K, so I don't understand why they make it impossible to find VSC on a $26K Camry XLE.

[Rapid Roy]

You can get one custom configured but you will need to wait for a few months to receive your car. Go to the dealers and look, there are always different combo's there at the lot.

[toyweb]

Originally Posted by Rapid Roy

You can get one custom configured but you will need to wait for a few months to receive your car. Go to the dealers and look, there are always different combo's there at the lot.

I've heard that isn't really possible and the most they can do is "keep an eye out" for one in the system configured the way you want and try to get it redirected or swapped to their dealership. There would be no gaurantee that it would ever be built, so you could be waiting for months for something that never shows up.

Maybe I'll just wait for the 2009 Corolla LE and see if I like that or just go with an Accord EX instead.

[wireless]

Originally Posted by toyweb

I've heard that isn't really possible and the most they can do is "keep an eye out" for one in the system configured the way you want and try to get it redirected or swapped to their dealership. There would be no gaurantee that it would ever be built, so you could be waiting for months for something that never shows up.

Maybe I'll just wait for the 2009 Corolla LE and see if I like that or just go with an Accord EX instead.

Obviously, you should be talking to a dealer about the situation. I 'custom' configured mine and only had to wait 5 weeks (this was in March/April 2006). Granted, mine is a loaded SE V6 and I am in the Mid-Atlantic.

The configuration of cars from the factory is very much a study in capitalism. Demand and $$ talks so they provide what the majority of people want (or at least what their statistics say people want). Example, you can only get certain colors of the 2007 Sequoia in a LTD w/Luxury package. I think it is like 3 of the 8 available colors...you can't even order it on the other 5.

[toyweb]

Originally Posted by wireless

Obviously, you should be talking to a dealer about the situation. I 'custom' configured mine and only had to wait 5 weeks (this was in March/April 2006). Granted, mine is a loaded SE V6 and I am in the Mid-Atlantic.

The configuration of cars from the factory is very much a study in capitalism. Demand and $$ talks so they provide what the majority of people want (or at least what their statistics say people want). Example, you can only get certain colors of the 2007 Sequoia in a LTD w/Luxury package. I think it is like 3 of the 8 available colors...you can't even order it on the other 5.

Their statistics are pretty bad if they concluded that the only people shopping for mid-sized family sedans who want VSC are those buying the V6 models with leather and nav. Meanwhile VSC is available on cheaper Corolla LE's on the lots in California. Bad logic.

The color thing is not the same thing. It's common for certain paint colors to only be available on certain trim lines.

[wireless]

It wasn't that only certain trims could get a particular color...it was that particular trim/packages were only available in certain colors that were otherwise available across all trims.

For example, Timberland Mica, Deset Sand, Silver Sky, Super White and Salsa Red were not avilable with the Limited Lux package.

As for the VSC, I agree that it should be available across the model. I would be curious to see what stats were the basis for not doing this. Perhaps in reality people buying lesser expensive trims/packages are not buying VSC either (from a statistical perspective). Remember, it's all about the almighty $$ so if the data supported more people wanting VSC than not in those trims then it would be there.

[toyweb]

Originally Posted by wireless

It wasn't that only certain trims could get a particular color...it was that particular trim/packages were only available in certain colors that were otherwise available across all trims.

For example, Timberland Mica, Deset Sand, Silver Sky, Super White and Salsa Red were not avilable with the Limited Lux package.

As for the VSC, I agree that it should be available across the model. I would be curious to see what stats were the basis for not doing this. Perhaps in reality people buying lesser expensive trims/packages are not buying VSC either (from a statistical perspective). Remember, it's all about the almighty $$ so if the data supported more people wanting VSC than not in those trims then it would be there.

Of course they are not buying it because it isn't available to them. That's self-fulfilling statistics. You can't buy what isn't an available choice. More people want VSC than want leather and nav systems on a mid sized family oriented 4-door sedan.

I think Toyota just made VSC a paper option so spec charts would look better in comparisons with the competition even though they aren't making it available in the real world in significant numbers.
"Stability control: Optional" looks better than "Stability control: Not Available" even though it's really not available to most buyers. They also know they would be critisized in reviews if VSC was not listed as being available on all or even most the models. However, being "listed" isn't the same as being produced.


Maybe there is shortage of the VSC hardware from their supplier and they are rationing it only to the V6 models with nav and leather in California.

Honda learned and made VSC standard on all 2008 Accord models. It was only available on V6s on the last generation, but it wasn't as bad as Toyota because you could easily get an Accord SE V6 for around $22K including the standard VSC.

[wireless]

Originally Posted by toyweb

Of course they are not buying it because it isn't available to them. That's self-fulfilling statistics. You can't buy what isn't an available choice. More people want VSC than want leather and nav systems on a mid sized family oriented 4-door sedan.

I think Toyota just made VSC a paper option so spec charts would look better in comparisons with the competition even though they aren't making it available in the real world in significant numbers.
"Stability control: Optional" looks better than "Stability control: Not Available" even though it's really not available to most buyers. They also know they would be critisized in reviews if VSC was not listed as being available on all or even most the models. However, being "listed" isn't the same as being produced.


Maybe there is shortage of the VSC hardware from their supplier and they are rationing it only to the V6 models with nav and leather in California.

Honda learned and made VSC standard on all 2008 Accord models. It was only available on V6s on the last generation, but it wasn't as bad as Toyota because you could easily get an Accord SE V6 for around $22K including the standard VSC.

In the Mid-Atlantic buyatoyota.com you can build a XLE I4 with Package B which is only VSC/TC and the MSRP is $26,310 including destination/freight.