I don't want to over-simplify this but I've been looking for a manual transmission jetta SE along the Front Range of Colorado and they are just not to be found. All I see are TDIs and/or automatics. Overwhelmingly with black interiors and usually black exteriors. Monotonous. And boring.
Are these dealers suffering from group think, or is VW trying to ram TDIs down people's throats? And what's with all the black? If I wanted people to think I was a playa do you think I'd be buying a VW? Maybe just really bad buying decisions by the dealerships? How is the mix decided upon?
If you're buying a new car you can order a model at the dealership with your specifications. You're not limited to stock on hand. You just have to wait for your car to arrive. A bonus if that often your car arrives fresh with the plastic still on it and no one has test driven it. If you're looking for a used model you will probably have one shipped. Sometimes used car dealerships will search for the model you want through their connections or at auctions. Don't give up!
I ordered my new VW through a dealership. They originally said it was still on the boat to another dealership and they could have my car re-routed to the dealership I bought it from. However, they couldn't get it re-routed, so when I went in to pick it up, it had 177 miles on it already because someone had driven it from the other dealership. :/
What Noplacia said is true - You should be able to order a VW with the options you want from a local dealership, and you'd just have to wait for it to arrive. I did that when I bought my 2009 VW Rabbit.
However, I did notice that some of the options seem to be limited. I wanted a 4-door Rabbit, and the automatic transmission was the only transmission offered in the 4-door model. I don't quite understand that decision, but that seems to be the way it's going.
The automatic transmission is nice though. It has 1 more gear than the manual (6 vs. 5), so that's something to think about. It also has a mode that lets you manually upshift and downshift.
Thanks to both of you for the information! We went to a local dealership and they were happy to do just that. I guess at some level I think that by being willing to order a car and wait I would appear too determined to have a VW, and therefore would lose a little power once the money haggling started. Because the lot had a lot of TDIs I was under the impression they weren't moving, and they might not be, but they all also have a dealer applied sticker stating a $5k premium over the MSR. (Whoa! Is this a Prius? This doesn't look like a Prius...) But the salesperson, upon my mentioning the sticker, immediately said '5k? That should say fifteen hundred.' So they're willing to deal (If you can ever accurately use that word in the purchase of a car), and that's nice.
As an aside, we test drove a Jetta and a Sportswagen and the ride was wonderful in both. Like our beloved '88 GL was; much stiffer than our '96 GL, which we both think is too mushy and sedan-ny. One of those nice surprises you get when you miss out on 14 years of technology advances. The Jetta was a TDI and performed very well but I didn't like the accelerator lag. The interior colors in pleather are down to black and tan. A pity, I really liked the dark gray.
So the dealership is looking to see if we can be trusted to pay our debts whereupon we'll start talking money-the part I hate.
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