I put a $1000 deposit down yesterday at my dealer for first right of refusal on the 3 Defenders the factory is sending them in April/May. The dealer told me they have no idea what packages they will have, colors they'll be, etc. I was the first to put a deposit down, so they said I will be able to choose from the 3. If I don't like any of them, the deposit is refundable or transferable to another purchase. We'll see how that goes...

 

I believe the dealership did say what you've detailed, but never heard of luxury dealer allocations being done that way.

Most luxury vehicles are not mass produced, but each has an owner to an order to build. This means that either a dealership or customer must place an order (with details of build options, etc, before the factory begins production.

My point is that either your salesperson does not know what the sales manager ordered, or just wasn't wanting to share too many details without securing your deposit in case none of the orders were to your liking.

I strongly suggest that you order your own vehicle built to your specs. The deposit you've already paid should transfer and secure your order. Sit down and config your rig the way you like down to the color and wheels, then sit back and wait the 4-5 months for delivery. Yes, you can still haggle on an order, but since this is a first run, unless you're a regular customer, they may not move much on price because the market demand is unknown at this point until reviews come out.

Good luck either way you decide!

 

One local Chicago burbs dealer had $25k markup on V8s and $15k on all other trims. They ran a Black Friday deal at MSRP 😜