Want a made-to-order car?
You’ve always wanted a car that truly represents who you are – something that comes with all the things you need, but isn’t run of the mill like the others. You want your own color of choice, a sunroof, a navigation system, a six-speed transmission, and a nice, old-fashioned stereo. You just can’t get this by buying a car straight off your local dealer. And even if there are reliable online auto parts stores such as Auto Parts Deal where you can get top of the line auto parts and accessories like grilles, hubcaps, bumpers and spoilers to customize your car – you just can’t trust yourself to dabble with a brand new car.
Well, there’s good news. Made to order cars are becoming increasingly popular, as the Detroit Free Press reports. Nowadays, more and more cars are being built to specification at the factory or the dock for buyers who ordered them in advance and are willing to wait. When before, this kind of customization was only exclusive to handcrafted cars like Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and Porsche – today brands such as BMW’s Mini and Toyota’s Scion are getting the special treatment too.
According to the Detroit Free Press, personalization is now good business for automakers. The average Mini buyer adds $5,000 in extras above the $17,500 base sticker on factory- and dealer-installed accessories. Another $25,000 worth of accessories can be typical for the purchaser of a $355,000 Rolls-Royce.
So what cars can be made to order? According to the DFP, these are:
* Mini. From 75% to 90% of Minis sold are custom-ordered from the factory.
* Scion. The youth-oriented brand limits customizing options but speeds up the time it takes to get a personalized version delivered. Most come in seven to 10 days.
* Porsche. About 41% of U.S. buyers order the 911 model customized to their whims.
* Rolls-Royce. With Rolls, almost anything goes.
* Ferrari. Every Ferrari is customized to some degree, whether it's adding a badge on the side of the car or lipstick-red seats.
So if you really want to stand out from the rest and have a car that is truly unlike any other, write down what you want and just take your pick form these cars. Just be ready to spend some.
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