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Most of us who follow automotive news have heard way too much about the ongoing “chip shortage” in the car business. A chip shortage, of course, that has resulted in drastically reduced vehicle inventories across the country.

Because if this, it has become nearly impossible to find our favorite 2021 Tacoma trucks on the lot. Same goes for Toyota Tundra and Toyota 4Runner.

They just do not exist, so to speak.

2021 Toyota Tacoma shortage

If you are in search of a 2021 Toyota Tacoma, there are several ways you can go about your pursuit. In a vehicle shortage.

First, you can get lucky and find your ideal Tacoma on the lot and available for sale. We should call this Plan A. This is most beneficial for customers and for dealerships.

Also, you could work with your favorite Toyota dealership to find a 2021 Tacoma (or another popular Toyota model) that is scheduled to arrive sometime in the next few days to a couple months. You would have to reserve this one in your name in order to secure it. Probably by signing a Toyota Tacoma specifications sheet and a pricing sheet. Then leaving a deposit of some sort. Plan B.

Another method is to build a Tacoma just how you want it and order it through your dealership. Your Toyota Tacoma will arrive just how you built it out with the dealer. This way of securing your Toyota has the drawback of an uncertain time frame. It could be just a few weeks. Or it could be several months.

This is new territory for both dealerships and customers.

People comment on 2021 Toyota Tacoma search

This is an uncertain time for car buyers. Many people have found themselves in uncomfortably new and unpredictable situations while looking for their perfect Toyota Tacoma.

Just look at some comments and stories I received from exasperated potential buyers on my “Toyotajeff” YouTube channel.

“I put a non-refundable $500 deposit on a 2021 Tacoma TRD Sport with the Premium Package. The truck doesn’t even exist yet. It is just a VIN number in the Toyota computer system. It’s supposed to be built at the end of June with an expected delivery date of early August. It’s crazy. The dealer lot is basically empty except for a few Corollas and an old lady Prius.” Commented IPO.

Even Steven Review found out about pre-owned truck prices these days. “My dad bought a new 2018 Tacoma TRD Pro 2 years ago for $38,500. He just sold it to Shift for $38,500. No loss after 2 years and 18k miles in it.”

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Another fan was frustrated and unsure where to turn. “I was told that I can't place an order for my own (2021) Tacoma now due to this chip situation. I also can't pre-order a 2022 model because prices haven't been released yet.”

“I was looking for a new Tacoma. I called a dealership in my area that has what I wanted with a MSRP of $48k. The dealer added an addendum of $10k to it for a total of $58k.” Added Tim Mc.

Mojavedesert Sonoradesert had a creative and unconventional idea on how to get a new car. “How to buy a car...ask all your elderly family if they want to get rid of one!”

“I'm so glad I got my first car a '21 Tacoma TRD Sport back in January at sticker price even if it didn't have the LED headlights I want. But glad I got it at sticker. My older brother just got a TRD Sport almost the same as mine, but the price was $6k over sticker.” Commented Luis.

Daniel told an interesting story. “My dad needed to buy a car and went to the dealership. There was one truck he was interested in on the lot. The dealership was adding a $2500 to the MSRP premium for essentially buying the only one left. He said, ‘no I’m not doing that.’ After negotiating, they agreed to not charge the premium and he had to buy at nearly full msrp. Tough consumer market because dealers aren’t willing to negotiate as much as when things were normal.”

Time for your Toyota Tacoma comments

As I mentioned, we are in an unprecedented time in the car business. Not just for buyers, but also for sellers. I would imagine if you asked most dealership personnel, they would prefer to have much more cars, trucks and SUVs available for people to buy.

However, we must all work with the cards we are dealt. Even if the current hand is not the best.

Have you had an “interesting” time trying to find a vehicle in the past few months? Did you end up finding something special, like a Toyota Tacoma, or are you still searching?

Thanks for reading everyone. See you next story when I discuss the potential for three 2022 Toyota TRD Pro colors.

READ MORE:
- RAV4 buyer chip shortage stories
- More on 2022 Tundra engine possibilities.
- New and brighter feature coming to 2022 4Runner.

Follow Jeff Teague on social media:

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