I just got this in an email this morning.

"Mr. xxxx, I am sorry to inform you, but the civic hybrid nav that we ordered you got pushed back until a delivery date of June due to the 600 plus cars that were damaged in a hail storm in Kansas city. I can refund your deposit, or if you would like you can wait the choice is yours, just let me know your decision.
I am truly sorry for the inconvenience and hope that you do wish to wait for the civic, if not I understand.
Sincerely,
yyyy"

Not sure if this will affect delivery for those in other areas, but I'm pretty sure they're really hosed up in Bartlesville, OK.

My Jan 19th deposit (and wait-list) is now looking like early/mid June delivery-time.

Just thought I'd pass along my depressing news.
Not sure what I'll do now. Ugh.

 

I have a bit of trouble believing that the cars were damaged first of all, and even if some did, I highly doubt that one was yours....it doesn't take 4 months to get a car from Japan to the US, from one corner of the US to the other, or from the southern tip of South America to the US. I would investigate, seriously. If for nothing else, WHY is your car SITTING in Kansas City ????

 

with an XJ6 and a 560SL in the garage, I'd drive one of those every other day. that would help ease the pain. interestingly, 1) I used to live in Richardson 2) I have a mag pearl w/o nav on order through the same dealer that back in Jan. was anticipated to arrive later this week back and 3) I have come to the conclusion that I can't live without a Miata so I may hold off joining the hybrid world for a couple more years.
There's a nice red Miata for sale in Richardson. The irony of it all. Actually, the Mazda Tribute is a large volume seller at the Mazda dealership down the street from me - and they haven't had any updates lately on the arrival of the hybridized Tribute...
anyway - just my opinion, but that era XJ6 is one of the nicest driving lux cars around, and the 80's MB's were no slouches either!

 

I recall seeing news footage following the recent winter storms in the midwest that showed auto hauler trains that had derailed. I would think it was possible they might have been hauling your car. Why be so skeptical with their explanation? I would think the reason it takes so long for them to reorder a car from Honda is because you have to realize that currently Honda is building cars that were ordered previously, so your replacement vehicle will be at the bottom of the list. I'm sure Honda would rather make a few people mad than a whole lot of people mad by pushing back everyone's delivery date just to quickly replace a few that were damaged. I'd check other dealers to see if you can get the smae car form them sooner, or just wait. All good things take time.

 

Mexiken: I never said MY car was one of the ones damaged. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was not. I had not received a build-date yet. It WAS anticipated to be built some time in March, but I had no firm date. I WAS unclear on that. Sorry.
At any rate, I bet the cars that were just about to be built when the storms hit got pushed back - to allow Honda to REPLACE the damaged ones. This seems fair (difficult for Honda to do, but fair) considering those damaged cars were for folks in line before me.

RX8Daniel: Good to hear from a fellow Richardsonian! I AM driving the Jag everyday (put those miles on before selling her!), but the gas-pump sticker shock is painful still.
The MB gets even worse MPG, and I'm stongly considering a major restore effort ($5-7K), so I'm keeping miles off of it.
Interestingly: my wife had a red Miata when we met. We both LOVED driving that car! And I have considered getting a new Miata someday, also (maybe as replacement for the MB560SL). Noticing your byline and surmising an RX8 in your history - I used to drive an '86 Mazda RX7GXL.
Mazda Tribute is a great little SUV (esp. in V6 format). And I chose the Jag and the Benz specifically for their great attributes and general appeal. NOW, it's SO difficult to part with either of them. The Jag is a boulevard cruiser like no other - great for trips.

ThinBlueLine: I agree and am not skeptical, just dissapointed.

 

Oh, sorry gumby. I thought you meant what I wrote. I see your plight now....but still, I'm sure Honda will figure out a way around it....

 

Back in 1992 we had a major (as in softball-size) hailstorm in Arlington, Texas. Our roof had to be replaced (some neighbors suffered even more damage). Several car dealers along I-20 (~3 miles N of us) were having hail-damage sales for several weeks afterward -- imagine what a hailstone that size can do to an exposed car after dropping ~10 miles. So I'm not the least bit surprised that Honda had to replace a bunch of cars in transit.

The timing for your car was just a bit off. Had it gotten to Bartlesville before the storm, it would have been unscathed, as their showroom is indoors. (Click here for a short video.)

Note to Mexiken: FYI, Kansas City is a major trans-shipment center for Honda (perhaps for other makes as well). I stayed in touch with Adrian throughout the waiting period, and was told my car went thru there as well. No doubt all cars destined for the Midwest are put on trains at the dock, then transferred to trucks at KC.