[awesomebase]

It is a little of both. I believe "preferencing" is used as a substitute for "custom order" or the like. In any case, Toyota said that they would start accepting custom orders in June, so that shouldn't be an issue.
You're definitely getting jerked around on the 8 month timeline... not only will the 08's be around by then, but he is obviously trying to get you to get something in stock. You do have some options though... you can look through inventory and get it from another dealer, or you can order from another dealer as you see fit. If you wait a few days, it shouldn't be an issue to order it as you want it. Toyota is understanding the need for this and is providing for this to a limited extent. You'll have to be a little flexible on exactly what you want, but you can pretty much get it...