Please bear with me, as you might learn a thing or 2 about dealerships from my experience.

I've been browsing the forum for a while now, glad to know there are many Toyota enthusiasts who care about their rides.

I own a '97 Corolla and '00 Camry myself, and wanted to make the switch to SUV's. So ultimately, first choice was definitely going to be a Toyota.

Went to Don McGill in Houston coz that's where I got my 2 cars. We dealt with a sales rep, and he had to talk to the manager for final prices. The sales manager wrote an offer for an '02 Sequoia on a piece of paper, specifically -

"Will you buy it for 37k driveout?"

Knowing this was a good deal, I countered with 36k driveout. His written reply was -

"You make me laugh!!!"

This really set me on fire, but realise it might be one of their games. So I ask to speak with the manager:

Manager: Ok, sir. Let's talk. How about 39k plus TT&L?

Me: What? What about the 37k driveout offer you had?

Manager: Notice my question was 'would you buy it for 37k', not I will sell it for 37k'.. I just wanted to see what you were willing to deal at'

In other words, his offer on paper was just a ploy to get me to stay there and waste my time. I then asked if I had accepted his 37k initial offer, would that stand?

He said, "Let me show you the invoice, then we'll talk"

I just walked out, never to deal with them again. If I was dealing with a small time dealer, it's just one of those games they play. But for a big dealership that's just a very unprofessional. Who offers a price on a sheet of paper then turns around and says that the offer was just to see what my limit was.

I'm looking at other dealerships now because of this. Very disappointed a classy car being sold by a class-less dealer with low-ball tactics.

Any advice for me to file a proper complaint? I'm thinking BBB but better suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks for hearing me out.

 

Sorry dude, that's wrong. Do you have copies of the sheet that he wrote on? That would make a better case for complaints.

 

Just curious, was that price for a Limited with 4WD or SR5 with 4WD?

What was the model and was it 2WD or 4WD?

 

It's a 4WD SR5 with Alloy Wheels, Remote Entry, Sunroof, Fog Lamps, Preferred Package and Convenience package.

And no, I didn't have a copy of the sheet of paper.

 

Buy your vehicle through carsdirect.com I just priced it at $35,900. I used them when I bought my 2001 4Runner brand new, but before I did I went to every dealership in San Diego and NOBODY could match their price.

There is no haggling involved at all and it is the best, easiest and quickest way that I have ever bought a car. It is free, just go to their website, select the vehicle and options you want and they do the rest. You will pick it up a dealership somewhere in your area (you may have to drive a few miles sometimes, I had to pick mine up in L.A.) but it is worth it to save a couple of thousand.

All the while I was going through the process I was thinking there must be something wrong with the vehicle ... why are they selling it to me so cheap? But when I went to L.A. to pick it up I went through it with a fine tooth comb and everytihng was perfect as stated.

At least give them a shot and a lot of times they will even beat their own price (meaning you will actually get it cheaper sometimes than the computer generated quote). Plus they have a low price gaurantee (I forget how long it is) after you buy the vehicle they will pay the difference if you can find it cheaper.

EDIT: p.s. you are never committed at any time until you pick it up and check it out at the dealership then sign the paperwork. The dealership will know when you are coming and they will have everything waiting for you. I was in and out of their in less than an hour!

 

I had a similar issue at Stevinson Toyota here in Colorado. My whole family has purchased Toyotas from them for the last 25 years.
If I were you, I would write a letter to Toyota Headquarters and summarize your complaint. Do you still have the piece of paper the Sales Manager wrote the offer on?If so, photocopy it and send the copy with your complaint letter.

In January '00, I walked into Stevinson Toyota in Golden just to look around. A salesman came out and I told him I was eyeing the new Tundra or possibly a Tacoma. He told me to pick one of each and he would get the keys. I picked a white Tundra and a black Tacoma. Sure enough, he returned with keys for both and a dealer plate. I drove the Tundra first, really liked it, decided it was too much truck for me. Drove the Tacoma, it was perfect.
So, we went into the showroom and started working numbers. They wanted $24,000 for the truck (plus change) and I talked them down to $22,000. They agreed, I signed the paper work, I left the truck there, drove my 92 4Runner home, handed the 92 keys to my mom and said "Here mom, have a 92 4Runner, but please take me back to the dealer to get my truck." So, we went back to the dealer to pick up my truck. When we got there, the sales manager ran out and told me that he missed one detail. I went back into his office and had to sign new paperwork and the the lease payment would go up $1.12. No big deal I thought, especially since the lease payments were only $240/month with nothing down. All was said and done that evening, I drove home with a brand new, 2000 Toyota Tacoma.
Well, about two weeks later, I get a call from the dealer. The sales manager says, "Uh, we're going to need you to come back and sign new paperwork. It looks like there was a little mistake."
Okay. So I drive back and find out there's a catch...my payment goes up $45. Hmmm...I thought about it for a while and decided its a really nice truck, I'll do it. So I sign the new paperwork and I'm on my way, again.
Well, another week later, I get another phone call. Sales manager again, "The paper work is still worng. Can you come back?"
Getting kind of pissed off here. I drive back and find another catch, the payment jumps another $35. I'm up to $325/month + tax and insurance. I thought about it and thought about it some more. I weighed the value of the truck to me and how much "fun money" that would eleiminate. I decided to sign the new paper work. I drove home and got to thinking some more. I pulled out my finance calculator and ran the numbers. Hmm...36 month lease, nothing down, $325 month. That leaves an after-lease residual of $10,300.00. The banker in me is saying that's still too high. So I expect another phone call. Sure enough, the following week, I get a phone call. By this time I'm furious! I drive the truck back with my dad behind me in his truck, hand them the keys and say "take it back." In the middle of the show room, I said a few choice words, explained what has happened to the sales manager (and everyone on the showroom floor) and tell them they can take their truck, eat the 1200 miles I had already put on it (300 in the trips to the dealer alone) and go fly a kite.

The funny thing about all this is, 3 months later, I get a survey from Toyota Corporate asking me how I like my new 2000 Tacoma. I completed the survey and added an angry letter and sent it back.

The whole thing was attributed to an incompetant sales and finance team.

In the end, dealers piss me off, too.

 

That is absolutely ridiculous. I would have raised hell had they done that to me. I agree, you should file something with the BBB, but also with Toyota. If I was you, I would not stand for that and I would make sure to tell everyone in your area about them and their sorry asses. I live in Birmingham, but bought my 4Runner up in Jasper, Alabama (Crump Toyota). They were great! Since Jasper is about 45 minutes away, I have been getting most of my work done at Limbaugh Toyota here in Birmingham. I almost bought from them, but changed my mind at the last minute and bought in Jasper. Their service department has been nothing but professional since I started going to them and they do great work for a fair price. Jeff Johnson (He's the service manager at Limbaugh), if you're listening, keep up the good work. There are good ones out there, you just have to find them.

Matt

 

I hate dealing with Sealerships, that's why I also went through Cardirect.com
They will get you a very good deal and the only time you deal with the sealership is when you go down and pick up your ride. No talking unless you feel like gloating.

 

Our family has had nothing but trouble with the Toyota dealers in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1997 my parents purchased a Rav4 and they say anything about it being 2wd. We didn't even think they came in 2wd. They ened up waiting a couple of weeks until a 4wd came in and had to take the loaner back and exchange it a couple of times. Years later they went looking at a four door Tocoma and the saleslady asked them if they would buy before they even were told the price. They just left and ended up buying a RX300.

A year ago my 4Runner was having problems and took it to two dealers and neither of them did any looking under the hood they just looked at the codes and said the O2 sensor. I had Old Mill replace it and still had problems getting decent mileage. They had it for 3 days and finally found out the heads need worked on. I took it to Southroads (now called Performance) to get another opinion and they said it was the O2 sensor without even noticing that it had already been replaced. Neither shop noticed that a vacuum line was disconnected by the first dealer.

During this time I was thinking about getting a new SUV. In order to get a price from Southroads I had to sign a paper saying that I would buy the suv. How can you say that you'd buy a car without even knowing the price. I told them to stick it and left.

It seems they might have found out that their procedures were horrible because when I test drove the new 4Runner the sales guy gave me all the information and pricing on an 02 and 03 event though he knew I wasn't buying.

 

Car salesmen EARN the reputation that they have. They prey on the unprepared buyer.
Jim

 

But that is the trick. Even the prepared can be duped because salesmen just wear you out. You did your homework, compared prices, found rebates, etc. and go in there with the attitude of "I will not pay this and that" and the sales guys are like "sure, no problem." But then throw other ˟˟˟˟˟ at you, wear you down (we're talking hours here folks). They have nowhere to go, you do. You start becoming annoyed, just wanting to finally get this over with. You becomes open to accepting hidden thing you had no clue of happening. "Okay, okay, fine. Let's just finish this up okay?"

 

that reminds me of a couple tips i read about when buying a new car. the first one is go during the slow months of the year, i forget the exact ones. the second one is go at the end of the day. so that way the salesman, being human (i guess), will be tired and want to go home too, so he'll want to finish up the deal faster.


also, i have a stealership horror story too. not nearly as bad as you guys, but still, it made me mad. earlier this year when i was out shopping for a 2002 black sport edition 4x4 4runner, i went to numerous dealerships. toyota of hollywood was the worst. first, when i was in there, no one attended to me. probably because i'm 20, and they figure what does this kid want. but this kid was about to get a new 4runner (okay, with some help from my dad). anyway, i told them them the minimum requrements: black, 4x4, and sport edition. the sales guy says they don't make the sport editions in 4x4. what?! now that's bad. i knew there were 4x4 SEs around, he just wanted to sell me whatever had had left. i also don't like frontier toyota in valencia for similar reasons. if you're in southern california and need a toyota from a dealership, the one where i got mind actually wasn't too bad - longo toyota.

 

Another great Toyota Dealership in Southern California is Toyota of Escondido (about 20 miles north of Downtown San Diego). Also Toyota of Carlsbad is really good (My little brother just bought a brand new 2003 Toyota TRD Tacoma 4x4 there today... the bastard ) I've also heard that Poway Toyota, and Kearney Mesa Toyota are also very good dealerships in the San Diego area.

-Braden

 

Guys,

Somewhat related story: i had a really bad experience at downey toyota in LA. those guys sold me a 4runner w/ a rocking and rolling shifter that would make anyone suspect of its safety. to make a long story short, they gave my wife and i a really hard time when they unwound the sale.

...so fast forward three years from that experience and i get yet another (FOURTH) email from a potential downey toyota customer:

"thanks for the info, i was going to downey toyota tomorrow, now i'll head to LONGO instead."

PAYBACK IS A BITCH AIN'T IT, DOWNEY TOYOTA!??!

Bob

 

Hey Sadcase: I can understand why you saw red and walked out, but, it looks to me like you were starting to make progress. After a bunch of B.S., you finally got to talk to the guy who could actually do the deal (the sales manager) and he was prepared to show you his invoice. The name of the game is dealing with someone who can make a decision and knowing how much he has in his vehicle.

Just as a suggestion (take it for what its worth) here is the way I buy cars and trucks. First, pick the exact car or truck you want. Go to the car lot and with the help of a salesman, pick one out. Drive it if you want to. Don't get into a closing situation with the salesman that day. Most important, write down everything with a charge on the manufacturers window sticker. You need to know the exact model and every option on the vehicle. Now go home and boot your computer. Go to www.kbb.com or www.edmunds.com and find out the dealer cost on everything on the vehicle including destination charges. If there is an additional window sticker put there by the dealer with stuff like paint sealer, interior protection package, etc., disregard it. That stuff amounts to additional dealer profit and costs the dealer little or nothing. Now you know where you are and where the dealer is. The next time you go to the lot you will be dealing from a position of power and you'll be ready to talk turkey.

You can handle the next step a number of ways, but, here is one way that has worked well for me. Sit down with the salesperson you worked with originally (if he/she is there) and offer the exact number you figured is the dealer's cost. He will ask something like: "Do you have an idea of how much you want to pay for the truck?" Then you say: "Yeah. $37,657.00" (or whatever) He'll probably ask how you came up with that figure. You simply say "I've done a little homework." Next thing you know you'll be talking to the sales manager and he'll probably have the dealer's invoice.

He probably wont't sell it for straight cost. He damn sure won't sell it for less than cost. My objective is to pay $300.00 over dealer cost. I figure that is a good deal for me. The dealer gets to move a vehicle and collect the "holdback" (factory to dealer incentive) and hopefully get a new customer in the service lane where they can really skin you alive over and over again! It's a win-win that way.

Try it man, instead of getting pissed, you'll have fun! Good luck!