Did your dealer/salesman pull any tricks on you?

[goneballistic]

Anyone's dealer pull one of the old classics? How about a new trick, any new tricks left under the sun?

When I test drove my truck it rode better than my wife's car. A few days after I bought it, the low tire light came on. Every one of my tires were low, about 26-27 psi! They must have kept the tires inflated just above the point the low tire sensor would trip, so the ride would be so smooth.

Also, I was supposed to get a free tank of gas. The salesman took my truck over and gassed it up. But now, after owning, driving, gassing up the truck myself, I know he only put enough gas in it to make the full mark. It wasn't really full.

[jpnca]

Not the Guy that sold me the truck. It was the guy that tried to slip in the extended warrenty "it will only slightly bring up my payments" I replied AH cool I'm paying cash so go ahead but a good try. He said "thanks" I didnt get it

[Andres]

well I am still in the middle of negotiations, ordered my tundra and it is coming in this following week. But well I have been shopping around like crazy and every salesman has a BS story to tell.

One dealer almost made me laugh, they had an extra sticker next to the usual one in every tundra model, with like an extra $2,000$ -3,000 dollars labeled as "adjusted market value", which was completely BS beacuse I already know the price range in my area, asked one of the salesman and told me that that was the best price in town LOL. wasted my time....

Usual answers from salesmen: "we are losing money", "that price is impossible", "I only get $20 for selling you this car", and it drags on for about 1 and half hour all the time with the guy walking to the manager.

I have met like 6 salesmen in the last month and only about 2 of them knew basic info on the vehicles, rest were completely ignorant. I felt like I was the one selling the truck. Some dealers are just extremely bad.

[alreadydead]

No games with Jim Barkley in Asheville, I will never buy another car/truck the old way again.

[07SLATE5.7CRWMAX]

I actually got a great deal from my dealer. My guy qualified me for 0% event thought my credit score was a little below "premium". I told him that the truck was missing running boards and tow mirrors. He threw in running boards and tow mirrors, no additional charge. One thing to smile about, he asked if I could put down $1000 to show good faith to Toyota and I said, "What for?". Took the truck home and no money out of my pocket. Felt goooooddddd.

[Larry]

Two things about the "good faith" crap.
First, they want something to hold you hostage. That way you can't just quickly walk out on them.
Second, they will "forget" that you put some money down. When they do the paperwork, the deposit is usually missing. If you notice the missing money, they will say it was just an honest mistake!

Another trick to watch out for. You make an agreement on the interest rate but your contract magically has a higher rate. Again, just on honest mistake!

Paying $2000 - $3000 over list? They could try that when a new model just came out and you have to be the first one in town to own it. But now with so many Tundras on the lot, I would be amazed that anyone would be stupid enough to pay extra!

One time, I wanted to take a used truck out for a test ride. The saleman jumped into the driver's seat. I asked him if he was buying the truck or if I was! Then he keep refusing to tell me what the asking price was. When he finally did, it was only a couple of thousand off of a new truck (this was not a Toyota).

The deal I felt best about was from a very small local dealership. I talked directly to the owner. I had already researched the truck I wanted to buy and had a listing of all the options I wanted. I knew what the list price and cost were. The only thing to negotiate was the value of my trade in. Once we reached an agreement, we shook hands and the deal was final. No down payment, no crap. His word was golden and so was mine! The truck was ordered. When it came in, I paided what I owed and the deal was done. Unfortunately, all of these small dealers have been put out of business buy the mega-dealers who don't care about a long term relationship with the customer.

[MarcDW]

There are several prices:
1. Sticker price!
If you pay sticker price, you are a sucker!
2. Above sticker price!
You are the dream of a car dealer and for sure a sucker!
3. Dealer invoice.
Now that is the invoice what the dealer is paying officially for the vehicle.
However, that is not the price! Most dealer get cash back for “Satisfied Customer Rating” and so on. That can make as much as $500 per vehicle.
One reason why the dealers try so hard to be a good rated dealer!
Then they get commissions for financing and leasing contracts. So cash payers are actually not popular!
The dealer price can be found on the internet, so search before you buy, so you know the number!
Anyway, you should always ask for the invoice. If they say “We don’t have them / don’t show them”, tell them you’ll walk out if they don’t and do it!
Also look if that vehicle was really sold to this dealer! It states so right on the invoice and if not, it was traded with an other dealer. Dealers do that sometimes, if they don’t have the color or what ever the customer wants and trade with some other dealer. Those vehicles are driven and have therefore extra miles on the odometer and IMHO are used! Don’t buy any vehicles with more then 20 miles on the odometer, unless they give you a big discount.
Any vehicle from the factory has no more then 10 miles on the odometer and if the vehicle has like 100 miles on it, other customers test drove it. If it has more then 2-300 on it, this vehicle most likely was used by one of the sales people or managers to drive home or something in this line.
Don’t be a sucker, either they take big $$$ of or don’t buy it!
These few hundred miles where the hardest miles on this vehicle!

Then you always have to look at all numbers in the contract.
Specially with leasing. A lot of people who lease buy the vehicle afterwards.
So look at your total payments and the buyout on the end of the lease.
Also look for any fees, if you buy the leased vehicle and or when you buy it before the lease runs out!
Button line read everything and bring your own calculator!

One thing I never go for is, when the sales guy "has to ask the manager"!
Don’t take this and asked to talk directly to the manager.
Don’t let yourself wear don’t. Don’t feel sorry for the sales people; don’t be ashamed to ask for extras or bigger price breaks!

[TexEddie]

I know this is the way it is, I know it will never change and all that, but...

where was it written, why must the consumer have to go through such ordeals to buy a vehicle ? All buyers hate it, they all dread having to deal with these people to get a new vehicle.

Why must we have to pay to keep sales/finance people employed and funnel wealth to dealers so they can buy palaces to live in and sports franshises to play with?

I suspect if the manufacturers could cut-out this nonsense and waste, they could sell thousands of more cars and employ/keep employed their workers.

I know the manufacturers want a quick sell to the dealers and I don't know how to go about it (direct from the factory sales or something) but seems there out to be a way...people could buy every 1, 2 or 3 years without being strapped with this extra debt that, unfortunately, some folks may never get out from under.

Just needed to ask..that's all.

[Rollin Thunder]

The absolute best way to buy any vehicle is to contact the dealer via the internet, after they respond go down and meet with the internet fleet mgr. Have him pull the invoice on the truck, ask him about incentives and don't forget to ask about DEALER HOLDBACK. It should be listed on his paperwork. This is xtra money in the deal for the dealer, it gets paid by the Mfg.
Hold back on my Crew Max was $ 850.00. When all said and done I paid $ 100.00 over invoice. Most dealers would have said they were only making $ 100.00 on the deal, not true.
I knew what I wanted and had the deal done in less than 1hour. ....................Happy Shoping !!

[MarcDW]

I wonder if manufactures ever do a factory direct.
What I am thinking of is, that I would put the vehicle together on the web and they would tell me when to pick it up at the factory or habor.
So since there would be no dealer inbetween, there would be some saving!
Tourist delivery works this way kind of!

[Mickey]

What the dealer gets if you let them finance it for you. They will raise it 2% above what you were suppose to get. That's 2 % every month you pay. Credit Unions or cash is the way to go. Also they got this new way of taking your trade. No more Kelly's Blue Book or NADA. It's now the auction price which happens to be $2,000+ below trade in using the other two books. Know what your trade is worth and if you owe something. It also helps when you're buying 2 vehicles at the same time. "DEAL OR NO DEAL." on both.

[oshaki]

Hi All:

I finally got mine two days ago after four weeks of haggling:

Sticker was $44,000
Best Price Salesman was gonna offer was $41K
Price I paid after 4 calls with Sales Manager and 4 e-mails was $36K OTD

2007 Tundra CrewMax 4x4 SR5 5.7L V8; Desert Sand Mica with Sand Interior

TRD Off-Road Package
Tow Package
Cold Weather Package
Black Molded Step Rails
Bed Rails
Homelink Dimming Rear Mirror
Alarm System
All Weather Tundra Mats
Front and Windsheild Tinting

I thought it was good price considering I live in Guam, a US territory with only 1 Toyota dealer who is also the Chevy/GM dealer.