toyota dealers think their cars are made of gold

+3 on TrueCar. Yes you will get bombarded with emails and phone calls. It is a referral service.

One toyota dealer played the game and gave me actual numbers, and they were lower than I thought I could get otherwise. Oddly, the distributor is threatening to yank their affiliation, so maybe they're "too good"?
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I took the truecar price, added their $395 for "retail red" paint, and made them knock off the full $750 for the port-added door guards and appliques and got the prius wifey wanted.
 
Originally Posted by SeaJay
The bottom line is still the bottom line, no matter how they break it down into invoice, holdbacks incentives, tax, fees, etc. Its all noise, if the bottom line at one dealer is better than at another, then its a good deal, otherwise not. Not sure why some make it so complicated.


Agreed; I always negotiate an OTD price. If the dealer doesn't want to work a deal like that I walk.
 
A successful car dealer makes money and also makes the customer "feel" like they got a great deal. Every business in our society is set up this way but when it comes to car dealers they are considered the root of all evil before you even walk in the door. It's the customer's job to be informed when making such a large purchase. With so many variables (trade, down payment, financing, popular model, supply, etc) the dealer is always going to win. Shop around.
 
Some dealerships are good and some are bad. My last purchase was a 2020 Tundra - I walked into the first dealership and walked out about 10 mins later - the usual pressure tactics and their price was refreakingdiculous. Drove 20 mins and that dealership had the truck I wanted and gave me the deal I wanted the way I wanted it. These differences between dealerships start at the top and are a function of the overall culture. Why anyone deals with the losers is beyond me but I can tell you both dealerships sell a buttload of cars/trucks regardless of their very different atmospheres.
 
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Dealerships know their clientele and operate accordingly. Stevens Creek Lexus is one of the biggest dealerships in the country. Their prices are not that good. Many of their customers just flash one of those black credit cards.
I have bought 3 Lexi from Putnam in Redwood City, a mom and pop store. They kick the snot outta SC all day long.
 
Originally Posted by eljefino

One toyota dealer played the game and gave me actual numbers, and they were lower than I thought I could get otherwise. Oddly, the distributor is threatening to yank their affiliation, so maybe they're "too good"?
lol.gif



I hadn't thought of the whole Toyota distribution network thing effecting what people pay for their Toyota products and how big of a 'deal' you can get.

I know the east coast has to go through the distributor. Is that the case for everyone?
 
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Originally Posted by earthbound
so I've been looking around for another cuv, and one of them I'm cross shopping is the rav4 hybrid. just to see where the #'s are at I asked to give me a firm price on the trd in and vehicle on the lot. their offer....500.00 off msrp, and a few thousand less for my trade then other(non Toyota) dealers. Toyota is offering 0/60 financing on these, and 1.9/60 for the regular rav's. I know Toyota would only do this for reasons that would only benefit Toyota corp. the so called "Toyota tax" is real, and the dealers think their you no what doesn't stink. I'm just baffled that they think a pot of gold is in each one of their vehicles...


They're doing it because they can do it. If they're selling cars at their current price, why would they sell them for less? You only give discounts if the sales are slow. Given as the new Rav4 is setting sales records for Toyota, you probably won't be able to find one at a discount.
 
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
Some dealerships are good and some are bad. My last purchase was a 2020 Tundra - I walked into the first dealership and walked out about 10 mins later - the usual pressure tactics and their price was refreakingdiculous. Drove 20 mins and that dealership had the truck I wanted and gave me the deal I wanted the way I wanted it. These differences between dealerships start at the top and are a function of the overall culture. Why anyone deals with the losers is beyond me but I can tell you both dealerships sell a buttload of cars/trucks regardless of their very different atmospheres.


Many salesmen realize no bull [censored] games = more sales.
 
The market dictates price. It took me a while to get the deal that I wanted on my new 2020 Camry. If you are buying a Toyota plan on having plenty of competition with other consumers vying for the same deal. If you are looking for a unique model that is hot so is everyone else.
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Just talking vehicles here. My 2020 Camry was in the showroom was the first vehicle I saw and the last one I negotiated on. If I didn't agree to the deal it would have been purchased within a day.
 
If you think Rav4's are hard to buy for a good price try pricing 2020 Tacoma's, especially TRD OR 6 speed manuals. You'd think it's lined in gold. I've been to two dealers with trucks like that and they ain't budgin'...
 
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Originally Posted by PWMDMD
Some dealerships are good and some are bad. My last purchase was a 2020 Tundra - I walked into the first dealership and walked out about 10 mins later - the usual pressure tactics and their price was refreakingdiculous. Drove 20 mins and that dealership had the truck I wanted and gave me the deal I wanted the way I wanted it. These differences between dealerships start at the top and are a function of the overall culture. Why anyone deals with the losers is beyond me but I can tell you both dealerships sell a buttload of cars/trucks regardless of their very different atmospheres.


Many salesmen realize no bull [censored] games = more sales.


And many salesmen realize:

1. Higher sales price = higher commission
2. Hot models will sell for MSRP or above

So, with consumers who will pay the higher sales price, why should they budge?

Let's face it, lots of consumers are upside down, or have poor credit, or a burning desire for a new car, and only care about the payment, and those types of consumers WILL pay the higher price.

So, if you're a salesman, and that kind of consumer exists, why not play the games and make more money?

Instead of wasting countless hours negotiating with a tire-kicker, who may walk away to save $100 at another dealer?
 
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Originally Posted by JTK
Originally Posted by eljefino

One toyota dealer played the game and gave me actual numbers, and they were lower than I thought I could get otherwise. Oddly, the distributor is threatening to yank their affiliation, so maybe they're "too good"?
lol.gif



I hadn't thought of the whole Toyota distribution network thing effecting what people pay for their Toyota products and how big of a 'deal' you can get.
I don't think that this is legal. It would be price fixing. The manufacturer or distributor can't tell dealers what price they charge customers for their vehicles. The only way they can do this is if the dealer is favoring one racial/ethnic/religious group over another, but this sort of thing would be very hard to prove.
 
Originally Posted by supton
The TRD is pretty new I think. New or newish models tend to not have much wiggle room--not until people start getting bored with them.

Want to say, they run sales in August? to move old stock with incoming model year. This year being a completely wonky year, who knows what will happen.


Mom and dad went through the same thing with her inferno red TRD 4Runner back in 2015. It was the only "red" (orange) model available this side of the Mississippi River. It was new and they were rare. No local dealers could get one.
 
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A good way to determine a fair sales price is to check out the discussion forums on the vehicles you are considering. Most if not all have threads on what people are paying. It's easy to discount the bull hockey and you should come up with a range that you are willing to buy.
 
Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by JTK
Originally Posted by eljefino

One toyota dealer played the game and gave me actual numbers, and they were lower than I thought I could get otherwise. Oddly, the distributor is threatening to yank their affiliation, so maybe they're "too good"?
lol.gif



I hadn't thought of the whole Toyota distribution network thing effecting what people pay for their Toyota products and how big of a 'deal' you can get.
I don't think that this is legal. It would be price fixing. The manufacturer or distributor can't tell dealers what price they charge customers for their vehicles. The only way they can do this is if the dealer is favoring one racial/ethnic/religious group over another, but this sort of thing would be very hard to prove.


That's not what price fixing means. Reasonable price, territory, and customer restrictions on dealers are legal. The manufacturer can drop the dealer if they don't adhere to MSRP or some other bottom line secret price known between the manufacturer and dealer.
 
Originally Posted by ARCOgraphite
Originally Posted by vwmaniaman
You need to check out a Mazda CX5. I think you'll be surprised.


That they cost a fortune?
smile.gif


Compared to the Rav4. the CX-5 is a bargain...
 
Very simple, get up, walk out, and do business elsewhere. When I shop for a car I do my homework first and know what's a good deal for the vehicle I want, if I don't get it I go somewhere else. My attitude is very simple when shopping for a car, they need my money I don't need their car. I never had to shop for a car out of desperation, and never with a deadline. Having sold cars helps too, I know all the tricks they'll try to play. Some cars are discounted more than others, do your homework.
 
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