FREEPer advice needed; my time @ Toyota Dealer looking for a used car!

8/12/16 | sff

[SoFloFreeper]

FREEPers, I need a little advice.

I am in the market for a late model used car.

We have had good success in our family with Toyotas; owned three or four of them in all and are quite happy with their track record.

Also, it has been about six years since I bought a car, so I don't know if the "game" has changed much.

I have bought from the "Carmax" guys before, and I know they don't haggle.

But I found what was supposed to be a "Dealer Certified" car from a Toyota dealer a few miles from home. We went to see the car based on the price advertised on the web.

We take the car for a drive, like it, and decide to see what it would take to get the car.

Suddenly the nickel and dime crap starts. Turns out: "Certified" is not what was advertised. If I wanted the car CERTIFIED it would be an extra $1500.

Then, a "dealer fee" of $1000.

Then, the sales tax of about $1000 (I knew I couldn't get out of that!)

After that, they wanted to charge about $500 for something called "electronic title transfer"...huh?

And a couple of other things...nitrogen in tires, tag fees, etc.

suddenly, with all of this, the price on the web site was far far away and the bottom line was almost 5,000 dollars MORE.

So look, is this NORMAL? I felt like they were really pulling a bait and switch on the price, but maybe I've just been out of the game too long.

Any advice would be helpful.

What I don't need is someone telling me not to buy a Toyota. I'll listen to alternative car suggestions, but the success we've had with that Japanese car is pretty good.

Thanks in advance, FRiends

[SoFloFreeper]

I appreciate any and all help you all can offer.

sff

[E. Pluribus Unum]

I buy all my used cars off Craigslist. If you’re not in a hurry you can get a lot better deal than Carmax or Slick WIlly’s is going to give you.

[KC Burke]

Tell them to find a fool elsewhere.

[OKSooner]

The slang term at the dealerships is "bumping". As in "bump" the price.

I once heard of a guy walking in the door and telling the salescreature they'd like to buy that car sitting there on the showroom floor, for the price on the sticker in the window...

and when the salescreature goes into the sales manager's office...

"You go out there and you bump him a thousand bucks."

[momtothree]

Hi SoFloFreeper! We use Carmax for this very reason. We have a neighbor friend of ours who went to a dealer and brought their car in for a trade. Long story short, the dealership ran up the price on the car that they liked. When they said no and wanted to leave.. they couldn’t find their car. It was taken behind the dealership for an estimate. They eventually called the police and they told the dealership to return their car. Of course, hours had gone by. Good luck on your search and I’m sure there are a lot of Freepers with great advice.

[Qiviut]

I HATE car dealers/salesmen. Just based on the “nitrogen” issue alone, I’d walk, but the whole thing sounds shady to me.

Should You Fill Your Car’s Tires With Nitrogen?
The Green Cap on Your Tire Could Take Green From Your Wallet
http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/should-you-fill-your-cars-tires-with-nitrogen.html

[lil'bit]

It was a bait and switch. Stay away from that dealer. As always Toyota’s hold their value well but you might be better off going private and taking a vehicle to a mechanic to check before you buy if you need help in that department.

[Col Frank Slade]

You are being scammed.

Run away.

[RegulatorCountry]

If the car is advertised as certified at a certain price then the extended warranty is included in the price. I’ve never been charged extra. If you buy a low mile used car, the certified warranty is often better than the new car warranty. The fees other than taxes are always negotiable. Nitrogen in the tires instead of air only matters if you live in a climate with wide temperature swings between day and night or one day to the next. The tire pressure warning lights will drive you batty. Nitrogen is more stable so that doesn’t happen. I hate the green caps myself, so I’ve never gotten it before.

[Celerity]

It’s all a freekin scam.

Look at that building. That stuff ain’t cheap. Modest markup is a whallop of a lie.

These people are laughing all the way to the bank. They pressure people into selling them $2500 cars for $500, then they pay some kid $20 to clean it and roll it back onto the lot for $6000.

But it doesn’t stop there. It couldn’t. They take in .. what, maybe 10 cars a day ? $50,000 doesn’t run all the stuff they have there. They advertise a car and then tack a bunch of bullshit fees ontop of it. Registration ? What costs you $60 at the DMV will now cost $600. The only fee that is honestly not theirs are the taxes. And your money-grubbing highway robbery state has that buttoned up tight. Like gang members, they won’t tolerate people skimming off the top.

You’re just required to. And you’re required to register it which is some horseshit too. It’s your property and you are required by law from the King to put the ultimate ownership in the hands of the Kingdom and the Royal Family. Yeah, Registration: “Regis”=to the king. That’s why they can impound it if you don’t tithe unto your equally sh!tty insurance company at state-mandated demands.

Owning a car sucks. I love having a car, but the state and the people involved in owning that car legally take all of the reward out of it.

I hope for your sake you don’t live in Pennsylvania.

[razorback-bert]

Fire that dealer, mine was willing to get one from 200 miles for me. Last week in the month is the best time to buy.

[Celerity]

Also, as far as the Toyota advice I’ve owned more than 40 of them. Mostly 80s. I loved those cars. Rust ? Yeah, they couldn’t dip the bodies in the chemicals due to international law until 91. They had to spray them with rust inhibitor treatments. So lots of stuff never got covered.

My friend bought a 2008 Corolla and returned it 6 months later. Reason ? It rusted so bad that trim was falling off and the sunroof leaked.

[Donglalinger]

All those extras are just dealer add ons, go in there with your price you will pay, if they don’t agree just leave. They will either meet your price or not.Don’t waiver,they will go see the manager a few times,just stick to your price.

[plain talk]

I will buy nothing but Toyotas. Great cars and they last with little maintenance required (my experience at least).

The best thing to do is get armed with facts on what the car typically is selling for. In the old days that was edmunds, kelley blue book and experience. Nowadays it is that plus the internet.

https://www.google.com/?ion=1&espv=2#q=how+much+to+pay+for+a+used+car+ADD+ONS

[Celerity]

I did learn, the hard way, that Dealer recertification programs are the way to go.

I bought my BMW from an Audi dealer. It was “recertified” but not BMW recertified. The car was in terrible shape upon close inspection. Garbage brake linings, garbage tires, etc.

If you buy a used Toyota then I would recommend a Toyota dealers recert program. Other manufacturers too.

[wrench]

“I buy all my used cars off Craigslist.”

Learn how to separate the wheat from the chaff as far as sellers, and you will find what you want on CL.

It takes a little research on the sellers, but no that difficult to do.

[BipolarBob]

(1) Yes, it is normal. They want to take as much from you as they can.
(2)You have to have a warrior mindset when car buying. I hate it but it is necessary.
(3)Check out Craigslist and get a feel for the prices in your area.
(4) If you still want to go through a dealer, you have to haggle. Set your price and DO NOT DEVIATE. You have to stand your ground. To get the car you want you HAVE to walk away at least once. If you finance through them they will still try to scam you with bogus charges. You walk away again. Tell them to call you when they are serious about selling the car. Then when they call, you buy your car.

[Dawgreg]

We’ve bought 2 vehicles from CarMax and have no complaints and would do it again. We bought a brand new (first time in 30 years we bought a new one) in 2008 from a Toyota dealer and we’ve been satisfied but rue the day we bought a 3,400 dollar warranty extension. The car only has 28,000 miles on it and the warranty is probably way past it’s usefulness. We drive our Toyota truck mostly.....I feel safer in it than I do the Avalon but I’m nuts......;) If we ever get rid of the Avalon, we’ll be back at CarMax and buy another Tundra.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bump. We’re going through this right now with a Nissan dealer. THEY $UCK!

[Vigilanteman]

If your heart is set on a Toyota, try another dealer. It sounds like this one is jerking you around.

Your closest comparable to the brand would be Honda. You'd probably do yourself a favor by looking at very comparable brands.

Nissan and Subaru also qualify as somewhat comparable brands. If you don't mind the boxy look of a Scion, it is a Toyota brand.

I've owned both Toyota and Honda in my life. Both are well engineered brands. I'd give Toyota a slight edge in a smoother, quieter ride. I'd give Honda a slight edge in lower maintenance costs, mainly because it is simpler engineering.

Decide what is most important for you and take it from there. Sounds like the dealer you are working with is a real jerk. You need to find one which has had the brand for a long time and really values their reputation.

These tend to be those which do minimal television advertising. Maybe a bigger presence in billboards, newspaper and the local shopper type free distribution magazines.