Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives Buying a new Tacoma

My old Toyota is a 1991 with 250+ thousand miles.
I’ve been happy with it, but it’s (past) time for a new one.

After some research, I decided on a new Tacoma TRD off-road.

Apparently, these are selling like hot cakes, and most are being presold before they even come off the assembly line.
Or
The dealer is marking them up thousands above MSRP
Shopping for one has gone from fun to frustrating.

Last weekend I found a truck that I liked and came to a verbal agreement with the salesman on price, down payment and finance terms. When he brought paperwork to sign, they had extended my loan by a year, and raised the price of the truck until the monthly payments were the same. He didn't say anything he just did it.
I loudly gave the salesman my patented sales ethics lecture and walked away.

Since then, I have had two assembly line trucks sold before I could even get to the dealer to give them a deposit.

Two more trucks that were advertised for MSRP, but the dealer had installed 3 grand worth of fancy wheels and a lift kit, and was trying to charge $10,000+ for the “up grades”.

I have been in contact with 10 different dealers, and most of them are so full of BS and lies that I cannot in good conscience do business with them.

Today I am going to one of the two good dealers, tell them exactly what I want and try to make a deal on a truck that is still being built and 4-6 weeks away.

Up date
I went into the Toyota dealer (the good one) with a different approach. I talked to a manager and told him exactly what I wanted and what I did not want.

In about 10 minuets he showed me a cut sheet of a truck that was as close to my perfect truck as I have seen. It is on the assembly line, due in 5-6 weeks.

I gave him a credit card and said put my name on it and call me when it gets here.

By fishing season in the high country , I should be towing my small boat with a new, Tacoma TRD “off-road”, V 6.
Cement gray, 4 door short bed.

Did he charge anything to your card? Do you have a signed purchase agreement? I'm just trying to understand how you can be sure it's 'your' truck. Auto dealers aren't known for their ethics during normal times, and these ain't normal. Hope you get your truck.

I'm willing to bet he's going to get shafted again. I wouldn't trust any car salesman. He thinks that's bad, try looking for an excellent condition used model. I was at a dealership a few weeks ago and upon inspection of the vehicle, I noticed that it had been repainted and schidty body work done to it. I told the car salesman that they should let people know when a vehicle has been repainted and whoever did the work sucks balls. I do better body work and that isn't even my profession. I left that car lot and didn't even look back. Carfax later asked me to give a review of the dealership. I did and got a real shidty email from the dealership, stating that my review was totally "inappropriate". Sometimes the truth hurts like a mother fugger...

Yup, that’s the best. I’ve had them call after I’ve left bad reviews and such, asking what they can do. I always tell them, I’m easy, be honest and act like you give a darn and I’m a loyal customer. Try to dupe me and let me catch on and I’ll let everyone I know and the inter webs know what happened.

"I'm willing to bet he's going to get shafted again."

I don't see how I could get "shafted again" ?


I put the $500 on a CC. I have a pending charge from the dealer.
I have a "cut sheet" from Toyota, handed to me by the dealer showing all the details of the truck including the VIN number.
If they don't preform, and refuse a refund, I simply protest the charge with my CC company, and keep shopping.

Found mine late last summer sitting at the lock dealer. CC SB TRD off-road 6 speed manual, with floor mats and rocker covers as being the only extra add on.

Congrats on the new truck. Sounds like a sweet ride that will hopefully last you as long as the last one.

Thanks, I'm 65, so hopefully I'll be 95 by the time I where this one out.

I have 2 local dealers. One in State College is a weasel, the dealer one town over is great.
When I bought a 4runner 2 years ago the price difference was 5000 bucks. Plus the cheaper dealer threw in an extended warranty and a paint protection package. Paint thing was free, but I guess they buffed it well. It does stay the cleanest out of any vehicle I ever owned. I don't know if I would pay money for a dealer paint add on, but at free it looks good.
Maybe they just have smooth paint on a 4runner?
They also do good trades there, I was actually thinking of trading for a new one, but I bet this one will last a hell of a long time.
With the 4.0 it is a good ride.

Then I hope it last you at least 35 years!

Landers Toyota in northwest Arkansas bombarded me with “leave reviews” emails, so I left an honest review of my Tundra purchase. They didn’t like it. Called wanting to know what they could do to resolve it. Didn’t like my response that they should have resolved it in the buying process, not offer me complimentary detail service after I let the world know they sucked and lied to me.

Kool & congrats.........Cement would be my 1st color choice

Of course any issues the the truck order...dispute the $500 charge---simple

I've had 3 Tacoma's.......most recently sold my '14 DC SB 6 sp MT....

Replaced it with my new to me '03 Lexus LX 470......

First comment I always get......'You put a lift kit on a Lexus ?'

Pic.....yesterday out & about with 'Bubba'

I'm pretty sure all CAR & TRUCK salesman are sent to " liar's school" before they are turned loose on the public. They have special phrases like "putting the pants on a buyer" to denote a really special screwing!!!

The amazing thing, while shopping I had several salesmen lie to me when it would not do them any good.
Just make stuff up when they didn't know the answer to a question, or tell me the truck had features that it didn't have.
They all looked silly when they found out that i knew more about the truck then they did.

So far, the Toyota dealer I'm working with now has treated me with respect, and seems to know what he's talking about.
i guess I'll see in about a month.

That means a bunch when they aren’t trying to snowball you. I’d rather have them be honest and say they’ll get back to me or they have to look it up.

I won't ever step foot in a car dealership again before having a price and final paperwork done. I've been burned too many times.

I'm just keeping my '88 4Runner. Runs great, is 100% reliable, goes where I need to go and most of the places I 'want' to go. Paid for.

The car salesmen comments are funny....sadly funny.

When we started looking for the last van we purchased we'd done pricing, etc. Went to the dealership, drove the van and were thinking we'd buy it. We were going to check one more place first for about the same model van...so we asked for the "best price" they could give us on the van. We walked out when the guy gave us their "best price".....it was about $3000 more than what we were given when we'd called about it earlier that day before we came. The salesman said "You were supposed to tell me if you'd already been quoted a price"...... I'm usually not to mouthy but I called him everything but a white man....

This might be the new normal and folks like me who refused to pay the inflated prices will look like dummies in the future. Best if luck with your new vehicle.

[Linked Image]

Kool

Congrats !

Bring it to Utah & I'll show ya where you can 'break it in'

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My Tacoma in "Cement" was one of the first vehicles in the area of that color,but I I knew is was up and coming color when I saw a Porsche and one of the high dollar European cars with the same paint.
At the time the dealer acted offended if I called it gray, but that is what the state called it on the registration.
With a long limestone driveway, the "Cement" is probably the perfect color, but they used to have a "metallic OD" color that was spectacular!

OK, it is the off road version, so one would expect some metal parts.
I went to determine what I needed to fabricate to have a front tie-down for my canoe and there is NO way.
That entire nose is PLASTIC.
Probably thousands of dollars of plastic, BUT PLASTIC NONETHELESS.
I think you will really like the truck!

Working on trying to buy a 6’ bed TRD Green.
Maybe I should re-think getting a new one.
I really have liked my 2013 TRD white 5’bed, it only has 86k. but really want the 6’ bed.

I happened to put down a $500 deposit on a 2021 4Runner to insure I got one how I wanted straight off the truck.
The dealer was getting 3 in and was told they would all be spoken for by the time the truck arrived.
Transaction went off without any problems .

Swift

Went to buy a Tacoma off road they wanted 3500 over MSRP they wanted to give me 22000 on my 2015 Tacoma I told them to stick it. Went and bought a Ford ranger
They gave me 28772 for my Tacoma I paid 36300 fir it in 2015. Ranger is a Lariat I paid 500 over sticker.

RE: my new Tacoma.
Looking at accessories, I really liked the bed racks.
It seems they cost $1,100 and up.
So I built one, $350 in parts.


I also ordered and installed the Black Out badge kit.

Is there any structural support carrying thru to the bed at the rear rack supports?

Just to the top/rim of the bed.