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SR is a great truck option. Less stuff to go wrong. Adding fogs and wipers are easy to do if you want them. You can also buy the higher end take offs from other members and make the truck more unique. That’s what I did to my SR with an OR grill, tires, and rims. Also added a skid plate from a TRD pro. It’s the silver one in this picture.

 

I don’t think this thread is going the way op thought.

 

I’m pretty surprised an internet savvy high school senior didn’t google this, and the differences in the trims, lookup the VIN build sheet, etc.

But, you were savvy enough to setup an ID here and out the dealer.

 

I wouldn't necessarily blame the dealer. Salesmen oftentimes don't know anything about cars. Their main concern is selling them, not being technical experts. Additionally, when you run the VIN on a lot sites (KBB, NADA, True Car, etc.), Tacomas list all of the trim levels in order (SR, SR5, TRD Sport, TRD Off Road, and TRD Pro) regardless of what's actually installed. I bought mine used from a Nissan dealership, and they had it listed as a 2017 Toyota Tacoma SR/SR5, even though it was a TRD Off Road. It was priced as an SR5. I took the dealer for nearly 6 grand on that deal.

 

Yea, I’ve seen those deals advertised. I figured they’d catch on if they bothered to check the VIN @ https://www.toyota.com/owners/my-vehicle/vehicle-specification

Good score!

It pays to do your own homework and be well prepared. People that don’t go through life getting screwed over and half the time they don’t even know it.

 

If someone ever tries running the religion thing on me, I will most likely roll up the right sleeve on my shirt and show them the demon crucifixion tattoo I have

 

At the end of the day, it sucks buying something that isn’t what you initially thought it was. As others have said, it’s not worth the time and money to pursue any legal action. OP you’ve bought an amazing truck that’s going to last years to come. The money you saved can easily be spent into modifying the truck the way YOU want it to be. If this mistake is truly something you can’t move past, then I’d suggest selling the truck and buying an actual SR5. You’ll most likely not take that much of a loss on the SR and be able to get what you want. Life is short, so do what you feel is best as long as the finances are right.

 

Fixed it to better fit this situation.

 

Hey, most of us have been there. At least OP’s parents are caring enough to buy him a reliable pickup.

 

I have not been there, and I can tell most members here have not been there. To get a current year model vehicle of any kind is a blessing for a H.S. student.
To blame the dealer because said student did not research is a life lesson, not grounds to bitch about being scammed by the dealer.

 

yeah, I’m sure lots of parents bought you guys a $25k truck for your first vehicle.
mine sure didn’t.

 

The fact his parents bought him that vehicle aren’t what rubbed me the wrong way.
His/her attempt to blame everyone else for his/her own f$ck up, up to and including lawsuits and demanding an sr5, and the attempt to publicly shame the dealer are what irritated me.

 

It's the new mentality of people now days. The not my fault, blame someone else mentality.

 

Remember, he's a kid. I refer you to the following: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZ1MdRgU7Hw

 

I’m not saying everyone has gotten a $25k+ vehicle from their parents, but most people had financial help from their parents when buying their first car. OP doesn’t seem to be arrogant or ungrateful for his truck in the original post. He simply made a mistake and was curious if there were any options. Kinda seems like you all are envious cause OP got a new truck from his parents at a young age.

 

I’m not the one who started a thread to bitch about my own mistakes. When I do feel free to call me out.

I’m sure there are a couple people here who support the op who are also entitled, brats as well.

 

I'm going to add a bit of information to this thread. I haven't read through the whole thing so I don't know everything that's been posted.

These types of issues can come up for various reasons, but one that I see very frequently is the SR5 confusion on the Tacoma as well as the 4Runner.

The reason for this is that there is a difference as far as Toyota is concerned between a grade level and a package. Officially, as per Toyota, the Tacoma has 2 grades: SR5 and Limited.

The 2016-2020 Tacoma SR5 has the following packages in addition to the "SR5" base:

B-Max Package
SR Package
SR5 Package
TRD Sport Package
TRD Off Road Package
TRD Pro Package

B-Max is basically for fleet/no backseats and SR is the lower grade that excludes some options. Both of these are decontent packages that remove options from the SR5 grade. The TRD packages add options to the SR5 grade.

When vehicles are listed for sale, especially when they're dealer trades, haven't arrived yet, etc., the system will try to "decode" the VIN based on the information it has, this generally excludes packages and will instead list it by grade. A Tacoma SR is correctly listed as a Toyota Truck Tacoma SR5 SR Package.

It is very possible for Tacomas to be posted correctly as SR5's while having the SR package. Anyone looking to buy a Tacoma should be very careful to check exactly what package and options are installed on the truck they are looking at purchasing.

(For 2010-2020 4Runners, there is only 1 grade: SR5. Everything is a package added to an SR5 grade truck, which means you consistently get 4Runner Limited models posted as SR5's, especially at non-Toyota dealerships that don't know better -- I've had this help with pricing a few times, because the dealer doesn't even know what they have. This is also why the Vitz/Yaris RS is very different than the Echo RS sold in Canada: The Vitz/Yaris is an RS grade vehicle, while the Canadian RS is actually an LE grade with an RS package).

Hope that helps, or at least adds to the information out there.

Jeff

 

The fact that the thread title says Scammed by dealership, shows the arrogance. Its as if he and his parents had no responsibility in the situation.
And for the record, no, my brother and I did not get help from our parents on our first vehicle. And I didn't get my first brand new vehicle until I joined the Air Force and got to my first duty station.
I am glad that OPs parents are in a position to buy him a new vehicle and I hope that he respects them and the truck, but they could have been more aware considering the money being spent.

 

I agree that the responsibility isn’t directly on the dealership. In all situations, the buyer needs to know what they’re purchasing. The title just seems like a clickbait way to get members to view the post. Everyone comes from different backgrounds with different experiences. We’ve all been young and mislead. It’s just part of it.