Probably buy a truck this Saturday 2 hours away, what should I have ready first

I've been lurking around here for months, and talking to several dealerships in the area. I'm in NorCal so the best pricing seems to be with Costco. Of the 2 Costco dealerships I've talked to, only one was willing to go below what I'm pretty sure is invoice on the build I'm looking at. Unfortunately, that one is a couple hours away.

So I want to have all my ducks in a row before I drive down there on Saturday. What sort of docs should I expect the salesman to provide ahead of time? I'd like to have the price in writing and agreed to beforehand. Is there a name for the paperwork? Not a contract but a sales agreement or something?

How about financing? How much of that negotiation should I expect to be able to do ahead of time? I'm going to apply to a local credit union that advertises rates around 2.5%, but I'll happily take the 2.9 from TFS if they have that $1000 offer. I just want to have that in my back pocket.

Anything else I should consider?

The truck is a DCLB, premium OR, advanced tech, LED headlights. Msrp 45k, just under 42k is what they offered. Not sure if there's any more room in that. It doesn't have any extra port installed options which is a big selling point. I can put the aftermarket stuff on myself for less.

 

If possible, have your fiancees in hand from your bank or credit union, you can sidestep all the crap in the finance office.

 

45K seems really high to me and I live in Norcal. Unless prices have jumped that much since I bought mine last year.

 

negotiate the out the door price FIRST. Do not let them just start telling you it's a $250/month payment or whatever.

another $20 a month doesn't sound like a lot, but that adds up over the course of the loan which is why the try to steer you towards that, rather than the overall cost. So get your OTD price first, then negotiate the terms of the loan.

If you can secure a loan from your credit union at that 2.5%, do that. Then you'll have that as a bargaining chip with TFS. If they want your business, they'll need to beat the loan terms you have already secured.

 

See what the out the door price is, go to your local bank or credit union. Get a loan for that amount, and your time at the dealer will be a breeze

 

I just bought a car from 1000 miles away. Negotiate a price, secure financing and when you show up you pretty much only have to say no to all the extra finance office stuff, sign the paperwork and be on your way. I had the dealer pick me up in the car at the airport so I could get a good test drive in on the way back and was out the door and driving home about an hour after landing.

 

3rd gens are pricey. the TRD Pros at my local dealers are running $50k+, and when I bought my '17 4Runner, they laughed when I asked about negotiating.

People are more than willing to pay a lot for those neat little buttons, gizmos, and badging.

 

Ha!

I paid CASH (technically a check) when I bought my 97 5-lug (in like 2002-3), and I was still at the dealer for what seemed like days.

Then, when my wife and I bought our '06 Accord, we thought our crying 4 month old would get us in and out faster. We were still there for like 6 hours.

 

As others have said, negotiate the final price over the phone or email and get a loan through your credit union. Sometimes the dealer can beat the interest rate and sometimes they can't. Either way, you get the best rate possible. We just picked up a 2021 4Runner for my wife this past Saturday. I negotiated the price through text and a couple of phone calls. They said they doubted they could beat our credit union's interest rate, so we put down a deposit, they sent us a buyer's order and we picked up a check from the credit union. We made the trip to the dealership and we were there less than an hour. They looked over her trade, we gave them the check and signed papers and we were on the road home. Quickest and easiest car purchase I've done.

 

For a decked out OR it isn't. It's about the same price as an entry level TRD Pro.

 

Freemen Toyota in Santa Rosa is known to sell at MSRP (I got them to take off dumb extras too like tonneau cover). At least they sold at MSRP 2-3 years ago when I bought my truck. Try contacting them directly. Negotiate via email and ask them to send you a quote/spec sheet.

 

You are in NorCal, no one beats the prices from Freeman Toyota in Santa Rosa. Some dealers may match their quotes but I haven't heard of any beating them. Worth a phone call or sending an email before you buy.

 

In addition to what has been said, I probably wouldn't pay for the extra warranties or other items they offer.

These trucks sell well, even at their prices, but the ball is still in your court. I'm not sure what it is like where you're at, but if it is like Michigan, be prepared to add it to your insurance before driving it off the lot too. The insurance company may want a payment immediately too.

 

At MSRP? No one pays MSRP for vehicles, I got 5k off MSRP when I bought in 2018. Freeman quoted me that price and a local dealer matched it so I did not have to make the drive up to Santa Rosa.

 

I think I got 1k or so off MSRP. No joke, I was in Santa Rosa for a test drive (after getting a quote) and I was gonna play Freemen and another dealer against each other. But my 1st gen broke down while I was in town. Kinda forced my hand...

 

Show up with id and a check and put as much as you can on your credit card. Last car i had the deal worked out before stepping foot on the lot. Still took about two hours

 

make sure you see the break down of the sales, tax, and fees so they don't add any bogus fees

 

I was incorrect, I got $3700 off MSRP. It was my wifes Outback we got 5k off.