Buying a Tacoma is Tough

Been looking since April. Every time I find a good one it sells in a matter of hours. I’ve had 2 sell on me in the past week while I’m driving to check them out.

Anyone else experienced this kind of frustration?

 

Initially I did. I started looking in January and found one late in February. Dealers would post phantom listings of trucks that didn’t exist. They would try to show you a beat up older truck for the same price. On one visit I had to setup an appointment, only for the salesman to be 30 minutes late. The truck had crash damage that wasn’t described or shown in photographs. Despite all this I took it on a test drive. The dealer increased the price by $1700 during my test drive. The Toyota gold certification that was listed wasn’t included either. They wanted another $1400. After all that, I refused to step foot in a dealership without getting an out the door price by email. I eventually found a reputable dealer 2 hours away. They had 3 nice Tacomas all around the same price range.

 

Several reported flying to where they buy and driving back 5-6 (+ ?) hours.

 

Damn, the gen 4s are flying off the shelves?

 

I drove down to Louisville Kentucky for mine. Here’s a beautiful access cab long bed TRD Off Road with only 8,000 miles.

 

very hit and miss.

it really depends on the people you're dealing with.

i went through the same thing with ford rangers a while back. any that seemed decent would sell within hours, like people don't need to work to pay for things. any that i could actually go look at outside of panic-hours were mostly basket cases.

just keep looking, keep pressing.

 

Different times now. But even in 2020 when I bought my 09, Tacos were selling fast or sitting with issues. I found mine on FB marketplace listed by a dealer 2 hours away. I had to put a deposit down to hold it until I could test drive.

After I bought it the sales rep came clean. He knew the guy they got it from and it was on marketplace because they legally had to advertise it before he could buy it himself.

 

That sounds like something a car salesman would say

 

that sounds like a really good line.

i don't believe there's a law anywhere that requires anyone to advertise anything before buying it themselves, outside the stock market...

 

All the service records were at that non Toyota dealer, except for the TSB items, all of which were done.

I agree it sounds like a good line. But the story adds up. When I looked closer at all the clearly aged receipts the guys name was on almost all of them.

 

I guess it depends on what you're looking for. Year, trim, ect. I know the 4th germs I mean gens have dropped in price some. Local dealers have several 4th gen base trd offroad's starting at 44k.

 

Be patient and keep looking. I gave my son my 3rd gen and wanted to replace it with a 2nd gen. Spent 7 months looking for one and finally found a one owner second gen and couldn't be happier.

 

Dealerships are the last place to go look at a tacoma unless you do your research. I'm not a fan of the new tacomas or tundras. Too many changes to the vehicles.

 

69 in sactown
https://www.maitatoyota.com/search/new-toyota-tacoma-sacramento-ca/?cy=95821&md=312&tp=new

 

Oh a lot in “transit”

 

I lucked out on mine. I checked the website of a local used car lot that I’d done business with before and saw a 2013 with reasonable mileage. Dashed in (my 2006 Frontier bucking, losing power, and check engine light blazing) and gave it a look over. One owner New Mexico truck (no rust at all anywhere) with lots of routine maintenance records. I signed on the dotted line June 1, 2013. The lot owner’s wife said it had been on the website for 12 hours. When I went in to get the tags, they told me that before they got it off the website they had dozens of calls.

It starts, runs and drives like a new truck. Got a great mechanic. Life is good.

 

Similar experience in 2016 shopping for a 1st gen. I’d go visit only to have truck be sold upon arrival. Which was odd because some were total rust buckets and people were buying site unseen. I put a deposit on one in florida site unseen only to have it sold underneath me. Ended up with a gem from Seattle. I overpaid a smidge but I got my life back from constant car shopping so was okay. Still have the truck and all worked out well. You’ll get there but don’t expect to score a super deal unless you’re willing to put down money without actually seeing the truck.

 

When I found one at a dealership (on Autotrader) that was optioned out like I wanted, I called and gave them a credit card number to hold it- and told them I was on the way to see it in person. They didn’t actually run the card, but the salesperson could tell anyone else that one of his customers already put down a deposit on the truck. I wound up buying it, they asked me then if I wanted to use the $500 deposit from my credit card towards the purchase and I said No, so it was a win win IMO

 

This has been going on with Tacomas' since at least 2021 when I bought mine. Even back then you had to call ahead to avoid a wasted trip because it had been sold already while you were on your way to the dealership. When I went to look at it when they opened at 8:00AM there were three couples waiting for my return from the test drive when I got back. (I was gone and alone for the drive for at least 45 minutes.) The sales person said one of the people who was waiting was bugging the Sales Manager to call the police because: "I probably had stolen it." (she had made a photo copy of my license and CC before I left.)

An honest dealer that honored the original price they quoted me on the phone when I called just before I left. They did not ask for a deposit over the phone on my card to hold it: "Just be first at the door when we open it."

 

Bet those people weren't happy when you bought it..hey, first come first served!