Dissappointment with Dealer whom I've bought 4 Toyos from...

So after relocating back to the DFW area we were in the market for a Toyota sedan, I was a little frustrated with all the MANDATORY add-on's that our regional distributor puts on vehicles (fabric guard/paint sealer....). Just before deciding to go with a Honda, I tried a small TOYO dealership that I drive past on my daily commute. I happened to meet the sales manager as I walked in, told him my situation and he sold me the car I had been looking for and waived the 2.5K in distributor add-ons... A friend was made, or so I thought...

Skip forward a couple of years and my wife wanted an SUV. I went back to the same guy, as we had regularly visited on maintainence visits and I had referred seven people from my company who bought cars from him. He really rolled our the red carpet and found my wife a rare SE version of the SUV she was looking for. The deal wasn't as 'great' as the first, but there was a dealer trade involved - so I wrote off the generic price deal on the fact there was a dealer trade.

One year later, my dad wants a Tundra and back we go to the same guy. Again, the experience was very nice, but the price was very pedestrian and after the fact I did some forensic research and found out we did not get a great deal on my dad's Tundra...

Sooo... It came time for my Tacoma in 2013 and the model/color/features I wanted was hard to come by. I tried internet shopping, but nobody had that vehicle. I went back to the 'guy' who was able to find one in production down in San Antonio and had the adjustments made to the equipment. I also added the upgraded alarm and a couple of other things. I got a 'fair' price on the truck, especially considering that there was factory intercession and I wasn't buying off the lot... Two weeks later another coworker bought almost the exact same truck, with the NAV/upgraded sound system for about 2.5K less than what I paid. Again, I rationalized the price difference in the fact that he had to get involved with the factory and add/subtract some items...

So at this point I was unsure where I really stood with this guy and what kind of a friendship/relationship that I had.... Two more events have convinced me that I'm nothing more than a regular customer to him, despite personally buying four vehicles and referring 7 buyers to him.

My dad got his windshield broken with highway debris. I called 'the guy' thinking he could point me to a reasonably priced replacement option. He handed me over to another guy who quoted me $600 to replace the Tundra windshield...??? I called around and found out who does the local dealership windshield work and they did the job for $150...

Last item: I just hit 30K, love my truck - use it for a fair bit of towing, off road and deer camp use, so I decided to pick up the 8/125 warranty. I called 'the guy' and he said to come on in and he would hook me up with employee pricing on the warranty. The nice lady in finance quoted me $1,995... I told her that since it was right after the holidays that I'd have to talk it over with the wife... I walked into a dealership about 5 miles away, asked for the finance director and he sold me the 8/125 for $1,700...

So in the end, I feel betrayed, stupid and foolish. I don't expect a dealership or any business to give product away, but do believe I earned better accommodation considering the amount of business that I had personally given to the dealership and also the number of people that I had referred there. I spent almost 10 years cultivating, what I thought, was a trusting business relationship.. In the end, it appears that the trust was one sided, and once obtained: I became nothing more than customer where profit was the main benefit to 'the guy.'

I've deleted his info from my cell, will NEVER set foot in that dealership, nor will I ever refer another person there...

Thanks for listening and please feel free to let me know if I'm being unreasonable...

Bottom line for me now is: No matter how well you THINK you know a dealership/sales manager.... Always shop around and verify that you are getting a good deal....

 

Sad part is is you still got hosed on the price of the extended warranty. I paid a little over 900.00 for my 7 year 100,000 mile warranty on my Tacoma. So it should have costed a little over a 1,000.00 to 1,100.00 for the extended warranty. This is the average of what people get it for

Toyota Extra Care, Platinum coverage with $0 deductible:
6 yr / 75K - $610.00
6 yr / 100K - $835.00
7 yr / 75K - $680.00
7 yr / 100K - $950.00
8 yr / 75K - $785.00 (my buy)
8 yr / 100K - $1050.00
8 yr / 125K - $1365.00

 

We call them stealerships for a reason!!! They are the worst part of the whole toyota experience

 

While fine, meaningless unless you tell him what you are doing and why. It may not change his style, but you can't ever expect it to change if he doesn't know what's wrong. Not saying you should stay loyal, just tell him the facts.

Absolutely. It's the main reason I buy used most times, and from individuals, not dealers. And your story reiterates what I hate about the Toyota dealer network 'regional' stuff.

 

A couple of things: First of all it's a 4x4, so the cost is a little higher, unless my research was incorrect. It's also a little different here in Texas. Toyota in Texas is ruled by the Gulf States Toyota Distributor and they control/mandate quite a bit. I called every dealership in the DFW metroplex and $1700 was the best I could do... I did buy a warranty for my wife's prius from a dealership up in Mass and it was $800 cheaper than anything I could get around here. Unfortunately, they've nixed the buying warranty's that way...

 

True enough about the trades... I did get the paper on both deals and had a couple of folks look at it with me - one former car sales manager, and it still looked unfavorable... Live and learn.

 

A friend to me is someone I go to auctions with, hang out in each others garage or share a meal with. Have you ever done that with a car salesman that you didn't already know before purchasing a vehicle from?

If anything, it's probably unusual that a sales person would even be in the same dealership for any extended time. In my area at least, the dealership's seem to recruit young sales staff to generate new leads and then release them.

 

I honestly don't think confronting him or revealing that I put all the pieces together will cause any change in this individual. I've gotten to know him well enough, he's an up-and-comer for Toyota and has also ventured into some other local business opportunities. What he's doing is working for him and he would never change. We weren't personal friends, so the loss of my friendship will mean nothing. I'll vote with my wallet and also suggest other dealerships. I'm not going to out him personally or the dealership and I'll only suggest people use other dealerships.

I'm not going to lower myself to his level...

 

We did have some things in common, shared a few meals and families had become friends because of some common social activities. This was after my first purchase... But I get your point... To me it was friendship and to him it was just business... I guess you can't mix the two... But I do have some other friends with whom I do business. Hopefully those friendships don't end in a similar manner...

 

"We didn't grow up in the same neighborhood. Didn't go to the same school. We don't attend the same church. We are not related or are friends. Don't tell me you're going to lose money on this deal. All I ask you is to be straight up with me."

This has been my usual conversation when we have begun talking money.

 

Repeat after me, a car salesperson is not your friend, never forget this.

 

I put dealership mgrs. and their sales personnel in the same category as I do all who operate on a sales commission.

A dealership I've bought 3 Toyota's from in the past 10 yrs. did more or less the same thing from a pricing perspective.

1st car - price was very good.
2nd car - good price - nothing amazing
3rd car -price was just so-so

You came back - they figure you'll buy again - no need to go as low as was done in the 1st sales and so on. I bought because I knew what I would be facing at other area dealerships.

 

A car salesperson works & represents a company, that is what they are trained & paid to do, we, as consumers, are generally not trained as car buyers, therefor many of us are out of our element when purchasing a new vehicle, & get pissed when the salesperson wins. If you are going to purchase a new/used vehicle, DO YOUR HOMEWORK!, & don't do the deal it you don't like it. But that is all we hear, STEALERSHIP, zip'um guys & gals,, nobody held a gun to your head. you made the deal. As far as friendship goes, well I have some great friends but none of them spend my money, Salespersons do their job, some do it very well. My first advise to any new vehicle buyer is to forget INVOICE price, that is about the most worthless piece of information one can have. I won't go into how to buy a vehicle, do some research (not hard) but to cry about a person who is doing their job well is just wrong. jmop

 

Business is business. The dealers job is to get as much as your money as possible. Your job is to keep as much of your money as possible. Might sound cold,, but thats how dinner stays on the table. Think of it as a poker game in a casino, you are at the table with the goal to win, not make sure everyone else has a good time.

 

Well said..Very well said!

 

I believe that there was a King of the Hill episode about this very thing. Hank thinks he is getting a great deal from "his" guy at the dealership and then finds out he is being screwed. Hank's pissed, but the point is the same: On the scale of biological life, car salesman are somewhere in the pond scum family

 

^^ This

They're going to make you pay "extra" when you ask for a specific vehicle.... they'll fulfill your dreams at their price and make you feel good about it.

 

I have to admit I actually laugh at things like this sometimes. People have no problem doing their own job, but when it comes to someone else doing theirs, then that person is a crook or a cheat or a con. It's simple, sure the guy was a loosely classified friend, and sure your family may have done things together, but he STILL has a boss to answer to, and he STILL has to meet his sales requirements, he STILL has to follow the mandated requirements by Toyota, and he STILL has to put food on his own table. What is the old saying? "Walk a mile in another man's shoes"?

 

Sorry to hear about your misfortune but people born without a soul will take advantage of those who trust them the most as they are the easiest targets.

Reminds me of a King Of The Hill episode.

http://www.tv.com/shows/king-of-the-hill/the-accidental-terrorist-1180776/

 

All good points and the advice is accepted. I suppose he was just doing his job, nothing more nothing less. I suppose my value of all the referrals was over-inflated. In any event, I'll be taking my busyness down the road....