I am here to buy the ugliest car on your lot

wayne0 · Dec 29, 2024

Mannino[OP] initial post: ↑

Is what I said to the sales manager when I rolled up to a Honda dealership 4.5 hours from my house.

I’ll start with the tl;dr, because it only makes sense to put it up front. Kind of see multiple places I can post this, but don’t really intend to be a “build” so I’m taking a shot here. I am the new owner of a 2023 Electric Lime Tacoma TRD Off-road with a 6-speed manual transmission. I see there’s a love/hate relationship with the color, but it seems fun to me; and that’s all that matters since it’s my “forever car” (hopefully).

(the beater and the Tacoma)

So how did we get here? Long ramble ahead:

I had my “forever car” totaled out by a kid who ran a stop sign back in January. Sad day; uncommon car in great condition that could never be replaced as it was. We both had insurance, everyone was ok (most importantly), and his insurance was 100% on the hook for it anyway. Bought a beater car for $650 to hold me over, and wanted a Tacoma. We went and looked at one, sat in the back and said “ew, no way” and a new Tundra caught our eye. Saw enough to shift my focus to a late last-gen tundra, which I thought was more fun to drive; but availability was limited and people were demanding a premium for them. We kept our finger on the last-gen Tundra pulse, and it still seemed pretty crazy. Great, solid, and reliable trucks, but the price and fuel economy just seemed to not work for us. The wife knows I prefer driving manual and she likes to borrow my car on occasion as a break from the family car, and admits she enjoys it on occasion; so Tacoma ended up back on the menu.

We love white cars, but we all know the reality of most white Tacomas. Not really what I wanted to deal with in a “forever car” and I know enough about paint and bodywork to know what it would take to get it right (which somehow has zero influence on resale valuation). Solar octane is beautiful and rare, but most paint and body people will tell you to stay away from red for longevity purposes (especially in sunny areas). Lunar rock and cement are cool, but seem to drive a premium and mass interest. Darker colors are hard to keep clean around here and we get a lot of sun that makes them not so appealing. Perks of metallic paint is they are 3-stage. I could live with silver, but the wife says it’s boring. Wind chill pearl is awesome, but we only had 1 pop up on Christmas Eve in manual with-in 500 miles and was already sold when the dealer responded the day after Christmas, and at a premium price. Electric lime was like “lol, what?! Crazy. But… ok, maybe… it’ll never pop up”. So yeah, we will keep our finger on the pulse and the right car will pop up eventually.

Man… of what popped up. We saw a lot of high-mileage Tacomas, sketch maintenance, damage, lack of features, unwanted modifications, unnecessary dealer add-ons, crazy inflated out-the-door prices. I was fine with simple but the wife said more would be nice if we could find it. I knew I was going to have to pull some tricks to find something hidden. I found some ways to track cars that had been auctioned previously to see what dealers had before they looked pretty on the lot, which saved some potential headaches and wasted time. Learned some tricks, and learned the dealer tricks by walking into the dealer a few times just to do a few dry runs. I mean, almost everything and anything is available to learn on the internet if you comb through it well enough. I have a background in investigations, analytics, and interrogations, so this is a fun game to me. I knew what I needed to do.

So how do you find a car you probably can’t find? Your options are kind of limited between having to pay a lot of money and travel, but there’s some other loop-holes. What if you find a car that falls through the cracks because of a little incompetence? Recipe for success. I could go through the rabbit hole on this, but I’ll try to keep it short.

2023 Tacoma pops up at a Honda dealership and sits for almost 40 days (pulled some tricks to figure that out). Truck had 20k miles, and had all the signs the previous owner loved it, but it just wasn’t right for them. Original owner took it for a break-in oil change at 1.5k miles and was religious with 5k oil changes and dealer maintenance. Researched the town and it wasn’t really an area for a manual transmission, let alone a loud looking car. Listing wasn’t on any of the major sales platforms, nor was it listed as manual unless you looked at the pictures.

It’s between Christmas and New Years, so everything is a recipe for success already, only issue is the 4.5 hour drive. Played ping pong with the sales manager over the phone, price was coming down, and knew I could have leveraged another $1k if I drug it out to the 31st, but he was in my range. Got some videos with good reflections to see zero door-dings or body damage. there’s “minor damage” on the carfax, but no signs of it. Reality is probably 80%+ cars on the road probably deserve “minor damage” on the carfax but don’t have it. There was a lot going for it, seemed too good to be true, so the wife and I said let’s take a chance.

We drove out yesterday and everything looked mint. Metallic is hard to blend or hide repairs, so I didn’t see any signs of that or other repairs/replacements. No scratches, dents, visible detailing tricks to hide stuff. No visible modifications. Even the soft plastic and leather seats look mint and the truck still smells naturally new with no signs of smells being masked. Still has the factory AT tires with plenty of tread life. Even my bank said great deal and gave me the best interest rate offered on a new car over it, even though they knew it was used.

I’m happy with the deal. I’m pretty confident I could have leveraged more, but we were in the zone my wife and I agreed on between us, it checked more boxes than we initially had, and seemed like the most solid used Tacoma we have seen on the market since we started looking. If this truck was local to me and/or listed and advertised appropriately I’m confident it would have pulled in another $5k. Obviously it’s “baby shit green” but I think it’s fun and unique. I would like to believe it’s so loud that it would be less likely to be targeted for nefarious means.
Click to expand...

Too many doors, but I do like the color.

RichochetRabbit · Dec 29, 2024

wayne0 said: ↑

Too many doors, but I do like the color.
Click to expand...

Double cabs rule ... access cabs drool.

iliketacosandburritos! · Dec 29, 2024

Love the green!
Access cabs are the best though!

Cetacean Sensation · Dec 29, 2024

wayne0 said: ↑

Too many doors, but I do like the color.
Click to expand...

That trim with a stick wasn't available on access cabs in the US.
Stick > # of doors. OR > Sport.

No_Code · Dec 29, 2024

Someone in my area has lime with voodoo blue wheels and stripes. Sounds ugly but it’s actually pretty nice. Enjoy!

RichochetRabbit · Dec 29, 2024

Pumpkin orange Oldsmobile 442. Description on paper says "no f* way", but it works.

ABA180 · Dec 29, 2024

Looks sharp, I like different colours. I do own a bright green bike as well.

Steves104x4 · Dec 29, 2024

Dumb fuck green. My ‘69 Dart was that color.

josefmd · Dec 29, 2024

Congrats! You did well. A manual to boot!

Breknraj · Dec 29, 2024

I didn't know quite what to make of the color, when I first saw it, but it has since grown on both my wife and myself, though we refer to it as Electric Margarita, being a couple of Parrotheads!!

Congrats!

Squirt · Dec 29, 2024

Welcome to TW!

DavesSR5 · Dec 29, 2024

Welcome to Tw.. Nice story and great looking truck!!!

Bashakrash · Dec 29, 2024

Congrats on the new truck. Glad you were able to find the one you like, especially in a manual.

Luckily for me I love it. I just wanted a fun color that was a manual…all the other cars we had were some version of grey. to me it looks best at sunset.

Mannino · Dec 29, 2024

Cetacean Sensation said: ↑

That trim with a stick wasn't available on access cabs in the US.
Stick > # of doors. OR > Sport.
Click to expand...

Great hierarchy chart. This was definitely my take as well. I also have 2 small kids and have to be capable of picking them up from school on occasion.

No_Code said: ↑

Someone in my area has lime with voodoo blue wheels and stripes. Sounds ugly but it’s actually pretty nice. Enjoy!
Click to expand...

That combo sounds so absolutely disgusting that it might be crazy enough to work. I would absolutely love to see it. I always thought gold would pair well, but I think it’s a little much for my taste at the moment.

RichochetRabbit said: ↑

Pumpkin orange Oldsmobile 442. Description on paper says "no f* way", but it works.

Click to expand...

That’s gorgeous. We all know deep down these colors are cool, no matter how much we try to tell ourselves they aren’t.

b_r_o · Dec 29, 2024

If nothing else it'll show up better in people's blind-spots when they hastily glance in their mirror

My truck is black and at night in the rain people cut me off all the time

RichochetRabbit · Dec 29, 2024

b_r_o said: ↑

If nothing else it'll show up better in people's blind-spots when they hastily glance in their mirror

My truck is black and at night in the rain people cut me off all the time
Click to expand...

Then you need to "be a teensy bit more obvious" ... ("raptor lights" are obviously not acceptable)

RIX TUX · Dec 29, 2024

Mannino[OP] initial post: ↑

Is what I said to the sales manager when I rolled up to a Honda dealership 4.5 hours from my house.

I’ll start with the tl;dr, because it only makes sense to put it up front. Kind of see multiple places I can post this, but don’t really intend to be a “build” so I’m taking a shot here. I am the new owner of a 2023 Electric Lime Tacoma TRD Off-road with a 6-speed manual transmission. I see there’s a love/hate relationship with the color, but it seems fun to me; and that’s all that matters since it’s my “forever car” (hopefully).

(the beater and the Tacoma)

So how did we get here? Long ramble ahead:

I had my “forever car” totaled out by a kid who ran a stop sign back in January. Sad day; uncommon car in great condition that could never be replaced as it was. We both had insurance, everyone was ok (most importantly), and his insurance was 100% on the hook for it anyway. Bought a beater car for $650 to hold me over, and wanted a Tacoma. We went and looked at one, sat in the back and said “ew, no way” and a new Tundra caught our eye. Saw enough to shift my focus to a late last-gen tundra, which I thought was more fun to drive; but availability was limited and people were demanding a premium for them. We kept our finger on the last-gen Tundra pulse, and it still seemed pretty crazy. Great, solid, and reliable trucks, but the price and fuel economy just seemed to not work for us. The wife knows I prefer driving manual and she likes to borrow my car on occasion as a break from the family car, and admits she enjoys it on occasion; so Tacoma ended up back on the menu.

We love white cars, but we all know the reality of most white Tacomas. Not really what I wanted to deal with in a “forever car” and I know enough about paint and bodywork to know what it would take to get it right (which somehow has zero influence on resale valuation). Solar octane is beautiful and rare, but most paint and body people will tell you to stay away from red for longevity purposes (especially in sunny areas). Lunar rock and cement are cool, but seem to drive a premium and mass interest. Darker colors are hard to keep clean around here and we get a lot of sun that makes them not so appealing. Perks of metallic paint is they are 3-stage. I could live with silver, but the wife says it’s boring. Wind chill pearl is awesome, but we only had 1 pop up on Christmas Eve in manual with-in 500 miles and was already sold when the dealer responded the day after Christmas, and at a premium price. Electric lime was like “lol, what?! Crazy. But… ok, maybe… it’ll never pop up”. So yeah, we will keep our finger on the pulse and the right car will pop up eventually.

Man… of what popped up. We saw a lot of high-mileage Tacomas, sketch maintenance, damage, lack of features, unwanted modifications, unnecessary dealer add-ons, crazy inflated out-the-door prices. I was fine with simple but the wife said more would be nice if we could find it. I knew I was going to have to pull some tricks to find something hidden. I found some ways to track cars that had been auctioned previously to see what dealers had before they looked pretty on the lot, which saved some potential headaches and wasted time. Learned some tricks, and learned the dealer tricks by walking into the dealer a few times just to do a few dry runs. I mean, almost everything and anything is available to learn on the internet if you comb through it well enough. I have a background in investigations, analytics, and interrogations, so this is a fun game to me. I knew what I needed to do.

So how do you find a car you probably can’t find? Your options are kind of limited between having to pay a lot of money and travel, but there’s some other loop-holes. What if you find a car that falls through the cracks because of a little incompetence? Recipe for success. I could go through the rabbit hole on this, but I’ll try to keep it short.

2023 Tacoma pops up at a Honda dealership and sits for almost 40 days (pulled some tricks to figure that out). Truck had 20k miles, and had all the signs the previous owner loved it, but it just wasn’t right for them. Original owner took it for a break-in oil change at 1.5k miles and was religious with 5k oil changes and dealer maintenance. Researched the town and it wasn’t really an area for a manual transmission, let alone a loud looking car. Listing wasn’t on any of the major sales platforms, nor was it listed as manual unless you looked at the pictures.

It’s between Christmas and New Years, so everything is a recipe for success already, only issue is the 4.5 hour drive. Played ping pong with the sales manager over the phone, price was coming down, and knew I could have leveraged another $1k if I drug it out to the 31st, but he was in my range. Got some videos with good reflections to see zero door-dings or body damage. there’s “minor damage” on the carfax, but no signs of it. Reality is probably 80%+ cars on the road probably deserve “minor damage” on the carfax but don’t have it. There was a lot going for it, seemed too good to be true, so the wife and I said let’s take a chance.

We drove out yesterday and everything looked mint. Metallic is hard to blend or hide repairs, so I didn’t see any signs of that or other repairs/replacements. No scratches, dents, visible detailing tricks to hide stuff. No visible modifications. Even the soft plastic and leather seats look mint and the truck still smells naturally new with no signs of smells being masked. Still has the factory AT tires with plenty of tread life. Even my bank said great deal and gave me the best interest rate offered on a new car over it, even though they knew it was used.

I’m happy with the deal. I’m pretty confident I could have leveraged more, but we were in the zone my wife and I agreed on between us, it checked more boxes than we initially had, and seemed like the most solid used Tacoma we have seen on the market since we started looking. If this truck was local to me and/or listed and advertised appropriately I’m confident it would have pulled in another $5k. Obviously it’s “baby shit green” but I think it’s fun and unique. I would like to believe it’s so loud that it would be less likely to be targeted for nefarious means.
Click to expand...

i have a headache now

RichochetRabbit · Dec 29, 2024

RIX TUX said: ↑

i have a headache now
Click to expand...

Turnabout is a beeatch ... you can delete some of your picture collection ...

RIX TUX · Dec 29, 2024

RichochetRabbit said: ↑

Turnabout is a beeatch ... you can delete some of your picture collection ...
Click to expand...

one pic = 1000 words

nds0000 · Dec 29, 2024

OP -no need for text! One pic of the awesome Taco in the outstanding color electric lime metallic would do! In my humble opinion it is the coolest color Toyota produced for the Tacoma. Funny enough, I got tons of comments by dudes who love the color. Not so many from dudetts...
It was my third option of color after magnetic grey and silver. But now it is my favorite color ever for a Tacoma. Well done with the buy, OP!

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