Negotiating Frame Rust Buyback Price

No your car is not represented accurately, but that is a good thing in this case. They give you 150% of KBB. That is above its actual value. The only thing you could come close to discussing, with someone other than Toyota, is the use of KBB over some other outfit. You certainly can't argue with the 150% part.

Good for you for staying informed.

 

Reading through this thread I may come off as being ungrateful but that is not the case at all. In all reality I know that Toyota doesn't owe me a broken penny. The have a specific warranty on the car at the time of purchase and that is all they have to honor. Am I happy they are giving me 150% of the KBB value, you bet I am. The only thing I would like from them is what they used (mileage+options) to get their value. I don't think that's an unreasonable request. I'm sure that if this was a typical dealer trade in, the dealer wouldn't be surprised if I made such a request. The number I came up with and the number they came up with is very close, I'm just curious where we differ because if we are using the same KBB valuation, the numbers should match exactly.

 

Group rate

 

I just sent in my agreement letter today. Toyota started out at around $7500.00 for a 1999 PreRunner with 145K Standard Cab, Automatic. I went from the adjuster to her supervisor, who I spoke with twice and got it to $9496.50. Both were pleasant to work with and no one got too worked up, and I was able to make my point.

One of the points I argued was they were using the KBB estimator that is for sale to a private party at excellent condition, which doesn't give SRP. I pointed out that if they used the one that figures what you should pay at a dealer which gives the SRP at the far end of the half round scale that it comes up with.

Now the only "problem" there is that it gives the estimate for "Good or Better" condition. There is no option for it to give a SRP for Excellent Condition which is what is stated in the Warranty Extension and in the manual that they sent the dealers on the buy back program (The Interweb is a great thing! ). After quoting from the manual, I got her to use the one that gives SRP and she came out at the amount that I thought it should be.

I guess I could have argued for then to use a KBB estimator that comes up with SRP dealer price for Excellent Condition instead of "Good or Better" but, KBB doesn't have that option on their site, and I thought that I had gotten about as much as I could and a great deal considering the age of the truck.

A word of warning. I had been checking my frame periodically and hadn't checked it after this winter. I was pulling into work Tuesday before last and heard a loud thunk come from the rear end. When I got to looking at it the front attachment for the spring (shackle) had broken free and went up into the frame. It looked like it was pinching the emergency brake cable so I took it into the dealer that was just down the street. Of course, they wouldn't let me drive it off the lot and put me in a really nice crew cab 2014 Tacoma loaner. The only problem with that is I just put new tires on her about two months ago. (Should have checked the frame then! ) The service manager at the dealer is a good guy though and he is having his guys pull my Sony head unit and putting the old Pioneer that I had back in there. The tires are gone though.

When I was discussing the stereo with Toyota, they only rate it for what was in there when you bought it, so I wasn't getting any credit for the MP3 player. She said you can put any stereo back in there if you pull the aftermarket, working or not. It just has to have at least what it had when you bought it. I imagine that goes for everything. If I had the chance, I would have switched out 4 bald tires for the new ones before I brought it in!

But the final good part is that, although I wasn't planning on taking on a payment, I OK'd the price on a 2014 Access Cab TRD Sport Pyrite Mica today. I'm signing the papers tomorrow at 02:00 PM. I'll just have to wait for Toyota to cut the check for the 1999 to drive it off the lot. Hope it doesn't hail before then! Sorry about the length, but I thought the info would be helpful.