Odd question during purchase

A few weeks ago, as I was sitting down with the finance manager to purchase my new Tacoma, he dug out a questionair, and asked me "How much *less* would we have to charge for the vehicle if it did not come with any warranty at all?" At the time, I think that I answered $5,000, and he said "Good answer".
It got me thinking, why would they ask a question like that?? What are they trying to get at??

 

they probably just wanna know how much you trust toyota products. if you said 15 then they may lower the price a bit because they would know that you werent dead set on a toyota, if you had said 1 they wouldn't shift at all because you sound like you really want a yota

 

I'd ask him why he was asking the question.

 

Dealers can "buy" the warranty from Toyota, the same way your big national electronic store can "buy" the warranty from the manufactuere and get that item for a lower price .

 

Interesting, so, if they do not buy the warranty, their price (and, thus, my price), is lower?
I did ask him about the questionaire, and he replied that it was a "Standard Toyota Questionaire" and that he reaaly did not know what they did with it...

 

Field Market Research. Likely just gathering information for Toyota Corporate.

 

It's all about "perceived value". Perceived value is the price or "value" the consumer places on an item or service, and not necessarily the actual value or cost.

Many industries use perceived value as the basis of selling items or services, and it's a sales concept not very well known to the general public.

 

Probably considering upselling you on an extended warranty. After all, if 3/36 is worth $5,000 to you, then you might be willing to pay $(thousands) to double that (or more).

 

Peple will pay $8000 less than similar new all day long for Toyotas out of the important bumper to bumper Warranty. Drive train warranty is a joke really. Early Hyundais.......the worst cars when they came out had 100K drive train waranties and apparently they lasted long enough to become a recognized reliable brand

Drive trains last a long time. Its the little plasticrap and fans and motors that go and they are ususally replaced by non Toyota mechanics for a little over the cost of the part, most of which can be found at places other than Toyota.

Sure when you are considering TOYOTA PARTS and SERVICE PRICES you need the Service Contract LOL

 

I don't know,....considering the *hard time* my dealership is giving me over replacing 1 missing center cap, which I believe is *between the bumpers*, I would have to say that the value of the "Bumper to Bumper" warranty is negligible.
Heaven Forbid that I actually experience a "real" problem.....
Funny, though,..I bought a Tacoma because they are consistantly rated as "The Best". I can not imagine what owners of other, less reliable, lower rated trucks go through.

 

It could be too they're trying to separate the value of the vehicle vs the factory warranty for their financial statements. Maybe they're doing some internal accounting shifts and need the survey data to value the revenue generated from the vehicle versus the factory warranty their "selling" as part of the vehicle price. Just another guess...

 

could just be the owner's kid is doing some market research for statistics class. Seems like a strange venue for professional statistics research. Nor is it some sort of price adjusting ploy. I'd lean more towards someone's pet project than toyota corporate just because of the method of delivery. But who knows what statistician might be thinking of some strange effect on his poll.

Yea, I'd probably say something like 5 grand. Figure, if you lose an engine it'll cost you between 1 and 10000 to replace it with a rebuilt or crate. Most other concerns are small. Some strange diagnosis on lectric parts.

I've rarely used a warranty. Can't think of ever using one before I got my tacoma. But I've had the tacoma literally for weeks. Something was bound to go wrong sooner and later.

 

I think the guy was trying to set you up for buying an extended warranty by asking you how much you think the 3 year 36k is worth he can tell you the extended is only $1500 for another 70k miles, and help you realize its a good deal.

FYI the is no Toyota dealer that can buy a Toyota without the warranty, if that was the case the warranty would be itemized with a price on the window sticker.

 

Lubing you up for the extended warranty

 

Maybe you guys are right, and he was just leading into the warranty sales pitch. But I declined it anyway (hard sell!). It appeared as though he had a checklist of some sort and went down it asking me about 10 random questions.
I have never purchased an extended warranty on anything. My wife, OTOH, just bought one for the freaking stove! LOL!

 

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