Well, I hate to admit it, but ….

[Thumper]

… I again fell hook, line and sinker for that intoxicating new car smell.

I took our ‘18 Highlander (Limited) in for an oil change on Black Friday. HUGE mistake! My salesman happened to be standing in the service drive when I pulled in and we started bullshitting. Next thing I knew, I was driving home in a frigging $50,000 Toyota! Kind of a lateral move actually, as I bought a 2023 Highlander Limited … fully loaded of course. This thing does everything but give me a bj.

I will say I was bribed. We’ll, sort’a. They had Santa on the showroom floor and he was giving out 50” smart TV’s to anybody who bought a car that day. Whoopie-ding … we’re taking it to Lynn’s mom for Christmas. They also gave out a full set of the top of the line, Weather Tech floor mats. Once we started getting serious, I told my salesman I wasn’t going to play that back and forth b/s game of “offer/counter-offer” between him and the Sales Manager. I told him to go upstairs and get Rob (the General Manager) then told him the only three people at the table would be him, the GM and myself. We’d bang out a deal between us with no frigging games.

Wow! The GM came down and we got to work. They balked a couple of times, but I kept reminding them I just came in for an oil change and my car should be ready at any minute. I ended up with the deal I wanted. They printed up the paperwork and it was time to go see the F&I dude. I told them to inform F&I that I would NOT be buying any extended warranty or any other crap they wanted to pad in, just get the papers ready for me to sign. They even threw in the platinum service contract, free oil/filter changes, tire rotations, towing, rental car, roadside service and who knows what all else, for … not two years, but SIX years! I was feeling kind of badass by this time and as I perused the paperwork I said, “Hey, this car has no towing package! How am I going to drag my utility trailer to the dump when I need to get rid of something?”

The GM told me they could order the parts and the installed price would be around $900.00! WTF? You told me this thing is loaded to the max! Throw in the hitch and it’s a deal. The GM said they’d take care of it. Then I got a little cocky and told them not to even think of subletting the car to U-Haul or some silliness like that and I was assured it would be nothing but Toyota factory parts and installed in house. Well, the Parts Dept. called me this morning to let me know the parts are in and to let them know when I want to have the towing package installed so they can have a loaner car waiting for me. ;)

But ya’ know what? EVERY TIME I buy a car and think I got a good deal, I always feel like I got screwed anyway! Even though my salesman was wide-eyed through most of the final negotiations, he told me if I wanted, he’d show me the paperwork on every sale he’s made in the last 6-months, and prove he’s NEVER seen a deal like that go out the door.

I STILL figure I probably got screwed somehow. I HATE buying new cars. I wish it were like Walmart, you go in, the price is on the car and that’s what you pay at the register. :(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20221211/a6d516f3df6daa29a74b3aa20a04a90b.jpg

[Chicken Dinner]

Congrats dude! I’ve been looking for my Mrs. for about six months and just can’t bring myself to do anything t based on the prices I’m seeing. We may go drive a couple between Christmas and New Year’s just to see how desperate they are.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Thumper]

What really gripes my butt is, I had the new one in the driveway putting something in the back and my neighbor from across the street walked over to me. He said, “I know it’s a long shot, but would you be interested in selling your car anytime soon?”

The one I traded was the same model, very similar color, but 5 years older. I told him this is a new car and I just traded the other one! He told me his wife was going to kill him. He wanted to buy our other car and his wife had been bugging him for 2 months to ask me about it. He kept putting it off because he didn’t want to bother me, but since he saw me dinking around the driveway, he thought he’d come over. DAMN! He said they loved that car and he knows I keep it serviced and take care of it, so he was hoping I might be thinking of selling. He said he wouldn’t even argue price, but would pay the highest private party price listed on KBB! I’d just done the dealer trade-in and been home maybe 1-1/2 hours. Atrrrgggghhhh!

He had two very successful liquor stores and just sold them and retired a few months ago. He and the wife wanted to do some vacationing and see the country, but needed a larger vehicle. He said they’ve been admiring our car for years now. He never buys new cars and only buys used. The car I traded was flawless and didn’t have a scratch or even so much as a door ding on it.

I told him it’s at the dealer, but he said he ONLY buys from private parties and can’t stand dealing with car dealers. I’d have been delighted to get full-book on that car and we BOTH would have been happy as clams. :(

[Penguin]

Nice ride Jimmy. I always knew you were the kind of guy who would have a nice ride.

A new car.... Been forever since I had a new car. What year is it again? :p

Will

[BarryBobPosthole]

Congrats on the new Yote! How many cats can you fit in that thing?
BKB

[Bwana]

Congrats on the fancy new wheels Jim!

[BarryBobPosthole]

I’ll bet Jim could fit an entire soccer team in that thing. And still have room for his yoga mats!

BKB

[Thumper]

Nice ride Jimmy. I always knew you were the kind of guy who would have a nice ride.

A new car.... Been forever since I had a new car. What year is it again? :p Will

I just realized we bought the 2018 five years ago instead of four and heck, it only had 30,000 miles on it.

Willie, there’s a difference. Your “old” truck, is a “NEW” truck!! (Don’t try to pull that guilt trip on me boy!) ;)

[Big Skyz]

Jim, I think you actually did really well on your deal. I bought my wife a brand new 2022 Camry last year. I did all my homework before I went in. I was of the same frame of mind as you and didn't want to play games. They had a used 2021 on the lot with 10K miles on it. They wanted $32K for it. I laughed and told them that wasn't going to happen and that they could do better. They wouldn't go below $28K. I said thanks, but no thanks, I'd just as soon buy brand new as pay that for a used car. I got up to leave and the general manager said: "Hang on a minute. Are you willing to wait for a new car and have it built to your specifications instead of driving something off the lot today?" I told him if the price was right I'd be willing to wait. So he offers me a brand new Camry for 28K. I told him that was pretty good, but in the mean time I had my wife on the phone with another dealer that offered me the same thing for $27K. I told the GM if he could beat that then we would have a deal. To make this story a little shorter I walked out of there with a contract for a brand new 2022 Camry, with zero miles, for $26,500.00. I felt like I did pretty good. Just before I left the GM asked if I had been in the military. I told him just basic training, but that I had got sick and was discharged. He said he had a career in the military then retired, and hadn't seen someone so no nonsense since the military. I just smiled and told him that dealing with teenagers all day kind'a makes a guy that way. Okay so you got a Kribb'esk story out of me today. All this to say you got a good deal on a really nice vehicle!

[BarryBobPosthole]

Toyota dealers aren’t known to be very flexible in their dickering. At least around here they aren’t. I’d say you both done good!
BKB

[Big Skyz]

Barry, I bought mine while the used car market prices were through the roof. I think the dealers were really feeling the pinch of not being able to sell new cars. Jimmy really lucked out that they actually had a brandy-new car on the lot. It's still pretty normal to not have many, if any, new cars on the lot. Some folks just won't buy a new car sight unseen. I get that, but I felt pretty safe given the Toyota Camry reputation. I'd do the same thing if Tacoma prices ever come down and aren't as much as a mortgage!

[Penguin]

Toyota dealers aren’t known to be very flexible in their dickering. At least around here they aren’t. I’d say you both done good!
BKB

None of them are. They both should be hosting some kind of TV game show where you argue about the price of something. I'd finish last in that kind of game I think. :)

Where you speak of when used car prices were so high.... I remember it well last year. My old work car, a Malibu Maxx, decided that would be a good time to spin a cam bearing. I went around to all the local car dealers and couldn't believe what they wanted for some real junk. So I got a used engine with 70k miles and dropped that into the old station wagon. It's an ungainly old junker but it gets 30 mpg... and that's dropping 2000 feet into the gorge and climbing out of it both to and from work.

Will