Hello and Goodbye :(

I recently did the smart path thing with Toyota for a TRD Pro Tundra to avoid dealer nonsense but the dealer advised me I needed to come into their office to finalize paperwork even though vehicle was almost 2 months out from production. Went down there, signed everything and been shopping for everything from racks to bumpers to tires.

Fast forward 2 weeks later I get a call from the sales guy with some nonsense about how interest rates change. It was like pulling teeth to get him to explain why he was calling me so early and with no real information, additionally it was confounding as they had pulled our credit and supposedly locked our rates, which are usually good for duration of 30,60 or 90 days.

The next day I phoned a sales manager to divine the true reason for yesterday's nonsense. It turned out that all the paperwork we signed was for a "special" low interest rate that they couldn't or wouldn't honor because it's a TRD Pro.

I'd been waiting approx. 10 months for this thing but hate this kind of nonsense so I had them refund all our money and cancel our mythical contract. I was back on the search, but then someone told me about the new Ram RHO, went to a dealer and pivoted. Super easy, was able to order it just the way I wanted it and yeah, its about another 10k more but its arguably 10k more of a truck too. Owned a lot of trucks, never a RAM so hopefully I don't live to regret this decision.

We were going to pick up a 2025 4Runner as well, but I'm not sure my blood pressure can handle another Toyota purchase, lol. I'm curious how many here would have tried to fight it or hung on even with a change in terms from 1.9% to 8.5% (which is no small thing).

I do so love samiches though

 

Sounds like you went to a bad dealership and didn't do your do diligence with who you went thru.

Sucks you went thru all that but dealerships of all brands are horribly mistreating customers, you really have to network to find the good ones. Highly recommend not buying the 4R from the place you have been to lol

 

Hola and adios..

Silly things dealerships do:
Good thing you didn't try to buy during the big P.
They were demanding $$$ for 'market adjustments'.
That will really get your blood pressure up..

Capstone.


SR5.


Probably a reason you never bought a Ram.
Good luck..

 

It could have been an honest mistake. The TRD pro used to be include in promotional financing but the 2024’s are not. Sounds like they were letting you know sooner rather than later.

 

Yeah, if the sales guy or better yet a manager had called and been transparent about it, I would have just rolled with it and sought out other financing or taken their offer and refinanced it down the way. I'm a straight shooter and my dealership experiences have been anything but. Ram was completely different, like a breath of fresh air. I haven't even driven a Ram, so this will be some kind of learning challenge. I went in appreciating their transparency and ease of transaction. I did have a double take after I completely optioned out the Rhino though.

Lowlife, that is insane that kind of markup. Wow!

Thanks for the comment, Robert. I have dealt with ALL the local dealers and some even out of state and have been on many a waiting list for many moons. Hard to know who you are dealing with until you are actually dealing with them. Reviews only get so far and I found they all had just about same rating and same gripes. If I take the diligence into account, then the problem would seem systemic and something I'd imagine Toyota would seek to remedy. I'm naive that way, lol

 

Yeah but, the Ram forum. Do you really want to do that. You could stay here.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! But good luck with the Ram!

 

Same kinda thing here, I just went another dealership and got exactly what I was looking for and none of the nonsense the first dealership tried to pull. I was sticking with the Tundra, just had to find the right place.

 

Same here. It's the dealership. We got jerked around during my wife's search for a replacement for her 2012 Highlander by the local Ford/Mazda dealership.

Conversely....the purchase for her 2020 Highlander took exactly 42 minutes from the time we decided on the price until the time she drove it away. My 2020 Tundra purchase took 31 minutes. (I actually clocked it. LOL)

 

Voodoo Blue nice choice

 

I waited 10 years to buy my Tundra. When I made the mental decision to go I contacted by local Toyota dealership salesman (had previously purchased two Toyotas from him) and told that Sunday I had gone by, seen a particular Tundra ("here's the stock number") I wanted and that I would pay the sticker price shown on the window. Went in a couple days later to do the paperwork and my sales guy said "my sales manager wants to give you the internet price so not the sticker price but four thousand dollars less than that." Took one hour to do the paperwork.

So there's that.