Need help with recommended dealer in Nor Cal

Hi everyone,

I am interested in getting a 4 runner but the unfortunate thing is that I am located in Nor Cal. I heard dealership are ridiculous here in terms of pricing especially for Trd Pro.

Can anyone please advise for a sales contact as well as the dealership that is recommended in Nor Cal.

I know buying out of state is an option but I would try to avoid the hassle of getting the car smogged and etc unless the price difference is very favorable.

Thanks in advance.

 

Welcome, i can not help in terms of a dealer, but you don’t have to worry about smog. They are good to go in all states.

 

@SlvrAlug

Thanks for your info. I have never purchased out of state before so I assume I have to go through the hassle of getting the smog certificate and etc before I can register with the DMV

 

@4X4Runner

I am located in San Francisco.

I know the Trd Pro is probably an overkill for my intended purpose but the style and it’s resale value is really enticing.

I figure if I were to get a lower trim 4Runner and start to mod it to my liking, it would probably end up being close to the price of the Pro but not have it’s resale value.

Thanks for your advise

 

Incorrect. If you buy a new vehicle outside Calif and bring it in it has to be smogged prior to registration. The real butt fuck is it has to be smogged at a place than can do vehicles imported to the state - not every smog place legally can.

 

You do.

It isn't a hassle though. Make an appointment and get the smog done sometime before the paperwork arrives and then bring everything in to the DMV at once. Smog is like $50. See above post for special note on imports to the state.

I've imported 5 vehicles to Calif - 2 that we owned when we moved here, and 3 that we bought out of state after we got here (we sold 3, too, we aren't car hoarders). Each had to be smogged prior to registration, even the brand new ones from a dealer in Oregon.

I'm super NorCal (the real NorCal, not the fahgy middle of the state) and my best deal was actually southern Oregon (Grants Pass Toyota). YMMV...

 

@MeefZah

Thanks for the info.

It just a pain trying to locate a sales person who doesn’t treat us like tourist in a foreign country.

If anyone has any good recommendation for local Bay Area sales person or a good sales person who have helped out greatly with out of state purchase to California, please let me know.

 

bay area dealers will gouge you. just go to cars.com/cargurus.com and search for nearest one with the price your okay with

 

@4X4Runner

Thanks. I will pm Daria and see if I can get some help.

@Daytonaviolet

Tell me about it. I saw a Bay Area dealer listed a Pro on car guru for msrp. Of course, they added $4000 on top of the msrp in the actual email reply.

 

Since you’re in San Francisco why don’t you try SF Toyota? They seem professional to work with. They gave me $4000 off MSRP.

However I bought from AutoNation Toyota in Hayward because they gave me $4300 off MSRP and gave me the most on my trade in. Although I got the best price from them, I do not recommended them because their finance department was kind of scummy.

I do not recommend City Toyota. They wouldn’t take anything off MSRP and said I can take it or leave it because they will sell it to the next person at MSRP. Mind you this is for an SR5P. Plus they low balled me on trade in.

Most other dealers were offering around $2500 off.

 

@Hans Moleman

Do you have any specific sales person that was helping you at San Francisco Toyota or at Hayward?

I asked because I found out years ago that different sales person working at the same dealership can offer you different discount.

(The $4000 market add on adjustment I mentioned in my earlier threads to the TRD Pro was unfortunately quoted in email by one of the dealerships mentioned in your reply)

I hate the car buying process in SF as they think all customers are stupid or something. Worst, some sales people would try to BS you throughout the entire conversation. Last year, I got interested in the Civic Type R. Out of curiosity, I sent my info through Car Gurus. One of the dealerships in the Bay Area advertised the car at Msrp. However, when they actually reached out via email, they mentioned they will sell this “hot” car for a special price of $45,000. I replied in saying that you know your special price is $10,000 above the msrp. Their reply was it is their special price for a special car. What a way to get rid of potential customer.


Thanks

 

I bought mine new last year. I looked into TrueCar and did some research online. Some of the Bay Area dealers would tell me they had something in stock for price X. When I said I'd come in to look, they'd then say "we sold it last night, but we have another one". Trouble was the other one was higher priced. In the end I went through Costco, which ended up with no surprises and no muss/no fuss. I bought at Toyota of Sunnyvale through a salesman named Dan Fuller.

 

@Waraba

Thanks for the reply.

Did you get a Trd Pro? I tried Costco’s auto buying program but it seems the Trd Pro are not part of the program

 

Sorry, I bought a TRD OR and didn't know the Pro was excluded from Costco's program. That dealership seemed really focused on their customer service ratings, and I didn't get any weird vibes from them. You may want to inquire and see how far off they are from what you desire to pay. Outside the scope of any program I mean. Can't hurt to ask. At least you'll have another data point. Good luck with your search...