So you want to buy a 4Runner?

**I wrote this with shopping for a Tacoma in mind, but it will work for any type of vehicle**

Buying a new car can either be an exciting experience or a headache filled nightmare.

Most of us go thru the same process, showing up at the dealer, having to hear a salesman's sales pitch, or shuffling thru the many vehicles looking for the one and true love.




We all want our shopping experience to be fast, painless, and save us the most on our hard earned money.

I am going to share my shopping tips and experience in new car shopping that will yield results in a very painless method.

I came up with this method back in 2012 and it helped me net my 2013 DCSB and my current 2015 DCSB - I have also helped four other friends get trucks at great prices.

When I purchased my 2013 Tacoma - Other dealers did not believe the price I was getting to the point where they thought I had forged the final numbers on the paperwork.

Before we carry on, a few things I wanted to mention:

1. These tips will only apply to NEW vehicles - Read on, you will see why.

2. Know what you want - Dealers take advantage of people that don't know what they want. Most hate, absolutely hate people that walk into their dealership knowing what they want. I have had dealers turn me down when I approach them with what I want.

3. Do not settle for less, do not settle for more. What? don't settle for more? - WHY? - You will understand once you read thru the following process.

4. 95% of this process will be done online, so being internet savvy is a PLUS.

5. Think about how far are you willing to travel - Out of state? Across the country? Or to the opposite side of your state?

Now that I have this introductory nonsense out of the way, let's carry on.

 

First order of business:

Make sure you know what you want. Head out to the dealer, look at the different packages, colors, etc. Once you know what you want, do NOT change your mind. Take your time. It is here where it all begins and if you change your mind, you will have to start over. Don't worry about the price, you wont be buying from there anyway.

After you have decided what truck package/color you want, take a peek at the sticker. Yes, the nasty ass sticker.

Make a note of the following:

1. Stock number: Usually a four digit number - See where it says "year/model" on the sticker? - Number "7553C" is the stock number for this truck. That's the number that the dealers use to search for trucks with similar configurations at other dealers - If VIN is not available.

2. VIN number

3. Take a picture of the sticker, make sure all the information is well focused and readable.



Go home - :bikewhoops:

Once you are at the comfort of your home - Create a new email. Do NOT use your personal email. Do NOT use your work email - I will explain why.

Once that email is set up, search for the Truck you wanted on the dealer's website - search it using the VIN or the stock number. Take screen shots, download pictures, save the link.

Remember the five tips mentioned at the end of the last post? - Numero 5 - How far are you willing to travel for the right deal? When I was shopping for my trucks, I was willing to travel ANYWHERE within Texas. If you are from Texas, you damn well know how large Texas is. Yes, I was willing to travel from Houston to El Paso if the price was right.

You are now at the point where you need to know where and how far - In my case, I picked anywhere in Texas - This will be your search area.

Fire up google maps: You will now need to locate EVERY dealer within your search area.

Zoom over metropolitan areas - in my case I did San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Victoria, Abilene, Lubbock, Amarillo, Corpus Christi

Example:



Take a note of all the dealers in this area. All of them. Here comes the fun part.

 

Make a list of alllll the dealers within your search area. All of them. Every. Single. One. of. Them. - I had 150 dealers on my list when I first started - USE EXCEL!!

Starting with the first dealer - visit his website - go to the internet sales section and look for anything that will lead you to contact email for the online sales.

It can be under "contact us" or in some cases you will have to pick a random Tacoma and select something like "Get today's price" or "I am interested in this truck"

The point is to reach out to the dealer and getting your email in HIS inbox. Whether if its thru an ad that advertises Camrys or an ad for hookers and blow. Get your email to them.

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In the body of the email - Let them have it - Give them the VIN, Link, Stock number and let them know exactly what you are looking for:

"Hello, my name is Ramon.

I am looking to purchase a brand new 2015 Toyota Tacoma - I am looking for stock number 5885C in the Silver Sky Metallic Color. This is a 4x4 truck with the offroad package.

Here is a link of the truck I am looking for: -copy paste link of the truck you looked at from the first dealer-.

I am looking for nothing more, nothing less. I want a truck just like this."

I did this 150 times. Yes. I sent that same email to 150 dealers across the Lone Star State.

Notes:

1. Keep a template of the body of the email - It's easier to copy/paste the email every time you send it vs typing it over and over again.

2. If you feel nudes will help you get the deal, this is the time to submit them.

3. Keep it all organized - things are about to get hairy rreeeeeaaalllly fast - In your excel sheet - organize dealer name, location, email information, special notes, etc.

4. Do NOT include your phone number. Do NOT - unless you want it ringing off the hook - Make up a phone number or give them a dummy phone number if it wont let you submit.

Once you are done - go get some coffee, grab a beer. Whatever.

 

Did you enjoy your beer?

Remember, shopping while you are drunk makes shopping a lot more fun.



After a few hours - check your email - It will be inundated with replies. - This is the reason you need to create a new email JUST for this. Don't forget, by sending them an email, you are also signing up for their junk mail. You don't want to spend the rest of your life unsubscribing from their junk mail, just because you didn't want to create a "dummy" email.

It will contain many variations of the following 5 types of email:

A. Automated Response: "Hello, thank you for submitting your inquiry, a sales representative will contact you shortly"

B. Automated Response: "Based on the information you submitted, we have the Camry you are looking for! For just $495, this Camry can be yours!"

C. Real Person: "Thank you for reaching out, when can I call you??, Please provide your phone number"

D. Real Person: "Yes, I can offer you that truck for $28k"

E. Real Person: "Yes, I can offer you that truck with a bull bar, steps, and a spacer lift"

Let's start shifting thru the emails:

A - Delete these, hopefully the dealer will reach out to you soon. Basic automated response.

B - A Camry? WTF? - YES. Believe it or not, after inquiring about a TACOMA - they offer me a CAMRY. WTF!? It WILL happen. How the hell do they offer you a CAMRY? I do not know. Reply to the dealer with your original inquiry - Copy paste your request -

C. - Finally, a human being - and he wants to talk to you on the phone. No. Reply to them - "thank you for responding to my email, I do not want to talk on the phone yet, lets arrange this via email - Can you get me the truck I want?"

D. - Ahhh now we're talking - Respond: "Are you sure it is exactly what I asked for?" - Copy and paste your request again - Don't want the dealer offering you Caca de toro when you want Caca de Chicken.

E. - Meh, - Respond: "No sir, I want this exact truck. If you want to sell me that truck, take off the bull bars, steps and spacer left. I will only accept the options shown on the link I provided"

 

Stand your ground.

Don't settle for less, don't settle for more. Dealers will want to sell you a different package or sell you a TSS model when you want a sport. Or offer you a Camry because they have a blow-out sale.

Stand your ground.

Got it?

Okay, good.

Once you start exchanging and responding to emails, you will notice three types of dealers:

1. the dealer that wants to work with you

2. the dealer that wants to upsell another vehicle

3. the dealer that doesn't care

After these dealers notice that you know what you want and you will not budge, they will start giving you numbers. Remember that excel sheet where you were organizing all your dealer information in a nice chart? Here is where it comes handy - place all your offers in those charts.

This process will take about 3 - 4 days - enough time for all the dealers to reply, get thru all the BS automated responses, etc.

Once you feel satisfied with the amount of offers you have, separate your entire list into smaller groups.

From my original 150 dealers I emailed, my list of legit dealers that had given me an offer boiled down to 50 dealers.

I split the list into groups of 25 - two groups.

Remember High School football? Playoffs are done in brackets - teams competing with each other on opposite ends of the brackets until only two teams are left for the state championship game.

Well, this is the 2017 Toyota Tacoma dealer playoffs.​

​

In my case, I got the lowest price out of the first group, and emailed all the dealers within that group - "Thank you for making you offer, but Toyota from xxxx has offered $28,000 for the truck I want"

I repeated the process for each dealer in the second group, using the low price found in that specific group.

You will get four type of responses:

1. I will offer $27,500 - Yes!

2. Sorry, I cant do that - Bye Felicia

3. You are going to drive all the way over there for that price? - Yes sir, distance is not an issue.

4. No response - Good, weeds out the dealer that doesn't care.

Once I received everyone's response - My list of 50 dealers boiled down to 30 dealers that had replied with a lower offer.

Pick the lowest offer out of the 30 dealers.

Repeat the process again:

"Thank you for making you offer, but Toyota from xxxx has offered $26,000 for the truck I want"

You will get the same type of responses as shown above.

Repeat the iteration, over and over again. Let the dealers weed themselves out. You will get to the point where there will only be two or three dealers trying to get your business. These guys deserve a cookie. These guys are no BS dealers. Respect them. Really. If they've been responding to this point, they want your business.

 

That's how you get the lowest possible price!

The dealers will pretty much be on a bidding match to earn your business to sell you the truck you want.

Once you are down to the last two or three responsive dealers do a few more iterations - until you get the lowest price.

How do you know its the lowest price?

You will get the following responses:

1. That's below invoice.
2. I am losing money.
3. Is that with a trade in?
4. There is no way you are getting that price, send me the vin again.
5. Send me another round of nudes please.

The rest is self explanatory.

Here are a few final notes and tips.

1. Sometimes the dealer will offer the truck for less than what they paid for, in hopes that you will buy their extended warranty, paint protection program, or carpet protection stuff. Careful, don't fall in this trap.

2. Print out the email - you don't want to show up at the dealer and have them be like '"oh that wasn't us" - Happened to me.

3. Once you selected a dealer - Tell them to send you pictures of the truck. Proof that they have it.

4. When I bought my 2013 Tacoma, they tinted the windows AFTER I negotiated the price. I never asked for tinted windows. Remember when I said - don't settle for more?

Dealer - Thank you for coming in Mr. Ortiz, your truck is ready and here is your paperwork. We went ahead and tinted the windows, hope you like it.

Me - I didn't ask for tinted windows.

Dealer - I apologize, my tinting team didn't get the memo - its only $295 more. We can work it into the financing

Me - Rip it off.

Dealer - Sorry, we cant..

Me - Rip it off, I wanted no tint.

Dealer - Were in Texas, tint is a necessity Mr. Ortiz.

Me - I can install my own tint. Rip it off, or ill take my business elsewhere.

Dealer - You can have the tint for free.

 

edited pictures.

 

Thank you!

Great info!

 

use it!

 

Lol, good info Ramon!!!

 

I will!

I think We should have a complete check list for those that purchase their 4Runner used. Perhaps someone or a group will gather all the info for it.

 

Damn you got a lot of free time on your hands. I got tired reading all that. Lol. Good advice Ramon, keep up the earnest work. Can you help Connor with his question under "need some help guys"?

 

can you send me a link or tag me?

 

dont do business in victoria. theyre asses.

 

All they carry is the high end toyota packages. they refuse to stock sr5s, base packages.

 

Awesome write up! Thank you for your hard work and life experiences.

 

Haha...you've got to be kidding! All that to save and few hundred dollars? Find a store with a good reputation. Call the sales manager and ask before you go down who his best guy or gal is...best product knowledge, and best customer service. He'll tell you... ask if hel'll sell the car you want at something close to invoice so you don't have to shop around? He'll say sure. Go down, ask for the guy recommended, tell him Bob the manager is going to do the numbers so.lets find a car. And have FUN. BUYING A CAR IS A BIG DEAL AND YOU SHOULD HAVE A GOOD TIME. Yep, they may make a few hundred more than the 4000 emails method, but good grief, really??? 20 years of selling cars, just now retired... A lot of salesman are liars...desperate to make a buck. A lot of stores are unscrupulous. Reputation, and referral are the key.

 

No I am not kidding.

It wasn't a few hundred dollars.

It was a few thousand dollars.

 

I'd enjoy debating the validity of that...but my reason for interjecting was simply to offer a less exhausting method for buying a car.

 

id enjoy proving my validity... but each does what they feel is best.

This is just another way to skin the cat, take it as you wish

 

What do you tell the dealers when they ask when you want to come test drive the vehicle? Can you come today to drive, etc?

 

I test drive AFTER we come to an agreement.

 

the point is to NOT go to the dealer until you have a deal. Then you can test drive.

By deal, I mean a deal via email. don't sign anything until after you test drive.

 

what about trade in? do you negotiate price of trade in before or after you've got best price for new purchase?

 

That is tricky.

I had a trade in once and it got hairy realllly quick. Cause you are fighting two things at the same time.

Good deal on your trade in.
Good deal on what you buy.

You can do one of the two things:

1. Sell it privately.
2. Sell it to a DIFFERENT dealer.

I ended up selling it to a different dealer.

 

You Sir are a gentleman and a scholar. I'm gonna use your advice when shopping for the wife's ride!!!

 

Perfect timing thinking about trying this, I am in Texas as well

 

let me know how it goes

 

One dealer gave me a pretty decent offer right out of the gate. Other dealers that had been real chatty just kind of quit responding after I sent them the offer from that dealer. Got an offer around 26800 OTD right now. It doesn't show up on the Toyota website when I try to build it for that low of price. SR5 Premium with leather, sunroof, and tow package.