I was looking to buy a new 4Runner. I contacted USAA's buying service who gave me a firm price at a dealer near my area. I called the dealer and they said that is only a starting point. I mentioned the words bait and switch and he said he had no idea why USAA would provide me that price. But he would be glad to sell me something else. Needless to say I am calling USAA and I am not happy.

He also tells me Toyota is only providing 5% of the total 4Runner 2010s normally available in this region since they are re-directing the assembly lines to help with the recall. Makes no sense + the 4Runner is made totally in Japan.

He also told me I can't get the vehcile I wanted (Trail with no package options) because Toyota will not make a Trail with no Options. I had "built" my Trail right from the Toyota website where it clearly says there are only 2 option packages and I chose neither.

I'll have USAA deal with the first paragraph. Can someone tell me anything relative to the latter two?
Thanks
KnoxDawg

I think someone at the stealership is blowing smoke up your tailpipe. If you are a USAA member (as I am), there is a section on their member web page where you can type in the make & model of a particular vehicle and it will provide 'pre-negotiated' prices at dealerships in your region.

Last time I used the site, it gave me three or four different returns for one type of car. I got a quote from a dealer 20 miles away, another within 50 miles and a third one 150 miles away......each with prices within a few hundred dollars of each other. This is supposed to be a "hard and fast" price that is offered to USAA members without having to negotiate with some schmuck at a dealership.

USAA is very selective about companies with whom they do business or those who seek to offer services to USAA members. If the stealership indeed did a 'bait and switch' with you, I would definitely let someone at USAA know what is going on. They'll look into it and may dump that dealership from their 'preferred' list. This, of course, is probably contingent upon you dealing ONLY WITH the designated contact in their sales department - rather than just "any salesman" who greets you at the door when you enter the showroom.

Costco also has an auto purchase program - and they do take complaints from members very seriously when it comes to affiliated companies who seek to do business with club members.

We work too hard for our money, and it is totally ridiculous what some of these scumbags try to do these days!!

+1

Makes no sense, the pedal affect in the recall is a 3rd party supplied part for North American made Toyotas. Unless Toyota vehicle manufacturing lines are now making pedals, it's a stinky pile of BS.

You can get 4Runner any trim without any options. You can't have them delete standard features, but no options is possible. Either the sales person and/or dealer, doesn't want to, know that they can or know how.

I ran into the same problem when I bought my 4R about 18 months ago. USAA gave me a price, the dealership wouldn't honor, I went to a different dealership and they beat the USAA price. It was only a few hundred dollars but everything helps. Let us know what USAA says.

Knox -

Your dealer is blowing exhaust up your manifold.

One can special order a vehicle based on the options available. Many dealers do not want to do a special order since it counts against their "allocation". A true special order takes MONTHS and needs to be approved and then fit into the production schedule.

Some dealers will take your request, call it a special order but not submit it to the factory and then try to find a vehicle already built that is allocated to another dealer and make a swap.

One member thought he did a special order and waited for months only to find the dealer did not really order it and was trying (unsuccessfully) to offload a truck that was close but not what was asked for. The member was really p-offed.

The process of a special order and swapping between dealers for Toyota is wacked, non-sensical and requires a deep understanding of their distributor arrangements, production scheduling and marketing.

I think you are encountering why many of us just avoid dealerships like the plague. The arrogance they exhibit even in this tough economy is utter nonsense.

Look around and find a member here or on Yota Tech for example that bought already what you want. Save a bundle on that new car depreciation and avoid dealing with a cocky dealership all together.

You should be able to save roughly 10% off list price in taking one sitting on a lot that the dealer can't seem to sell. For example, just yesterday local Denver dealership had a 2010 Trail edition at 10% off.

On a $33K truck that is significant if you ask me, of course I would never buy new in the first place.It's your wallet.

Good luck getting what you want.

Thanks for all the replies. When I looked on line at the dealership inventory, they didn't have 1 4Runner in stock. My assumption (we know that means) was if they didn't have one they would find one and sell it to me at the USAA negotiated price. I was wrong.
All I got was the BS I mentioned earlier and "come on down as we have plenty of other Toyotas". When I called USAA later, they said if you read the pricing ceretifcate, it says for cars in stock only. In smaller print. What is in large print is the 'Your price: $xx,xxx with the options you chose".

Silly me I guess for thinking that meant that is what I would pay, not counting tag, title, etc, of course. So much for pre-negotiated, hassle free pricing. Heck, I could haggle with a dealer myself without the USAA middle man.

I've been a member of USAA for more than 30 years and they are always great. But, I told the rep that their pricing certificate is misleading at best.

Since there aren't any 4Runners in this region that have the things I want on it, I guess I will have to look at something else. Thanks again all.

Sorry to hear that, I went through USAA for my 2010 (shown below) and it went to 4 dealers in San Diego, all within a couple hundred, so I went with the lowest and worked with him for nearly 4 months until he found that specific vehicle I wanted. Finding a shoreline blue LE with black interior was a painful wait, but my internet sales rep from the dealership was awesome.

I dont know where you are in the country, but if its around a large area, put in a different zip code and see if other dealers pop up.

USAA doesn't actually give you a price quote, USAA gives you a price they think is resonable, then they send that price to local dealers to see if they will match it.

If a dealer doesn't want to match the USAA price take your buisness elsewhere.