TheBlueWave
New member
Before I talk about the stealer I bought my truck from, let me tell you just a bit about me.
I am a DIY type person. I don't always like to listen to people and I learn much faster by doing things myself. So when my Civic was driving me nuts with nickel and dime stuff, I needed a new vehicle. I am an outdoors type dude so my vehicle has to accomodate. Now that I'm out of college and working I can afford a decent 4x4. So after literally 4 months of research I decided that the 4runner is right for me. I had a good experience with a '89 Toyota pickup so I figured the 4runner will be reliable and tough for many years. I am also a CR online subscriber so I read hundreds of reviews on many similar vehicles and test drove some of them. Lemme tell ya 4runner fans, your vehicle is far superior to the Trailblazer and Explorer in so many ways. The Trailblazer I-6 engine is supposed to make 291hp but the "weak" (chevy dealer said that) 4runner v6 with its measly 236hp FEELS way stronger and has some punch, something the GM engine lacked.
Now comes the fun part, finding what you want. I wanted lightly used, nothing over 2 years old and nothing over 30k miles. If anything I was trying to avoid the brand new price. So after looking on the internet for private party and dealer lists I finally found a dealer with a selection of used 4runners that were 4th gen and in great shape. I called the dealership and talked to a salesmen and he gave me info on the rides. I carefully wrote down what he said, so I could use errors against him when it came to the negotiations.
Preparing was tricky in some ways. I tried to make my Civic look good, but that was impossible, so I just cleaned it up. Next, I understood what the prices for the vehicles should be. Of course, the stealer had the sticker prices higher than KBB prices. So I show up at Carlson and Nick Paulson is waiting for me. He likes to make appointments with the potential buyers, which was nice becuase he focused in on me. We went for a cruise and I never let on to the fact that I was determined to leave the lot in a new ride. I didn't act excited or nervous in any way, even though I was plenty of both. I kept our conversation to an absolute minimum during the test drive and took a very withdrawn attitude into the dealership. When we stopped, I gave the car a very detailed visual inspection. I had a flashlight and used it! I crawled under the vehicle and looked at everything on the undercarriage. I gave the interior a detailed look also, all while poor Nick is standing there holding my coat. I mean hey, it had a metal zipper and I didn't want to scratch the truck!
So now I decided in my head I wanted it, and boy did I want it! Nick and I went inside and he immediately pulled out paperwork. He told me salesmen here don't negotiate with buyers. He asked me to start filling out the forms, writing my price on the bottom. I could always tear it up if I didn't like the deal. Well, this is unacceptable. I told Nick I refused to negotiate with a piece of paper and that I had all day to fill out forms. They wanted $26k for the truck. I told them $22.5k, reasonable but low. Nick shook his head and said he'd never go for it. I said if "he" has something to say to me, he should come out and we can make a deal. Nick comes back with Greg, the negotiator. Greg laughed at my offer and showed me something different. He could take $1k off the sticker plus my trade in. I laughed right back and explained that I am looking to buy the dealer, not the truck. I countered again and he decided he could take off another grand. I said okay, now how much for my Civic? I told them $1.5k (the thing has appearance issues and could have been sold to a buddy for like $300 at most) and that I was firm. Bently then drives my Civic and says $800 and NO MORE. Well, I wasn't satisfied with that. I wanted my goddamn $1.5k for the Civic! I rattled off tons of reasons why I am not getting a good deal. The advertised milage on the 4runner was low compared to actual and that mattered to ME. Finally I came down to $1.2k for the Civic, but that wasn't good enough for them. They wanted to give me $1k, or "split" the $400 I wanted. I grabbed up my stuff and got my Civic key back and told them I was going to visit one of the 5 other, larger dealers in the Twin Cities area. The dude finally gave in then and gave me the deal I wanted, $22.8k
Financed using Toyota financial's college graduate program, picked up Platinum coverage, got 7.45%. Not bad, I think I did a good job. Next time I will have some credit and will secure my loan before I go to the stealer.
Overall Carlson wasn't bad, but I had to practically force them to wash the rig before I left, and there was no jack and tool kit so I had to buy that stuff myself. It was a small dealer, which has its ups and downs. I would encourage someone to try it out, but wouldn't refer someone to them.
I am a DIY type person. I don't always like to listen to people and I learn much faster by doing things myself. So when my Civic was driving me nuts with nickel and dime stuff, I needed a new vehicle. I am an outdoors type dude so my vehicle has to accomodate. Now that I'm out of college and working I can afford a decent 4x4. So after literally 4 months of research I decided that the 4runner is right for me. I had a good experience with a '89 Toyota pickup so I figured the 4runner will be reliable and tough for many years. I am also a CR online subscriber so I read hundreds of reviews on many similar vehicles and test drove some of them. Lemme tell ya 4runner fans, your vehicle is far superior to the Trailblazer and Explorer in so many ways. The Trailblazer I-6 engine is supposed to make 291hp but the "weak" (chevy dealer said that) 4runner v6 with its measly 236hp FEELS way stronger and has some punch, something the GM engine lacked.
Now comes the fun part, finding what you want. I wanted lightly used, nothing over 2 years old and nothing over 30k miles. If anything I was trying to avoid the brand new price. So after looking on the internet for private party and dealer lists I finally found a dealer with a selection of used 4runners that were 4th gen and in great shape. I called the dealership and talked to a salesmen and he gave me info on the rides. I carefully wrote down what he said, so I could use errors against him when it came to the negotiations.
Preparing was tricky in some ways. I tried to make my Civic look good, but that was impossible, so I just cleaned it up. Next, I understood what the prices for the vehicles should be. Of course, the stealer had the sticker prices higher than KBB prices. So I show up at Carlson and Nick Paulson is waiting for me. He likes to make appointments with the potential buyers, which was nice becuase he focused in on me. We went for a cruise and I never let on to the fact that I was determined to leave the lot in a new ride. I didn't act excited or nervous in any way, even though I was plenty of both. I kept our conversation to an absolute minimum during the test drive and took a very withdrawn attitude into the dealership. When we stopped, I gave the car a very detailed visual inspection. I had a flashlight and used it! I crawled under the vehicle and looked at everything on the undercarriage. I gave the interior a detailed look also, all while poor Nick is standing there holding my coat. I mean hey, it had a metal zipper and I didn't want to scratch the truck!
So now I decided in my head I wanted it, and boy did I want it! Nick and I went inside and he immediately pulled out paperwork. He told me salesmen here don't negotiate with buyers. He asked me to start filling out the forms, writing my price on the bottom. I could always tear it up if I didn't like the deal. Well, this is unacceptable. I told Nick I refused to negotiate with a piece of paper and that I had all day to fill out forms. They wanted $26k for the truck. I told them $22.5k, reasonable but low. Nick shook his head and said he'd never go for it. I said if "he" has something to say to me, he should come out and we can make a deal. Nick comes back with Greg, the negotiator. Greg laughed at my offer and showed me something different. He could take $1k off the sticker plus my trade in. I laughed right back and explained that I am looking to buy the dealer, not the truck. I countered again and he decided he could take off another grand. I said okay, now how much for my Civic? I told them $1.5k (the thing has appearance issues and could have been sold to a buddy for like $300 at most) and that I was firm. Bently then drives my Civic and says $800 and NO MORE. Well, I wasn't satisfied with that. I wanted my goddamn $1.5k for the Civic! I rattled off tons of reasons why I am not getting a good deal. The advertised milage on the 4runner was low compared to actual and that mattered to ME. Finally I came down to $1.2k for the Civic, but that wasn't good enough for them. They wanted to give me $1k, or "split" the $400 I wanted. I grabbed up my stuff and got my Civic key back and told them I was going to visit one of the 5 other, larger dealers in the Twin Cities area. The dude finally gave in then and gave me the deal I wanted, $22.8k
Financed using Toyota financial's college graduate program, picked up Platinum coverage, got 7.45%. Not bad, I think I did a good job. Next time I will have some credit and will secure my loan before I go to the stealer.
Overall Carlson wasn't bad, but I had to practically force them to wash the rig before I left, and there was no jack and tool kit so I had to buy that stuff myself. It was a small dealer, which has its ups and downs. I would encourage someone to try it out, but wouldn't refer someone to them.
