Delearship customizing. pro's and con's

[TC3racerM11]

Wouldn't it be a cool option if dealerships customized 4runners and sold them alongside the rest of their 4runner lineups. I say this because about a year ago I saw this one brand new fj cruiser they hopped up and it looked really functional and looked good. Best of all it was all warrantied. It had larger bfg mud terrains, suspension lift, exhaust and some other goodies. It wasn't a used one it was like a dealership custom special. Good things would be that you see it, you drive it and you know what you're getting. Price is as you see it. Best thing you probably won't be going out the next day and trying to do some major suspension or wheel / tire option swipe because you've got what you like. Believe me when I saw the fj cruiser and seen what they did to it. First thought on my head was "it would be nice if they can customize 4runners and offer them on the dealership lots as well" Anyways just a thought. Since scion offers custom options and this dealearship did it to the fj cruiser and, why not the 4runners. This would seem a possible market in the many who want a 4runner and not have to wait many years to do the things they want to it. Lets hear your pro's and con's.

 

[J.A.]

Takes all the fun out of it.

 

[TC3racerM11]

true but would definetly give you a good jumpstart since most of the major stuff would already be done. (suspension and tires) I learned the hard way in my 20's lifting a 91 nissan 2wd from bone stock and spending a fortune and time on it. Come to think of it even at the nissan dealership I sometimes see some of their frontiers done up. Hmm this also brings up another thought. After all the suspension work is done wouldn't it be an assurance to know that the dealership can warranty their work since they did the mods? I say this cause after all the work on my nissan truck I still have it but went through a lot of learning experiences with after effects of lifting it. (drivetrain, transmission, etc.) Hmm maybe that's why I am reluctant to do a lift on my 4runner. Had it for almost 3 years and it's still looks the way it did when I bought it new. Believe me I want to do so much to it after joining this forum awhile back but I wanted to make sure I made wise choices for it. Definetly though I'd still wish the dealership would look into the mods of their 4runners. (suspension and tires).

 

[HB 4X4]

They do occasionally. Depends on the dealer. I have seen them already lifted, 33" tires, lights, roof rack, after market wheels, etc.

But I agree, it takes all of the fun out of it.

 

[toto]

One of Toyota's regional distributors, Southeast Toyota (SET) does that, and they even make up their own model designators for "standard" packages of aftermarket modifications. For example, the 4Runner X-SP is one of their creations (thread here).

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I think the economy will have to stabilize quite a bit before we see too many dealers offering extras since they are having problems moving their regular stock.

Besides most of customizing adds a lot to the price but it's nice to be able to finance the mods too.

 

[gm350reratliff]

Con- once dealers stumble on to something that works, they stick with it. You won't be the only one like that on the road.

2nd con- those aftermarket parts are only going to be covered by the dealer who did the work. If your miles away from your home dealer and something goes wrong with those parts your screwed. Because Toyota doesn't care who put them on. You may be able to recover some money when you return though.

 

[TC3racerM11]

I think the economy will have to stabilize quite a bit before we see too many dealers offering extras since they are having problems moving their regular stock.

Besides most of customizing adds a lot to the price but it's nice to be able to finance the mods too.

Definetly a pro to delearship customizing on the finance stuff. I like the idea that the price you see is what you are getting. It's up to the buyer to decide what fits the budget. Like I said before when you think about it. How much time and effort and going around looking and dealing and figuring does one exactly want to do. As long as the basics are there you can always add on to it later. Definetly helps the budget I'd say. I'd rather spend that time using the runner since we pay so much nowadays. Times are truly tuff and maybe many are holding off on doing what they want to do. True also that nowadays moving stock is hard but it would be nice to add some flavor to the stock to help it out. As far as the one runner I saw with 20 inch wheels well maybe the dealership should stick with the off road minded look and fuction. On another note I really liked what they did with the fj. Aside from what I mentioned it also had a nice warn looking bumper with a winch on it to. I wish I had taken a picture of it back then. Price was decent also when you figure you take out the time and effort stuff.