When you bought your new 4Runner...

[Larry]

Did you do your research before you ever saw a dealership? Was the sales person a valuable source of information? Did your sales person know where the hood release is or have other specalized 4Runner knowledge that came from the dealership product knowledge training program?

I can remember some of the qestions that stumped my sales person:

1. How is the spare lowered.
2. Is the spare a full sized spare with a mag wheel like the other four wheels.
3. Where is the jack.
4. Where are the dipsticks for the oil and transmission.
5. Cabin air filter...
6. Rear window operation.
7. I wanted a 2X4, now a 4X4 and he had a hard time telling which was which.
8. I was told that the lower horsepower for the V8 vs V6 must have been a misprint.
9. Info on the competition...not
10 . When asked if Toyota has road side assistance (they don't) he said not to worry because you have a warranty that includes towing (not sure?)
11. When asked about the 'Sport' he said it cornered better because the hood scoop.

Well, I finally went to the general manager and got a fleet sales guy and worked out a deal. I had been to 4 dealers, did my research and got the deal that I wanted, but the sales people were no help at all.

 

[Boaz]

I can't belive what the average car salesman does'nt know. I cant belive what the average service writer doesnt know.

Is there some formal training or requirements for these jobs?

In my line of work (military) If you are trying to present something to someone else, you better know your shit. And if you do not, its a direct reflection on your abilitys and self. The lack of professionalism in sales these days blows my minds. And its bullshit that the consumers just accept it or take the sales persons "word" for it. ....im gonna stop before this really turns into a rant...

To answer your question, I bout my runner used, but when I looked at New 4r's I felt like I knew more about them than the "senior sales rep"... yeah that was his title. Sorry for the partial thread jack Larry..:awais:

 

[Northof49]

I was a Toyota sales guy....looks like I found the release....

 

[JB.]

My pet peave is pretense. I called one salesman and told him my "musts". One of them was XREAS. He calmly asked me what that was. Right then I decided to deal with him, if possible, and ended up buying from him.

 

[jharris2]

Did you do your research before you ever saw a dealership? Was the sales person a valuable source of information? Did your sales person know where the hood release is or have other specalized 4Runner knowledge that came from the dealership product knowledge training program?

Regardless of what you're buying, do your research first. Use multiple sources of information, if possible, so you have the best possible knowledge.

It's much better to be an educated buyer, and I personally hate for a sales rep to know more than me (they can think they know more, but you can use that to advantage).

 

[Larry]

Toyota sales guy, does the dealership train car and service sales people?

 

[tkr128]

I was not going to buy a 4Runner at first because I didn't like the cladding, but I thought I would check them out anyway. Most of the salespeople ignored me because I was so young, but the one guy that did come up to me obviously didn't know anything. I saw an SR5 with the color-keyed cladding and asked him if all SR5's came with painted cladding and he had a confused look on his face and said "yeah, see it's painted" then I pointed to the one next to it and asked why that one had the gray cladding. He just ignored my question and showed me some features. Then, I asked him if the SR5 came with the auto climate control and his response was, "No, only the Limiteds come with that". I pointed to the window sticker and asked him why it was listed as standard equipment and after 2 minutes, he said "oh, that just means it's a regular air conditioner".

After that ordeal, I did some research and found out that Toyota added the Apperance Package with the painted cladding and that's what pretty much sealed the deal for me. I bought mine a month later from an Internet fleet sales guy at a different dealer who knew a bit more about the car. I think it's best to do all the research you can before making a decision to buy a car. It's not something you want to do and then have doubts about later on.

Whew...sorry for the long post!

 

[Northof49]

Toyota sales guy, does the dealership train car and service sales people?

I can't speak for everyone, of course, but in Canada all Toyota product advisors, sales managers and service people go through training. Unfortunately, this does not mean that everytime a model is updated there is a someone standing there making your read the brochure and manual cover to cover.....obviously some salespeople are more interested in doing that than others. In the US, I'm not 100% clear on the policy, however, I would be very surprized if dealers didn't require at least SOME training.....however, by a PA not knowing some of the stuff you listed, one can't help but wonder.

Any vehicle salesperson's is very busy, entails long hours, and is very stressful. I know many people would like to think otherwise, but I've grown up in this industry and that's the bottom line. Product knowledge is a part of that, but understand that there's no direct pay for sitting around reading specs......sure it may help you to sell more effectively, but not everyone sees it that way.

Another huge problem in sales is turnover.....many large dealerships regularily lose and replace a PA every month. Is a guy in his first month at a dealership going to know all the specs of all the models, pricing, competitive models, used inventory specs/pricing, and all the necessary procedures off the top of his head? Hell no!

I'd write more on this....but I gotta go out drinking, so it'll have to wait

 

[Mark86]

I did a little research about SUV's online, but nothing too deep. I only looked at engine options, price, and a few other mechanical facts. When I went to the Toyota dealer, I told the salesman that I wanted my 4Runner to have full time 4WD (my only requirement). He then answered me that full time 4WD was only available on the Limited trim. Believing that, I left the dealer upset because I didn't want such an expensive vehicle and I loved the truck. As I was flipping through the brocheure that night, I saw that full time 4WD was standard on all V8 models. I even went ahead and called the 1800 number for Toyota and they told me the same. I went back to the dealer the next week and the salesman told me that I was correct. The only other problem I had was the salesman told me that I can add the auto-dimming mirror from Toyota onto my truck. The mirror from Toyota did not work and I had to go with an aftermarket mirror.

 

[Derek]

Well, when I bought my '04 SR5 the salesman was very knowledgable about the vehicle and all of its features which impressed me. But the sales manager and the people there were very pushy and to be honest quite annoying. I just hate dealing with salespeople. The whole experience was a bad one and I will never go back to that dealership again.


This time around, since I knew exactly what I wanted, I had planned on just shopping around and talking to different dealerships. I went up to Marietta Toyota and was greeted by a saleslady as soon as I stepped foot out of my car. I explained my lemon law situation to her and how I was trying to find a 4Runner but wouldn't actually be buying it until my lawsuit was settled. Well, she didn't like that at all, and kept asking me "what can I do to sell you a car today?" :bash: I told her over and over again that I wasn't going to purchase anything today so I that's when I decided to leave and never go back there.

In the end, I went to Cherokee Toyota because a friend of mine knew the owner and said he'd work with me so I wouldn't have to deal with a sales person. And it ended up being the best experience I've had so far in purchasing a vehicle. The whole process took less than an hour and I didn't have to play the whole negotiate game like I had everywhere else.

 

[Northof49]

Just curious.....since some seem to hate the negotiating and pressure aspects of dealerships (and rightly so), would you rather a 1 price system? No negotiating, much less pressure, much more emphasis on product knowledge, etc....

BUT the catch is, everyone pays the same price, period.....no "I know the salesman" buddy deals, no deals for being a good negotiator, period.....just like buying a frying pan at Wal-Mart.

How would you feel about that?

 

[Sac State]

Just curious.....since some seem to hate the negotiating and pressure aspects of dealerships (and rightly so), would you rather a 1 price system? No negotiating, much less pressure, much more emphasis on product knowledge, etc....

BUT the catch is, everyone pays the same price, period.....no "I know the salesman" buddy deals, no deals for being a good negotiator, period.....just like buying a frying pan at Wal-Mart.

How would you feel about that?

Ok, I did it at Carmax. Best car buying experience ever for a new vehicle. That last $150 is not worth playing grabass with a sales person.

Carmax rules, the local dealer, when I bought my other Runner, was warned I'd walk back to Carmax if they played games. They acknowledged Carmax and sold me the Runner at the Carmax price.

I was in and out of the dealer in 30 minutes with a smile on my face. Which is a complete opposite 6-8 hour gut wrenching back and forth dealings of most dealerships. Past experiences left me with a throbbing headache, heartburn, tired feet, etc. Buying a new car should be an enjoyable experience.

I don't want to deal, I want to buy.

A salesperson should 'sell' me on the car, not take orders. Which most do, if they want to take my order, here it is after I have thoroughly researched what I want and walk in and announce it in the dealers microphone. At the price i want to pay, or a fair price such as Carmax.

For those who don't know, Carmax in Maryland sells NEW Toyota's.

 

[snap315]

Most Salespeople around here are CLUELESS

I've been trying to locate and buy my 4Runner for about a month now.

I want an almost fully loaded Limited 4x4, V8 with X-REAS.

Most of the salespeople I've dealt with are clueless about most aspects of the vehicles they are peddling.

They don't know specs, features, options, functions, or just about anything else about the vehicles.

What the heck do they do all day long?

In my field (technician) I'm expected to know about the equipment I'm working on. Why don't salespeople know about ALL the vehicles they are trying to sell? There aren't that many models. They should be able to memorize one model a week. They should know ALL the options, specs, etc.

Since selling is their PRIMARY job I don't think it's asking too much that they learn about the product they're trying to sell! :bash:

I've known WAY MORE than EVERY salesperson I've talked to!

To me, they are clueless people who are just making ends meat until something better comes along job-wise and they could care less if a Corolla has a V6 or a V8.

 

[BenSD]

The first things I researched were saftey, reliability, and stock off-road performance. This pretty much eliminated everyone else. I wanted to get at least 17 to 18MPG, and the V6 4X4 fell into that category. It was an added bonus that the 4R had the best styling of the bunch. It was just a matter of visiting the dealership to do some test drives, and check out the vehicles in person. The sales guy I delt with didn't know everything about the vehicle, but he was the first to admit he didn't know about a given topic, then said he could get the answer.

That response was just fine with me. You expect the sales people to have a certain level of understanding about the product, but at the same time, they can't possibly know everythin about every single detail. They should know the big stuff, but I'd much rather hear them say they don't know something about the fine details than make up a BS answer.

 

[gRunner3]

As stated earlier, I'm sure the turnover rate is a big factor in the salespersons lack of product knowledge. But I suspect that the majority of "training" these individuals receive is geared towards sales tactics rather than product knowledge. If Honda demanded that their sales people spend more time studying and gaining product knowledge, Toyota would probably do the same. But if your competition is focused entirely on selling you must do the same in order to stay in business.

A good employee looking for an edge would do some product research on their own time. This is no different than any other industry. However, there is only a small percentage of employees that will actually do this.

We are probably still in the minority in that we research vehicles before buying them. I know of a lot of people who still show up to a dealership with the intention of buying a new car they've never driven or done any research on.

 

[Larry]

To me, they are clueless people who are just making ends meat until something better comes along job-wise and they could care less if a Corolla has a V6 or a V8.

Silly...the Corolla comes standard with the V6 and the V8 is only available with the Limited package. The new Limited Sport, due out this October will have the optional supercharger with the V8. You're getting to be just like a salesman, not knowing anything about the products. And please don't ask about the AWD option. It's not planned until '07. They were planning to compete with the new Audi A3 but they can't get the Corolla's electrical system to short out, or the transmission to fail or the brakes to wear out in under 25k miles so Toyota is going to give up. The service department will just have to keep on inventing work to stay in business. On, how lucky those Audi service departments are with those little golden geese that stop by every few weeks and lay a golden egg in the service department cash register.

 

[GYoter]

When i bought mine it took 6 dealers before i actually decided who to buy from. Most of the salesmorons knew NOTHING about the 4runner. Some of them admitted that fact and said they know the camrys and corrola. That is fine, so i nicely ask them to go away and send someone over who does know the runner, which they never do. Other people i just blatantly walk away from shaking my head. To add to the fun over half the people barely spoke english.

If i am gonna spend 30k+ they better know at least something. I cant expect them to know everything i know, but they shouldnt make shit up just to try selling it.

Last time i was at the dealer i went over looking at the new 4runners with the sole purpose of stumping the sales guy. After correcting him for his 3 wrong answers i told him maybe he should learn about the car before trying to tell me about it. I kinda felt like a dick, but it was just too much fun.

 

[rdist]

11. When asked about the 'Sport' he said it cornered better because the hood scoop.

LMAO that's interesting....

 

[Northof49]

As stated earlier, I'm sure the turnover rate is a big factor in the salespersons lack of product knowledge. But I suspect that the majority of "training" these individuals receive is geared towards sales tactics rather than product knowledge. If Honda demanded that their sales people spend more time studying and gaining product knowledge, Toyota would probably do the same. But if your competition is focused entirely on selling you must do the same in order to stay in business.

A good employee looking for an edge would do some product research on their own time. This is no different than any other industry. However, there is only a small percentage of employees that will actually do this.

We are probably still in the minority in that we research vehicles before buying them. I know of a lot of people who still show up to a dealership with the intention of buying a new car they've never driven or done any research on.

Nail on the head right here.

There is definetly a ton of people that simply show up because they "like" a certain car....usually because of friends with good experiences and such. Does a 55 y/o woman buying a Camry give a shit where the alternator is under the hood? Of course not!

In addition, certain smug people research the shit out of a vehicle and come in trying to stump the salesguy.....do the average PA know what type of fluid is in a Torsen diif, or what the stall is on a 4Runner's auto trans? Of course not!

 

[Northof49]

When i bought mine it took 6 dealers before i actually decided who to buy from. Most of the salesmorons knew NOTHING about the 4runner. Some of them admitted that fact and said they know the camrys and corrola. That is fine, so i nicely ask them to go away and send someone over who does know the runner, which they never do. Other people i just blatantly walk away from shaking my head. To add to the fun over half the people barely spoke english.

If i am gonna spend 30k+ they better know at least something. I cant expect them to know everything i know, but they shouldnt make shit up just to try selling it.

Last time i was at the dealer i went over looking at the new 4runners with the sole purpose of stumping the sales guy. After correcting him for his 3 wrong answers i told him maybe he should learn about the car before trying to tell me about it. I kinda felt like a dick, but it was just too much fun.

If you already know all the product info, why bother wasting his and your time asking about such things and just skip right to price negotiation?

PA's SHOULD know most of the answer's, but if you already know more than them (which isn't hard by reading sites like this), who cares what they know?? Just talk price and buy the thing!