How to maximize buying experience at dealership?

[J4runner721]

I did a whole lot of research before buying my 4runner. Things to look for, tint job, protection stuff for your car or other bs stuff they'll mention to you, I would 100% decline those. Those are unnecessary things during your purchase and it adds up to your monthly total cost and more money to their pockets. Additional add-ons can be done AFTER your purchase.

I would recommend doing inspections on

Buttons - inspect if they're working properly
Seats - insure they reclined, heater working
Handles - wiggle them if they're loose
Lights - Make sure they're properly working
A/C and Heater - crank them up!

There's plenty more to check, I would go through them carefully and take your time!

I wouldn't even let them wash the car even if its free. They'll use those swirl machine and ends up scratching your brand new car, fuck no lol.

Decline additional offers from the Finance people(They won't be happy though), always welcome discounts if they're available. Anything that can lower your total out the door price helps. Just remember, monthly payment is least of your worry, OTD is. Good luck!

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[omegasunberry]

When you get into the finance room, the finance person will present you with 3-5 options, different combos of BS addons. Go with option 6, the one he didn’t mention but always exists: none of the above.

This is exactly what I did when I picked up my new Limited a few weeks ago. I went with the lines, "I'm all out of money after buying the 4Runner," and "I'll just trust that it's built like a Toyota." Haha

 

[4runnerguy]

Thanks everyone for the insightful responses, I truly appreciate the feedback. Long message incoming:

To give a bit more context: when I first spoke with the sales rep at the dealership (the Friday before Christmas), he mentioned that they typically add an anti-theft device and pulsing brake lights and asked whether I wanted them. That conversation was over the phone, but I did firmly tell him ‘No, I do not want either of those add-ons.’

While reviewing the out-the-door pricing more closely (especially after reading the dealership 'horror stories'), I noticed that the pricing does include the anti-theft system and pulsing brake lights that I had already declined verbally. I sent a follow up email Sunday confirming that I do not want any dealer-installed add-ons and that I also respectfully prefer the vehicle not have the dealer logo applied. TBD on their response.

One other item that stood out in the OTD pricing is a $699 dealer handling fee, which appears to be in addition to the $1,495 delivery, processing, and handling that’s already baked into the $64,479 vehicle price. I’m trying to understand whether this dealer handling fee is negotiable or just standard practice. It feels a bit redundant, but as my questions reveal, I’m still a n00b when it comes to buying from a dealership and want to make sure I am interpreting this correctly.

One additional note: when I originally found the vehicle online, I saw two listings for the same VIN. One listing from Corwin Toyota showed a price of $64,479, while another listing from the Corwin Auto Group showed the same vehicle for $63,979 : a $500 difference. Since it’s the same dealer group and the same VIN, I’m curious whether there’s any reasonable way to ask them to honor the lower advertised price.

As for the “dibs” down payment — it is non-refundable, but it can be applied toward any other vehicle in Corwin’s inventory. I understand that putting money down before the truck even hits the lot may signal to the dealership that I “want it bad,” but at this point it is what it is. I’m just trying to make sure everything is hunky dory when the vehicle arrives.

Again, I really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences. This has been extremely helpful.

 

[Nodak]

from personal experience, the corwin toyota in fargo was jacking prices with ADM by at $5000 during covid and still does to this day i think.

think its still the same family group way over here so, just a note to you.

not really surprised with the $700 dealer handling fee.

each dealer will slide a doc fee in there somewhere, its how much do you want to pay them extra for it.

i mean my dealer doc fee was a measley $225 and they state it on the dealer website.

 

[NotApplicable]

I’m trying to understand whether this dealer handling fee is negotiable or just standard practice.

At least where I live, the doc fee is negotiable, but it's usually around $200. No harm in asking for a reduction here.

One listing from Corwin Toyota showed a price of $64,479, while another listing from the Corwin Auto Group showed the same vehicle for $63,979 : a $500 difference. Since it’s the same dealer group and the same VIN, I’m curious whether there’s any reasonable way to ask them to honor the lower advertised price.

I think it's reasonable to ask them to honor the lowest advertised price for the VIN, if not lower. Unless we're talking about a hard-to-get trim here, I think 4Runner inventory nationwide supports a purchase price of at least a couple thousand dollars under MSRP. Inventory shows we're no longer in the COVID crazy days, and if your dealership indicates otherwise it reflects a lack of a willingness to be realistic, so I'd have some hesitation there.

 

[4runnerguy]

Update, in case anyone (likely no one) was curious how this played out:

The vehicle eventually arrived at the dealership, and I also arrived at the dealership that very day. It had 12 miles on it when I first test-drove it. Hm, were letting others test drive it?! Who knows. That said, we confirmed there were no dealer add-ons, and the price was as expected.

I did ask about the $500 cheaper listing I saw on the Corwin Automotive Group site versus the Corwin Toyota listing. Same VIN, same vehicle. The sales rep said, “Let me go check,” he disappeared, and then a goon showed up and, in many words, told me no.

Apparently that price only applied if I had a trade-in, and since I placed my deposit through the dealership website, I couldn’t get the Auto Group price. Same VIN, different rules. Felt a little BS to me, but honestly I didn’t care enough to fight it, I was going to buy this vehicle regardless.

The experience overall wasn’t bad, just… annoying. They misspelled my name on several important documents (including registration) even after I corrected them. After assuring me they could beat or match my credit union interest rate, they ran a hard pull on my credit… and then came back and said they couldn't. Lol.

Of course, I was sent to the principal's office for the extended warranty upsell, but I politely declined. They pressed and I politely declined a second time.

They also stuck their dealership sticker on the truck even though I specifically asked them not to. Not really a gripe with the dealership/ reason for a bad review, it was more annoying than anything. The minor annoyances felt like death by a thousand paper cuts, and I was ready to grab the keys and get out of there. Thankfully, the sticker peeled off easily.


All that said, I’m happy to be done with the process and even happier with the outcome. I’ve been the proud owner of a ’26 ORP Hybrid in Everest Green for about three weeks now.

Hope this helps anyone else going through the dance

 

[Nodak]

yeah i would never deal with corwin group no matter the brand they sell.

the only corwin in ND is in fargo and they still do ADM. it was horrible during covid, 10k markups during and still do outrageous markups up to around 5k now.

 

[Desert_6Gen]

Update, in case anyone (likely no one) was curious how this played out:

The vehicle eventually arrived at the dealership, and I also arrived at the dealership that very day. It had 12 miles on it when I first test-drove it. Hm, were letting others test drive it?! Who knows. That said, we confirmed there were no dealer add-ons, and the price was as expected.

I did ask about the $500 cheaper listing I saw on the Corwin Automotive Group site versus the Corwin Toyota listing. Same VIN, same vehicle. The sales rep said, “Let me go check,” he disappeared, and then a goon showed up and, in many words, told me no.

Apparently that price only applied if I had a trade-in, and since I placed my deposit through the dealership website, I couldn’t get the Auto Group price. Same VIN, different rules. Felt a little BS to me, but honestly I didn’t care enough to fight it, I was going to buy this vehicle regardless.

The experience overall wasn’t bad, just… annoying. They misspelled my name on several important documents (including registration) even after I corrected them. After assuring me they could beat or match my credit union interest rate, they ran a hard pull on my credit… and then came back and said they couldn't. Lol.

Of course, I was sent to the principal's office for the extended warranty upsell, but I politely declined. They pressed and I politely declined a second time.

They also stuck their dealership sticker on the truck even though I specifically asked them not to. Not really a gripe with the dealership/ reason for a bad review, it was more annoying than anything. The minor annoyances felt like death by a thousand paper cuts, and I was ready to grab the keys and get out of there. Thankfully, the sticker peeled off easily.


All that said, I’m happy to be done with the process and even happier with the outcome. I’ve been the proud owner of a ’26 ORP Hybrid in Everest Green for about three weeks now.

Hope this helps anyone else going through the dance

I had my dealer remove their stupid sticker before I signed the paperwork. no fuss. I've bought plenty of new vehicles so I know what to ask for, what to expect and how to respond. There is always that survey manufactures send you to rate the dealer. No dealer has ever earned a 5 star from me. They effect their year end commissions from the manufacture and can be a good last minute bargaining chip if it's played right.

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