Ok, so I've been doing my research and I decided that my new car was going to be an XB. I drove to Stadium Toyota in Tampa and grabbed the first kid that I saw and asked for a test drive. I mentioned that I am a person that does my research and appreciated the pure price strategy because there is nothing worse than having your intelligence insulted when making a big purchase. He got the hint and acted accordingly.

First let me say, he was a nice guy - no - pressure. But as soon as the boss got involved it was the same old story. I got left in the cubicle forever followed by a price with no break down and a low ball offer on my trade. I asked to be shown the posted prices in the showroom/lounge so I could pick out options. THEY WERE NOT POSTED ANYWHERE AS PROMISED BY SCION. I asked twice and was told yeah, we should probably do that.

I asked three times for a price list on options and a breakdown on what was included in my quoted price but no list was ever supplied. I even went to the parts department for a catalog and all they seemed to have was an outdated one from 2006.

Again, let me stress that the salesman was a good kid, but the manager was the stereotypical used car dealer kinda guy. He offered to throw in the leather seats that I wanted if I'd just swallow the price with no break down and basically give them my trade (excellent condition) at 4,000 below the very lowest kelly trade in value.

It's a shame that Scion has done such a great job of branding (I was almost sold before driving one) only to have dealers that don't abide by the pure price sense of fair play....Nifty car but just another sleezy dealer.

Needless to say, I'm still driving my jeep today.

 

Why not go to another dealership? All of them aren't like that. In fact, most aren't.

 

dealers are sleaze *****, they act like they care but i know all they care about is getting that money out of your pocket.

the only reason i bought mine from the dealership i did was because my dealer is a good family friend, and he tried to sell me all this extra stuff, and i just mentioned it to my pops and he called them and ripped him a new one for trying to scam a kid buying his first new car. it was hilarious watching the dealer cower like a dog with tail between their legs.....

"yeah i shouldnt have done that" was the most common phrase @ the dealership


Bitteroot Motors in Missoula Montana FTL!

 

x2

 

True that! Before you buy the car they are your best friend, once you drive off the lot your just another customer. I agree that all dealerships are not like that. Try another one in your area and see if you get better results.

 

All dealerships are like that.

When I wanted to buy the tC, I really wanted to see it in Flint Mica but they didn't have one at the time. The salesman told me he could bring one from another dealership (3 miles away), but only if I agree right now to buy the car (so he would not have to send it back again). He wanted me to sign before I could see it. I told him to forget about it, and then suddenly he "remembered" that he had a Flint Mica in the back parking lot. Wait a minute, he was just trying to get me to sign a contract just to look at a Flint Mica, and now he remembers he already has one right there? Okay, so I gave him another chance and went to the back to see the car. I said I liked it, so he offered me a test drive, then he asked if I would be buying right now. I said maybe in a few days, and the test drive was immediately cancelled. He told me to get out of the car and come back when I was ready to buy.

Needless to say, I took my business to another dealership. Funny thing is, the salesman at the next dealership was just as bad as the last one. I waited until the day I was ready to buy before going, because I know how much they hate people who come to do research. I made the deal quickly because I had already convinced myself I was going to buy the FM tC, but he still had some tricks up his sleeve. First, he made a "typo" on the contract which made the base price $1,000 higher than what we initially agreed on. I was reviewing the contract and I spotted the numbers had changed without my consent, and he just apologised and reduced it back to the correct amount, and said it was an error. He also included some packages which we had not agreed upon, so I made sure he removed those. He also basically raped me on the value of my trade-in. I had to walk away from the deal several times just to get him to increase the trade-in value. I told him I was going home and I would not be coming back, and suddenly he was willing to give me $500 more for my trade.

Crooks.

 

My experience was the exact opposite. The salesman was an idiot who knew nothing about the cars, but I went in and they had the exact one I wanted so I bought it. I was in and out within 45 minutes since I already did the research and the price was locked in.

 

I think you will do fine if you do your research and you are just buying a Scion directly. But if you want to trade in a vehicle against the cost of your Scion then you will be in for a long and painful experience. They know they are not allowed to alter the price of the Scion, so they have to try especially hard to gain a profit on the trade-in.

 

^^ True. I sold my car privately.

 

Agreed.

They tried to low-ball the trade in on my first tC. It sucked, but I won.

Second tC I didn't have a trade in, so I just ordered it and waiting for it to come. Did the paperwork and got my car.

 

Some dealerships are good don't give up!

I wouldn't keep buying the things if there wasn't some good to em.

 

yeah, i had a really good experience. i just called around orlando and found the dealership with the lowest dealer fees. they gave me $500 less than my trade was worth, but they knocked a couple apr points off the loan. the salesman was great. he was very knowledgable and seemed genuinely excited about the product. the financing guy was putting off a sleazy vibe, but he turned out to be alright. he showed me the bank's guidelines for finance rates and knocked like 2.4 points off, which over 60 months saved me over $1200. they also didn't try to sell me anything extra. the good ones are out there, you just have to find them.

 

i've been to stadium toyota a couple times...didnt really like it, but i've heard that wesley chapel scion is the best in the area (never been there though) if your willing to take the drive out there

 

What you can do is contact the Toyota region in the district and tell them what happened and they will pull their liscense and they will no longer be able to sell Scions. I work as the Scion Manager for a dealer and trust me Toyota does not play around when it comes to Scion compliance. It is too bad you are so far away because I would have taken care of you and you would be driving your new xB today! You should definately go to another dealer!!!
And not all dealers are sleaze *****. I do care about every customer that walks through my door. I tell all of my customers that the sale does not end once they pick their car. I still talk to all of my customers and I have a lot of them that stop by just to say hello or to drop off a little gift. I also get a ton of referrals because of how I treat my customers. It is too bad that you all have such bad experiences buying a car!

 

X's 4

 

i went to clearwater toyota...they weren't too bad. only i didn't want the stupid pin stripes on my car and they put them on anyhow!

 

Keep shopping.........you will find a dealership that appreciates your business.

As for a trade in........it is best thought to sell privately for most cash.....takes longer to do some times but more money in hand is more money......

I went through the same thing..........I wanted a Cobalt SS.........they did not wnat to even let me test drive unless I was gonna buy it that day..........told them later.....
Went to Honda and looked at the SI............after a credit check,and proving I had interest and cash they finally let me test drive it around the block........and treated me like crap too.....

So I went to Toyota.............with no intention of getting anything and told them so........they treated me like a king and were awsome.........test drove the tC and bought it a few days later.

 

Go to the scion website or edmunds.com to pick your options, then use the site's dealer contact feature to have that exact configuration sent to dealers you chose from a list. That usually directs your request to their internet department, which is a lot easier to deal with. They know you know what you are doing, so they will give you their best offer up front.

Once you get a call back, take your car in for appraisal, and if you like the number, sign. If not, walk.

 

I don't know about you guys but when I went in to the dealership, a bunch of sleazy car salespeople approached me like a fat kid going for cake.
As soon as I said "Scion" they all retreated, one went inside, and a Scion salesperson came out to greet me.
Scion has it's own trained salespeople...and the Toyota salespeople aren't allowed to sell Scions.
Well at least at the dealership I bought my car from...not sure if it's a Scion mandated thing.

I was in and out of the dealership in 30 minutes (no trade in, no options, no add ons, just the car).
I even got a call from the finance people who told me that they got my APR wrong...they lowered it =)

 

- all car dealers are trying to maximize the amount of money they take from you. Some of them might act like they are your friend, but the goal is the same - TO TAKE AS MUCH OF YOUR MONEY AS THEY CAN

- Toyota can't/won't do anything about sleazy dealers. Most of them have been pulling the same crap for years.

- All you can do is prepare yourself by being as knowledgeable as possible before you walk in the door and remembering that you can walk out the door with out signing anything.