Today I visited my local Toyota dealer to return the unused 'green bags' and thank them for supporting "Drive EV." I didn't remember my point of contact so I met the Sales Manager. I thanked him for their support and he told me they were bringing the large screen Primes. So I showed him my Plus because "I like knobs." Then he mentioned: 'We are adding $2000 to the price.' Regardless, I gave him the plug-in hybrid chart with the Plugshare chart. He said 'but it is yours' and I replied,'it will be different next year.' Bob Wilson
If you want to tempt God's sense of humor? Utter a promise or swear an oath with the word 'never.' After buying my second new Toyota, unfortunately from a SE Toyota dealer in the late 80s, I swore a blood oath to NEVER EVER buy from any of those [expletives deleted] dealers EVER again!!!! Some twenty years later, I'm driving a new G3 day in and day out and the last two fuel price spikes occur. Fortunately..... I accepted a tour on another submarine....and.... I did get married again.....and..... I once again found myself deployed overseas in the USN. So.....I wasn't very surprised one day to find myself actually, voluntarily, at a Toyota dealership having been pre-approved for a new car loan through a CU and armed with some fairly firm price quotes from some not-so-nearby dealerships. My strategery was to invite them to approach my lowest on-line quote plus or minus a trip to New England or Ohio to pick up an out-of-state car. I mentally gave them a $1,000 buffer, although to be honest the right dealer could have probably sweet-talked me out of a little more just to avoid a one-way airplane trip with the federally regulated routing through Atlanta's Hartsfield airport. Literally......ten minutes after I unbuckled my seat belt we were driving away from the dealership shaking our heads. It's nice to actually keep a promise to myself.....every now and then.
Yeah, that word "never"often comes back to bite people in the rear. Over the years though I've had three dealers I've used that word "never" on and fortunately it hasn't come back on me even though I've purchased those brands since. One Toyota and two Nissan dealers. Both Nissan dealers were because of the service departments; the Toyota dealer was because of the sales department. Just to irritate them in my own little way I have made it a point to drive every car purchase by one of those Nissan dealers (it's close to home) to show them a car sale their service department cost them from possibly getting. I know they don't care but it makes me feel better.
Honestly, I can't say they are bad. Every individual dealer is different and it depends on what you are willing to put up with. Five+ new vehicles purchased via Gulf States, and no significant issues.
I like my Toyota dealer, (Gulf States) but I do not pretend that all Toyota dealers are this honest. (Last visit I knew I had a headlight, a running light, and a license plate light out. They replaced the headlight and running light for $35 and advised me that the license plate light would be over $50 in labor as they would have to disassemble the rear hatch to get to a $1 bulb.) Gulf States Toyota Distributors - Wikipedia
