Appearance package on 2022 Platinum

Hey guys, I finally found the magnetic gray platinum I want and when I was going over the pricing I saw they added what's called the "appearance package." What exactly is that and is it worth having? Thanks for any help!

 

Usually some crap the dealer does to Jack up their profits. Paint sealers, pin stripes, maybe window tint, magic bird poop deflector shields etc. never worth the $800-$2000 they charge.

 

It could be the improved appearance of the sales managers wife after she has her nails done or the boob enhancement. How much you spend on it judges if she gets nails or a perky pair.

 

That's what I thought and they won't budge on this. Unfortunately for consumers now, they have such low supply the demand is blowing the supply away so any and every 2022 platinum is usually sold before it gets to the dealership. This in turn, gives the dealers the opportunity to charge what they want and not budge. In the past, I'd walk away if they wouldn't budge on something like this. Now I feel like I better grab it while I can.

 

If they don't budge than just nit pick the livin daylights out of the truck. Look for any of the most minor defect from waterspots on the paint to fingerprints on the door handles. Afterall you are paying for an appearance package.

 

Good point. I think they said will cover dents and scratches for several years.

 

man, you guys really have a high opinion of car dealers...

 

You spelled that wrong. " Car Stealers" is the correct term.

 

If you say so, being a Toyota dealer myself I have to disagree

 

I'm posting that in jest of course. I can't say I haven't had a bad dealer experience since I started buying imports. Although I go outside and kick tire while my wife has her way with them. Where is your dealership and how are you pricing the new Toyotas? MSRP? Add ons? Market adjustments?

 

Im in Virginia...the price depends on what model it is but 99% of dealers have a market adjustment of some kind now. Its not at all to screw customers over but when we go from having, in my case, 120 new Toyotas on the lot to 8 at a time if lucky and might see a total of 30 in a months time we have to adapt to keep people employed. We haven't let anyone go even with 1/4 of the total months inventory to sell from. All those employees still have to eat and pay bills. We were one of the last stores in our region to start any kind of market adjustment and have kept them so low that just this week alone we have customers from California, Florida, Alabama, and Pennsylvania buying from us and every one of them have said we are they cheapest they have found. We had a guy call in for the Capstone Tundra and when he asked how much over sticker we were, after telling him he said "thats all?" The market is so crazy right now and all the manufacturers that we are associated with say the see no end in sight yet. A 1 - 2 year old used car is higher than a new car with a market adjustment right now. Ive sold 2 Tundras to a used car dealer on the border of Va and W. Va for $5000 over sticker and he took them back to his lot and sold them immediately and made a profit over what he paid me. He has told me anytime I want to sell him a new Tacoma or Tundra for that price structure he will take as many as we will let him buy. So I keep that in the back of my mind but also try to keep them for actual customers to purchase instead.

As far as dealers ripping people off and screwing people over I understand there are some out there, but we aren't all that way. One thing about me is Im honest as they come, I tell customers all the time "Im going to tell you the truth even if it pisses you off, but at least you won't be misled". When Im accused of lying about something I tell them the truth again. When I hire anyone, no matter who they are they are told before starting....Dont lie, cheat, or steal no matter what happens. You'll never overcome that with me. To customers I simply explain this....You can lie to me 100 times and I will still sell you a car every day of the week but if you catch me in one lie chances are you'll never buy a car from me ever again....so who really has the benefit to lie?

 

The justification for having a market adjustment is that 99% of other dealers have a market adjustment? Not only is that not a good argument, that is not true at all. Two of the five Toyota dealers in my area don’t do market adjustment BS.

 

I think that’s great but if this is all true then you are absolutely an outlier in the dealership business. You’ll just have to accept that. I have no respect for what dealerships stand for and absolutely go in knowing they are going to try and take advantage of me some way, some how.
I’d like to see dealerships become obsolete. Direct sales with service centers.

 

I’m with you. I call BS. Just another dishonest money grab.

 

You should buy from them then is all I can tell you. I had a customer come in being an asshole about it and I went back and looked at his history with us. Every time he buys a vehicle from us he beats us up on price and we end up selling him something for invoice or below...(yes dealers do in fact actually lose money on car deals sometimes) so now he actually has to pay a profit for once. I can tell you, me being honest and all, that after dealing with people coming in and treating our entire sales dept like shit and beating us to death over price then coming in complaining about every thing they don't understand how to work, we don't have much sympathy for someone finally paying a profit. At the end of the day we just go to work and try to provide for our family like everyone else. Sales will always have a bad reputation because people feel they are entitled to a huge discount on things. But Ive found they are the same people that will go pay full price for jewelry or furniture where they have 300 and 400% markup and ours is usually 5 to 8% on a vehicle.

 

Service centers don't exist without sales centers...direct sales don't work. Its why Carvana has yet to post a profit since starting

 

Im sure whatever you did for a living the company never made a profit huh. If they did then your business was just a dishonest money grab as well in that case

 

That is exactly what I did, I paid MSRP. You can justify the greed and dishonesty all you want, if the dealer can’t make enough money off of an MSRP sale, then they are doing something wrong.

 

I think we can all agree on 2 things when it comes to car deals.

1. Dealers do not have to sell you a car.
2. Consumers do not have to buy a car.

Both of those things being true, when the handshake finally happens and the ink is dry, both parties made a deal that they agreed upon. No whining allowed.

 

Tesla seems to manage just fine.

 

I disagree. Caravana hasn’t made a profit because they suck.

 

This a fact. People should go in knowing dealerships are unethical scum bags and work from there.

I had a buddy who still sells vehicles tell me one way they do it is by saying “congrats, we got you approved at 3.75”, when in reality you were approved at 3.25 and they shave that .5 right out of the loan.” This is why I strongly suggest you go in pre approved and know exactly where you stand if your gonna take a loan.

 

Yep.

I get having to do what ya gotta do to keep the door open, people employed, etc. But how are you going to hold a grudge over a deal you willingly agreed to?

I don't always like the way things have been handled at dealerships (the 3 times I have gone that route), but I always signed the deal when it was most advantageous for me and moved on.

 

I don’t hold a grudge to a deal I’ve made. I may hold a grudge to the way a company chooses to operate their business, however.
Unfortunately, there are not a ton of alternatives.

 

This.
Before COVID it was unheard of to pay MSRP on anything but a PRO.
Now, not only is MSRP not enough to keep people employed but you need to charge 10 grand and more to make ends meet. Total BS.
Bottom line, if people are willing to pay it (and they are) dealers will push the envelope as far as they can.

 

Try shopping for hearing aids if you want to see markup. I feel for the dealers and what they have had to deal with for the last 18 months. I'm pretty much a free market thinker and don't condemn the dealers for marking vehicles up. I used to have the market cornered on a luggage rack for an obscure motorcycle. Did I make them and sell them at a 10% profit? Hell no. Ebay'd them and got much better money. If someone else wanted to copy my work and sell them for less than have at it.

 

I was more referring to the Toyota dealer basically saying he felt OK sticking it to a customer because remorseful over a previous deal.

..but it really does go for everyone. We make the deals we are able and willing to make.

Just make good on the deals you have made, and learn from any deals you felt didn't go in your favor.

 

Don't hold a grudge at all, were the one that agree to keep selling them vehicles but my thing is when the shoe is on the other foot and we make a profit we are all of a sudden crooks. Can't have it both ways...we arent politicians

 

exactly, were all trying to make a living and thats it. Its supply and demand...thats it. Eggs, Gas, milk, bread, everything is priced at a premium right now. Supply chains are broken across the board, inflation % is much higher than what most dealers are charging right now...NOBODY likes it yet apparently 81 million people voted for it.