Worst lie heard from car dealership

Like thread title states, what is the worst lie/fabrication/untruth have you heard?

Today I had a few minutes and stopped by American Toyota in Alb, Nm. I do understand the times we live in, lack of inventory, toyotas allocation system. As many of you know payload and towing is a big thing with me. While I was trying to tell a sales manager (wish i got his name) what I wanted to buy and check allocation he tried 2 say that "there are only 16,000 Tundras being built this year". Ok, see attached pic.. I was also told that we dont get 2wd trucks here, funny since my last 4wd was a '94 4runner. Never had too try so hard too hand over my money. Wierd.

 

Was at the dealer yesterday and saw a lunar rock 2022 tundra trd pro. For 102,000. This included a 30,000 "market adjustment" asked a friend that does sales there if they would take msrp cash. He laughed and said nope because they know in a few days someone will pay the 30,000 or close to it.

 

Had a salesperson at a dealership tell me windshield wiper blades weren't included in the "Certified Pre-Owned" inspection; but he could give me the employee discount to replace the blades on my truck I had bought a month earlier, since the blades turned to spaghetti the first time I had to use them. I almost just went with it, but the girl I was dating at the time pushed me to talk to the manager - she was totally right, and the manager was pretty pissed that the salesperson was being so shady.

 

I was at my local dealership about a month or so ago, and the service advisor told me Toyota had cut their Tundra allocations by 50% after finding out they were placing steep "market adjustments" on them (they were putting $10K). Hopefully this is true, and Toyota cracks down on dealerships pulling this bullshit - because honestly, it's going to put them all out of business when Toyota is forced to move to an all online ordering system.

 

This past January while getting my 21 rack inspected I saw a 22 in the showroom being sold as used with 11 miles on the odo. The salesman said in order to supply their loyal customers with such a hard to find vehicle they were forced to buy them at auction.

 

Not exactly a lie, but I think an attempt to steal money from me fits under the broad definition of deception:

After going back and forth with my salesman, I went back to financing with a final OTD price in writing at Toyota of Cool Springs. When I got back there, the guy I was signing with was flipping pages and pointing on the contract really quickly to all the places I needed to sign. I had to stop him and go back several pages so I could actually read the contract, something he was obviously trying to keep me from doing in a very subtle way. He even said something like, “you’ve been here long enough; let’s make this quick and painless for you”. I found that the total amount to be paid back was $1200 higher than what my salesman and I had agreed on in writing. It just happened to match the extra amount I had bargained for my trade-in. I was so pissed off. I will never step foot in that dealership again.

 

"We don't charge over MSRP." Then looks at list of add-ons...

 

I like when you test drive one and they have another sales person come up to your sales person to ask for the keys "because another customer is interested" . We hadn't even made it 10 feet from parking it. It was so obviously a sales ploy I almosted wanted to be like , really?? Lol needless to say didn't go back haha

 

LMFAO!!! Who is fkn stupid and desperate enough to actually pay that? A complete fool ... that's who. Unbelievable.

 

I had my 2017 Taco detailed at Michael's Toyota of Bellevue. They did a great job, not too expensive. Top notch detail job.

Less than 2 months later I bring in my 2004 Tundra and they refuse to detail the truck. They tell me they haven't done any detailing at their dealership for the past 6 months.

I say "you guys literally have a detail job done for me in your system from 2 months ago." Service rep looks me straight-faced and says "nope."

I don't go there anymore.

 

Yep...I have heard that one myself.

 

I stopped to look at a 2015 4R that came in. They asked if I wanted to run numbers and I told them no.....it was more cost effective to buy a new one and I left. They knew who I was as they kept a customer database. The next day I get an email for a credit inquiry. They tried to tell me that they didn't do a hard credit inquiry even after I showed them the email notification and the Inquiry on Experian.

 

Was buying a 2017 GX460 from Toyota of Tacoma. The sales manager kept talking about how it’s a “land cruiser and it’s bulletproof”. After we agreed on a price he asked if I wanted the $4k extended warranty. I said “I thought you said it was bulletproof?” He responded with “what if something breaks” haha

Also same dealer said they’d order me a owners manual since the GX didn’t come with one. After 6 months of waiting I called and asked about it. They responded with “we had to order it through Toyota from Japan and it’ll take a bit . Like wtf man that’s some amazing bs. Well after two years it still hasn’t showed up.

When looking to buy my Tundra a few weeks ago I decided to look at a new 2022 at Toyota of Bellevue just to check it out even though I knew I was buying used with a 5.7. They had one that was priced in my range so I asked to drive it just to see the difference in motors. The sales manager said that if I was interested in the new truck they had to charge me $4k “convenience fee”. I said what’s that for. He responded with “its conveniently on the lot and you don’t have to order one.” Hahaha I walked right out and bought my 2017 instead at another dealership and saved $15k.

 

People will pay it, and the dealers will keep doing it unfortunately. All that matters is what the payments are...not that the vehicle had useless add-ons or that it's a 96 month note or 20% interest.

 

I wouldn't pay $30K for that ugly a$$ cosmetic disaster....much less $100K.

 

My new 2019 Tundra that I purchased, 6 months later I had all the traction control codes light up one day, I take it in, it had about 12,000 miles on it, service advisor comes out about 15 minutes after they take it in the back and asks me about the drop in replacement AFE high flow air filter, I give him the Rambo 1000 yard stare, he turns around and walks away. Problem was a corroded sensor in the wheel bearing, it was fixed under warranty. That particular service advisor is a D-Bag, all the others are nice and normal people.

 

When I bought my F150 in March the Ford salesman was looking for an angle to convince me of why the 7yr/100k warranty Geico gives me with every new car for a few dollars per month is not as good as the one he wanted to sell me for 2k or more up front. Finally after going back and fourth and admitting the Geico plan looked surprisingly good the sales manager stood up and blurted out that the insurance company repair plans often don’t cover “2ndary malfunftions… like where a seal bursts and causes fluid to leak causing something to fail from lack of lube that in turn causes something else to fail…”

I said nice try but I wasn’t going to throw the 2k I just negotiated down over an hour of haggling right back into the deal to buy a service already built into my insurance premium.

 

Also when I was looking at 2022 Tundras before I changed my mind, the Toyota dealer I’d bought 2 vehicles off told me a 59k LTD Crewmax 4x4 with no options boxes checked but the twin panel moonroof is basically an imaginary unicorn that only exists in the configurator, and I was going to have to take a few k more on options to get into one. Then I found 2 exactly like that in transit un-spoken for headed to another dealer.

 

I’m from ABQ too and honestly the dealerships here are ass. I went to a different state for my 2020

 

I sure hope this is a joke, but sadly I think not and that someone will indeed pay that price.

 

Good point.

I just read Ford will be selling all their electric vehicles online because dealers were marking up the price of electric cars too much.

Dealers are slitting their own throats.

 

I am not having luck with other states, the ones I have tried in Maine, Pheonix, Denver wont sell if you are registering out of state.

With the stories here its amazing dealerships are still even in business.

 

I am in ABQ also. I actually drove to Richmond Indiana to get my '21 vs buying in NM. Got a great deal. Thus the drive.

 

While I was searching for my Tundra (searching b/c I wanted lunar rock) in Sept. 2021: A DFW dealer told me that they could sell me one that the owner of the dealership had ordered for his daughter’s birthday. However, since it was going to break her heart, they would have to charge me a $7500 market adjustment. I still don’t know if this was a lie, but it seemed like an unnecessary back story. I told the salesman that I didn’t want to ruin the princesses’ birthday and that I would continue my quest to find an available truck. Almost immediately her tears were only worth $5k, and the sales manager called me later the same day and only valued her heartache at a $3k market adjustment. I offered MSRP and told them not to bother me until the young lady’s counselor had talked her through this.

Another story that comes to mind that is not exactly a lie. DFW Subaru dealership in August of 2019. My wife really wanted the Ascent, and I had been watching the market for about a year. We stopped in to “look” at the dealership. MSRP on the car that she liked was $48,xxx. The dealer had been advertising these for $42,xxx for several months online. On this particular day, the advertised online price was $42,xxx on car that my wife was looking at. We sat down with the salesman, and he spent 5 minutes acting like he was a benevolent priest wanting to learn about our family. Then he says, “you are the kind of family that our dealership likes, we will sell you this ascent for $48,000.” I already had the ad up on my phone. I showed it to him and asked him how the dealership would treat a family that they didn’t like.

 

Look up Earl Stewart he has a pod castle and wrote a book you can get on Amazon called the recovering car dealer. He used to have a pontiac dealership years ago and is a toyota dealership today. His pod cast covers mystery shops and all the different crap car dealers try to pull and how to avoid it. Been listening for to the podcast for years and it's definitely worth listening to or to buy the book.
All the proceeds from the book go to a no kill dog shelter.

His wife is also part of the podcast along with his son.
The amount of info they give is incredible.
The next time I go to buy a car definitely going to at least 3 dealerships and letting them fight for my business.

 

“No sir, nobody will ever try to contact you about your warranty.”

 

“That was already there”

 

Worst lie I’ve ever heard -

The residual on the lease is the check the manufacturer gives you at the end of the lease to use towards buying the next car

 

I went to autonation in Tempe. They did mention that they usually did not sell to out of state, but when I tried to give them my deposit over the phone they didn’t have a problem with it

 

Finance Mgr: "We don't haggle pricing here"

Me: "Then why did your salesman ask me to come in to TALK about it?"

Finance Mgr: "Oh. Well...what will it take to put you in this vehicle?"


Drove out paying $3k less than bank value.