# Is this Toyota sale bait + switch



## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


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## 25rides7daysaweek (Nov 20, 2017)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


As long as you buy a new one for $95,999. They might even offer you more in person !!!


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

25rides7daysaweek said:


> As long as you buy a new one for $95,999. They might even offer you more in person !!!


This looks way to good to be true. If could get new one for 26 thru 30 I'd consider it.



Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


Seems like you doubt there sincerety ?


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## tohunt4me (Nov 23, 2015)

But
Do they have FREE HOT DOGS !?!?


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

25rides7daysaweek said:


> As long as you buy a new one for $95,999. They might even offer you more in person !!!


Yeah, this is quite right. Trade-in value is a way of hiding the cost of a deal.

This particular trade-in quote almost sounds like straight bait and switch. It's not just a high offer, it sounds like an outlandish offer. Isn't $18k for a 270,000 Prius thousands over Blue Book estimates? Don't they go for maybe $14k on a trade-in (maybe $12k for a high mileage example)?


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

tohunt4me said:


> But
> Do they have FREE HOT DOGS !?!?


I am sure.


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## Boca Ratman (Jun 6, 2018)

Jimmy44 said:


> This looks way to good to be true


Then it usually is.

Read all the tiny, microscopic fine print. I'm sure there is a disclaimer.


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Boca Ratman said:


> Then it usually is.
> 
> Read all the tiny, microscopic fine print. I'm sure there is a disclaimer.


Anyone with name of Jimmy is excluded.



Jimmy44 said:


> Anyone with name of Jimmy is excluded.


Only reason I'd consider a 2019 is some models have all wheel drive.


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## Legalizeit0 (Jul 26, 2017)

Went to a local Kia dealer and noticed all the stickers had an additional $2500 mark up. I inquired, salesman said, “we offer $5000 for ANY trade in, we only add that if you bring a trade.”

Not sure how they continue to get away with fraudulent advertising, but car dealers are the worst.


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## waldowainthrop (Oct 25, 2019)

Legalizeit0 said:


> Not sure how they continue to get away with fraudulent advertising, but car dealers are the worst.


Illegalize it.


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

Buying a new car is a shuffleboard game. Many dealers use a four square "shuffleboard" to create great sounding deals. The 4 squares involved are price/trade in/financing/ mfg holdback. Essentially the vast majority of people spend the same money in total but the deal is cooked by shuffling the 4 square deck.

Leasing a car gives them just as much to play with. Monthly payment/due at signing/financing/Fees. Same shuffle different names.

The really true deal comes from the manufacturer when they subsidize the sale for the dealer. (and they don't hold it back).


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## Legalizeit0 (Jul 26, 2017)

I settled for a 1976 Pinto. All the nostalgia of the 70’s with the added chance of exploding


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Legalizeit0 said:


> I settled for a 1976 Pinto. All the nostalgia of the 70's with the added chance of exploding


I had 74 mustang 2 from that era. No explosions but so underpowred for a Mustang.


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## Disgusted Driver (Jan 9, 2015)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


First off, 90k miles a year sounds exhausting!
Second, the offer is not personalized to your car. They are basing that trade in value on a mint condition 3 year old car with 30 or 36K miles on it. Upon actual inspection they will offer you 2K for the trade in.

When i buy a car, I go to carmax first with my trade in, get a quote from them. Go to the dealer and negotiate an out the door price with them THEN discuss trade in and financing. If they won't match carmax then carmax gets the car.


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## _Tron_ (Feb 9, 2020)

To answer your question, No.

If you read the fine print there will likely be a mention of "qualified" or qualifying", or some such. Similar to the low interest rate offers "upon credit approval. In this case it will be contingent on condition of your car, including mileage, which I can tell you from personal experience Toyota has no way to get your mileage even if you bring your car into them for service. It's an offer to get you in the door.

Sheesh. I am trying to work a deal for the Kia Niro EV right now, and the finance manager of the local dealer can't even give me a straightforward written quote w/o trying to deceive. I think they are used to selling cars to morons because their tricks are so obvious.


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## LoLo SF (Jul 12, 2019)

Disgusted Driver said:


> First off, 90k miles a year sounds exhausting!
> Second, the offer is not personalized to your car. They are basing that trade in value on a mint condition 3 year old car with 30 or 36K miles on it. Upon actual inspection they will offer you 2K for the trade in.
> 
> When i buy a car, I go to carmax first with my trade in, get a quote from them. Go to the dealer and negotiate an out the door price with them THEN discuss trade in and financing. If they won't match carmax then carmax gets the car.


As a former automotive internet sales director, I'd say your approach is spot on.


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## 5☆OG (Jun 30, 2019)

going to the car dealership is right up there with moving and a colonoscopy


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Good plan. I drive everyday full time


LoLo SF said:


> As a former automotive internet sales director, I'd say your approach is spot on.


Yes I call it grinding out the miles with no surge and or promotions. Believe it or not the only rides that exhausted me were long ones into big airports. I know longer take them with the full info pings. I still enjoy it and look forward everyday to getting my coffee and turning on my apps C/L.



5☆OG said:


> going to the car dealership is right up there with moving and a colonoscopy


Root canal as well. Yes agree totally.


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## Taxi2Uber (Jul 21, 2017)

I walk on a lot and say I have no trade-in, I'm not financing, I'm paying cash.

They don't want me.

Times have changed.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


They don't know you have 276.000 miles on your Prius. Once they find out, offer will be adjusted to the down side, like really really down side. 2017 Prius usually have around 40,000 miles &#128523;

You will get around 10,000&#129322;


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## Atavar (Aug 11, 2018)

Taxi2Uber said:


> I walk on a lot and say I have no trade-in, I'm not financing, I'm paying cash.
> 
> They don't want me.
> 
> Times have changed.


I walk on the lot and say I have no trade and want to know about financing with minimum down. Get a written quote and pay cash for the car without financing. They cannot change the price when you take financing off the table.


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Taxi2Uber said:


> I walk on a lot and say I have no trade-in, I'm not financing, I'm paying cash.
> 
> They don't want me.
> 
> Times have changed.


Yes you are right.
The person who pays cash has much lower


Kevin Kargel said:


> I walk on the lot and say I have no trade and want to know about financing with minimum down. Get a written quote and pay cash for the car without financing. They cannot change the price when you take financing off the table.


Smart


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## OldBay (Apr 1, 2019)

_Tron_ said:


> To answer your question, No.
> 
> If you read the fine print there will likely be a mention of "qualified" or qualifying", or some such. Similar to the low interest rate offers "upon credit approval. In this case it will be contingent on condition of your car, including mileage, which I can tell you from personal experience Toyota has no way to get your mileage even if you bring your car into them for service. It's an offer to get you in the door.
> 
> Sheesh. I am trying to work a deal for the Kia Niro EV right now, and the finance manager of the local dealer can't even give me a straightforward written quote w/o trying to deceive. I think they are used to selling cars to morons because their tricks are so obvious.


You've already been tricked,, buying a new ev for rideshare.

They just reeling you in slow. The guy is playing dumb ass seeing how long you will stay hooked.


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## 2starDriver (Mar 22, 2019)

276k miles in 3 years 😱


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## k4ever (Oct 12, 2016)

2starDriver said:


> 276k miles in 3 years &#128561;


I know, that is insane.


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

OldBay said:


> You've already been tricked,, buying a new ev for rideshare.
> 
> They just reeling you in slow. The guy is playing dumb ass seeing how long you will stay hooked.


The above reply is an example of what you have to do to get banished from my thread. Just for the record buying a brand new Prius was the best investment of my rideshare career. If it died tomorrow I would still be way ahead. I would also go buy another one the next day.


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## Stevie The magic Unicorn (Apr 3, 2018)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


Take it take it take it. That car can't be worth 10!

So what they did is a team of two went around with a laptop/printer and 90% printed flyers. They plug in the make/model of your car (by looking up the vin) and making a wild guess on the mileage. They they "print" it again filling in the blanks space and it quickly prints it out.



https://www.kbb.com/whats-my-car-worth/


Plug your specific car in here and substitute 24,000 miles instead of your actual mileage. My guess is they are guesstimating mileage and in your case they were dead wrong.

I plugged in a medium level 2017 prius with 24,000 miles and the KBB came to 11,000-17,500. With a trade in of $16,000. Considering you might have better options than the ones i randomly selected the extra 2,000 could be easy. Or they could be planning on screwing you 2,000 extra on the new car purchase.

Now if i jack up the mileage to 276,000 I come up with $2,500-4,000 with a trade in of 3,300

they automatically generated it based on the age and average miles your car has. If you look at the small print you'll probably find verbiage that the offer is based on typical mileage/condition o the vehicle not a guaranteed promise.


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Stevie The magic Unicorn said:


> Take it take it take it. That car can't be worth 10!
> 
> So what they did is a team of two went around with a laptop/printer and 90% printed flyers. They plug in the make/model of your car (by looking up the vin) and making a wild guess on the mileage. They they "print" it again filling in the blanks space and it quickly prints it out.
> 
> ...


Outstanding information. I agree with you about the trade in value. Except for the high mileage the car is in great shape. I do two full synthetic oil changes a month and do all the recommended preventative maintenance. I take it to the Toyota dealer for all of this. I will run it until it dies as it has already paid for itself.



LoLo SF said:


> As a former automotive internet sales director, I'd say your approach is spot on.


I agree the car is way more valuable to me then as a trade in. It does everything a brand new one does. Next oil change I will have the transmission fluid changed. I gladly do it and pay the 200 dollars. I just take it 5000 miles at a time. Also I never drive with the check engine light on. That light means go directly to service dept.


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## Fusion_LUser (Jan 3, 2020)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


How's the battery holding up? I have a co-worker with a 2005ish Hylander Hybrid with almost 400k and going strong as well. How has the interior held up with all the passenger going in and out?


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Fusion_LUser said:


> How's the battery holding up? I have a co-worker with a 2005ish Hylander Hybrid with almost 400k and going strong as well. How has the interior held up with all the passenger going in and out?


Battery strong as ever. Full power and 54 mpg. I had inside simonized when I bought it and that was invaluable. I use resolve carpet cleaner if someone spills coffee or soda and that gets out stains. The simonize comes with guarantee if they can't get stain out they will replace. I have always been able to get out. Have the rubber floor mats from Toyota so carpet is mint. Someone told me that the new batteries will go forever. He also said with 280 thousand only half at most is from the internal combustion engine. I might add my seats are light silver not black and doors inside is white as is half the dash. 


Fusion_LUser said:


> How's the battery holding up? I have a co-worker with a 2005ish Hylander Hybrid with almost 400k and going strong as well. How has the interior held up with all the passenger going in and out?


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## Syn (Jun 30, 2017)

mbd said:


> You will get around 10,000&#129322;


Still too many 0s.


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Syn said:


> Still too many 0s.


So far you are the highest by quite a bit. I would have to consider that. Finance 20 grand over 4 years at zero %.


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## Nina2 (Oct 6, 2018)

2starDriver said:


> 276k miles in 3 years &#128561;


Not unheard of I have 125k on a 2019 Prius i bought in May


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## Boston Bill (Jul 13, 2019)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


Did you read the fine print?


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Nina2 said:


> Not unheard of I have 125k on a 2019 Prius i bought in May


Yes I am up to 288 tho


Nina2 said:


> Not unheard of I have 125k on a 2019 Prius i bought in May


I am up to 288 k I shut down because of virus. She is getting a well deserved rest. Anything other then regular maintenance on yours ?



Boston Bill said:


> Did you read the fine print?


I think they figured mine had average mileage. This is the same dealership I take it for service to twice a month for oil changes. So I asked on this forum and a lot of people in the business responded. Me and you have to keep ours because of mileage. Mine shows no sign of slowing down. One person said the IC engine only has about 125 k and the battery engine will go forever. Every mile I get from this point on is gravy. I just go one 5000 mile oil change at a time.


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

Jimmy44 said:


> Every mile I get from this point on is gravy. I just go one 5000 mile oil change at a time.


Same here.....but I go 15,000 KM using synthetic :roflmao:

Thing is, I plan to drive my car as long as it wants to go, whether or not I am driving Uber when this thing is finally over. The math of making payments hurts your upside. Maintenance doesn't go away whether the vehicle is new or higher mileage. We can drive 10 model years of age here at least before your car needs to be replaced (not that this is my plan either).


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

ANT 7 said:


> Same here.....but I go 15,000 KM using synthetic :roflmao:
> 
> Thing is, I plan to drive my car as long as it wants to go, whether or not I am driving Uber when this thing is finally over. The math of making payments hurts your upside. Maintenance doesn't go away whether the vehicle is new or higher mileage. We can drive 10 model years of age here at least before your car needs to be replaced (not that this is my plan either).


Agreed


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## New2This (Dec 27, 2015)

Jimmy44 said:


> I just received a flyer offering me 18,295 for my 2017 Prius. If I come in Sat. I get an additional 1000 dollars. 0% financing for 60 months. My Prius has 276,000 miles on it. Would like to know any of you have received an offer like this.


Wait a few months and there will be some awesome deals on cars.


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

I have to disagree with a lot of people .
First off dealers are losing some huge cash .
Dealers are doing anything to sell a car today.
Yes go to the dealer see if they back the deal up . They may not even inspect your car and just take it from you . 
I have traded many cars that were so beat up that were never inspected .
Car sales are down to a record low as we all know . Its the best time to buy a new car today .
Gm zero interest 82 months . IDk any others have not been looking .
What do you have to lose ? Get the papers prepped before you put your your name on the dotted line visit the office lol restroom thats my office lol make sure its all fine and dandy


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## ANT 7 (Oct 14, 2018)

Perspective.......

I was in the car bizz for 22 years. Used to own a dealership, as well as manage several, all high end.

$5MM of inventory can equal roughly 100 new SUV's or 200 economy cars sitting in stock on the lot. I used to run with $10MM on average in the new car department, and $5MM on the used side at the franchised dealerships I worked at. When I had my own store I only used $2MM because I didn't have to take every single vehicle sent to me from the manufacturer, because I was not a franchised store and obligated to do so.

I can carry that $5MM of inventory for about $8,200 a month of interest at a net effective rate of 2% on my bank line of credit. My only exposure comes at 12 months when I have to start paying down the balance on a car that has been in stock for over that period, usually at a rate of 1% a month. So, that $50K new car sitting on the lot for 12 months, now costs me an additional $500 every single month.

The money is made in parts and service. Sales is just the gravy and exists to feed the shop. Statistically speaking, if you can have an absorption rate of between 90-100% you will be very profitable. That is the amount of your total overall operating expenses that is covered by shop revenues.

If you really want a deal on a new car, pick one that has been in stock forever. The rest of them a well run dealership can sit on for a very long time. I've had the odd car in stock for 2-3 years. But that is where the real deals are. Having said that however, we had a saying, if it didn't sell well when new, it won't sell well when it's used. And for the most part, this is true as well.


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## TomTheAnt (Jan 1, 2019)

ANT 7 said:


> Having said that however, we had a saying, if it didn't sell well when new, it won't sell well when it's used.


Plus the good old saying "There's an ass for every seat". :biggrin:


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

kingcorey321 said:


> I have to disagree with a lot of people .
> First off dealers are losing some huge cash .
> Dealers are doing anything to sell a car today.
> Yes go to the dealer see if they back the deal up . They may not even inspect your car and just take it from you .
> ...


Interesting way of looking at things. I know that oil is down to a 30 year low because no one is driving. Things have really changed since I posted that.


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## Legalizeit0 (Jul 26, 2017)

If i were ever going to buy an oil ETF, it seems like prices can’t get much lower.


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## Jimmy44 (Jan 12, 2020)

Legalizeit0 said:


> If i were ever going to buy an oil ETF, it seems like prices can't get much lower.


Lots of bargains out there in a lot of areas


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## TemptingFate (May 2, 2019)

Legalizeit0 said:


> If i were ever going to buy an oil ETF, it seems like prices can't get much lower.


It's going lower. Dropping another 30% today.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...as-tourist-trap-with-crude-trading-in-the-20s


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