Advice needed..Keep old truck or get a Tundra

[Dmace]

I saw several posts about Toyota dealers not dealing on the Tundra.

I bought one in January of '08 and got them down $9500.

It took 10 days, but that industry is still slow and dealers are eager to sell.

I have a '07 double cab

You got them to come down but that was not a new model year truck. Your talking about buying a left-over 2007 in early 2008. Any dealer will push old inventory out, it's the brand new current model year trucks that are tough to negotiate.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I saw several posts about Toyota dealers not dealing on the Tundra.

I bought one in January of '08 and got them down $9500.

It took 10 days, but that industry is still slow and dealers are eager to sell.

I have a '07 double cab, long bed 4x4 with a 5.7l engine and all of the towing gear.

I tried and tried to get my two local dealers price down. I was going to buy a 1/2 ton 4x4 truck in April 2007. I sent my wife to all 5 makes to drive them since it would be hers. She drove the GMC Silverado, Ford F-150, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tundra, and Dodge Ram.

She came back and said the GM and Dodge were out. She told me she really loved the Tundra and F-150 with the Titan closely behind. She did not like the Titan at the time because it rode rougher.

Anyway we were putting down $20,000 cash and using dealer financing for the rest so we went out to buy. I got a cashiers check from my bank and we set out one Saturday morning at 9am and were going to come home with a new truck. Both Toyota dealers would not come down $500. This really amazed me since not only did we have so much cash but the trucks are made right here in Indiana. The Ford dealer had a truck we loved and he came down about $7500. Thats what we ended up with.

I have heard many similar stories from people who looked at the Tundra. I guess they do not care about volume, just like Nissan. When I bought my Titan and traded in the F-150 in question I just did as Dmace said and got a last years model taking nearly $10,000 list.

Chris

 

[Mikeeemo]

The way I look at it, in less than 6-8 months they are ALL last years model.

A dealer that stands firm at $500 off retail is kidding himself.

I looked at dealer inventory on-line for about 6 months prior to getting serious.

The truck I bought is long wheel base, which at the time was hard to find & in very low demand in a half ton.

I told the guy, up front that I was shopping the whole county and had no problem going 3 or 4 states away to buy, if I had to.

I also told him that I was looking to build a business relationship and wanted to buy from him.

So this time it worked out,

We have a lot of car dealers in the southeast, so finding one that is hungry usually is not hard.

I recommend that you do your research and learn everything you can about the item that you want to purchase.

By the way: I about went nuts waiting as I worked the deal. I wanted that truck bad...

 

[Diamondpilot]

The way I look at it, in less than 6-8 months they are ALL last years model.

A dealer that stands firm at $500 off retail is kidding himself.

I looked at dealer inventory on-line for about 6 months prior to getting serious.

The truck I bought is long wheel base, which at the time was hard to find & in very low demand in a half ton.

I told the guy, up front that I was shopping the whole county and had no problem going 3 or 4 states away to buy, if I had to.

I also told him that I was looking to build a business relationship and wanted to buy from him.

So this time it worked out,

We have a lot of car dealers in the southeast, so finding one that is hungry usually is not hard.

I recommend that you do your research and learn everything you can about the item that you want to purchase.

By the way: I about went nuts waiting as I worked the deal. I wanted that truck bad...

I do basically the same thing. I search for months, find what I want, try to put a lot of cash down, and show up at 9am on the last Saturday of the month. I tell them this can be the easiest sell they ever make. For example, on my Titan they already had $4,000 off sticker. I offered them $5,000 less than that and they came back at $4,500 less. I said throw in 3 oil changes and 3 tire rotations plus the optional $170 rubber all weather floor mats and you have a deal. By the way I leave my car running in the parking lot and tell the first sales person I see to go get the finance person. I am leaving in 5 minutes and we are not playing this back and forth stuff. I point out my car is running and I am leaving in 5 minutes.

Chris

 

[HHR]

I do basically the same thing. I search for months, find what I want, try to put a lot of cash down, and show up at 9am on the last Saturday of the month. I tell them this can be the easiest sell they ever make. For example, on my Titan they already had $4,000 off sticker. I offered them $5,000 less than that and they came back at $4,500 less. I said throw in 3 oil changes and 3 tire rotations plus the optional $170 rubber all weather floor mats and you have a deal. By the way I leave my car running in the parking lot and tell the first sales person I see to go get the finance person. I am leaving in 5 minutes and we are not playing this back and forth stuff. I point out my car is running and I am leaving in 5 minutes.

Chris

I bet that woke up the dealer.

 

[dodge man]

Back to the OP. You have what I would consider my dream truck. I would hang on to it. Buy a cheap car or do some things to improve the ride. I just traded my 2007 Ram 1/2 ton for a Dodge Challenger. I also bought a 2002 Chevy 1/2 ton.

The Chevy rides terrible on the roads I live on. They are all paved but are oil and chip. There are a lot of bumps and washboard, and the truck skips all over the road. The truck came with E rated tires and I blame most of the bad ride on the tires. I think you can do some things to improve your ride and be happy with what you have.

 

[Todd_C]

Update....

I got a phone call on Friday from a coworker about his brother-in-law needing to sell his 2008 Tundra Double Cab. I looked at the truck on Saturday and drove it home for a test drive. The 5.7 with 4.30 gear has some big ones. I couldn't believe how darn quick the truck accelerates. I drove it back today and the owner offered it to me 6K under private owner Kelly Blue Book value. I now have two trucks in the driveway and one unhappy wife. The Tundra is a lot of truck for a 1/2 ton. The bed is huge compared to the bed on my Dodge 2500 and the Tundra is just as big. I didn't expect the Tundra to be so big. I'll let you guys know which truck I keep, but I do have to sell one. Oh the agony!

 

[Diamondpilot]

Congratulations on the new truck. Sounds like you got a good deal and like you said the 4.30 gears will make it a torque monster.

Chris

 

[Mikeeemo]

Todd, Think trailer towing, the 4.30 gears will get you moving!

I really like mine.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I just was going though old threads and found this one.

How is the Tundra treating you?

Reading though these post I had mentioned that my 2 local dealers would not come off $500. There was a comment that they were kidding themselves. Well the guy who runs the dealership came over to my house last Saturday morning to look at a boat I had for sale. I did not realize who it was until he got here and we started talking. He asked me about my F-350 and my Titan that were sitting in the garage. He asked me if I was interested in a Tundra to give him a call. I told him about me trying to buy one and how we could not come to a deal.

Long story short, in my town of less than 100,000 he must be doing something right. They were the 3rd largest Toyota dealer in the US for 2010. After he left I looked it up and he was telling the truth. I don't see how he does it with his prices???

By the way, he did not buy the boat. I would not budge on the price and he walked just as I had done 3 years earlier.:laughing:
He will kick himself later. I have it price very right, $4500 below book value. It will sell this week guaranteed at my price now that the marina is open.


Chris