Building A Rock Star Tundra – The Beginning
Jason Lancaster | May 28, 2010 | Comments 22
It started all the way back in April 2009, when Chris sent us an email asking if we had any info on 2010 Tundra pricing. As time went by, we got more emails from Chris, keeping us up-to-date on his search for the perfect truck, his plans for accessories, and some much-appreciated comments on the site.
Over the last year, Chris’s dream of building the ultimate truck – a “rock star” – has taken form. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be reviewing the build-out of Chris’s brand new 2010 Tundra. Today’s post talks about the purchase process and introduces the truck, and future posts will discuss options and accessories, show you pictures along the way, and hopefully entertain. Here we go:
Buying A Tundra Shouldn’t Be So Hard
Chris writes:
“I have invited 14 dealerships to bid on a fully loaded (and then some) Tundra according to a list I compiled in the bid request itself, wherein dealerships can’t play their deceptive games and I’ll actually get the best possible price. I’ve canvassed no less than 12 Toyota dealerships in 3 states for the following special order: A CrewMax Limited 4×4 5.7 with DVD Nav, Power Memory Package, and sunroof.”
Chris’s search was extensive – he wanted to find the best deal possible. After narrowing his search down to a Tundra at a local Colorado dealership, Chris hit his first snag: In Colorado, the only 5.7 4×4 Limited Tundras available have flex-fuel engines. This means that Chris couldn’t add a TRD supercharger to a Colorado truck because they’re incompatible with flex-fuel motors.
Obviously, this is unacceptable. (Spoiler alert – this Tundra is getting a blower!)
SO, the process of finding the right truck for the right price began again. After more time and trouble – including working with a Denver area Toyota dealer to locate an out-of-state vehicle – Chris found the Tundra he was looking for 1,050 miles away in California.
EDIT – Chris *did* find a truck in California like we wrote above. HOWEVER, the dealership in California expected Chris to pay sales tax in CA despite the fact Chris lived out of state. Obviously, that didn’t work. The truck below is actually from Arizona…so that makes 3 snags in the purchase process.
Just as Chris was ready to buy his truck, he hit his 2nd snag: Toyota froze sales of the Tundra nationwide to fix sticky pedals hours before completing his purchase. In his own words:
“Now I’m within days of buying the right truck and they freeze their sales nationwide? What a bunch of sh*t this is.”
He went on to ask why Toyota froze sales because of a silly little shim (OK – he didn’t use those words precisely, but you get the idea).
Finding The Golden Truck
After overcoming geography, Toyota dealers who didn’t want to deal with a special order (read about why Toyota dealers don’t like special orders), and some confusing pricing and product info from Toyota (Colorado Toyota dealers didn’t know for sure if they could order a non-flex-fuel 4×4, and neither did their reps at Toyota) Chris zeroed in on this truck:
This is how the Rock Star Tundra project begins - a brand new pickup on a California Toyota dealership lot.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll show you more pics and tell you more about Chris’s new Tundra, the “Building a Rock Star Tundra” story.
Filed Under: Featured Vehicles
Dang now it’s like a soap opera waiting for the final truck to be revealed! And how did he actually find a 2010 that isn’t flex-fuel? I wasn’t aware they were around anymore but knew about the whole “won’t be able to supercharge” issue.
I agree TXTee. I’m glad he can get what he exactly wants.
I hate people like this… I’m on this site all the time and love it, but when u get some guy like this who waste’s everybody’s (14 dealership associates and some) time to get a truck no one has and doesnt want to pay a dime of profit it makes me sick. 14 dealers to bid for the business, i work at a dealership and news flash, we hate dealing with low life mooch’s like you. how about i come to your work and waste your time and take you off the clock. getting a truck like that, and that hard to find is takes a LOT of time time and hassle, and here you are mooching for the thing. find the right person have him find it and just pay for it. if you can afford a truck like that 1,000 over 60 months is not going to make a difference to you and someone can actually get paid for their time. The day’s of deceptive practices are gone! stop living in the past guy. When you find that truck you will be a lucky man. Pay atleast 2500 over invoice will ya, theres only about 3800 to 4000 in that truck as is, plus you’ll get a rebate or awesome financing. you’ll steal a diamond as it is.
Brad, the dealership will take EVERY oppertunity to milk what they can out of you. Get what you want and get it for the lowest price possible. The dealership is trying to sell you what they don’t want at the highest price possible. Fair is fair and I will not go in looking to give the dealership a PENNY of profit. FYI, I usally get my vehicles at cost or below. They make the profit from the next dozen people I send in behind me looking to get a vehicle at slightly above cost. Some of the dealers know me and know of me so it works out. For example: Toyota dealer A sold me a minivan at below cost. The following 6 weeks I sent them 3 van sales, 4 car sales and 2 truck sales. I then, the following year got my truck at cost and sent them 6 truck sales, 2 van sales, 3 car sales, and a prius buyer, in the following 4 weeks. I send people to the local dealers at least once a week. WHY would I want to give them EXTRA money over the free advertising I am giving them????????
The advice I give people is to hagle the deal down till you feel like you are getting a great deal. Normally they are not even close to cost by the time they feel like they are winning the fight. Dealer makes a profit and the customer feels like they raped the dealer. EVERYONE WINS! There are a select few who aren’t a member of the herd and need to have the BEST deal. I R 1 of dem!
Brad – LOL! I used to work in the car biz and I understand your frustration. I think that if I had to try and sell a car to Chris I wouldn’t like him as much! 🙂 Having said that, he’s really a pretty good guy.
##
As for paying more than invoice, I think that’s on the dealership that made the deal don’t you? It takes two people to say yes. 🙂
##
I agree that salespeople deserve to be compensated for their time and expertise, but at the same time the consumer is entitled to the best deal they can get. I have a lot of thoughts about the car business, but trust me when I say I’ve got your back. However, I think you’re miss-directing your frustration…the consumer isn’t the problem. The dealership’s out-dated compensation model is the problem. Commission is the wrong way to pay new vehicle salespeople when most of the time they’re forced to sell a commodity in a competitive marketplace.
Sorry Brad, invoice price or not deal always on all vehicles, not just toyotas. I am sure you are aware of dealer holdback incentives and the dealer service fees usually around here 85 to 125 bucks is more than enough profit. I understand each month there is insurance on the vehicles in inventory, but if you sell them ASAP and then hardly any insurance is due then correct?
Brad I understand your frustration but the fact of the matter is that its an internet world of competition. For example, I had a local tire business tell me I needed to buy from them because most online tires were defective….lol. I bought online and saved hundreds of dollars. If dealers didn’t want to be competitive then they would eliminate their internet quotes. Buyers can research all the angles prior to shopping, which makes it a tough business to be selling. I know the hold back on these trucks don’t amount to much and the dealers normally starve their sales staff but I question the way the dealers pay their employees. I don’t know if Chris is a “low life mooch” , but I will say his style of buying is becoming more of the norm.
TXTee: CA,Washington state and Idaho are at least 3 states (likely the region) that new non-flex fuel 5.7’s can be bought.
Bradley: You sound like the Communist in Chief who’s determined to spread the wealth of the country around as long as it’s OPM (Other Peoples Money). You even resort to the name-calling of someone you openly confess you don’t know…Pathetic.
Jeremy: Exactly right!
MK: Dealerships make money on the customer that most salespeople never learn (nor care) about and it’s big money. You’re right.
Rich: The more you know
Whoa Brad! Quite an insulting SOB, aren’t ya?? The only thing you’re half-way right about is that the cons, lies and other games played on people buying cars now-a-days is that they’re on a much more subtle level. I should know, I sold them for a short time several years ago and yes, several salespeople tried to play a few on me at different dealerships while I worked a full year and a half searching for this truck. The same truck that I should have been able to buy not five minutes from my house with one stinking phone call and I STILL didn’t wind up with exactly what I wanted. Part of the reason I couldn’t was clowns like you claim they work for a living but, don’t want to actually do anything.
Also, not that it’s any of your damn business but, I didn’t take a loan on either of the vehicles I bought from my salesman and he does make a volume commission at that dealership. Why do I know this?? Because I cared enough to know! Besides, Brad, that’s MY money that I actually worked for. Not yours or anyone elses. Are we getting a clue yet?? Probably not.
One last thing: I went to another state just to buy a truck so, what makes you pretend to think that I won’t track an outrageously insulting salesman down to the dealership he’s at with the help of Toyota?? Unless, of course, you want to throw insults at me while I’m an inch away. Just ask, I’ll make time.
If people can’t take criticism then maybe they don’t want to be in the spot light. It was hit on the head when they said it was going to be a soap opera!
‘Low-life mooch’ is “CRITICISM”!? Making wild accusations that had nothing to do with the situation is “criticism”??
Look out folks there’s a internet tough guy! It was criticism from a hater. LOL calm down tough Guy!
HA HA HA HA You better watch it or he will use the caps key and get all medieval on you……Be warned.
Damn, I’m scared!!! Please Mister, not that!!! LMAO
Let’s try and stay civil and on-topic. Thanks.
Sheesh when I said soap opera I only meant in relation to hearing the full story on the truck, not what’s transpired so far LOL. Either way, I want to hear more about the final truck Chris has built and then I can slam him for what I don’t like about his own truck LOL….again just joking….but it happens. Bring on Part 2, please.
Special thanks to Winghunter for explaining there are some areas without flex-fuels in the 2010. Now I want to know why CA is included in there but that’s another topic. Jason, I smell a story if you’ve got the time to go into that one.
TXTee – Good idea!
I think I missed something here?
It’s VERY cool for dealers to do whatever they chose to do but no one has a right to play the game by the rules the manufacturer and their distribution network WROTE?
Strange excuse for logic if you ask me???????
Jeremy, all the die hard “mooch’s” have that outlook, you said quote” Fair is fair and I will not go in looking to give the dealership a PENNY of profit. FYI, I usally get my vehicles at cost or below. They make the profit from the next dozen people I send in behind me”.. that is just a sad outlook. To many people thind that oh they’ll just keep the lights on with the next guy…:o. U are one of those people that can never be satisfied and always feel like you got cheated and dicked. Your the guy that wins the truck and complains about the taxes! LOL come on life is to short. It is what it is, as long as your happy and far away from me. Hope you enjoy the beast
AGAIN
All Chris did was play the game by the rules written in stone by the manufacturers and the automobile dealers and gets called a “LOW-LIFE MOOCH?”
Thats just brain-dead and an example of the reason why automobile dealers and their employees have such a poor reputation.
The very same person who resorted to slandering him suggests by his pitiful excuse for “logic” that Chris would be worthy of some unstated accolade if he had acted like a wimpering punk and handed over his own hard-earned money, kissed the bunghole of the nearest dealer and accepted in return whatever feces was delivered to him in return on whatever terms the dealer would dictate.
The BUYER of vehicles are who the automobile dealers work for, the buyers are who pays for the dealership and all its employees. (Unless of course those mirror-gazing “low-life-mooch” sufferers have found a way to sucessfully counterfeit currency.)
Any dealer or salesman that has the “low-life mooch” attitude about their customers as expressed here deserves one thing: their soon-to-come UNEMPLOYMENT.
gunsmoke would you drive 600 miles to haggle a car saleman? and repeat it 6 more times?
Ahhhh off topic we go. I didn’t technically institute the golden rule comment policy until AFTER this post, so I only deleted a couple of notes here.
For what it’s worth, everyone here has a point (even the deleted comment). There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to the morality of business…consumers and dealers are equally entitled to money.
Thank you all for commenting.