I’ve only ever purchased 2 cars in my life before, and this is an entirely new vehicle platform for me.
I'm in the same boat. 3 car purchases before, but first 200 series. Heres somethings I learned in the past few months.
The stickied thread on recent prices has also been quite helpful.
I've said it there and I'll say it again. It is virtually impossible to score a 200 series at a huge discount. Especially post 2016, and most definitely post 2018.
If something is too good to be true, it is. If something is fishy, it is.
Remember only ~3000 200s sold every year. The market supply is so slim that on multiple occasions I could search the VIN off a dealers listing, and find the owner of that particular 200 series on mud or FB. That kind of connection would be impossible for a 4Runner/Tacoma, unless it's extremely modified and easily recognizable.
Do a VIN search and Google image search. 99% of the time these two things will give you enough information to let you know if it's a scam or not. And obviously "basic internet skills" Don't pay anything until you see the car. Don't sign anything until you're there. If they require any kind of deposit, run.
I hear some folks say “I got an insane deal,” but the context seems to matter quite a bit.
IMO an INSANE deal would be paying $10k off a comparable mileage. Or about 30k miles less with comparable price.
(Assuming all else equal, same year, color, condition, maintenance, modifications, accidents...etc)
Anything better than that is not longer "a deal" but rather winning the lottery (or scam)
