I was adding this to another thread but decided to start a new one.
I run Park Place Auto Leasing in Houston. If you are thinking about this truck, here are some tips from someone in the business:
1. Every dealer in the US will have these trucks, regardless of their location or size. So don't think that because a dealer is small and outside the city, they won't be able to get them because they will and they all pay the same price as bigger dealers.
2. If you want to put a deposit down now that's okay but be sure you do it with a sales manager and have them execute a dealer buyer's order with you showing the price not to exceed "MSRP" (not an actual number but the words Not To Exceed MSRP), less your deposit. Have them write on the buyer's order that your deposit is refundable if you decide you don't want the truck. $100 is not a deposit, its an insult. Offer a minimum of $1000 as a deposit.
3. Trust me when I say that 99% of the dealers out there have no idea about the Land Cruiser subculture and don't care. Their target buyer is affluent Dad and Mom who are buying this because their son or daughter saw one of us in our real Land Cruiser going down the higwhay. And you can bet they'll show up on TV and in the movies to stoke that fire.
4. While some of you may think it ludicrous that a dealer would take a deposit this early, think about this. A dealer taking deposits this early is ensuring himself of how many serious buyers he has. When it comes time for him to
negotiate his allocation (Hey John Dealer, I'll give you 40 FJ Cruisers in this production run if you take 40 Camrys) then he knows what he's dealing with. Those allocations run 90-120 days in advance and mean that there are more available trucks, which drives the price DOWN.
I have 6 of these on hold in my name with several local Houston area Toyota dealers. As we get closer to delivery I will post more info if anyone is interested in leasing one.
Jim
I run Park Place Auto Leasing in Houston. If you are thinking about this truck, here are some tips from someone in the business:
1. Every dealer in the US will have these trucks, regardless of their location or size. So don't think that because a dealer is small and outside the city, they won't be able to get them because they will and they all pay the same price as bigger dealers.
2. If you want to put a deposit down now that's okay but be sure you do it with a sales manager and have them execute a dealer buyer's order with you showing the price not to exceed "MSRP" (not an actual number but the words Not To Exceed MSRP), less your deposit. Have them write on the buyer's order that your deposit is refundable if you decide you don't want the truck. $100 is not a deposit, its an insult. Offer a minimum of $1000 as a deposit.
3. Trust me when I say that 99% of the dealers out there have no idea about the Land Cruiser subculture and don't care. Their target buyer is affluent Dad and Mom who are buying this because their son or daughter saw one of us in our real Land Cruiser going down the higwhay. And you can bet they'll show up on TV and in the movies to stoke that fire.
4. While some of you may think it ludicrous that a dealer would take a deposit this early, think about this. A dealer taking deposits this early is ensuring himself of how many serious buyers he has. When it comes time for him to
negotiate his allocation (Hey John Dealer, I'll give you 40 FJ Cruisers in this production run if you take 40 Camrys) then he knows what he's dealing with. Those allocations run 90-120 days in advance and mean that there are more available trucks, which drives the price DOWN.
I have 6 of these on hold in my name with several local Houston area Toyota dealers. As we get closer to delivery I will post more info if anyone is interested in leasing one.
Jim