Hello everyone! I stumbled across this site are I was originally looking to buy a new 4Runner. Living in San Diego has brought way too many issues in regard to purchase. Funny business at the dealers and all the other B.S around here. ($10,000) over MSRP for example??
So since the 4Runner commanded such insane prices here, I stated to look elsewhere in the country to ship! I tried but it just never panned out.
With that said we found a local dealer asking under MSRP and thought they came across as a decent dealer. How wrong we were. At the dealer I had my wife drive the SR5 and then test the TRD with KDSS. We would decide together if it drove better with KDSS. It did, and when we went to sit down at the table and talk negotiations to buy, they pull a fast one of switching the TRD with a plain SR5.
Additionally, our credit was pulled without our permission before we ever looked at the price. They said don't worry ( if a dealer says that run!) we are putting you in the system. I know its sometimes customary to pre-qualify a customer just to make sure they can purchase the car. But that's a whole lot different then being snaky and doing a full pull.
I had my 11 month year old son with us and they were playing the game of "well the computer is not working" etc.!! SURE
The salesman ( an older gentleman in his late 60's to early 70's) was also having problems at the computer. He didn't want to reenter all of our information again so took out his personal cell phone and was going to take pictures of the screen. I immediately asked him that I did not want him to photograph my wife and I's information and he just kinda acted stupid.
He comes back with what I thought was a pre-qualify sheet in his hands to start talking about going to the next steps ( like 1. here is the price. 2. here is our finance offers. 3 all the typical undercoating crap and warranty stuff. I look at the sheet and he has the different car on it. The SR5 and not the trail. I said we never talked price and that's not the truck we want. I pulled the other sheet from him and lo and behold they pulled our credit!
With a harsh voice I said 'I have above excellent credit as well as my wife." We have cash! He replies you have the second highest credit scores this dealership has ever seen. SO I YELLED " You did pull my credit!" I expressively told you not to and we don't want this car.
My wife grabbed our son and we stormed out with our now pulled credit in hand. Both my wife and I have credit scores both over 870 by the way!!
We both work in hospitals and never carry a monthly balance on our combined credit cards. Own in DT San Diego and Zero loans except for a mortgage.
Long story short to add insult my wife said she saw drug paraphernalia ( white stuff and a straw) in the handicap stall when she changed our sons britches....
Wife never did like the 4Runner engine power. Now here to get a LC
We are giving this up because its too small and dangerous to put out 11 month old in.