First, when they gave you the run around about the paperwork, you should have walked away. Even if it was a Saturday afternoon, you could have waited until Monday to finalize the deal.
Second the dealer did fix half of your concerns. They fixed the broken seat belt buckle and the rattle in the door.
I presume they just don’t hear the “windshield rattle” and I presume it didn’t rattle while they rode with you to check it out, or you would have pointed it out.
The poor acceleration may be the engine size that came in this vehicle, or just not what you expected.
As far as people walking into a dealership to purchase a car, I’m sure many more do than you think there are.
Had you actually walked into the dealership and tried test driving the vehicle that you wish to buy…with the same power plant…you may have noticed the poor cornering and ordered a vehicle with a larger engine.
Granted you drove others, but with the same power plant with no aftermarket upgrades???
So you have a rattle near the windshield, and you’re unhappy with the handling, or power. around corners. These you should keep at the dealer about.
Everything else has been fixed, or was because you accepted the vehicle other than the one that you really wanted.
We had a good experience purchasing a 4Runner back in 2003. The dealer searched out with other dealers what we wanted and had it sent to his agency. We negotiated a cash price and on this,price he offered 0% financing for 2 years. That was free .money. The payments were high, but we didn’t have to cash in any CDs.
The downside was that the 4Runner did have a bad chirp in the engine. After three serpentine belt replacements,where the belt was installed incorrectly on one replacement, the problem was traced to a bad belt tensioner. We almost used the lemon law. We still have this 4Runner. My wife keeps it so well maintained it looks like it came from the showroom.
@toyo4
Yes, and I added a few items to save the so called bumpers from the ice build up. Because we also travel frequently, the new gen was much worse on road then the previous. so, we replaced the 4Runner and older RAV with a Venza and a Taco. The newer 4Runner as you know is hard core and replaces the FJ with the Pro model. If you aren’t using it as intended, IMho, it’s overpriced amd an under performer.
I personally know of two people who bought the last gen 4Runner. Neither kept them longer then 3 years and one bought my old one. They actually went backwards ten years to get a better on road vehicle. Go figure.
I always go to the dealership and drive the exact car I want to buy to make sure there are no problems with it. I have a set route around town I use to test power and handling.
Can anyone answer questions on tires? My SR5 came stock Dunlop Grandtek AT20’s and here in WI they are horrible in rain and snow.
Would Nitto Terra Grappler, Grappler G2 or BF Goodrich tire be the way to go? I don’t go off roading, but I would like a more aggressive look, but not lose any mpg’s since I only drive on pavement.
I just thought about the total diameter difference between the tires. Would that alter the speedometer?
I can tell you this for sure about off road vehicles that we buy from a dealer. When they are parked on a parking lot, people try them out by driving them around on the street. They don’t take them off road and beat them up. If you want to sell any truck like these, you sell them with tires that look off road but are really all season like in performance. Hence, your Dunlops and my equally crappy but quiet BFG Rugged Trail on my Taco Off Road.
If they put real off road tires on these cars that were good in snow, they would ride rougher, handle worse and be so noisy, that many would be discouraged from buying them. So, they put tires on that look the part but aren’t. It’s the simple explanation I got years ago from my cousin who worked as a parts manager for several different dealerships owned by the same company.
That you don’t go off roading gives you several options. Look for an all terrain tire that handles snow well as tested by Tire Rack. bFG All Terrian are one. Be fore warned, they will not ride and handle as well as the tires you have and they will be noisier. Why you bought the 4Runner which is hard core and won’t use it as intended tells me I was right about a lot of my assumptions. You will tire of it. ;-(
Not necessarily. I love the height the 4Runner has and its a great looking suv. More than half of 4Runner owners don’t go off roading. Does anyone go off roading who ones an SUV??? Most cases not…lol.
Check out the Nitto Grappler G2. This is one I’m after.
I have had several frame based SUVs, not car based, and used them all for towing and some off road. Not as much as my trucks, but plenty to the point I damaged and replaced skid plates, boots and universal joints and springs. That’s what they were made for and how we use them around here. No one that I know personally does not at least tow with a frame truck based SUV. Bouncing around to look good for $40k when a car based one does it cheaper with a much better ride and economy never occurred to me. Nothing wrong with it, and I commend you for being honest about it. But they do what you do a whole lot in many places, that’s why you have crappy Tires.
I am only talking about the newer ones. The previous generation had a lot more going for them as an on road driver. They very much more car like.
While I’m sympathetic to the OP’s complaints, I think in a few months the OP’s perspective will change once they come to appreciate their new car. No car – bought or sold – is ever perfect, and to an even greater extent, no dealership or car salesman is ever perfect.
I suspect the salesman would have gladly sold you the vehicle on a pre-order. The problem almost certainly is that the salesman’s boss wouldn’t allow it. Don’t blame the messenger in other words.
And as said above, the best solution when a car salesman tries to force you into something you don’t like – like the loan in this case – simply say “no”; i.e. in this case say “I prefer my own loan originator”. Of course the buyer usually has to make a few compromises, but not ones that are tricky, unfair, or unacceptable.
When I purchased my Corolla the salesman tried to persuade me into various schemes, and one by one I said “no”. A couple times he said he couldn’t do a deal then, so I walked out, but gave him my card on the way, saying “thanks for your time, call me asap if you decide you need a buyer for this car”. And he would call me the next day of course. We danced awhile like this until one day he said “I have all the paperwork drawn up exactly as you want, the car’s prepped and ready to go, when are you coming by to pick it up?”
I had a buddy who was in the same boat as me and took his trade-in home. That night he got side swiped by an idiot who didn’t see him and he couldn’t trade in his car. I have perfect credit so it was really no big deal. I will switch the loan to my credit union soon. For me…it was the principle and they lost my respect. I just left my trade-in at the dealer and wrapped it up.
I get you. I always get buyer’s remorse. I bought a Ford Focus last year and in the 1st week the clutch bearing started to make noise and the front suspension was clunking; all when cold and the dealer could never reproduce the issues. Very well familiar with that phrase.
In your case, you might be able to make this car work for you and enjoy it.