Okay, so after much agonizing and vacillation and a nationwide self-search for a stripped-down '09 Yaris, I've put the deposit down on a somewhat "loaded" '09, they've located one, I've signed to pay the rest for it when it arrives (transported from another dealership), but I'm not happy. The more I think about all the bells and whistles I "had" to get as part of the various add-on "packages," the more unhappy my frugal self is. I'm paying more than I want for a bunch of stuff I don't need ($150 floor mats; "heavy-duty" heater - is the other a "wimpy" heater??? - an "extra-large" windshield washer fluid receptacle... And I'm paying for a rear defroster TWICE - once in the convenience package and again in the all-weather guard package; huh???). In short, I feel ripped off. It arrived last night (I've already driven by the dealership and seen it; cute, but "loaded); are not open today (Sunday).
Am considering going in tomorrow morning and telling them I've decided I want an '08 instead of the '09 (it's $1k less). Maybe I could even get one without all these gadgets (rear MP3 player audio outlet... Puh-leez). Yes, the '09 is being delivered, but surely they can sell or trade it, and surely there's an '08 out there (in fact, I know there are some).
Those of you with car dealer/dealership experience, how likely am I to be killed on the spot or yelled at or actually hit?
Or might I be successful??? Am I legally bound now to buy that particular '09, or just "some car" with my deposit alread paid? Should the customer not be happy???
Hey, it's an otter's prerogative...
You’re entitled to cancel the deal if you choose. They should refund your deposit, but they are not going to be very happy about it, and you may have to spend a few hours arguing with the sales manager. Be prepared.
You should NOT have agreed to buy a car you didn’t really want, but you’re not the only person who ever had buyer’s remorse.
The dealership will probably be unwilling to go elsewhere to find you another car, and I don’t blame them.
Quit fooling around. You said you wanted a stripper and then you put a deposit on a loaded car. Make up your mind. Find an in-stock car that suits you on a dealer’s lot somewhere and buy it. You could have been driving a Yaris by now.
You should have negotiated the price(s) of the various “packages,” especially the ones you didn’t want, but it’s too late now. At this point I wouldn’t sell you a car at anything below full list.
Good luck.
Be happy with your new car, and forgetaboutit.
find the name of the dealership they traded with, cancel your order and make sure you don’t visit either dealership again cause they probably won’t deal with you anyways. If you’re lucky, they’ll give you your deposit back, but don’t expect them to give it up without a fight. If you cancel the deal, you’ve essentially wasted their time(as well as yours), and I’m pretty sure any papers you’ve signed might have stated directly that the deposit was (non)refundable, go check it.
Tell the next dealership exactly what you want, no packages at all, if you hafta wait 6 months or more, then so be it. If you truly are serious about buying the car, tell them about it when you find a salesperson. If the salesperson doesn’t want to deal with you, leave your name and number then wish them a Merry Christmas as you walk out. Saying that to them might remind them how important a sale is this time of year, especially if you wait until the day after Thanksgiving to go car shopping
It’s not like they presented you with a car that had leather, GPS, or HID headlights. They offered about as stripped down a car as you can get these days. I would recommend to stop being so bloody cheap. Get a good deal on what is availible and don’t worry about it for another 10 years or whenever you’re ready for another car.
You should know the dealership will not go out of their way to find you another car. You told them you wanted the car you signed for. Now you want to change your mind. Why should they help you now?
Do whatever you want to do, but quit messing with the salespeople at the Toyota dealership. I don’t usually feel sorry for car salespeople, but I feel sorry for the salesperson who has to deal with you.
Are you buying, or not? Make up your mind.
I have to agree with mcparadise on this issue. It is not the fault of the car dealership if you cannot make up your mind, despite the extreme amount of time that you have spent on your quest for a new car. While you can probably extricate yourself from this deal, it is VERY unlikely that the dealership will want to deal with you again as a result of your inability to make a decision and to stick with it. And, as Fodaddy said, the car that you described is not really “loaded” by modern standards. The total cost of a few incidental accessories, when amortized over the space of 5 years or more, is really like mere pennies per week. Are a few pennies per week worth all of this bother?
If I am not mistaken, your odyssey of what to buy, when to buy it, how to buy it, how much to pay, etc has taken several months. It took the US Congress less than 10 minutes to declare war on Japan in 1941. If you compare the gravity of that situation to your dithering over the purchase of a car, the length of time that you have spent on this mission is a bit much, and now that you can’t seem to make up your mind, I am just glad that I was not the salesman who had to endure this situation.
“Should the customer not be happy”. You’ll never be.
If you’ve read the responses to you latest post, you will know that we’re not too enthusiastic about what you’re doing. It’s time for you to buckle down and decide, are you buying a car, or not?
Make up your mind and do whatever you want to do, but it’s time for you to buy a car and get “otter” here.
Please post back and let us know how this all works out. We’re all on pins and needles.
buyer’s remorse is not a reason for the dealer to cancel their end of the deal.You put up good faith money and won’t hold up your end. What a dope. Do your business or get off the cra…er.
Next post, they kept my deposit…
right on
Well, a 2008 is already a year old since the 2009 models are out. Depending on how long you keep the car, when you amortize the cost of the options over a period of years and look at the value of a 2009 with some accessories as opposed to a 2008 that is a more austere model, you probably will come out o.k.
I am a tightwad and hate to spend a lot of money on a car. However, I’ve purchased cars with some features I really didn’t think I needed, such as automatic temperature control, premium sound system, etc when this was a car that was available at a good price and I’ve enjoyed having the options.
Some years back, we bought a new Ford Tempo that the dealer had at a special price. I usually run a car at least 150,000 miles. The Ford Tempo was o.k., but my wife said while we were on a vacation, “Do we really have to ride in the car forever?” When we came back from the vacation, I traded the car in for a Ford Taurus and didn’t regret the trade.
My advice would be that you’ve ordered the car. Why not enjoy it?
A stripped down car is so useless, you’re better off not saving a lot of money. Aftermarket floormats are all trash because they fold,creep and just don’t fit. As for an 08, it sells for less because it’s worth less. It’s already a year old. You would learn that a year for now when you check any book for it’s value. You will relearn it when you try to trade it in and they won’t give you enough for it. The standard duty heating system in a Toyota is also nothing to be desired and a rear window defroster is the best thing you can have on a car. I had a Cadillac without one and I would never go down that slippery slope again. You’re starting to sound like one of those customers that the dealer just dreads. They can do anything they want to but it will never make you happy. Only you can work with your personality for a positive change. It takes a few years of effort, but it is worth it.
Personally, I think the dealer should keep every stinking dime of the deposit; and there’s a chance they might depending on what paperwork you signed.
The dealer is out time/transport charges and now you’re asking them to float the car for a while in hopes of someone else buying it. That’s called a floor plan and if it doesn’t sell PDQ the dealer will be paying interest on it; another expense to add to the time wasting and transport charges.