Complaint Review: HIGH COUNTRY TOYOTA

ME AND MY HUSBAND HAVE 2 VEHICLES. ONE WE RECENTLY PAID OFF. SO WE THOUGHT WE COULD USE THE PAID VEHICLE TO EAT UP THE NEGATIVE ON THE ONE THAT IS STILL CURRENTLY BEING PAID FOR. WE THOUGHT WE MIGHT GET A LOWER PAYMENT THIS WAY. I LIKED THE TOYOTAS B/C I HAD HEARD GOOD THINGS ABOUT THEM. SO WE DECIDED TO GO TO HIGH COUNTRY TOYOTA WHICH IS ABOUT 15 MIN FROM OUR HOUSE INSTEAD OF THE ONE IN HUNTSVILLE WHICH IS AN HOUR AWAY. WE SPOKE WITH A SALESMAN THERE WHO 5 MONTHS EARLIER HAD OFFERED US A GOOD AMT OF 12000.00 FOR OUR TRADE. AT THAT TIME WE STILLED OWED ON THE VEHICLE SO WE OPTED TO WAIT TILL WE PAID THE VEHICLE OFF THINKING THAT WHEN WE TRADED IT, WE WOULD GET A BETTER DEAL. SO WE GO TO HIGH COUNTRY AND THE FIRST THING WE ARE ASKED IS WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR. I SAID A NEW 4 RUNNER PREFERRABLY WITH LEATHER. THE NIGHT BEFORE I HAD REALLY DONE MY RESEARCH(PAYOFF INFO, CREDIT SCORES, VEHICLE SPECIALS, TRADE VALUES, EVEN PAYMENT ESTIMATES). I CHECKED TO SEE IF TOYOTA WAS RUNNING ANY SPECIALS ON THE 4 RUNNER. THEY WERE, 0% APR FOR 60MO. I CHECKED HIGH COUNTRY'S WEBSITE AND THEY SHOWED A 2008 BLUE 4 RUNNER FOR 27,900. THE SALESMAN THEN TELLS ME I DON'T HAVE A 4 RUNNER ONLY A HIGHLANDER. SO ME AND MY HUSBAND CHECKED OUT THE HIGHLANDER AND DIDN'T LIKE THE SIZE. SO THE SALESMAN TELLS US I CAN GET YOU A 4 RUNNER HERE IN A FEW DAYS. MY HUSBAND ASKS IF HE HAS ANY SEQUIAS. HE SAYS YES, A USED ONE, BUT IT NEEDS CLEANING. WE TOLD HIM WE DIDN'T MIND CHECKING IT OUT. I CAN LOOK PAST THE NORMAL DIRT. WELL WE LOOKED AT THE SEQUIA AND LIKED IT. IT DID NEED CLEANING. HE TOLD US IT WAS AN 08 AND THE ASKING PRICE WAS 38000.00. WITH 17,000 MILES. WE FIGURED BY KELLEY BLUE BOOK, WHICH I HAD LOOKED UP THE NIGHT BEFORE, THAT AFTER OUR NEGATIVE WAS EATEN UP, WE WOULD COME OUT WITH AT LEAST 3900.00 OFF THIS PRICE. SO WE GO INSIDE, RUN CREDIT, WHICH I KNOW IS GOOD B/C I CHECKED OUR CREDIT SCORES. THIS APPARENTLY TAKES THEM FOREVER. MEANWHILE THEY ARE APPRAISING BOTH VEHICLES OUTSIDE. THE MAN AFTER 20 MINUTES FINALLY MOVES US TO ANOTHER DESKS AND WE SIT ANOTHER 10 MIN. THEN BEGINS MY MOMENT OF FLABBERGASTATION. HE TELLS US THAT THE PAYMENT FOR THE SEQUIA, WHICH IS FULLY LOADED, FOR 72 MONTHS AND 2271.00 DOWN WOULD BE 724.00 A MONTH AND A BRAND NEW BASIC EVERYTHING 4 RUNNER WOULD BE 681.00. WE ARE IN SHOCK. WE ARE ONLY PAYING 480.00 FOR OUR CURRENT VEHICLE. MY FIRST QUESTION WAS "HOW MUCH DID YOU GIVE US FOR OUR TRADE?" WHERE THE SALESMAN REPLIED "I DON'T KNOW" HUH? HE SAID "WE WON'T KNOW TILL THE PAPERWORK IS FINALLIZED." WHAT? THAT DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE. THEN I ASK, "ISN'T THERE A SPECIAL ON THE 4 RUNNER RIGHT NOW WITH 0% FINANCING FOR 60 MO?" HE SAID "NO, THAT'S 36 MO AND YOUR PAYMENTS WOULD BE 1,000.00 A MONTH THEN." THEN I ASK " HOW MUCH IS THE INTEREST RATE ON THIS LOAN B/C WE BANK AT SO AND SO AND THEY USUALLY GIVE GOOD RATES TO THEIR CUSTOMERS?" AGAIN "I DON'T KNOW." NOW THIS IS GETTING RIDICULOUS. SO HE SAYS WITHOUT GETTING UP OR LOOKING AT ANYTHING, " I THINK I CAN GO 680 SOMETHING". THIS WENT ON AWHILE. HE KEPT TELLING US HE COULD GO DOWN TO SUCH AND SUCH AMOUNT, W/O EVEN GETTING UP TILL FINALLY HE WENT TO ASK ABOUT THE BANKING QUESTION I ASKED. THEN HE COMES BACK WITH HIS MANAGER WHO TELLS ME THEY CAN'T USE OUR BANK B/C THEY DON'T FINANCE NEGATIVE. THEN HE WALKS OFF. SO I SAY, " I THOUGHT OUR TRADE WOULD EAT UP OUR NEGATIVE AND THEN SOME." WHERE THE SALESMAN REPLIED, "IT ALMOST DID." WHAT? HUH?! IM THINKING 'I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH YOU WERE GIVING US ON OUR TRADE.'! I ADDED IT UP AND A ONCE 12,000.00 TRADE APPARENTLY HAS GONE TO LITTLE OF NOTHING IN 5 MONTHS WITH ONLY 100 MILES ADDED TO IT. FINALLY THE SALESMAN GETS TO 630.00 AND WE SAY NO. THEN HE ASKS "WHAT WILL IT TAKE". MY HUSBAND NOTICES THE 38,000.00 PRICE HAS BEEN WRITTEN ON THE PAPER THAT HE IS INSISTING THAT WE SIGN AND ASKS "IS THIS PRICE WITH INTEREST?" THE SALESMAN REPLIED " I SHOULD'VE NEVER WRITTEN THAT DOWN. THAT'S NOT SET. PAY NO ATTENTION TO THAT." ALL THE WHILE HE IS INSISTING WE SIGN AND TELLING US HOW THIS SEQUIA IS A 70,000.00 VEHICLE AND THAT THIS IS A GREAT DEAL AND HOW ALL AMERICAN BRANDS ARE DOING BADLY AND BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. (BOY IT DEPRECIATED ALOT IN ONE YEAR WITH ONLY 19,000 MILES FOR IT TO BE A TOYOTA.) COME TO FIND OUT THE MILAGE IS 19,000 NOT 17,000. SO ANY WAY MY HUSBAND SAYS I'LL GIVE 550.00 A MONTH FOR IT. THE SALESMAN THEN FOLDS THE PIECE OF PAPER HE IS WANTING US TO SIGN, TAKES A GREEN SHARPIE MARKER AND WRITES A SENTENCE THAT GOES SOMETHING LIKE, 'I AGREE TO PAY 550.00 A MONTH WITH 0 DOWN' AND PLACES AN X FOR MY HUSBAND TO SIGN. MY HUSBAND THEN ASKS HIM POLITELY "CAN I SPEAK TO MY WIFE" HE MEANT IN PRIVATE AND THE SALESMAN ANSWERS 'YES' KINDA SMART BUT NEVER MOVES. THE SALESMAN HAS BECOME AGGRAVATED PROGRESSIVELY AS WE WERE INSISITING ON NOT GOING OVER OUR IDEA OF A DECENT AND FAIR PAYMENT. MY HUSBAND THEN SAYS "IN PRIVATE". THE SALESMAN GETS UP AND IS BACK IN ONE MINUTE AND SAYS, I'M SORRY FOLKS, I CAN'T GO UNDER 630.00 A MONTH WITH 0 DOWN." AT THIS POINT, WE STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT THE ASKING PRICE ACTUALLY IS, WHAT THEY ARE OFFERING FOR OUR TRADE VALUES, HOW MUCH IS BEING FINANCED OR EVEN WHICH BANK THEY ARE WANTING TO USE. WE WERE NEVER TOLD ANY OF THE INFORMATION WE ASKED EXCEPT THAT OUR INTEREST RATE WOULD BE 6.5%. SO WE GET UP AND I TELL THE SALESMAN WE'LL THINK ABOUT IT (THOUGH I WAS BEING POLITE. WE WILL NEVER BE BACK TO THAT DEALERSHIP) AND WE LEAVE. I HAVE NEVER BEEN TREATED IN SUCH A MANNER AT A DEALERSHP. I HAVE NEVER HAD MY QUESTIONS DANCED AROUND SO MUCH. IT WAS QUITE DISTURBING AND A WASTE OF TIME. WE FELT LIKE THEY FLAT OUT LIED TO US AND THAT THEY GENUINELY WERE TRYING TO SCREW US. WE ARE UPSET BUT HAVE DECIDED TO EITHER GO SOMEWHERE ELSE OR JUST SELL OUR RECENTLY PAID OFF VEHICLE TO AN INDIVIUAL. BY THE WAY, I CHECKED THE HUNTSVILLE TOYOTA'S WEBSITE (HAVE NEVER COME ACROSS A 70,000.00 TOYOTA SUV) AND THE 4 RUNNER IS CARRYING A 0% APR FOR 36 OR 60 MO. I KNEW I WAS RIGHT. WHEN IT COMES TO HIGH COUNTRY OF SCOTTSBORO, IT PAYS TO GO OUT OF TOWN TO SHOP!

J
sCOTTSBORO, Alabama
U.S.A.