ApexTheory
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
I wanted to share my recent experience with buying a Supra at Oakville Toyota. The ordeal that I just went through was honestly baffling and ridiculous, and hopefully we can share similar experiences to help future buyers navigate the purchase process.
Sorry for the wall of text.
I had been very interested in a manual transmission GR Supra, so I called various dealers around the GTA to inquire about availability and put down a deposit, expecting a 12+ month wait. I was told by Oakville Toyota they had one in blue that had just arrived, but the previous buyer did not take delivery. I tried to clarify over the phone that I wanted the stock trim with no dealer addons or modifications. I received a very non-commital answer, but I still decided to come check out the car.
At the dealership, I was happy enough with the car, but there was pressure from the sales associate and general manager to purchase a 5 year Toyota Extended Care Plan, Appearance Gard, and Body Gard packages, on top of a $600 dealer markup. I was really not interested in the Appearance/Body Gard third-party coverages, but I was told by the manager that these were optioned by the previous buyer and could not be removed under any circumstance, as they were "registered on the VIN". I knew this to be a lie, but I was generally happy to take delivery of the car in any case.
When it comes to these two third-party packages, I did ask for details of the coverage, and only received vague advertising pamphlets written in generic terms. I did not receive any of the fine print which included exclusions, limitations, and cancellation policies. It was only on the day that I came to pick up the car that they put all the paperwork in front of me to sign.
We continued the negotiations, and I conveyed that I was really not happy to pay the full price of the Appearance and Body Gard packages, as I did not order them and I was "not able to remove it", even though nothing was applied to the car at that point. We agreed to drop the dealer fee, apply $300 discounts to both appearance packages, and to reduce the ECP to 4yr/80k. We also verbally agreed to PPF the front of the car for no cost.
Handshake deal done, and I was brought to the financing office. Now to my surprise, the paperwork put in front of me had the ECP reduced further to 3yr/80k (which was clearly a sneaky move as they generally follow 1yr/20k increments). The $300 discounts on the two Appearance packages were also removed. I protested but was told this was the deal.
To their credit, the dealership did correct the ECP to 4yr/80k after the fact when I brought this to their attention prior to delivery. In addition, when I found out that the PPF was only going to be a small strip on the hood, I asked for that not to be applied, as I wanted the whole front wrapped. I did not ask for any compensation, but the manager offered to apply window tint instead, to which I agreed.
On the day I took delivery, I finally received all the fine print and completed the financing and paperwork to take ownership of the vehicle. Everything was generally smooth, except the dealer failed to complete the PDI process and activate my navigation, causing me to have to return for a service appointment only a few days later at my own time and expense.
At home, reviewing the fine print of the Appearance Gard package, I find that I have a 30 day cancellation window. After considering the limitations and exclusions, I concluded that the coverage was not for me, and I submitted my cancellation request in writing to the dealership. To be clear, the dealer was 100% aware of this clause when they sold me the car, and yet it was only finally put in front of me after I had signed the Purchase Agreement and came to take delivery.
Several days pass, and several follow ups from my end, but I receive no response or even acknowledgement. My calls to the responsible Financial Services Manager are ignored and go straight to voicemail. I then escalated to the General Manager, who incorrectly informed me to contact the third party provider for cancellation, despite the paperwork indicating it is the dealer who needs to initiate the cancellation and refund. I am (of course) sent back to the General Manager, who is now becoming increasingly agitated and unprofessional in our communications.
At this point, the dealership was unwilling to uphold their responsibility to initiate the cancellation. They continued to roadblock and gaslight me throughout every communication. They begin trying to claw back other unrelated portions of the agreement. I was told they would need to remove my tint, to which I declined. I was then accused of being a straw buyer who exported the vehicle. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to bring the vehicle to their dealership, over 150km away, on my own time, to complete a visual inspection and VIN confirmation, before they would start the cancellation paperwork.
Despite my (continuous and correct) insistence that these were separate matters, I consistently communicated that I would be glad to cooperate to the extent of my legal obligation. I even went ahead and provided timestamped images of myself still in ownership of the vehicle to alleviate their worries.
I was told by the General Manager that it was non-negotiable that I comply with their random visual inspection, according to the the non-export agreement that I signed. To no-one's surprise, there is no clause subjecting me to any such thing, a fact that I make very clear to them. I was then accused of heavily modifying the car, despite it being in their Service department bone stock (with nary a gas fillup) several days before to activate my navigation. This was just another instance of strong-arming and gaslighting me.
I was accused of being a malicious and insincere customer and that I would be blacklisted from Toyota. I was met with unprofessional (and frankly childish) tantrums from the staff, trying to make it as difficult for me as possible. My concerns were ignored and redirected every time, despite their knowledge that I was 100% within my legal right.
I was then told they "didnt even care" (lol) about the Appearance Gard kickback as they made $7k off my sale, and that the car had been sitting there for 2 months so they just wanted it gone. What happened to it "arriving on the truck yesterday"? You did not have a manual transmission GR Supra sitting in your basement for 2 months in this market. Another unnecessary lie.
In the end, the cancellation was promised to be processed as I originally requested. I am still waiting for confirmation on that.
tl;dr: dealerships lie
Sorry for the wall of text.
I had been very interested in a manual transmission GR Supra, so I called various dealers around the GTA to inquire about availability and put down a deposit, expecting a 12+ month wait. I was told by Oakville Toyota they had one in blue that had just arrived, but the previous buyer did not take delivery. I tried to clarify over the phone that I wanted the stock trim with no dealer addons or modifications. I received a very non-commital answer, but I still decided to come check out the car.
At the dealership, I was happy enough with the car, but there was pressure from the sales associate and general manager to purchase a 5 year Toyota Extended Care Plan, Appearance Gard, and Body Gard packages, on top of a $600 dealer markup. I was really not interested in the Appearance/Body Gard third-party coverages, but I was told by the manager that these were optioned by the previous buyer and could not be removed under any circumstance, as they were "registered on the VIN". I knew this to be a lie, but I was generally happy to take delivery of the car in any case.
When it comes to these two third-party packages, I did ask for details of the coverage, and only received vague advertising pamphlets written in generic terms. I did not receive any of the fine print which included exclusions, limitations, and cancellation policies. It was only on the day that I came to pick up the car that they put all the paperwork in front of me to sign.
We continued the negotiations, and I conveyed that I was really not happy to pay the full price of the Appearance and Body Gard packages, as I did not order them and I was "not able to remove it", even though nothing was applied to the car at that point. We agreed to drop the dealer fee, apply $300 discounts to both appearance packages, and to reduce the ECP to 4yr/80k. We also verbally agreed to PPF the front of the car for no cost.
Handshake deal done, and I was brought to the financing office. Now to my surprise, the paperwork put in front of me had the ECP reduced further to 3yr/80k (which was clearly a sneaky move as they generally follow 1yr/20k increments). The $300 discounts on the two Appearance packages were also removed. I protested but was told this was the deal.
To their credit, the dealership did correct the ECP to 4yr/80k after the fact when I brought this to their attention prior to delivery. In addition, when I found out that the PPF was only going to be a small strip on the hood, I asked for that not to be applied, as I wanted the whole front wrapped. I did not ask for any compensation, but the manager offered to apply window tint instead, to which I agreed.
On the day I took delivery, I finally received all the fine print and completed the financing and paperwork to take ownership of the vehicle. Everything was generally smooth, except the dealer failed to complete the PDI process and activate my navigation, causing me to have to return for a service appointment only a few days later at my own time and expense.
At home, reviewing the fine print of the Appearance Gard package, I find that I have a 30 day cancellation window. After considering the limitations and exclusions, I concluded that the coverage was not for me, and I submitted my cancellation request in writing to the dealership. To be clear, the dealer was 100% aware of this clause when they sold me the car, and yet it was only finally put in front of me after I had signed the Purchase Agreement and came to take delivery.
Several days pass, and several follow ups from my end, but I receive no response or even acknowledgement. My calls to the responsible Financial Services Manager are ignored and go straight to voicemail. I then escalated to the General Manager, who incorrectly informed me to contact the third party provider for cancellation, despite the paperwork indicating it is the dealer who needs to initiate the cancellation and refund. I am (of course) sent back to the General Manager, who is now becoming increasingly agitated and unprofessional in our communications.
At this point, the dealership was unwilling to uphold their responsibility to initiate the cancellation. They continued to roadblock and gaslight me throughout every communication. They begin trying to claw back other unrelated portions of the agreement. I was told they would need to remove my tint, to which I declined. I was then accused of being a straw buyer who exported the vehicle. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I needed to bring the vehicle to their dealership, over 150km away, on my own time, to complete a visual inspection and VIN confirmation, before they would start the cancellation paperwork.
Despite my (continuous and correct) insistence that these were separate matters, I consistently communicated that I would be glad to cooperate to the extent of my legal obligation. I even went ahead and provided timestamped images of myself still in ownership of the vehicle to alleviate their worries.
I was told by the General Manager that it was non-negotiable that I comply with their random visual inspection, according to the the non-export agreement that I signed. To no-one's surprise, there is no clause subjecting me to any such thing, a fact that I make very clear to them. I was then accused of heavily modifying the car, despite it being in their Service department bone stock (with nary a gas fillup) several days before to activate my navigation. This was just another instance of strong-arming and gaslighting me.
I was accused of being a malicious and insincere customer and that I would be blacklisted from Toyota. I was met with unprofessional (and frankly childish) tantrums from the staff, trying to make it as difficult for me as possible. My concerns were ignored and redirected every time, despite their knowledge that I was 100% within my legal right.
I was then told they "didnt even care" (lol) about the Appearance Gard kickback as they made $7k off my sale, and that the car had been sitting there for 2 months so they just wanted it gone. What happened to it "arriving on the truck yesterday"? You did not have a manual transmission GR Supra sitting in your basement for 2 months in this market. Another unnecessary lie.
In the end, the cancellation was promised to be processed as I originally requested. I am still waiting for confirmation on that.
tl;dr: dealerships lie
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