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The new rig conundrum

johngottfredson

johngottfredson

Threat Level Midnight
Location
Alpine
glockman said:
My dad just bought a 2016 TRD DC tacoma from Brent Brown in Orem. He hates them and for good reason but he looked at every Toyota dealer in the state and they all had long waits. You might give them a call. I think they told him they are the largest volume Toyota dealer in the state.

As for buying used. I have bought a lot of cars used (over 30) and never been burned. When I bought my powerstroke I knew the 6.0 could be a big lemon. So I took what I knew about them and tried to make my buying as fact based as possible and eliminate as much of the emotional aspect as I could. We all get the bug when we are looking at a rig we really like.
I created a spreadsheet (Kurt would be proud) with a row for every item I wanted to inspect such as, brakes, tires, battery, interior condition, exterior condition, bed condition. I also had a couple rows to list any oil leaks. I looked for marks on any of the body or main component bolts to indicate they had been taken out. I also listed color, year, mileage and price. I made a column for each vehicle I looked at. I can tell you, showing up at a dealer with a scan gauge and a spreadsheet, they leave you alone while you look the rig over. I will do this for every car I buy from now on. They didn't try to BS me about things. I crawled around each rig for 20 minutes making notes, then took it for at least a 20 minute test drive, noting all the noises or handling characteristics I thought could be mechanical issues.

The best part about this was I promised myself not to buy anything the same day I looked. So I went home after the emotion wore off and compared all the rigs flaws and cost to make each one perfect on a piece of paper. It eliminated the emotional experience that makes you buy a crappy rig because you are excited about it. I didn't downplay things that needed repair, instead I assigned a dollar amount. I didn't overlook things I wanted to check while driving to look at it but forgot in the moment or was distracted by the salesman. This spreadsheet represented the condition and total dollar amount (purchase price +any needed maint or repairs) for each vehicle in perfect nic.

The truck I bought has been the best Super Duty I have ever owned. 3 years of near perfect service. I highly suggest making a spreadsheet:)
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Wow. How much do you charge to buy my next car for me?
 
Tonkaman

Tonkaman

Well-Known Member
Location
West Jordan
glockman said:
My dad just bought a 2016 TRD DC tacoma from Brent Brown in Orem. He hates them and for good reason but he looked at every Toyota dealer in the state and they all had long waits. You might give them a call. I think they told him they are the largest volume Toyota dealer in the state.

As for buying used. I have bought a lot of cars used (over 30) and never been burned. When I bought my powerstroke I knew the 6.0 could be a big lemon. So I took what I knew about them and tried to make my buying as fact based as possible and eliminate as much of the emotional aspect as I could. We all get the bug when we are looking at a rig we really like.
I created a spreadsheet (Kurt would be proud) with a row for every item I wanted to inspect such as, brakes, tires, battery, interior condition, exterior condition, bed condition. I also had a couple rows to list any oil leaks. I looked for marks on any of the body or main component bolts to indicate they had been taken out. I also listed color, year, mileage and price. I made a column for each vehicle I looked at. I can tell you, showing up at a dealer with a scan gauge and a spreadsheet, they leave you alone while you look the rig over. I will do this for every car I buy from now on. They didn't try to BS me about things. I crawled around each rig for 20 minutes making notes, then took it for at least a 20 minute test drive, noting all the noises or handling characteristics I thought could be mechanical issues.

The best part about this was I promised myself not to buy anything the same day I looked. So I went home after the emotion wore off and compared all the rigs flaws and cost to make each one perfect on a piece of paper. It eliminated the emotional experience that makes you buy a crappy rig because you are excited about it. I didn't downplay things that needed repair, instead I assigned a dollar amount. I didn't overlook things I wanted to check while driving to look at it but forgot in the moment or was distracted by the salesman. This spreadsheet represented the condition and total dollar amount (purchase price +any needed maint or repairs) for each vehicle in perfect nic.

The truck I bought has been the best Super Duty I have ever owned. 3 years of near perfect service. I highly suggest making a spreadsheet:)
Click to expand...


Wow that's a great game plan! I think the rule to wait a day after looking would be super hard to stick to, but a very smart move. It's kinda funny how scatterbrained we all get once were staring at a cool new shiny fun thing to buy. Bringing along a 2nd party has always helped to keep me grounded.
 
THSDragoon

THSDragoon

I have a new Trooper :D
Location
Orem Utah
sixstringsteve said:
It amazes me how many people walk into a dealership just to kick tires, and end up walking out with a new car.
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This almost was my wife and I a few months back when we were looking at a 2015 Nissan Xterra Pro-4X, before we found the trooper I have now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Bart

Bart

Registered User
Location
Arm Utah
I'm in the minority here also. I've bought well over 60 vehicles used and have had 1 lemon and lost money on a few others. Most everything else has been exactly what I was looking for and basic maintenance upkeep. Knowing what you are looking for is a key. I've only had 3 new vehicles and didn't keep them much longer than the used ones, so I lost money on the depreciation.
 
sawtooth4x4

sawtooth4x4

Totally Awesome
Location
Land of East Laytonshire
I've had over 40 I think now. Mostly Land Rover, Mercedes, BMW's. I've never lost money on those, because I can buy them cheap and sell them for more. They are easy to fix and people don't know how to fix them.

The only one that was a major pile and I could never get running right was a 2001 VW Passat wagon. I sold it for much more than I paid for it. But it had a shake that would not go away. New wheels, tires, engine mounts, transmission and even new tie rods couldn't fix it. The guy that bought knew about it and said he could fix it. I said fine, it's all yours.

And I lost money on a BMW 525. We were using it as a commuter / family car. But then we had a couple more kids. Had to trade it for a Sequoia. That got me a little money back when I sold it. Then I got my F350, now I'm actually ahead on it. Cheap diesel prices have really helped its value.


Bart said:
I'm in the minority here also. I've bought well over 60 vehicles used and have had 1 lemon and lost money on a few others. Most everything else has been exactly what I was looking for and basic maintenance upkeep. Knowing what you are looking for is a key. I've only had 3 new vehicles and didn't keep them much longer than the used ones, so I lost money on the depreciation.
Click to expand...
 
Caleb

Caleb

Well-Known Member
Location
Riverton
That's super cool. Truthfully, I can't believe there's a wait for Tacomas. Must be something right about the new ones :)
 
TRD270

TRD270

Emptying Pockets Again
Supporting Member
Location
SaSaSandy
Congrats! They give you any input on how long it will take? Anxious for some real world feedback
 
Tonkaman

Tonkaman

Well-Known Member
Location
West Jordan
deviant said:
Its gonna match the Beta Perfect!
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Ooh I should continue the red and white theme, just like the bike! That could be cool...

Caleb said:
That's super cool. Truthfully, I can't believe there's a wait for Tacomas. Must be something right about the new ones :)
Click to expand...
I couldn't believe it either! Called several dealers even far outside of Utah to track one down. I was told anywhere between 8 weeks and 20 weeks depending on who I talked to. I kinda got lucky and had nearly perfect timing in this one at Karl Malone.


idahoyj said:
Congrats! I wish I was in a position to take the old beater off of your hands, now that you've got all of the bugs worked out! ;)
Click to expand...
I hope they are all worked out! Honestly I've put so much money and time into that truck, it must be cured by now

TRD270 said:
Congrats! They give you any input on how long it will take? Anxious for some real world feedback
Click to expand...

It's goes to build Feb 8th and will be delivered to the lot approx Feb 20. They already were due another build from Toyota and nobody had put cash down, that's how I managed to save a few weeks wait time.
 
Tonkaman

Tonkaman

Well-Known Member
Location
West Jordan
I'm really excited to build this truck and buy exactly what I want. The pace of the build will depend on selling off some of my other stuff including the 2004 Tacoma.

The aftermarket support for these is still lagging behind a bit for the new model. I've been surfing the web and making phone calls trying to find out what is even in production already.
 
nnnnnate

nnnnnate

Well-Known Member
Supporting Member
Location
WVC, UT
Thats no small feat. Good job on that for sure.

Maybe you haven't gotten this far but what are you thinking you'll start the old one at? Are you going to pull the tires or anything? I guess there probably isn't much that would transfer over.
 
Caleb

Caleb

Well-Known Member
Location
Riverton
You'll like dealing with Karl Malone. I've bought two (kind of three) vehicles there and will go back if I'm buying another Toyota.
 
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