Oh, this is just one I snapped at the dealer. I'm still at least 12 months away from an FR-S. With the baby on the way, I need to ensure that my finances are impacted too much by my wife going part time. It will be a completely superfluous addition to my 'fleet' of cars, so I have to make sure that what is now play money doesn't soon become "need" money. :(

Scott Clark Toyota (also featured elsewhere with the 'training car' video) here in NC is doing a markup of ~$1200. Not to mention they seem to like lowballing you on trades.

Here was my experience in a nutshell:

I came in with a trade and while they appraised it (08' Si with ~65k miles, no accidents/damage), we talked numbers on the FR-S, which they had none left but could get one for me. I asked for the Ultramarine MT, which I was first presented with one that had ALL of the factory options, bring it up around 28k or whatever. I told the salesman that I did not want ANY options on the car, and he said 'they just come that way.' When I pressed the issue, he finally came back with the base model in the same color.

By that time, they came back with an offer for my trade, which was a little over $11k, while KBB says mid-$13k for 'good' condition. I was already getting annoyed because they tried to lowball me on the trade. The next issue, was this extra $1195 dealer charges for things such as tinting, Toyoguard, paint protection, some detailing job, and maybe one more useless thing. I said I did not want ANY of that and they were adamant that they charge that for any car and it was not negotiable. So again, I pressed that I just want the car, off the truck, nothing more. "Their hands were tied in this, its what the owner charges." (The owner?) A few times he used the term "market adjustment" which I called him out as nothing but added profit. I tried the Pure Price card but got whiffed on that one.

Feeling that I was getting nowhere, I moved on to the trade-in value and said that I don't know where they get these numbers but that's way too low. He asked me what I wanted, so I said 13k (I should have said 13.5k but I was already more or less just testing them since I was ready to walk out anyhow). He groaned and said he'll se what he could do. Came back with 12.5k and I said don't even bother, try again 13k or nothing. He magically was able to get 13k now!

So I went back to the $1195 and said why can't I get rid of this? I don't want what you are offering me here, sell me the car and only the car. He got his sales manager who came and said the best they could do "since I didn't want tint" was not tint and reduce it to $995 (lol?). I laughed, they removed the only thing I -was- actually interested in but not for the price they were charging to do it.

On top of that, they had a $699 DOC fee, which is probably the highest I have seen around here. Other dealerships range between $299 and $499 (NC has no maximum that I know of). Near the end, the sales manager pretty much said, "Listen, if you don't buy the car, someone else will", which I don't doubt unfortunately.

Basically, if you're going to pay list price (MSRP), you can do that ANYWHERE and don't need to get bent over at Scott Clark. I have a feeling they're trying to make added profit to support their gratuitous dealership.

I went to other dealerships in Charlotte, such a Town & Country Scion and Scion of Concord which both do not do any market adjustment or markup. They sell at MSRP and that's all ANYONE should pay, not a penny more.

Mind letting me know which dealer?

thanks

I always thought the economy is pretty bad in the states....

Forget the First86!!! The guys who buy them for this PRICE should get the golden ID tags in the center console!!!!!!! LOL!!! WOW!!

Come up to Hurlbert Toyota in Epping, NH. Got my FR-S at sticker price, no hassle. They have a Raven MT coming in soon, and I don't believe it's spoken for. Let me know if you do go there...I'll get a $100.00 referral. :)

scion of South florida

Man that sucks, I paid MSRP and the dealer did apologize for not getting me any discount. On a side note I did get a extra set of winter mat for free.

Biggest out of the door price was 35k so calculate the markup . I told the guy when they called me if he is crazy ? He was like its new hot car but i told him good luck. :) got mine for base price from scion so yeah huge difference.

What discount were you trying to get?

I know Coggin Toyota and Keith Peirson Toyota are both charging 4000 "adjustment fees". They have (as of 6-12) 2 on the lot that have sat there for nearly 3 weeks. I asked to test drive one and they said they don't allow test drives unless you pretty much commit that if the test drive goes well, you're buying the car. Instead I was driven in one by a salesman. (defeats the purpose a test DRIVE, but whatever). I told one of the senior salesmen that even if I wanted to buy the car that day, the markup would drive me somewhere else.

I heard someone say that David Maus Toyota in Orlando was selling for MSRP. Can anyone confirm?

To be honest, anything off the sticker price.

Unless the rules are different in Canada, brand-new Scions can't be sold at a discount, assuming the rules haven't changed over the past few years. Either way, it's cool that the dealership still hooked you up with the floormats, which was a nice gesture.

wow that's just crazy how these dealers are marking them up so much. it sucks, but that's business. =/