Leased an FRS...Dealership Issues...HELP!
 

So I’ve been a long time lurker in the forums and finally had saved up enough money to get my own FRS. I leased a 2015 automatic FRS a couple weeks ago. My credit score isn’t great (600s range) so I got monthly payments of $390 for 36 months.

Here are some of the stats:
2015 FRS Automatic
Sticker: $25,500
Includes:
+Paint Protective Film (PPF) whole car
+Alarm system
+GAP insurance
$2,000 down payment

Everything was signed off, however when I came into the dealer to get my PPF installed two weeks later they said I had to pay an extra $500+ for some security fees and other bs that were not mentioned to me before. ON TOP OF THAT, my car did not come with the things they had offered me in the deal. They said that I they had no record of PPF, Alarm, and GAP insurance on my purchase. And they even threatened to take the car back if I do not pay this $500+ security deposit.

So now I’m forced to pay an extra $500, my monthly payment is still $390, and I get the car bare. No PPF, no alarm system, no Gap insurance. I don’t know what to do…kinda gutted at the moment. Can I get some advise? Do they really have the right to take the car back? Everything is signed off. And do they have the right to charge me extra fees AFTER I left the dealership with all the agreements signed? What happens to my $2,000 down payment?

Thanks…first buying experience…totally stinks.

You only have power/upper hand if you are willing to walk away. They don't want the car back. But you have to be ready to give it up. And they DO have to give you back any monies paid.

You didn't say if you have anything in writing- but that is what you need.

Agree with DaveV.
Be prepared to give the car back and walk away. And honestly, even if they take the car back, you'll probably come out on top. You really don't want to be in business with a dealership that is going to pull that kind of stuff.

If they take it back, go to another dealership, get one from them. If they are doing this kind of underhanded selling, it's hard to trust anything they do--including how well they've even treated the car up to the point of you getting it (techs beating it up, salesmen encouraging people to beat the hell out of it on test drives, etc.).

It sounds like they know you want that car no matter what, and they are going to milk you for it. Call their bluff.

Are you a techie (I see you're in Palo Alto)? Sounds like they're just trying to milk you for extra money.

Get out of that deal and go to another dealership.

Hate...dealerships. Buying a Tesla must be nice and stress free.

what is on the paperwork you SIGNED?

That is what you have to go on/fight with. If you just signed the paperwork and it says car only, and everything else was "verbal", you're screwed.

What dealership was this?

Look over the fine print in your paperwork and see what it says. They can't make you pay more after you've already signed. I'd give the car back to that dealership and get your money back.

Get yo moneyz BACK!

return the car

Give the car back... your lease kinda stunk anyways...especially without all the things they promised... I hate to say it...but you're a bit gullible. Your lease almost gets you into a BMW if not there already.

You need to get some legal advice if you have a lawyer friend to help you read the contract. If the contract is solid... you have your choices on what to do...if the contract is in your favor then give it back and get your money back. That's a crappy lease deal for FRS. Hope you enjoy the car if you decide to keep it. PPF the whole car is about $4k if they use good film. It's labor intensive to do it right. It sounds like you had some shady salesperson that took advantage of you since you are not jaded yet...maybe this experience will make you a bit more jaded and read the contract better. Happen to me once with gym membership...straight up lied to me and then altered the contract since I didn't fill in one part and they changed it.

Check with your state because it's different but in WA you're entitled to 100% of any downpayment within 30 days or so. Most dealers have a "money back satisfaction guarantee" and you can even return the car and a downpayment refund within 15 days.

Take the car back, get your refund, and then go to another dealer and tell them your story. You might be able to find a better deal that way.

Take it back and tell them that exactly.

I doubt the dealer will even take the car back. They are full of BS and will tell you that you are stuck with the car as it is.

Definitely throw the keys at them if you can and walk away... Sounds very sketchy. Also why all the protection on a leased vehicle?

I would have an honest talk with the manager. I was not very happy with my sales rep promising things that the finance manager said I couldn't get for the price I was promised. I highly suggest not starting out angry and have them explain everything clearly. if things don't add up explain what was promised to you and request a solution to this issue. You wont get far with legal help initially nor get back the expense a lawyer costs. If you play your cards right and explain your situation calmly they will be more willing to work with you. Perhaps you could get more mile allowance or more then 3 free maintenance visits. Its not much but you would be getting more for your money. you got tier 3 or worse for your leasing option which could still be negotiable because of the lies the stealership told you.


Did you pay the extra $500? I highly doubt you will have to pay that amount. Toyota is notorious for having stupid sales reps.

Good luck, The car is worth the cost.

I had a salesman tell me I could have free car washes for life if I bought the car I was looking at. He noticed the truck I was driving was dirty too, so he said he'll wash that one for life, too.

When I stopped by for my first free car wash= they were like "Who told you that?" "We don't ever do that".

So I said I was leaving the car there and would be back in 2 hours to pick it up clean or if not clean I'd be calling the State dept of commerce. I made sure they understood I was serious. That must be your mantra.

It was very clean. And they always are very clean ever since-- they moan and groin every time I show up-- but they do a good job. :-)

A sales guy did that to my mom, promising her free tires for life. She now gets free tires for life and that guy is no longer a salesman at that dealership.

390/mo and 2000 down should put you into a way better car than a FR-S...

Those lease number almost seem like finance numbers

I didnt pay the $500. I'm going in to talk to them later this week. My 2 options are basically take it or leave it. What are the odds that I will get my full $2000 down payment back? Since the car is technically 'used' now what are the ramifications? Im willing to walk away ONLY if I get my full downpayment back. I kept copies of everything. Signed by me and them. Ugh...these guys are pricks.

They told me it was the best I could get for my credit score...What do you think? Im new to all this stuff. Do you mind sharing your numbers?

You have signed a legal document which is binding for both parties nothing can be changed after the fact unless both parties sign off and agree to the changes.

The longer you wait to talk to them the worse it will be. If I were you I would take the day off and go deal with this tomorrow. Call ahead of time and set up an appointment with the General Manager about this situation but make sure to set it up with him/her and let them know what you will be talking about. If you cannot come to an agreement ask them to give you a loaner car and they can keep the FRS until you get this issue resolved or stop driving it now, this will keep them from being able to charge you mileage fees. Write down how many miles it has or tell them you will tow it to the dealership. Contact the Attorney General about your issues if they are being foolish and don't listen. This is a situation that can be taken very seriously by the Attorney Generals office and cause great expense on businesses even if they win in court. Any thing you are not aware of that you could have agreed to in the leasing agreement have them show it to you specifically and walk through it together.

If you end up deciding to return the car, make sure you get in writing that you will receive your full refund within a reasonable amount of time, no longer then a month or so. If they refuse to agree to these conditions put your monthly payment and the 500 in escrow until the situation is resolved. If this does become a sh!t show call Toyota and tell them your situation, follow up with an email stating the same thing you told whoever you spoke with. I highly doubt you will be forced to go this far but never get angry or rude. Be direct and tell them your displeased and what you want to make the situation completely go away. Know what you want before you go to the dealer. Keep asking questions until you have all the info you need to make a decision. Asking questions like why are there extra expenses that were not disclosed at the time of signing will quickly put an end to this issue and should be asked. It wouldn't hurt to voice record your conversation but let them know you are doing so before you start or it will be useless if it does need legal action.

Small disclaimer I am not a lawyer or pretend to be one on tv but I do have some great business experience that I have seen and been part of that are very close to this one. Getting angry always is the end of any conversation. Businesses will always try to resolve the issue with the least amount of money lost.

Keep a business mind. Don't allow them to get what they want unless you signed off on it initially.

Were you really planning to film the whole entire car?

Yeah my purchase numbers are better than those lease numbers...
 

Yeah my purchase numbers were better than those lease numbers, that's insane.

Walk away, and don't tell the next dealership what your terms were until they offer you terms..just tell them it wasn't right and tell them what you want included, IN writing and make sure they show you in writing what they are including..

I just refi-ed my house and several of the potential agents kept asking me what my current rate is...

I said, if you can't quote me without knowing my current rate, then we can't do business. There is absolutely NO reason for you to need to know my current rate except to give me the highest rate you think you can get away with... Ain't gonna happen.. Quote me and THEN I'll tell you what my current rate is. Several lenders wouldn't quote me, I told them to suck me and have a nice day...

Jaden

I would be more worried about the lack of GAP insurance than I would about the paint protection. Dealer installed paint protection is usually a scam anyway. But having a lease without GAP insurance is a huge risk and a very bad idea.

If they try to cancel the deal, then give them the keys and get your $2k back and walk away.. no harm done. Go find a better deal somewhere else.

I'm with the others above who are wondering why you would spend the money on paint protection on a leased car. Seems like wasted money to me.

The salesperson was telling me thats the best rate I could get. It started off in the $400s range. And then they were like...We'll throw in Paint protective film, and take $1,000 off the MSRP for you. It seemed like they really wanted me to get it. :/

They ALWAYS really want you to get it...
 

A lot of the time, the salesman won't even talk price with you, they'll say what do you want to spend a month???

Then they've got you... Don't let them ask you leading questions like that... Make them tell you what they can do for you, then push down from there...

Jaden

Never leased a car, but from what I recall, when you lease a car, you do offer up a security deposit. Car comes back all scuffed and stone-chipped, and the dealer takes more of the deposit than they should..like pay for a full front respray, and then only DRColorChip it.

The terms of the OP's lease almost amount to usury, though. Granted, our credit situations are different, but I'm financed within 5% of that payment, with the powertrain warranty extended out to 6/100. 2500 down, 3300 in trade..out-the-door...tax, title, tags, everything.

But, there is some incompetence/under-handedness in most deals. You should go directly to Toyota with a complaint. I didn't need to, when the dealer sent in my signed finance paperwork, about a week later I got a letter from Toyota Financial telling me about the error in the terms, and that they already changed them in my favor to what it should have been. Pleased with Toyota for that.

I thought the FR-S was supposed to be leased under Scion Pure Lease and they were very up front with the pricing and rates. When I looked it wasn't very enticing so I don't think i would lease an FR-S. An IQ on the other hand, they are practically giving those away.

Also, coming from leasing Honda vehicles for my wife, I was a little surprised to see that GAP insurance wasn't included in the lease like Honda does.

Some leases don't require a damage deposit.

What was your OTD price including warranty, taxes, title etc? You also dropped nearly $6k into your down payment so it makes sense your payment would be much lower.

No security deposit? Seems a little risky, but hey, guess that's the lessee's choice. :iono:

My final price, according to the corrected paperwork (also had the college grad rebate in there) was just under $31k. Also note, my payments aren't actually lower, but the amount more that I'm paying becomes the amount I'd be saving if the warranty weren't there. It could also be the higher mileage lease (is it?), which adds to the cost, and I didn't read that there wasn't a trade-in from the OP, so I guess we need to know if that's the case, too. But fair point, not exactly apples-to-apples. Just seems like in exchange for the limitations/sacrifices/risks associated with leasing, one should yield a bigger difference than a pizza per month.

Back OT: I'd advocate for trying to give the car back, but it'll be tricky. OP, it sounds like you did take delivery of the car? Maybe try to get a meeting with the GM to explain the situation and see if they'll either honor the deal or take the car back as a zero-sum expenditure? If they balk (likely) then let them know that you'll be contacting Toyota directly to seek relief through them. That may soften them up a bit. If you're truly stuck with the car, at least there'll be a survey coming your way from Toyota about your experience, and it's bad news (has potential to cost them money) if those results aren't 5's across the board. I don't advocate raping folks on those surveys, but it looks like the OP legitimately had a less-than-exemplary experience. So, rate them accordingly on the topics you're not pleased about. Something that smells like bait-and-switch won't be looked upon favorably. FWIW.

I sell cars for a living and that dealership is not treating you right. Get your money back and walkaway. Try at another.

I have a very good relationship with my dealer and can tell you without a doubt they are scared to DEATH of those surveys! It does not take much of a bad score at all to cost them more money then they would like to even think about. Pretty sure this is the first time I have ever seen the survey mentioned on here but knowing about them does give a new owner with an issue quite a bit of leverage.

There's no buyer's remorse in Cali, so you'r stuck with the car. The legal documents you signed state what you paid for the car and what it includes. Means nothing what the dealership told you since you have no proof of anything. Sales may give you stuff, but the contract writer may "inadvertently" leave things off. Those long forms they use cost like $15 ea or something... I've made some dealerships go through 4-5 of them because they always got something wrong on it. you could fight it and maybe they'll take the car back, but since the papers are electronically transferred to the DMV, it's probably listed as used now.

Basically, LOOK AT YOUR CONTRACT and any forms that show what you HAVE NOT RECIEVED yet. If you have nothing showing that, then they don't legally owe you anything.

Lastly, live and learn. a Lease is with the bank, not the dealership. You NEVER tell dealer what you want to do, ALWAYS negotiate the BEST PRICE before talking about buying/financing/leasing.

Of course, there's plenty of info we don't know yet, so it's a bit hard to give accurate advice here. If you feel you really were screwed, you could always go consult an attorney.

Act like you don't care and are going to move on to the next dealership. They want to make a sale, they play a psychological game that they are in the drivers seat if they know you are desperate to get the car. They should be working with you to get you what you want, at the same time you have to be fair about your requests.

I remember a few cars ago when I said I was going to sleep on it, my dealer pulled out a business card of one of his other customers and was like "well, this person wants the car too". He was totally trying to play me, I got up and walked out and that was that.

She has some protection but not much as you mentioned:
https://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochure...cts/ffvr35.htm

I would still talk to the manager and if that does not work talk to the State Attorney General and perhaps the BBB...

And I know all car dealers and salesman are not crooked, but you essentially have to approach the car buying business as if all of them are and protect your best interests every step of the way.

Car dealers know what they are doing, they do this for a living all day long. They know most people are on an emotional roller coaster when you go to sign all the paperwork and most buyers just want to drive their new car and get out of the dealership since they have most likely been there for hours....

Was hard for me to play the "I don't care" game when I was getting mine as they could very clearly see me drooling all over the hood while I gently caressed the front fender. But even then, when they emailed the next day and said they couldn't hit my price point I said "fine I will go across the street and talk to Subaru" their tune very quickly changed.

Very true. I once offered a deal on a new MazdaSpeed3 to a local dealer and they told me no chance (and to be fair to them, it was a lowball offer). It was the beginning of the month. On a whim I stopped back by at the end of the month and the same sales manager told me he needed two more sales to hit a big quarterly bonus and it was 5pm on the last day of the quater. We shook hands and both of us were happy :)

The 2015s were due in the dealership the next week when I got mine. I wanted the Hot Lava and since they only had the one in the showroom that had most of the TRD bolt ons and a few other goodies that was my only choice. As it had been there for months I figured they would want to move it but they wanted full price for all the stuff they had added to it. They did say I could have white or black for cheaper though. When I said I was walking they threw in most of the add ons and I only paid a little (in comparison) over stock price.

I do all my negotiation via email. Easiest that way. I never buy in person until I have hashed out all the details in writing.

I usually do too, but my car at the time was at the dealer (this was 2007), and I test drove the Speed3 while I was waiting for my car and the sales manager asked me what it would take to put me in the car :)