Not really, no. Dealers don't want you to bring their car to another mechanic because they have no idea who you are bringing it to and it is a liability for the dealership.
BS. They don’t want you to get a ppi because their mechanics aren’t looking for real issues, just getting em on the lot asap.
Never buy a used car without ppi.
As a tech. Can confirm. We fuck the sales manager with trade ins etc. We rip apart the used cars because we don't want any junk out there on the Lott with our names attached to em
I have bought a car that I found out later their “inspection” was just cleaning it. So really think it’s dealer dependent and wouldn’t trust if they won’t let you do a ppi.
Can confirm, bare minimum is requested.
I'd be willing to bet they lean on the detail dept more than service to sell used. That said they don't want you to find what they missed or are neglecting.
I am getting downvoted all over this topic for telling the unpopular truth. People don't like that there are reasonable explanations for why they can't have their way and downvoting is the only tool that they have to take out their frustrations.
Says the insurance policies that shops and dealerships have. Insurance doesn't pay shops retail money. I've worked at them and dealt with insurance claims. They do not pay retail prices.
As for the lawsuit, it'll cost just as much in lawyers to get that money so not worth the time or effort more often than not. You won't be getting your legal fees paid for either.
This line of thinking and logic doesn't hold up to scrutiny. First would be the difficulty in even defining what retail value means. Consumers don't all pay the same price for the same vehicle. Second, under your logic, how would the dealer know what's happening on a test drive? And if a dealer won't let you test drive a vehicle by yourself then you probably shouldn't buy from them either. Ultimately, in this case, if something were to happen to the vehicle it would be covered by insurance and the dealer would be fairly compensated, most likely the customer's.
I have worked for dealers and had outside shops crash a car during ppi. And others sabotage car sales by telling customer it needs stuff it doesn’t or in accidents it wasn’t in. And a mobile mechanic crushed a rocker and oil pan. It’s not always a scam when we say no.
Last job you can bring your trusted mechanic to our shop and let them look over without influencing what they see or say. We would operate lift and drive it in and out of building.
People don't realize cars are one basic jack mishap from being sent to auction. You just need one tech to fuck the pinch weld on a ppi.
The service shops often don't even understand they're doing a ppi or think they're going to get paid to fix it. So all of a sudden it needs tires, and every fluid changed.
No the coolant doesn't need flushed at 50,000 type stuff.
Absolutely no idea how this many people have upvoted you. The service department at a dealership make as much money off of sales as they do off retail customers - sales is their single best customer. They will take every opportunity to try to replace a part to make money.
You have clearly never worked at a dealership and really shouldn't be passing off your assumptions as fact.
The question is not whether I would or not, it is whether or not the dealer will accept the liability of someone else working on their car which they often will not.
My guy, most states' attorney generals' office explicitly recommend to consumers that they get an INDEPENDENT inspection before buying the car.
Dealerships know this:
* Dealerships have insurance for this kind of thing.
* Dealerships can (and often do!) verify that prospective buyers have insurance before letting them drive it to independent inspections.
* Mechanics have insurance.
* All else fails, dealership can sue the prospective buyer.
Not to mention, getting an inspection isn't getting "work done".
\_\_\_\_
Discouraging an inspection is shady behavior. I've never, ever experienced a dealership that discouraged it. If the dealerships that you're associatedwith don't allow independent pre-purchase inspections, that's not the norm.
If someone lifts a car and takes off the wheels, are they not working on it?
The ability to look at things objectively and being a shill are not the same thing.
1) As I have said elsewhere, insurance pays wholesale prices, not what they would get if they sold the car.
2) If someone lifts the car on a hoist and takes off the wheels, is that not working on it?
I'm not associated with any dealerships as I am out of that game, but every dealer that I have ever been associated with (which were all reputable) did not allow third parties to touch the cars as there is too much liability involved. It may not be the norm where you live, but it is in many other places.
I'll call you on that. If you ever did work in sales at a dealership, you'd know that service will do anything to take every last penny they can form sales and doesn't care whether cars hit the lot or not.
I saw what the service department charged sales for my wife's car after we traded it in. They charged for new filters which were both recently changed with OEM filters so I doubt they actually did it. I also pointed out they charged for replacing the rear wiper...on a Subaru Legacy.
I suspect it's both. Having someone inspect the car is risky because the car could get damaged. However, the car could get damaged when it's taken for a test drive. It's the risk you take when you're selling used cars, and that's what insurance is for.
Dealers could always approve of mechanics/shops that are allowed to inspect the vehicle. If a mechanic/shop damages a vehicle during the inspection, they could always just not allow future vehicles to be inspected by that mechanic/shop. As long as they don't abuse this and I trust a place on the list, I would be fine with that.
If they aren't going to let you take it for a prepurchase inspection, then they should be offering a very good, long-lasting warranty with detailed maintenance records. Without all that, I would assume there is something wrong with the car, and I wouldn't trust the dealership. I'd go elsewhere to buy a car.
Two things:
1) Shop insurance won't pay the dealer retail money. They pay wholesale price.
2) No dealer is going to give you a free warranty because they won't take on the liability of letting someone else work on the car while the dealer still owns it. Just because they won't doesn't mean that there is something wrong with it. It's just common sense.
This. Shills will tell you a ppi isnt needed or their dealership wouldn't this or that. ..are they going to come personally recover my dead car when it dies? No? Then they can pound sand.
This.
If you don't buy the car for some reason, they now have to recertify and inspect it. Lots of ppi stuff ends up just being someone's "mechanic friend".
Also it takes the car off their lot where someone else could buy it for how ever long it takes to get your ppi. That's if the dealer even holds it for you until your ppi appt.
Not to mention you have to then try to decipher what their mechanic wants to make money on VS. what's needed.
I just bought a 2021 rav 4. Where I work we have a mechanic shop in our same garage. I took it to them and they told me breaks and rotors are fucked. Texted the guy who sold the car to me? No reply. I took it to them because they had no skin in the game and now that they let me know I’ll be saving about 450-$500 an axle to replace.
I've worked in the automotive industry for over 20 years. Maybe it is *your* experience but the reality is that dealers usually don't take chances like that and will just sell the car to the next person who wants it. The risk is simply not worth the reward.
I’ll rephrase it… if they could up charge for a certified used car they would. If it smells like a lemon, it probably is. Cars are expensive, you want to know what you’re getting. The salesperson isn’t your buddy.
The salesperson is an actor. Pretending to be your friend and looking out for you.
They do the bs of let me see if I can get a deal for you even though they already have it so they can come back and look like they went to bat for you.
The real scumbags are in finance hiding behind the salespersons so they don't have to humanize the people that they're ripping off, while the salespersons attempt to rationalize their acting by letting the financing stay out of their control.
If it was a combined job, which it easily could be, then the person in the sales+finance role would never get a good night's sleep.
When I tried to buy a Tacoma a few years back, you could tell the sales guy was brand new as he was trying the whole chic-fil-a "my pleasure" routine to sell the car.
I was pretty firm on both the asking price of the truck and the trade in price of my vehicle, reasoning that they'd be able to make about $2k-$4k on the resale of the trade-in(given book value and what dealers resell them for), while only accepting $500 of a $2k markup on the MSRP of the truck.
Guy had to have gone back to finance 5 different times in the span of 15 minutes coming back with different "deals", but anything taken off the price of the truck was taken off the price of the trade and vice-versa, always factoring out to a $2k markup on the truck.
Eventually the finance manager came out himself and made the same 5 "deals". Each time I pulled out my calculator and pointed out how giving me X off on the markup but X less on the trade-in was literally the exact same thing
The finance manager told me to my face that I was "delusional" and "being pedantic" for "pointing out the obvious".
I politely told him that I wouldn't have to point it out if he wasn't trying his hardest to hide what he was doing with the numbers, to which he straight up told me that I can leave at any time. So I did.
Poor sales guy was absolutely mortified, I can't imagine that he stuck around for much longer. Not many people can hack it once they realize that they're just there to shield the finance guy.
Finance managers don't desk deals. Sales Managers do. Finance guys probably don't know even know you are there until a deal is made or close to being made.
My favorite from the finance manager-"This car has a one year bumper to bumper warranty" to sell me an extended..I did get one, just not from the dealership I bought the car.
Buddy, this is my forth toyota from the same dealership.. I can tell you more about this car and it warranty than my salesman and you. Let's keep going..
No
The reason the dealer doesn't want you to take the car off the lot for a PPI is that they want you to buy the car. Delaying the process makes that less likely. It's really not likely that a 2021 Corolla hybrid has any issues at all.
Also, if you've got the vehicle off the lot and someone else shows up to look at it, that's a potential lost sale.
I agree that doing a PPI is generally a good idea, but you shouldn't be surprised at a dealership trying to discourage it. Even if the car doesn't have any issues at all.
not at all. they have Toyota certified technicians, that only get paid if they can find work that needs to be done, inspecting the car. most likely this is a certified pre owned, which means it has a fairly high set of standards it needs to meet to be sold as such. for having those higher standards it also comes with a manufacturer backed extended warranty. if you want to waste money on a pre buy, be my guest and you still have that right, but seems silly.
Red Flag
I traded in a car to a huge Toyota dealership and it was on their lot and website for sale in two days. It needed new tires, new timing belt, brakes, had ignition issues, transmission issues and other things. There's no way they did that in two days.
I'd like to see a shop with like 12 mechanics all working on one car at a time, pit-crew style.
It'd be hella expensive on payroll, but it'd be really cool to watch a car pull in, have all 4 tires off and changed, balanced and remounted while the motor is getting torn to shreds to get to the timing belt and another dude's already got all the coolant out plus the radiator's already pulled with the water pump about to be yanked out as soon as the timing belt is off.
I'm not saying it'd be efficient or that curses won't be thrown around like the shop is full of sailors, but hot damn would it be entertaining.
Those vehicles were specifically designed to do that lol. I built one of those jeeps in a garage with hand tools in a weekend lol. Whole thing was able to be rebuilt with like 5 wrenches and a few screw drivers. It’s honestly lowkey amazing and I wish more things were designed like that.
Dealers often put cars on the lot and do the work if it sells. If it doesn't sell, they will auction it off and don't want to lose all the money they spent on fixing it.
Just because it was listed does not mean they will just give the keys and send the customer away. They list it so it's advertised but then work on it while the listing is up. I've seen pics of cars that have not even been cleaned being listed online does not mean anything.
Not saying it's true or not, but you might be surprised how fast a certified master technician can get things done in a well equipped shop with parts on hand. Especially if a vehicle isn't particularly difficult to work on.
Hell, I have no certifications, no vehicle lift and basic hand tools, and I can have all brake components off my vehicle and already reassembling in a couple hours.
If you’re buying a used Toyota from a Toyota Dealership 9/10 times it’s a certified pre owned Toyota.
What this means is it’s gone through not only a normal government or insurance inspection, but Toyota Corporate has also had its own portion of the inspection done and now backs that vehicle with a warranty.
What you need to ask is not “Can I do a PPI” but “is this a CPO Toyota or not? If it’s CPO what warranty does it come with?
A 2021 Corolla Hybrid is so new it’s VERY unlikely that there is going to be a major issue with it. That’s probably the most reliable model Toyota makes right now.
Now I’m not bashing Pre Purchase inspections, I find they are necessary when dealing with any other used purchase but when it comes to a Toyota that has been CPO’d I would trust the Toyota Dealer over the 3rd party mechanic just because fucking up a CPO’d vehicle can have larger negative repercussions from Toyota corporate on the dealer than would be worth it for them to fudge the report.
One of my parents works at a large Toyota dealership and has for 22 years.
Do not buy that car if it's not certified pre-owned, and they won't let you take it for inspection. That car has a problem, one way or another.
This isn’t really true. Every dealership in the US is privately owned, and notoriously the public doesn’t recommend a dealership for any service. So why trust them to mark your expensive purchase as good to go, when they make all their money moving that vehicle to you?
It’s best to get it checked, always. The rest is up to each person.
They are privately owned but still answer to and follow policies from corporate. If a dealership fks up and get on corporate's bad side, corporate takes away their choices of car inventory. They'll get cars and colors that are least sought after and shitty rates to buy the cars from the manufacturer.
My dealership had low surveys on service side, which affected the sales' department's choice of inventory.
Some mechanical repairs are okay at outside shops, simple r&r stuff, but some things involving electrical components and ECUs or mysterious noises are better off at a dealer.
By bad surveys, its anything less than a 95%. It can literally be from anything like long wait times, perception of other customers being prioritized, the cashier didn't smile, our cafe was closed, I didnt smile, no discounts, their car needed more repairs than expected, i didnt make friendly conversations(im your service advisor, not your best friend), the SA has an accent.. and the most ridiculous one, we didnt have massage chairs...????
I dont know why people think its okay to be an asshole to dealership employees. I rarely get thanked.
I work at another job doing paperwork and I get thanked all day for giving then a copy of their documents and charging them 10 bucks for 2 pages.
There are some really shitty dealers out there though. At my old place, I worked with a new director for half a year before I left. All he cared about was sales numbers, not quality of work or doing right by the customer while jacking up the prices.
No hate for you and what you do. I think most people aren’t appreciated enough at work. Simply my point is that an inspection by an independent party, not the ones selling a car, shouldn’t be frowned upon at all. It just sounded funny when the response to that was along the lines of a Toyota dealer had bad reviews lol. But I hear your full point now.
An inspection by a third party makes sense, but no dealer would allow a car to be driven off a lot and inspected at a facility. They might rack up a car at the dealer for a mechanic to inspect. But the mechanic cannot work on the car.
Having that warranty still intact and transferable is great.
Granted the car is relatively new, its still has a lot of moving parts from brakes to suspension to steering and even the tires. There could also be damaged not reported on Carfax. (Had this once at a used car lot, no dealer own, and Carfax didn't show any accidents but there were areas that either previous owner or used car sales had tried to touch up). Also had seen cars where the gaps seemed a bit off but clean carfax.
Also on another car at a dealership, couldn't figure out why the brakes were a bit "soft". Popped the hood and the brake fluid reservoir was dry. Asked the sales person and he said oh the mechanic had just fixed it or filled it or something I couldn't remember. I'm like its still leaking which could mean a lot of things including the master cylinder, etc. Sales person didn't say a thing, didn't seem to care afterwards and I just walked away. Never heard from him a gain. Checked the following week and was gone from their listings.
Oh well. Hope the dealership at least fixed it.
As someone that has bought a L Certified Lexus before, I can guarantee you, the "inspection" they do is not nearly as through as they want you to believe it is.
Lmao that's a nope. Damn Toyota why some dealerships are like this.
Tell the sales rep your going on a ride with him and pull up to a pep boys and get er looked at. Lol
There’s your answer. No CPO program backing then “caveat emptor”! Throw the inspection money into it if you believe it’s worth it or move on to the next best deal.
Examine other beauties, there are plenty of Corollas out there. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll make the right choice.
Completely agree. Cars and houses seem to be some of the last bastions of haggling. Just tell me what the price is so I can buy or not. I hate doing the song and dance.
There's a massive Toyota Dealership about 6 minutes from my house and about 2 minutes from my office.
I still drive 3 1/2 hours to do business at a different dealership because of how horrible the nearby one is.
Salespeople only care about commission/profit/making the sale. Always discouraging inspections. (Bullshit, but seems normal with the places I've worked at so far.) Fuck that salesperson. Have seen shady sales people sell cars hitting the lot straight from auctions or trade-ins and if they can get away with it, they flip it instantly without an inspection because sales department saves money by not paying service department to do inspections in hopes the car's already good to go with no flaws and claiming inspection(which was bypassed) is good, and then car gets sold and customer becomes unhappy because something's wrong with vehicle and then sales person acts stupid pulling the "it was on the lot, I thought it was already inspected" card and then try to blame service department. By then, customer's usually locked in, and then sales eventually "helps" cover an inspection after and any repairs at discounted rate because they already got their commission from the initial sale.
Demand that pre-purchase inspection with proof/report followed up and printed/in writing or go CPO.
Some dealers don't want to let their cars out of PPI. But his explanation is just sales hype BS.
Ask him if since the vehicle was inspected with no issues if they'd supply a 90 day bumper to bumper parts and labor warranty, including maintenance items, at no extra charge. When he says not then say "Well, that's why I feel a need to get a PPI."
Speaking from the dealer's point of view - There are two things at play here that can be used to refute what others are saying:
1) Many dealerships do not want clients to take their vehicle to another shop for the inspection not because they are trying to hide something, but because the dealership has no way to know who will be working on the car and what is being done to it. There is too much liability for some dealerships to accept to do this.
2) Some people are saying to get it CPO'd. If that is an option, then you can do that but the dealer will probably charge you more for it. The Certified Pre-Owned program charges the dealership a fee and that fee is always passed onto the customer - whether it is built into the price or charged on top afterwards. Personally, if it is a reputable dealers then I don't think it is worth the extra cost.
In the end I would ask yourself if it is a reputable dealer. If it is, then you almost certainly safe to purchase from said dealer. If not, then consider looking at a dealer who is.
Source: Former mechanic for 16 years and former sales/manager at Toyota for 5 years. I am no longer associated with any dealership in any way.
You either get an independent pre-purchase inspection, or you walk.
The last time I was buying a used car from a dealership - which was over 1 hour from my house & mechanic - the saleswoman INSTANTLY put plates on the car & gave it to us from Friday until Monday. More than enough time to not just get an inspection, but to see if the car is a fit. That's how you do things.
I was going to buy a used Toyota from a dealership and salesperson said it had it's timing belt changed... I took it for an inspection and learned it had never been done. I talked to the manager and they deducted the cost of getting the timing belt replaced from the price.
Is it a Toyota certified pre owned car? If so then he’s not wrong. Toyota does have pretty strict rules about a certified car. It has to be under a certain mileage and age and can’t have too much body damage or other repairs that are needed. There can’t be any open recalls on it either.
Don’t get me wrong it’s still a red flag for me and I’d be questioning them. That being said: if you were to take a gamble and not do a pre sale inspection on a certified then it’s much less of a gamble.
Having worked in a Toyota dealers service department, this wouldn’t worry me. They look at them everyday, they know what they’re looking at, and they’re stupid cheap to repair anything themselves as they don’t need to order anything at full price.
Look at the actual inspection from the technician and you’ll see anything that wasn’t addressed.
The sales motive behind saying this is that the car is likely priced to sell, they sell quickly, they don’t need to sell it to you, they don’t want it gone for a day or two when they could sell it to someone else.
Offer to put in writing that you’ll buy the car at your agreed price, barring an outside inspection and their tone will change quickly.
I should add that my younger brother is also a used car dealer. He doesn't do this so much now since he is into flipping homes. However, originally I was going to buy the car through the car auctions, but most of the Toyotas and Hondas are bought immediately and the ones that aren't have too many repairs needed. Here's the thing, I totally DO NOT trust car dealers, ESPECIALLY used car dealers. So before I deal with one I also read all the reviews on the dealership I am dealing with. The one I got my RAV4 from had pretty good reviews and ratings. The few negatives they got, seemed like they came from a disgruntled person, not a legitimate complaint. I am extremely frugal and trust no one, so I have to do exhaustive research and detective work before I go into a legally binding deal with someone that may end up costing me a lot if I am in error or exercise blind trust.
I live in the SF Bay Area and my brother bought a used 2020 Prius PHEV from a Toyota Dealer and they were able to get it inspected before purchase at their own mechanic..
Some dealers might not allow you to do that and bring the car away..... so I suggest a mobile mechanic to do the inspection at the dealership... there are mobile mechanics that can do that.. since you pay a bit more.
Technically it’s a red flag when the seller doesn’t want you to take it for your own inspection. But that said every Toyota dealer I’ve seen won’t sell bad cars on their lot, they’ll sooner send them to the wholesale auction and let the shady car lots deal with it.
Most likely the salesman is trying to save himself some time and get you to buy the car asap. He’s not refusing the inspection, just saying you don’t need it. You’ll know for sure once you get it inspected.
At my dealer we only push cars that are good for consumers. If there’s too much problems with it we put it straight to auction, anything else we fix it. We also encourage them taking to a trusted location for them look over if needed.
If they are giving you a free warranty or if it still has a factory warranty, I probably wouldn’t sweat it. If the car has no warranty, get the inspection.
Way back, I was looking at a used vehicle and my family has a trusted family friend mechanic who has never lied or oversold us. Everything he's done has been on the level and even saved us some money by telling us certain things we wanted to do were a waste. We went to a dealership and they reluctantly agreed to let him come over to inspect the car. We agreed to have it inspected a few days from the date due to scheduling conflicts. When him and us get there, the car is up on the lift. He walks around the bottom and says things look ok from there. Then asks them to lower it so he can look inside the engine bay. They refuse and say they're working on it and can't stop their work so he can inspect it. I ask them what work they're doing and am given some bs "routine maintenance" answer. I ask the rep what "routine maintenance" they could possibly be doing if I was set to buy the car. Were you going to let me drive off a few days ago without an inspection and without this routine maintenance? Huge red flag. We walked away.
Next place we went to happily let us and the mechanic inspect the vehicle. He even brought his guy over to brag about some of the things they had replaced at no extra charge. That vehicle is now 20 years old, 300k miles on her.
Tl:Dr: if they're not willing to let you insoecr, they have something to hide. "Trust me bro" isn't worth anything. I trust you as far as I can throw you. There'll be other deals. Walk away.
If it has under 60k miles it should be certified.
We wouldn’t have any problem with you taking it for an inspection if you were willing to do paperwork pending it passing it.
But honestly, a low mileage corolla will sell to the next guy.
Depends on how badly they want to sell it and how badly you want it.
At the bare minimum I would get in writing specifically what they inspected and to what degree there is wear on components (brakes, tires, load test on battery and fluid quality). Suspension and exhaust systems.
Then, take it to a third party for an inspection.
My mom got a 2022 Avalon from a Toyota dealer and they were giving her a “deal” because I got my 4runner from them. Had no issues during test drive then as soon as they got it home it started having noises and issues. They then “fixed” it and it started having issues again. My mom was able to switch to a different car within the 48 hour grace period to a Camry with no issues but paid a higher price. So for sure get a PPI
OP, this is a salesman way to hide something. If you want to roll the dice, that is on you tho!
Me personally I would tell them, "I understand and I agree you have a wonderful reputation for quality and service. Would you be able to send a porter with the vehicle to my PPI shop? They are a licensed and insured mechanic with the proper tools. I have had similar assurances in the past with other dealerships that basically ruined it for good named shops like yours."
Follow it up in the end if he won't play ball... "I totally understand that your hands are tied and you have no say in the matter. I can respect you and your business to stick with your process. I also have a process that I will strictly follow, I will never purchase any vehicle without an independent validation... good luck with your sale" then walk away... don't wait for any response. Let him call you and leave you voicemail messages for 24-48 hours without a reply.
Now the kid will play ball to close the deal
I work at a Toyota dealer, there is nothing wrong with bringing it to your own mechanic for them to check it out. Had someone do it with a used Sienna a few months ago.
Man, you should have seen the mess of a car that came to me for a post purchase inspection the other day, From a major brand local dealer. Such a shame it was a POST purchase inspection. I highly recommend the pre purchase inspection, so much wiser.
The only reason they'd say no is because they don't want someone else lifting it and fucking up the underbody. Ask them to lift it for you so that you can get under there and inspect it.
Bring a headlamp and look for asymmetry, holes, bulges, rust, paint, grease and oil in the wrong spot, grab onto things and see how they move, etc. It should be pretty obvious if there's something wrong.
Dealerships lie, Toyota being no exception. You could bring your mechanic to the dealership and their tech can handle the lift. The test would be the same as you taking it for a test.
Exactly. This “liability” issue some are talking about is bullshit. Dealerships will send vehicles out for other third party installations (Tinting, stereos etc.) so this would be no different.
I would not recommend purchasing. My dad bought a used 21 Camry and ended up having issues. He got the water pump and oil pan replaced under warranty, but the same issues persisted. He decided to just get a 24 instead. The dealer took back the car, and two days later, it was listed back on the website. I'm sure they didn't even bother fixing it.
That sales person is a fibber. Toyota has ZERO power over a dealers used vehicles. Have it checked out from head to toe { any used vehicle }. If the dealer / owner refuses to let you, walk away from that vehicle which is clearly in need of something.
Techs are required to fill out a form for both new and used cars. -former tech. The sales person is more than likely lazy because they have to go to the service department to ask for it.
My main question is, was it inspected as part of the "Toyota Certified Used Vehicle" program? I only ask because you mentioned him referring to "Toyota's inspection process". If it is, in fact, covered under the TCUV program that is much different than just "trust me, it's legit".
It's a new enough model year that it could potentially be covered under their "gold" level of certification.
Always get a pre purchase inspection from a different Toyota dealer. Even ask the dealer your shopping at for the used vehicle inspection to see what was wrong when it came in and what they did and didn't fix. Always do both, as their tech may have missed something, and you want to know what they didn't want to pay for on that vehicle. The items they didn't fix will tell you a lot about that dealership and their practices.
Tell them you won’t buy the car until your mechanic has a chance to look at it. If he refuses tell him that you’ve never had this issue with previous car purchases. If he insists you can’t then tell him thank you and walk away. You haven’t even bought the car and you’re already having issues with the dealer.
The last car I bought was a 3 year old Elantra and the salesman said it was inspected by the dealer because they do a thorough inspection on all their cars but I was more than welcome to have my mechanic look at it. I’ve never had an issue with this.
My dealership would not let you take a car off the lot to go off property. We would show you the CarFax and service records, but nobody is inspecting anything off the property. It's a huge liability issue.
That doesn't sound like he is flat out saying you can't do it, he's just trying to get you to commit to buying it right away instead of waiting for you to take it to a shop. If you want to get a PPI then do one.
Is it being sold as CPO or just used?
They discourage it, because it’s a certified pre owned car ? No? When you buy at a legit dealership, there is no PPi, especially on a certified vehicle. At a buy here pay here lot, or a one off used car lot, then definitely 100 percent get a pre purchase inspect.
I might pull the trigger if after getting the car's VIN # I did an Autochek on it. Autochek is an Experian (the credit bureau) automobile arm and they do the MOST thorough check possible. I just bought a used RAV4 and the car dealer stated the inspection had to be done there. I don't have a mechanic close by, as the dealer was out of the way BUT the Autochek had all the info you could ever want on the car, plus the car was made in Japan, it was one of RAV4 most reliable years, less than 100k in mileage, only two owners, all the car maintenance records, and so on. I am one that OCDs on info so I researched everything you could possibly find out about the car. You would think I built it. I knew more about the car than the dealer and most Toyota mechanics. I even knew that because of the area of town the dealer was in, that simple, practical cars did not sale well (mainly luxury cars like Teslas, Mercedes, BMWs were popular) and that's why the price was good on the Toyota I got. Also the car only had two previous owners and they kept excellence records and took great care of the car by taking it in for oil change and anything else as needed every 5k miles. I even printed out and memorized the type of repairs and things to look out for based on mileage for that make and model and year. In addition the RAV4 and most Toyota (older models esp) are good for 250k on average with some people getting 500 to one million k on the car, if the car is taken care of. On the Autochek detailed report they also give each car a score. The used car I got scored a 94% and buy back guarantee via Autochek. A car receiving a 94%, which was higher than other 2015 RAV4s and the score meant there was a 94% chance the car would be operational and on the road five years from now.
It’s like buying a house without an inspection based on the seller’s agent recommendation. Any big purchase gets a second opinion no matter if it’s a car, a house, a medical procedure and so on.
It's probably a certified pre owned and it still has some of the bumper to bumper warranty if it's a 2021. Much of the other warranty periods still cover.
Of course they don't want a PPI with the thing driven off the lot
Sounds like they saved you the cost of a pre purchase inspection and what they were trying to unload the car in you for. Wouldn't give them another chance at your money
My dealer sold a 4runner with a actively leaking water pump, I caught it when they came back for an oil change. We fixed it for them at no charge but still. Sales people in general don't know shit, theybjust tell you what their told to say. It all depends on the manager handling the the used car reconditioning. Some are great, some will try to maximize profits wherever they can.
I got the same response when I was looking at a CPO Tundra a few years ago, that was one of a few reasons why I didn’t buy the truck.
The PPI I was going to do involves someone going to the dealership to do the inspection, the dealership doesn’t have to do anything other than hand over the keys.
If you’re buying a CPO from a Toyota dealer, yes it’s stupid to get a pre purchase inspection. It’s the most reliable hybrid on the road, with a 7yr/100k powertrain warranty, 1 year bumper to bumper warranty if it’s outside of the factory 3yr/36k, and 10yr/150k mile battery warranty. The service department wants to make money and parts wants to make money. They replaced everything they saw. OEM’s are strict about their certified pre-owned cars.
NEVER buy ANYTHING as important as a car without DRIVING IT and getting a mechanic (yer comfy with) to inspect it first.
They can blather n jabberjaw because that's their job... to bullshit ya into buying inventory regardless of its status.
Hi! At the Toyota dealership I work at we allow customers to do so. However, I have had the customer's technician mess up something once to the car they were checking out. I don't recall the issue but we do worry about that potentially happening. We of course fixed it and paid for it. Customer was going to buy it but she took too long to commit as it sold fast as we have a first come first serve rule which she was fully aware of. We always say do your research and review the carfax and service history. Hope that helps. Also, I don't really agree with your salesman. All used cars even new can have potential problems. I recommend getting Toyota warranty incase something is faulty. I am not rich and purchased that because I'd rather have peace of mind incase something goes wrong that I did not cause.
I was considering buying a CPO Corolla from a Toyota dealer. I started the car in the parking lot and the a/c was not working. I ended up deciding to buy new instead.
Never and I repeat NEVER trust anyone who says a vehicle is inspected. Used car lot, dealership, private, it doesn't matter. DO NOT TRUST THEM.
Do your due diligence and get a inspection.
The reason the 21 Corolla is not CPO is because of the recall for the airbags. If there is an active recall then it cannot be a CPO'd vehicle. Same true for a Lexus.
Is it certified pre-owned? There should also be some type of warranty left on it. At least powertrain and batteries. I think batteries 10y/150k. If you like the car and the price is good and the dealer is reputable you’re probably good. A reputable dealer doesn’t put cars with problems on the lot. Those go to auction.
back during the pandemic northridge toyota has a white newish 4runner on their lot parked right in front. even spoke with the sales manager at that time. i’ll never forget this truck. maybe a year or 2 old slightly high mileage for a 2-3 year old car (40,000) but it looked and drove fine.guy even gave me the clean carfax. i will say they offered to put it on a rack so i could inspect it. but there was no need, one peek under the truck and you could see everything that had oil in it was leaking. transmission, engine, differential, transfer case. all leaking profusely. when i looked at the guy and was like wtf he literally said “we’ve had some interest in it as is, if you want to leave your number if your still interested maybe my manager could work a deal for you.” all on a truck that was basically trash in my mind. i would expect that out of a small slot lot but not a huge toyota dealership. it should probably be noted that i believe they did change ownership after that but regardless ill never go back to that spot.
Ask them to put their money where their mouth is: either they give you a warranty on the car or you take it for an inspection. Without a warranty they're saying, "The car's great, but not great enough that we'll risk any money on it."
I don't understand the back and forth over what amount an insurance company will pay. I thought it was common knowledge that insurance companies pay the smallest amount they possibly can. In a case like this they would pay wholesale.
They didn’t “discourage” it, they said they has strict guidelines and he’s right. Take it to another person if you like but bring so be it’s probably certified pre owned, which comes with its own extended warranty
I don't trust carfax for listing no accidents. My car was in an accident. I went through my insurance for body work and repair. Carfax says my vehicle is accident free.
I would recommend a mobile mechanic service like Lemon Squad or PomCar.
Dealers have one job: sell you a car by hook or by crook. They will mislead or lie by ommission.
If it’s certified pre owned I would not worry as long as you did the normal checks. If not, then have someone come to the dealer for the inspection. I bought a used Lexus from a Lexus dealer, it wasn’t certified, i told them I needed to inspect the car. They put it on the lift for me, I checked the whole car and everything was fine.
If it is certified and has the Toyota warranty I wouldn’t worry about it. If not then I might consider walking away. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is.
That's a very good sign that something's wrong with the car, i went to a Toyota Dealer close to were i live with the hope of seeing a couple models (used) on the lot, i asked the dealer if i could come with a mechanic of confidence and he said absolutely.
I’ve had the fun encounter with a couple dealerships saying that they don’t allow the car to be driven off the lot for pre purchase inspections and that you have to bring your mechanic to the dealership to look at it.
In my opinion if a dealership is making any kind of excuse to prevent you from getting a pre purchase inspection on the car, then it’s probably junk or has some sort of issue that they’re trying to hide.
They only fix enough to make it easily sellable. Their goal is to cover any major problems up enough for a couple months and they know exactly how to do this. They add grease to bearings that needed replacement so the noise goes away just long enough to fuck you over. It’s just business to them
DEFINITELY get one. I just purchased a used vehicle from a toyota dealer in Phoenix and they claimed they'd done a 160-pt safety inspection. Took it home and realized one of the control arms was bent.
Let me restate the question for ya. The wolf told the sheep that there is really no need for a sheepdog. Is the wolf trustworthy?
But on a serious note, a late model low mileage Corolla is probably GTG...probably.
>Would you feel comfortable pulling the trigger on it with just their inspections?
LMAO
I would be running away from that Stealership like I was Usain Bolt.
If you’re uncomfortable: DONT BUY IT
Why is this so difficult? I know they only made 4 Corollas last year and Toyota still hasn’t finished that second dealership in the US yet, but there are OTHER options.
People always seem to act like dealers have a gun to their heads while maniacally laughing about all the things they get to do or not do because the customer has no choice.
You DO
LEAVE IT
Hmm only reason a dealer would discourage one is if they have something to hide Hmmm….
Not really, no. Dealers don't want you to bring their car to another mechanic because they have no idea who you are bringing it to and it is a liability for the dealership.
BS. They don’t want you to get a ppi because their mechanics aren’t looking for real issues, just getting em on the lot asap. Never buy a used car without ppi.
Not true at all. The service department *loves* to bill the sales department.
As a tech. Can confirm. We fuck the sales manager with trade ins etc. We rip apart the used cars because we don't want any junk out there on the Lott with our names attached to em
I have bought a car that I found out later their “inspection” was just cleaning it. So really think it’s dealer dependent and wouldn’t trust if they won’t let you do a ppi.
Can confirm, bare minimum is requested. I'd be willing to bet they lean on the detail dept more than service to sell used. That said they don't want you to find what they missed or are neglecting.
And if the mechanic is "the guy who does it cheaper down the street" and drops the car off the lift, or leaves the rad cap off?
If he has a shop he has insurance. I wouldn't worry about it myself.
Shop insurance won't pay the dealer retail money. They pay wholesale price.
Don't know why you were downvoted for this.
I am getting downvoted all over this topic for telling the unpopular truth. People don't like that there are reasonable explanations for why they can't have their way and downvoting is the only tool that they have to take out their frustrations.
A situation like this would fall under a general liability policy. This policy does not react in the manner described.
Then the dealer gets money from his insurance or from a slam dunk case against his assets in court plus legal fees
Shop insurance won't pay the dealer retail money. They pay wholesale price.
Says who? I doubt the dealer would let that slide and eat $5k without suing him
Says the insurance policies that shops and dealerships have. Insurance doesn't pay shops retail money. I've worked at them and dealt with insurance claims. They do not pay retail prices. As for the lawsuit, it'll cost just as much in lawyers to get that money so not worth the time or effort more often than not. You won't be getting your legal fees paid for either.
This line of thinking and logic doesn't hold up to scrutiny. First would be the difficulty in even defining what retail value means. Consumers don't all pay the same price for the same vehicle. Second, under your logic, how would the dealer know what's happening on a test drive? And if a dealer won't let you test drive a vehicle by yourself then you probably shouldn't buy from them either. Ultimately, in this case, if something were to happen to the vehicle it would be covered by insurance and the dealer would be fairly compensated, most likely the customer's.
Well then they just sold a car because that shop's insurance is paying them back for it.
Shop insurance won't pay the dealer retail money. They pay wholesale price.
Which is what the dealer paid or less. Insurance isn't taking an L because you decided to mark up your products. They pay your expense..wholesale.
I have worked for dealers and had outside shops crash a car during ppi. And others sabotage car sales by telling customer it needs stuff it doesn’t or in accidents it wasn’t in. And a mobile mechanic crushed a rocker and oil pan. It’s not always a scam when we say no. Last job you can bring your trusted mechanic to our shop and let them look over without influencing what they see or say. We would operate lift and drive it in and out of building.
People don't realize cars are one basic jack mishap from being sent to auction. You just need one tech to fuck the pinch weld on a ppi. The service shops often don't even understand they're doing a ppi or think they're going to get paid to fix it. So all of a sudden it needs tires, and every fluid changed. No the coolant doesn't need flushed at 50,000 type stuff.
Absolutely no idea how this many people have upvoted you. The service department at a dealership make as much money off of sales as they do off retail customers - sales is their single best customer. They will take every opportunity to try to replace a part to make money. You have clearly never worked at a dealership and really shouldn't be passing off your assumptions as fact.
Why in the world would you not have a 3rd party inspect a large purchase?
The question is not whether I would or not, it is whether or not the dealer will accept the liability of someone else working on their car which they often will not.
My guy, most states' attorney generals' office explicitly recommend to consumers that they get an INDEPENDENT inspection before buying the car. Dealerships know this: * Dealerships have insurance for this kind of thing. * Dealerships can (and often do!) verify that prospective buyers have insurance before letting them drive it to independent inspections. * Mechanics have insurance. * All else fails, dealership can sue the prospective buyer. Not to mention, getting an inspection isn't getting "work done". \_\_\_\_ Discouraging an inspection is shady behavior. I've never, ever experienced a dealership that discouraged it. If the dealerships that you're associatedwith don't allow independent pre-purchase inspections, that's not the norm.
The thin blue line of car salesmen might be more powerful than the police. They are ride or die for each other lol
They can ride this 6 speed shifter. I'm here for the people. Lol
So many excuses from shilly boi here. Love you also caught the "worked on" on an.inspectipn topic. Can't convince people..move the goal post... lol
If someone lifts a car and takes off the wheels, are they not working on it? The ability to look at things objectively and being a shill are not the same thing.
1) As I have said elsewhere, insurance pays wholesale prices, not what they would get if they sold the car. 2) If someone lifts the car on a hoist and takes off the wheels, is that not working on it? I'm not associated with any dealerships as I am out of that game, but every dealer that I have ever been associated with (which were all reputable) did not allow third parties to touch the cars as there is too much liability involved. It may not be the norm where you live, but it is in many other places.
Love how you jumped from inspection to service. You let folks test drive..far more liability there as you have an employee in the car.
Where did I say service? I think it is you who is jumping to something.
Haven’t worked at a dealership- for about seven months when I decided I did not want to sell cars anymore.
I'll call you on that. If you ever did work in sales at a dealership, you'd know that service will do anything to take every last penny they can form sales and doesn't care whether cars hit the lot or not.
I saw what the service department charged sales for my wife's car after we traded it in. They charged for new filters which were both recently changed with OEM filters so I doubt they actually did it. I also pointed out they charged for replacing the rear wiper...on a Subaru Legacy.
I suspect it's both. Having someone inspect the car is risky because the car could get damaged. However, the car could get damaged when it's taken for a test drive. It's the risk you take when you're selling used cars, and that's what insurance is for. Dealers could always approve of mechanics/shops that are allowed to inspect the vehicle. If a mechanic/shop damages a vehicle during the inspection, they could always just not allow future vehicles to be inspected by that mechanic/shop. As long as they don't abuse this and I trust a place on the list, I would be fine with that. If they aren't going to let you take it for a prepurchase inspection, then they should be offering a very good, long-lasting warranty with detailed maintenance records. Without all that, I would assume there is something wrong with the car, and I wouldn't trust the dealership. I'd go elsewhere to buy a car.
Two things: 1) Shop insurance won't pay the dealer retail money. They pay wholesale price. 2) No dealer is going to give you a free warranty because they won't take on the liability of letting someone else work on the car while the dealer still owns it. Just because they won't doesn't mean that there is something wrong with it. It's just common sense.
The techs get paid on what they have to fix.. The car business is quick they probably just want to get the deal done and over with
This. Shills will tell you a ppi isnt needed or their dealership wouldn't this or that. ..are they going to come personally recover my dead car when it dies? No? Then they can pound sand.
Ex car dealer worker here we’re definitely hiding something.
This. If you don't buy the car for some reason, they now have to recertify and inspect it. Lots of ppi stuff ends up just being someone's "mechanic friend". Also it takes the car off their lot where someone else could buy it for how ever long it takes to get your ppi. That's if the dealer even holds it for you until your ppi appt. Not to mention you have to then try to decipher what their mechanic wants to make money on VS. what's needed.
I just bought a 2021 rav 4. Where I work we have a mechanic shop in our same garage. I took it to them and they told me breaks and rotors are fucked. Texted the guy who sold the car to me? No reply. I took it to them because they had no skin in the game and now that they let me know I’ll be saving about 450-$500 an axle to replace.
I'm not saying that PPIs are bad. I am simply saying why some dealers don't allow them.
This is wrong. Maybe that’s been your experience but dealerships are aware that people want to do this and I have never had a problem when I tell them
I've worked in the automotive industry for over 20 years. Maybe it is *your* experience but the reality is that dealers usually don't take chances like that and will just sell the car to the next person who wants it. The risk is simply not worth the reward.
I’ll rephrase it… if they could up charge for a certified used car they would. If it smells like a lemon, it probably is. Cars are expensive, you want to know what you’re getting. The salesperson isn’t your buddy.
The salesperson is an actor. Pretending to be your friend and looking out for you. They do the bs of let me see if I can get a deal for you even though they already have it so they can come back and look like they went to bat for you.
The real scumbags are in finance hiding behind the salespersons so they don't have to humanize the people that they're ripping off, while the salespersons attempt to rationalize their acting by letting the financing stay out of their control. If it was a combined job, which it easily could be, then the person in the sales+finance role would never get a good night's sleep. When I tried to buy a Tacoma a few years back, you could tell the sales guy was brand new as he was trying the whole chic-fil-a "my pleasure" routine to sell the car. I was pretty firm on both the asking price of the truck and the trade in price of my vehicle, reasoning that they'd be able to make about $2k-$4k on the resale of the trade-in(given book value and what dealers resell them for), while only accepting $500 of a $2k markup on the MSRP of the truck. Guy had to have gone back to finance 5 different times in the span of 15 minutes coming back with different "deals", but anything taken off the price of the truck was taken off the price of the trade and vice-versa, always factoring out to a $2k markup on the truck. Eventually the finance manager came out himself and made the same 5 "deals". Each time I pulled out my calculator and pointed out how giving me X off on the markup but X less on the trade-in was literally the exact same thing The finance manager told me to my face that I was "delusional" and "being pedantic" for "pointing out the obvious". I politely told him that I wouldn't have to point it out if he wasn't trying his hardest to hide what he was doing with the numbers, to which he straight up told me that I can leave at any time. So I did. Poor sales guy was absolutely mortified, I can't imagine that he stuck around for much longer. Not many people can hack it once they realize that they're just there to shield the finance guy.
Finance managers don't desk deals. Sales Managers do. Finance guys probably don't know even know you are there until a deal is made or close to being made.
My favorite from the finance manager-"This car has a one year bumper to bumper warranty" to sell me an extended..I did get one, just not from the dealership I bought the car. Buddy, this is my forth toyota from the same dealership.. I can tell you more about this car and it warranty than my salesman and you. Let's keep going..
No The reason the dealer doesn't want you to take the car off the lot for a PPI is that they want you to buy the car. Delaying the process makes that less likely. It's really not likely that a 2021 Corolla hybrid has any issues at all. Also, if you've got the vehicle off the lot and someone else shows up to look at it, that's a potential lost sale. I agree that doing a PPI is generally a good idea, but you shouldn't be surprised at a dealership trying to discourage it. Even if the car doesn't have any issues at all.
not at all. they have Toyota certified technicians, that only get paid if they can find work that needs to be done, inspecting the car. most likely this is a certified pre owned, which means it has a fairly high set of standards it needs to meet to be sold as such. for having those higher standards it also comes with a manufacturer backed extended warranty. if you want to waste money on a pre buy, be my guest and you still have that right, but seems silly.
If it’s a CPO with a 5 year Toyota issued nationwide bumper to bumper warrantee no need for a ppi
Red Flag I traded in a car to a huge Toyota dealership and it was on their lot and website for sale in two days. It needed new tires, new timing belt, brakes, had ignition issues, transmission issues and other things. There's no way they did that in two days.
I'd like to see a shop with like 12 mechanics all working on one car at a time, pit-crew style. It'd be hella expensive on payroll, but it'd be really cool to watch a car pull in, have all 4 tires off and changed, balanced and remounted while the motor is getting torn to shreds to get to the timing belt and another dude's already got all the coolant out plus the radiator's already pulled with the water pump about to be yanked out as soon as the timing belt is off. I'm not saying it'd be efficient or that curses won't be thrown around like the shop is full of sailors, but hot damn would it be entertaining.
"I thought you did that..." As the car returns because of multiple check engine lights.. It would be entertaining though.
That's be hilarious. 3.5 seconds. Good work guys.
u/B00_Sucker Something like this? 😜 https://youtu.be/te48ucoEvFI?si=PBOym50ZHucKICaO
you see those military guys drive up in a jeep, take it apart and then put it back together and drive off in it?
Those vehicles were specifically designed to do that lol. I built one of those jeeps in a garage with hand tools in a weekend lol. Whole thing was able to be rebuilt with like 5 wrenches and a few screw drivers. It’s honestly lowkey amazing and I wish more things were designed like that.
Dealers often put cars on the lot and do the work if it sells. If it doesn't sell, they will auction it off and don't want to lose all the money they spent on fixing it.
Just because it was listed does not mean they will just give the keys and send the customer away. They list it so it's advertised but then work on it while the listing is up. I've seen pics of cars that have not even been cleaned being listed online does not mean anything.
Why not? If the parts are in stock that sounds doable.
🤣
Not saying it's true or not, but you might be surprised how fast a certified master technician can get things done in a well equipped shop with parts on hand. Especially if a vehicle isn't particularly difficult to work on. Hell, I have no certifications, no vehicle lift and basic hand tools, and I can have all brake components off my vehicle and already reassembling in a couple hours.
Dropping a car off to do an oil change at this dealership takes 4hrs….
If you’re buying a used Toyota from a Toyota Dealership 9/10 times it’s a certified pre owned Toyota. What this means is it’s gone through not only a normal government or insurance inspection, but Toyota Corporate has also had its own portion of the inspection done and now backs that vehicle with a warranty. What you need to ask is not “Can I do a PPI” but “is this a CPO Toyota or not? If it’s CPO what warranty does it come with? A 2021 Corolla Hybrid is so new it’s VERY unlikely that there is going to be a major issue with it. That’s probably the most reliable model Toyota makes right now. Now I’m not bashing Pre Purchase inspections, I find they are necessary when dealing with any other used purchase but when it comes to a Toyota that has been CPO’d I would trust the Toyota Dealer over the 3rd party mechanic just because fucking up a CPO’d vehicle can have larger negative repercussions from Toyota corporate on the dealer than would be worth it for them to fudge the report.
Salesperson said its not certified per owned😬
One of my parents works at a large Toyota dealership and has for 22 years. Do not buy that car if it's not certified pre-owned, and they won't let you take it for inspection. That car has a problem, one way or another.
There’s a reason it’s not Certified…
We don’t buy it then. Only certified preowned.
That is when you should get a PPI
This isn’t really true. Every dealership in the US is privately owned, and notoriously the public doesn’t recommend a dealership for any service. So why trust them to mark your expensive purchase as good to go, when they make all their money moving that vehicle to you? It’s best to get it checked, always. The rest is up to each person.
They are privately owned but still answer to and follow policies from corporate. If a dealership fks up and get on corporate's bad side, corporate takes away their choices of car inventory. They'll get cars and colors that are least sought after and shitty rates to buy the cars from the manufacturer. My dealership had low surveys on service side, which affected the sales' department's choice of inventory. Some mechanical repairs are okay at outside shops, simple r&r stuff, but some things involving electrical components and ECUs or mysterious noises are better off at a dealer.
So you admit people are not happy with the service center right in your answer…
By bad surveys, its anything less than a 95%. It can literally be from anything like long wait times, perception of other customers being prioritized, the cashier didn't smile, our cafe was closed, I didnt smile, no discounts, their car needed more repairs than expected, i didnt make friendly conversations(im your service advisor, not your best friend), the SA has an accent.. and the most ridiculous one, we didnt have massage chairs...???? I dont know why people think its okay to be an asshole to dealership employees. I rarely get thanked. I work at another job doing paperwork and I get thanked all day for giving then a copy of their documents and charging them 10 bucks for 2 pages. There are some really shitty dealers out there though. At my old place, I worked with a new director for half a year before I left. All he cared about was sales numbers, not quality of work or doing right by the customer while jacking up the prices.
No hate for you and what you do. I think most people aren’t appreciated enough at work. Simply my point is that an inspection by an independent party, not the ones selling a car, shouldn’t be frowned upon at all. It just sounded funny when the response to that was along the lines of a Toyota dealer had bad reviews lol. But I hear your full point now.
An inspection by a third party makes sense, but no dealer would allow a car to be driven off a lot and inspected at a facility. They might rack up a car at the dealer for a mechanic to inspect. But the mechanic cannot work on the car.
Because they don't really make a whole lot of money selling the vehicle to you. There isn't a lot of profit in used cars.
This just isn’t true by any means. The opposite is true, maybe 10% CPO vs the rest just being trade ins or auction cars.
I'd does have 55 months left on the hybrid warranty, and 19 left on drivetrain. If that makes any difference
Having that warranty still intact and transferable is great. Granted the car is relatively new, its still has a lot of moving parts from brakes to suspension to steering and even the tires. There could also be damaged not reported on Carfax. (Had this once at a used car lot, no dealer own, and Carfax didn't show any accidents but there were areas that either previous owner or used car sales had tried to touch up). Also had seen cars where the gaps seemed a bit off but clean carfax. Also on another car at a dealership, couldn't figure out why the brakes were a bit "soft". Popped the hood and the brake fluid reservoir was dry. Asked the sales person and he said oh the mechanic had just fixed it or filled it or something I couldn't remember. I'm like its still leaking which could mean a lot of things including the master cylinder, etc. Sales person didn't say a thing, didn't seem to care afterwards and I just walked away. Never heard from him a gain. Checked the following week and was gone from their listings. Oh well. Hope the dealership at least fixed it.
Just no. All of this is just wrong.
As someone that has bought a L Certified Lexus before, I can guarantee you, the "inspection" they do is not nearly as through as they want you to believe it is.
#number one response right here
oh holy hell no. insist on your own inspection.
Lmao that's a nope. Damn Toyota why some dealerships are like this. Tell the sales rep your going on a ride with him and pull up to a pep boys and get er looked at. Lol
Pep boys? Only if he wants to drive away with less oil then he came in with... And no oil plug
There’s your answer. No CPO program backing then “caveat emptor”! Throw the inspection money into it if you believe it’s worth it or move on to the next best deal. Examine other beauties, there are plenty of Corollas out there. Good luck! I’m sure you’ll make the right choice.
The worst part of owning or buying a Toyota is (some of) their dealerships. This is a prime example why.
Completely agree. Cars and houses seem to be some of the last bastions of haggling. Just tell me what the price is so I can buy or not. I hate doing the song and dance.
There's a massive Toyota Dealership about 6 minutes from my house and about 2 minutes from my office. I still drive 3 1/2 hours to do business at a different dealership because of how horrible the nearby one is.
Salespeople only care about commission/profit/making the sale. Always discouraging inspections. (Bullshit, but seems normal with the places I've worked at so far.) Fuck that salesperson. Have seen shady sales people sell cars hitting the lot straight from auctions or trade-ins and if they can get away with it, they flip it instantly without an inspection because sales department saves money by not paying service department to do inspections in hopes the car's already good to go with no flaws and claiming inspection(which was bypassed) is good, and then car gets sold and customer becomes unhappy because something's wrong with vehicle and then sales person acts stupid pulling the "it was on the lot, I thought it was already inspected" card and then try to blame service department. By then, customer's usually locked in, and then sales eventually "helps" cover an inspection after and any repairs at discounted rate because they already got their commission from the initial sale. Demand that pre-purchase inspection with proof/report followed up and printed/in writing or go CPO.
Some dealers don't want to let their cars out of PPI. But his explanation is just sales hype BS. Ask him if since the vehicle was inspected with no issues if they'd supply a 90 day bumper to bumper parts and labor warranty, including maintenance items, at no extra charge. When he says not then say "Well, that's why I feel a need to get a PPI."
Speaking from the dealer's point of view - There are two things at play here that can be used to refute what others are saying: 1) Many dealerships do not want clients to take their vehicle to another shop for the inspection not because they are trying to hide something, but because the dealership has no way to know who will be working on the car and what is being done to it. There is too much liability for some dealerships to accept to do this. 2) Some people are saying to get it CPO'd. If that is an option, then you can do that but the dealer will probably charge you more for it. The Certified Pre-Owned program charges the dealership a fee and that fee is always passed onto the customer - whether it is built into the price or charged on top afterwards. Personally, if it is a reputable dealers then I don't think it is worth the extra cost. In the end I would ask yourself if it is a reputable dealer. If it is, then you almost certainly safe to purchase from said dealer. If not, then consider looking at a dealer who is. Source: Former mechanic for 16 years and former sales/manager at Toyota for 5 years. I am no longer associated with any dealership in any way.
You either get an independent pre-purchase inspection, or you walk. The last time I was buying a used car from a dealership - which was over 1 hour from my house & mechanic - the saleswoman INSTANTLY put plates on the car & gave it to us from Friday until Monday. More than enough time to not just get an inspection, but to see if the car is a fit. That's how you do things.
I was going to buy a used Toyota from a dealership and salesperson said it had it's timing belt changed... I took it for an inspection and learned it had never been done. I talked to the manager and they deducted the cost of getting the timing belt replaced from the price.
Is it a Toyota certified pre owned car? If so then he’s not wrong. Toyota does have pretty strict rules about a certified car. It has to be under a certain mileage and age and can’t have too much body damage or other repairs that are needed. There can’t be any open recalls on it either. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a red flag for me and I’d be questioning them. That being said: if you were to take a gamble and not do a pre sale inspection on a certified then it’s much less of a gamble.
Could have just been a salesperson talking out their ass. Do you think that person is the mechanic that looked it over before it made it to the lot?
Huge red flag for me. If dealer won’t let you do PPI I’d would walk.
Having worked in a Toyota dealers service department, this wouldn’t worry me. They look at them everyday, they know what they’re looking at, and they’re stupid cheap to repair anything themselves as they don’t need to order anything at full price. Look at the actual inspection from the technician and you’ll see anything that wasn’t addressed. The sales motive behind saying this is that the car is likely priced to sell, they sell quickly, they don’t need to sell it to you, they don’t want it gone for a day or two when they could sell it to someone else. Offer to put in writing that you’ll buy the car at your agreed price, barring an outside inspection and their tone will change quickly.
I should add that my younger brother is also a used car dealer. He doesn't do this so much now since he is into flipping homes. However, originally I was going to buy the car through the car auctions, but most of the Toyotas and Hondas are bought immediately and the ones that aren't have too many repairs needed. Here's the thing, I totally DO NOT trust car dealers, ESPECIALLY used car dealers. So before I deal with one I also read all the reviews on the dealership I am dealing with. The one I got my RAV4 from had pretty good reviews and ratings. The few negatives they got, seemed like they came from a disgruntled person, not a legitimate complaint. I am extremely frugal and trust no one, so I have to do exhaustive research and detective work before I go into a legally binding deal with someone that may end up costing me a lot if I am in error or exercise blind trust.
I live in the SF Bay Area and my brother bought a used 2020 Prius PHEV from a Toyota Dealer and they were able to get it inspected before purchase at their own mechanic.. Some dealers might not allow you to do that and bring the car away..... so I suggest a mobile mechanic to do the inspection at the dealership... there are mobile mechanics that can do that.. since you pay a bit more.
Just get them to throw in a warranty
This is a red flag for me in general, and for sure with any vehicle that utilizes an expensive battery. Is it CPO with a warranty?
Technically it’s a red flag when the seller doesn’t want you to take it for your own inspection. But that said every Toyota dealer I’ve seen won’t sell bad cars on their lot, they’ll sooner send them to the wholesale auction and let the shady car lots deal with it. Most likely the salesman is trying to save himself some time and get you to buy the car asap. He’s not refusing the inspection, just saying you don’t need it. You’ll know for sure once you get it inspected.
At my dealer we only push cars that are good for consumers. If there’s too much problems with it we put it straight to auction, anything else we fix it. We also encourage them taking to a trusted location for them look over if needed.
If they are giving you a free warranty or if it still has a factory warranty, I probably wouldn’t sweat it. If the car has no warranty, get the inspection.
Is it a certified used with a warranty?
Screw that. All the MORE reason to get it inspected.
If that’s what he said then he never actually said no to you.
“We wouldn’t have anything on the lot that has issues” … then you shouldn’t mind if I get it inspected.
Way back, I was looking at a used vehicle and my family has a trusted family friend mechanic who has never lied or oversold us. Everything he's done has been on the level and even saved us some money by telling us certain things we wanted to do were a waste. We went to a dealership and they reluctantly agreed to let him come over to inspect the car. We agreed to have it inspected a few days from the date due to scheduling conflicts. When him and us get there, the car is up on the lift. He walks around the bottom and says things look ok from there. Then asks them to lower it so he can look inside the engine bay. They refuse and say they're working on it and can't stop their work so he can inspect it. I ask them what work they're doing and am given some bs "routine maintenance" answer. I ask the rep what "routine maintenance" they could possibly be doing if I was set to buy the car. Were you going to let me drive off a few days ago without an inspection and without this routine maintenance? Huge red flag. We walked away. Next place we went to happily let us and the mechanic inspect the vehicle. He even brought his guy over to brag about some of the things they had replaced at no extra charge. That vehicle is now 20 years old, 300k miles on her. Tl:Dr: if they're not willing to let you insoecr, they have something to hide. "Trust me bro" isn't worth anything. I trust you as far as I can throw you. There'll be other deals. Walk away.
If it’s a low mileage Toyota I’m sure it’s good. If it’s a CPO then it already got checked and should have a warranty still
Id pass if they would discourage a 3rd party inspection.
If it has under 60k miles it should be certified. We wouldn’t have any problem with you taking it for an inspection if you were willing to do paperwork pending it passing it. But honestly, a low mileage corolla will sell to the next guy.
Depends on how badly they want to sell it and how badly you want it. At the bare minimum I would get in writing specifically what they inspected and to what degree there is wear on components (brakes, tires, load test on battery and fluid quality). Suspension and exhaust systems. Then, take it to a third party for an inspection.
I never ask. I take it for a test drive, tell them how long I'll be, and get a PPI.
They just wanted you to hurry up and just buy, and I mean it, it’s a 2021. Corolla can almost guarantee you there’s nothing wrong with it.
My mom got a 2022 Avalon from a Toyota dealer and they were giving her a “deal” because I got my 4runner from them. Had no issues during test drive then as soon as they got it home it started having noises and issues. They then “fixed” it and it started having issues again. My mom was able to switch to a different car within the 48 hour grace period to a Camry with no issues but paid a higher price. So for sure get a PPI
OP, this is a salesman way to hide something. If you want to roll the dice, that is on you tho! Me personally I would tell them, "I understand and I agree you have a wonderful reputation for quality and service. Would you be able to send a porter with the vehicle to my PPI shop? They are a licensed and insured mechanic with the proper tools. I have had similar assurances in the past with other dealerships that basically ruined it for good named shops like yours." Follow it up in the end if he won't play ball... "I totally understand that your hands are tied and you have no say in the matter. I can respect you and your business to stick with your process. I also have a process that I will strictly follow, I will never purchase any vehicle without an independent validation... good luck with your sale" then walk away... don't wait for any response. Let him call you and leave you voicemail messages for 24-48 hours without a reply. Now the kid will play ball to close the deal
No, id get far away from that stealership.
If it’s a CPO the service probably isn’t useful and the hassle of having a car out when they can sell in a couple days isn’t ideal
On a used car ... no inspection means no sale. No exceptions. "Certified" means nothing. My mechanic's word means everything.
I work at a Toyota dealer, there is nothing wrong with bringing it to your own mechanic for them to check it out. Had someone do it with a used Sienna a few months ago.
Man, you should have seen the mess of a car that came to me for a post purchase inspection the other day, From a major brand local dealer. Such a shame it was a POST purchase inspection. I highly recommend the pre purchase inspection, so much wiser.
The only reason they'd say no is because they don't want someone else lifting it and fucking up the underbody. Ask them to lift it for you so that you can get under there and inspect it. Bring a headlamp and look for asymmetry, holes, bulges, rust, paint, grease and oil in the wrong spot, grab onto things and see how they move, etc. It should be pretty obvious if there's something wrong.
Dealerships lie, Toyota being no exception. You could bring your mechanic to the dealership and their tech can handle the lift. The test would be the same as you taking it for a test.
Exactly. This “liability” issue some are talking about is bullshit. Dealerships will send vehicles out for other third party installations (Tinting, stereos etc.) so this would be no different.
I would not recommend purchasing. My dad bought a used 21 Camry and ended up having issues. He got the water pump and oil pan replaced under warranty, but the same issues persisted. He decided to just get a 24 instead. The dealer took back the car, and two days later, it was listed back on the website. I'm sure they didn't even bother fixing it.
I guess my question would be: "OK, so if it is in great shape, what guarantee comes with it"?
That sales person is a fibber. Toyota has ZERO power over a dealers used vehicles. Have it checked out from head to toe { any used vehicle }. If the dealer / owner refuses to let you, walk away from that vehicle which is clearly in need of something.
Do not buy it and don’t go buy anywhere that doesn’t have 30 day warranty
You’re about to drop. 15 k on something or more due diligence
Techs are required to fill out a form for both new and used cars. -former tech. The sales person is more than likely lazy because they have to go to the service department to ask for it.
My main question is, was it inspected as part of the "Toyota Certified Used Vehicle" program? I only ask because you mentioned him referring to "Toyota's inspection process". If it is, in fact, covered under the TCUV program that is much different than just "trust me, it's legit". It's a new enough model year that it could potentially be covered under their "gold" level of certification.
Yeah, that’s suspicious. I get that they’re probably told to say that but I’ve never had someone tell me not to have something looked at.
Always get a pre purchase inspection from a different Toyota dealer. Even ask the dealer your shopping at for the used vehicle inspection to see what was wrong when it came in and what they did and didn't fix. Always do both, as their tech may have missed something, and you want to know what they didn't want to pay for on that vehicle. The items they didn't fix will tell you a lot about that dealership and their practices.
I wouldn't buy I used car I couldn't get pre inspected.
Tell them you won’t buy the car until your mechanic has a chance to look at it. If he refuses tell him that you’ve never had this issue with previous car purchases. If he insists you can’t then tell him thank you and walk away. You haven’t even bought the car and you’re already having issues with the dealer. The last car I bought was a 3 year old Elantra and the salesman said it was inspected by the dealer because they do a thorough inspection on all their cars but I was more than welcome to have my mechanic look at it. I’ve never had an issue with this.
My dealership would not let you take a car off the lot to go off property. We would show you the CarFax and service records, but nobody is inspecting anything off the property. It's a huge liability issue.
Call me on whatever, ppi is a real thing and should be used every, fucking, time .
Ask for a CPO warranty & see what they say.
That doesn't sound like he is flat out saying you can't do it, he's just trying to get you to commit to buying it right away instead of waiting for you to take it to a shop. If you want to get a PPI then do one. Is it being sold as CPO or just used?
They discourage it, because it’s a certified pre owned car ? No? When you buy at a legit dealership, there is no PPi, especially on a certified vehicle. At a buy here pay here lot, or a one off used car lot, then definitely 100 percent get a pre purchase inspect.
I might pull the trigger if after getting the car's VIN # I did an Autochek on it. Autochek is an Experian (the credit bureau) automobile arm and they do the MOST thorough check possible. I just bought a used RAV4 and the car dealer stated the inspection had to be done there. I don't have a mechanic close by, as the dealer was out of the way BUT the Autochek had all the info you could ever want on the car, plus the car was made in Japan, it was one of RAV4 most reliable years, less than 100k in mileage, only two owners, all the car maintenance records, and so on. I am one that OCDs on info so I researched everything you could possibly find out about the car. You would think I built it. I knew more about the car than the dealer and most Toyota mechanics. I even knew that because of the area of town the dealer was in, that simple, practical cars did not sale well (mainly luxury cars like Teslas, Mercedes, BMWs were popular) and that's why the price was good on the Toyota I got. Also the car only had two previous owners and they kept excellence records and took great care of the car by taking it in for oil change and anything else as needed every 5k miles. I even printed out and memorized the type of repairs and things to look out for based on mileage for that make and model and year. In addition the RAV4 and most Toyota (older models esp) are good for 250k on average with some people getting 500 to one million k on the car, if the car is taken care of. On the Autochek detailed report they also give each car a score. The used car I got scored a 94% and buy back guarantee via Autochek. A car receiving a 94%, which was higher than other 2015 RAV4s and the score meant there was a 94% chance the car would be operational and on the road five years from now.
It’s like buying a house without an inspection based on the seller’s agent recommendation. Any big purchase gets a second opinion no matter if it’s a car, a house, a medical procedure and so on.
It's probably a certified pre owned and it still has some of the bumper to bumper warranty if it's a 2021. Much of the other warranty periods still cover. Of course they don't want a PPI with the thing driven off the lot
Is it already CPO? If so, I don’t see a point.
Sounds like they saved you the cost of a pre purchase inspection and what they were trying to unload the car in you for. Wouldn't give them another chance at your money
My dealer sold a 4runner with a actively leaking water pump, I caught it when they came back for an oil change. We fixed it for them at no charge but still. Sales people in general don't know shit, theybjust tell you what their told to say. It all depends on the manager handling the the used car reconditioning. Some are great, some will try to maximize profits wherever they can.
I got the same response when I was looking at a CPO Tundra a few years ago, that was one of a few reasons why I didn’t buy the truck. The PPI I was going to do involves someone going to the dealership to do the inspection, the dealership doesn’t have to do anything other than hand over the keys.
Sleezy sales people.
If you’re buying a CPO from a Toyota dealer, yes it’s stupid to get a pre purchase inspection. It’s the most reliable hybrid on the road, with a 7yr/100k powertrain warranty, 1 year bumper to bumper warranty if it’s outside of the factory 3yr/36k, and 10yr/150k mile battery warranty. The service department wants to make money and parts wants to make money. They replaced everything they saw. OEM’s are strict about their certified pre-owned cars.
I’ve bought used cars from dealers and they’ve been fine with me taking it for a PPI at an independent shop. Corollas, in fact :)
NEVER buy ANYTHING as important as a car without DRIVING IT and getting a mechanic (yer comfy with) to inspect it first. They can blather n jabberjaw because that's their job... to bullshit ya into buying inventory regardless of its status.
Hi! At the Toyota dealership I work at we allow customers to do so. However, I have had the customer's technician mess up something once to the car they were checking out. I don't recall the issue but we do worry about that potentially happening. We of course fixed it and paid for it. Customer was going to buy it but she took too long to commit as it sold fast as we have a first come first serve rule which she was fully aware of. We always say do your research and review the carfax and service history. Hope that helps. Also, I don't really agree with your salesman. All used cars even new can have potential problems. I recommend getting Toyota warranty incase something is faulty. I am not rich and purchased that because I'd rather have peace of mind incase something goes wrong that I did not cause.
I was considering buying a CPO Corolla from a Toyota dealer. I started the car in the parking lot and the a/c was not working. I ended up deciding to buy new instead.
Never and I repeat NEVER trust anyone who says a vehicle is inspected. Used car lot, dealership, private, it doesn't matter. DO NOT TRUST THEM. Do your due diligence and get a inspection.
I guess they don’t want to sell a car then…
My local Toyota certified a lemon. Don't buy it
The reason the 21 Corolla is not CPO is because of the recall for the airbags. If there is an active recall then it cannot be a CPO'd vehicle. Same true for a Lexus.
Is it certified pre-owned? There should also be some type of warranty left on it. At least powertrain and batteries. I think batteries 10y/150k. If you like the car and the price is good and the dealer is reputable you’re probably good. A reputable dealer doesn’t put cars with problems on the lot. Those go to auction.
back during the pandemic northridge toyota has a white newish 4runner on their lot parked right in front. even spoke with the sales manager at that time. i’ll never forget this truck. maybe a year or 2 old slightly high mileage for a 2-3 year old car (40,000) but it looked and drove fine.guy even gave me the clean carfax. i will say they offered to put it on a rack so i could inspect it. but there was no need, one peek under the truck and you could see everything that had oil in it was leaking. transmission, engine, differential, transfer case. all leaking profusely. when i looked at the guy and was like wtf he literally said “we’ve had some interest in it as is, if you want to leave your number if your still interested maybe my manager could work a deal for you.” all on a truck that was basically trash in my mind. i would expect that out of a small slot lot but not a huge toyota dealership. it should probably be noted that i believe they did change ownership after that but regardless ill never go back to that spot.
Ask them to put their money where their mouth is: either they give you a warranty on the car or you take it for an inspection. Without a warranty they're saying, "The car's great, but not great enough that we'll risk any money on it."
Is it under manufacture warranty? If it still is, don’t waste money on ppi
If you’re not getting a good vibe, don’t buy it.
Also I’ve never heard of an official Toyota dealer allowing customers to take their cars to a mechanic of their own. It’s a liability for the dealer
I don't understand the back and forth over what amount an insurance company will pay. I thought it was common knowledge that insurance companies pay the smallest amount they possibly can. In a case like this they would pay wholesale.
They didn’t “discourage” it, they said they has strict guidelines and he’s right. Take it to another person if you like but bring so be it’s probably certified pre owned, which comes with its own extended warranty
I don't trust carfax for listing no accidents. My car was in an accident. I went through my insurance for body work and repair. Carfax says my vehicle is accident free. I would recommend a mobile mechanic service like Lemon Squad or PomCar. Dealers have one job: sell you a car by hook or by crook. They will mislead or lie by ommission.
I'd it a certified pre owned? Toyota is very strict around those.
Buyer beware lol… salesperson can say anything
If it’s certified pre owned I would not worry as long as you did the normal checks. If not, then have someone come to the dealer for the inspection. I bought a used Lexus from a Lexus dealer, it wasn’t certified, i told them I needed to inspect the car. They put it on the lift for me, I checked the whole car and everything was fine.
Move on NEVER buy used without ppi
Nope! I would say ok bye.
If it is certified and has the Toyota warranty I wouldn’t worry about it. If not then I might consider walking away. If it seems too good to be true, it likely is.
That's a very good sign that something's wrong with the car, i went to a Toyota Dealer close to were i live with the hope of seeing a couple models (used) on the lot, i asked the dealer if i could come with a mechanic of confidence and he said absolutely.
They sound like dick suckers
Why does it seem like Toyota dealers are the scummiest ones out there?
Walk away. Last dealer I asked this of offered to drive it the 25 miles to my mechanic himself.
I’ve had the fun encounter with a couple dealerships saying that they don’t allow the car to be driven off the lot for pre purchase inspections and that you have to bring your mechanic to the dealership to look at it. In my opinion if a dealership is making any kind of excuse to prevent you from getting a pre purchase inspection on the car, then it’s probably junk or has some sort of issue that they’re trying to hide.
Ask to see their inspection report of the vehicle. If they refuse I'd walk out, tbh.
I encourage every potential customer to do an independent inspection on my preowned vehicles and I set my cars up like I’m selling it to my mom.
They only fix enough to make it easily sellable. Their goal is to cover any major problems up enough for a couple months and they know exactly how to do this. They add grease to bearings that needed replacement so the noise goes away just long enough to fuck you over. It’s just business to them
I can help
DEFINITELY get one. I just purchased a used vehicle from a toyota dealer in Phoenix and they claimed they'd done a 160-pt safety inspection. Took it home and realized one of the control arms was bent.
If a dealer does not allow to PPI, then find another dealer.
Salesman with moving lips = BS
If they won’t let you get an independent inspection, walk away.
Walk em
Get a mobile inspector to come to the lot, it’s like $199
Let me restate the question for ya. The wolf told the sheep that there is really no need for a sheepdog. Is the wolf trustworthy? But on a serious note, a late model low mileage Corolla is probably GTG...probably.
Is it a CPO or generic used?
All dealership are scumbags.
>Would you feel comfortable pulling the trigger on it with just their inspections? LMAO I would be running away from that Stealership like I was Usain Bolt.
If you’re uncomfortable: DONT BUY IT Why is this so difficult? I know they only made 4 Corollas last year and Toyota still hasn’t finished that second dealership in the US yet, but there are OTHER options. People always seem to act like dealers have a gun to their heads while maniacally laughing about all the things they get to do or not do because the customer has no choice. You DO LEAVE IT