Wish I had a great experience like the other reviews but that is not the case. I drove 2 hours to Bakersfield because they had a truck I was interested in. Sammy, the sales agent, was a really cool down to earth guy. Unfortunately, when it came time to do the deal, whoever the manager was - he is an absolutely unpleasant man. He showed me a print-out claiming it was Kelly Bluebook and showed me that the truck was valued at 24-28k, which seemed too high. His argument was "this truck is gonna sell fast." I said that didn't make sense, so I pulled up kbb.com on my phone and typed the exact vin # right in front of him, and the exact mileage. I priced it in very good condition, did not account for any of the damage it had in the rear, and at the highest level KBB showed $17,213 - $21,578. I asked how that could be? Where is this discrepancy coming from? He went back to the print-out and said "this is Kelly Bluebook value, this is what we go by." I said okay, let's check private party value (which is normally higher), $18,343-$22,918. I asked, do you guys go by trade-in value or private party? He said trade-in (the first set of numbers). So I'm showing him my phone the entire time, and I hit the trade in value which is the 17-21k. I said, even at private party value, the higher amount, it's between 18-22k, with the average of 20k. So how did you get 24-28k value? He literally said "I have no idea what that site is." I said sir... this is Kelly Bluebook. You can see the link right there, kbb.com, you see the logo... like, I did it right in front of you I'm not hiding anything. He just kept saying "this is what we go by, this is Kelly Bluebook, I don't know what that is". So I said okay... so do you know why there's two versions of Kelly Bluebook? He didn't know what to say and just said "I don't know what that is but we go by wholesale, this is the real value, we pay for this service" (aren't wholesale values cheaper?). Carfax also shows that this vehicle sat on the lot at Norm Reeves Toyota in San Diego for 2 weeks, didn't sell, so it went to auction and Prestige bought it from the auction (they confirmed this). Which means they probably paid MAX 17k out the door (they've been in business for a long time, they wouldn't overpay for a deal they know they won't make money on). They put it up for 22k + taxes and fees and all that, so 24.5k out the door. I understand taxes and fees, but I don't understand why a 20k vehicle, which was my initial offer and the KBB median price (and I was accounting for the mileage, exterior damages, interior damages to dashboard and scratches/tears in upholstery, needing an alignment, new tires, and the touchscreen not working when you touch it in certain areas) was being sold for 22k. I just wanted to understand, I wasn't trying to lowball anyone - I was going off of their own appraisal system (Kelly Bluebook), and all he could tell me was he didn't know what "that is" (i.e. kbb.com) and that they were a family owned company, etc. Sir, I have a family too, what's that have to do with me getting a fair price for this truck?
Shame he had to ruin the deal. He spoke with the owner of the dealership on the phone and it sounded like he had some leeway in the deal, he just chose not to allow it because he thought "this truck's gonna go fast". But then he couldn't articulate where his values on the printout were coming from. Anyone can type out a printout and write "Kelly Bluebook" on it; I don't believe in "trust me bro" science. I believe in clear, tangible evidence and facts, which is why I pulled up KBB.com right in front of him and asked questions.
But hey, if you do go, ask for Sammy - he's a rockstar. I wish he was the manager.
For reference, here's the vin # for the 2016 Tundra Crew Max: VIN: 5TFEY5F15GX200532 and here's the mileage: 128,771. You can look up the kbb.com values yourself; there isn't any mystery "trust me bro" appraisal there. read more
