Recent graduates shopping for a new car may be eligible for incentives offered by several automakers. The incentives are rarely advertised, unknown even to most dealers.
toyota
ENDGAME: Pulled Over By Police After Toyota Dealer Rented Me A Car That Was Illegal To Drive
By 4.5.07
Chris tells us the endgame on his situation where the Toyota dealership rented him a car that was illegal to drive. He was eventually able to get a full apology from the place and get 50% knocked off his bill, but it took him showing up in person and going a few rounds with the manager.
Pulled Over By Police After Toyota Dealer Rented Me A Car That Was Illegal To Drive
By 4.4.07
UPDATE: Chris goes back to the dealership and makes the manager give him 50% off his bill
Consumerist Confessions: Tell Us About Cars…
By 3.27.07
The Consumerist is interested in hearing from car salespeople and customer service representatives in the automotive field. We’re looking for tips related to buying a new or used car. If you are or once were a car salesperson or worked in a car dealership and would like to confess, write to us at tips [at] consumerist [dot] com.
Beware The Vanishing Hybrid Tax Credit
By 3.24.07
Consumer Reports cautions that buyers of popular hybrid vehicles may soon be ineligible to claim the Alternative Motor Vehicle tax credit. The credit sunsets when a manufacturer sells more than 60,000 qualifying vehicles, a figure Toyota has already reached.
The credit has already begun to phase out for Toyota and Lexus hybrids purchased after September 30, 2006, and others will follow suit as they reach the sales volume target. The 2006 Prius’ tax break, for instance, dropped in half to $1,575 if it was purchased after that date, and it will split again to $788 between April and the end of September, 2007. After that, the Prius rebate disappears altogether.
The IRS provides a list of models certified for credit. Available only to those not subject to the alternative minimum tax, the credit can be worth up to $3,150 for vehicles purchased after 2005. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
Dealerships Fake/Alter Customer Satisfaction Surveys To Get Marketing Money From Toyota
By 3.7.07
We recently posted about a couple who went into a Toyota dealership, got a little ticked off, and were refused a car. Not because she had poor credit or was acting a fool in the store, but because she and her husband were “in a bad mood.”
Toyota Dealer Won't Sell You A Car Because You're "In A Bad Mood"
By 3.6.07
Toyota enjoys their reputation for great customer service, but does that mean they should stop selling cars to cranky customers who might complain? We don’t think so, but at least one Toyota dealer in Berkeley, California did just that. Berkeley Toyota refused to sell a car to one of our readers because he and his wife were “in a bad mood,” and made the salesman “feel like dirt.”
UPDATE: Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
By 1.30.07
Angela Weigold writes in what’s new with her case against a dirtbag Prius salesman, James Gentile. This was a guy who, after the deal went raw, left multiple harassing phone messages daily, called Angela a “whore” and put her phone number on online escort websites.
Toyota to Recall 553,000 Trucks, SUVs
By 1.23.07
- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall about 533,000 Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pickup trucks in the United States to repair faulty components that could make the vehicles difficult to steer….The latest recall covers certain 2004 to 2007 model year Sequoias and 2004 to 2006 model year Tundras, both built at Toyota’s Indiana plant, the automaker’s U.S. sales unit said in a statement.
The defect has caused 11 accidents and 6 injuries, Toyota said. They’ll begin notifying owners in Mid-February and will repair the “defective front suspension lower ball joints free of charge.”—MEGHANN MARCO
UPDATE: Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
By 1.18.07
Angela Weigold writes in what’s new with her case against a dirtbag Prius salesman. This was a guy who, after the deal went raw, left multiple harassing phone messages daily, called Angela a “whore” and put her phone number on online escort websites:
Top 10 Companies for Customer Service
By 11.10.06
CRMLowdown sifted through countless customer service surveys, studies, and real-life experiences to come up with a pretty damn impressive list of the best/worst companies for customer service.
Consumer Takes Sleazy Prius Salesman To Court
By 10.31.06
An update on the Weingolds who are suing a Prius salesman, claiming he screwed them over on a sale and then proceeded to leave threatening messages on their answering machine.
Consumerist Ask Metafilter Round-Up
By 8.31.06
• In Edinburgh for a few months, what’s the best mobile phone to use to make international calls to US (amongst other places) from Scotland? [Link]
UPDATE: Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Salesman’s Arrest Warrant
By 7.25.06
In the case of Prius sale gone wrong, Mark tells us that he met with a lawyer this weekend. The lawyer agreed to help sue Mr. Gentile, the salesman.Dan Wolf Toyota of Naperville. Yay. Lawsuits.
UPDATE: Sleazy Prius Deal Ends in Warrant For Salesman’s Arrest
By 7.20.06
On Monday, we posted part of Mark’s story about how he tried to return a Toyota Prius and ended up incurring the wrath of vengeful salesman who placed obscene phone calls at all hours to his wife. A warrant is now out for the salesman’s arrest.
Toyota Prius Confuses, Confounds, Calls Your Wife A Whore
By 7.18.06
If you buy a Toyota Prius, your wife’s name and phone number will instantly find itself on many online escort websites. This we know. But it sucks for money in ways your wife doesn’t. In fact, the car’s so confusing that Consumer Affairs couldn’t even figure out how to turn one on:
