1990 Red Reatta at Toyota Dealership

[Enoytsur]

FYI ... there is a Red 1990 Reatta with 47,000 miles on it for $3,995 at Germain Toyota in Sarsota, Florida. The car was originally listed at $9,999.00. On their site they marked it down so it is listed for $6,999.00. However, a sales ad came out with yesterday's Sarasota Heral Tribune newspaper and the sale price is $3,995.00.

This car looks outstanding in person ... I have not checked it out mechanically only visually ... I already have a 1990 Reatta. Many older well-off folks here own secondary flashy cars so in all likelihood this car is as mechanically pristine as it is appealing.

The on line ad is at: http://www.toyotaofsarasota.com/Pre-Owned-Inventory-Third-Listings.aspx - remember, the newspaper price is $3,000 lower than the site.

Their telephone # is 1-866-582-8550.

The $3,995.00 ad was in a flyer/pamphlet titled 'Driven' that comes weekly in the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

I have absolutely to to with these folks ... simply passing on some information. This car is a nice one ... likely turn-key.

[Ronnie]

That sounds like a good deal. Do you live nearby and could get more details? I have been looking for a 90 model at a good price.

[Guest Tammy]

Holy smokes That looks like a nice one, given that things work etc...

[Roadster90]

Holly Smokes Nothing Darnit...Where has our TammyGirl Been?????? We have bee Missing You Girl ......

[Guest weewilly]

Tried to buy car this morning. It sold 2 days ago for $3995 per salesman, claimed car was close to imaculant. we missed that one.

[Enoytsur]

Ronnie, per your request ... I went and saw the vehicle 30 minutes ... it was NOT sold. It is there in the flesh and the salesman told me it's going to auction next week if it DOES NOT sell this weekend. The info is below ... it is a very nice reatta ... I have a 1990 Reatta now and bought a new one in 1990 so I do know my way around one ... my report is below.

1990 Buick Reatta Coupe

47,000+ miles

Body: clean not dents or previous accident evidence

Paint: Red, Very good … front (nose) has many road rock chips and rear bumper has some paint wear. The rest of the paint is excellent due to being garage kept.

Interior: Leather, Saddle color, carpets and Reatta carper mats are excellent, all of the other interior components are in excellent condition. Standard Dash.

Electronics: All work: Stock AM/FM Stereo with Cassette, Power Trunk, Power Windows, Power Seats Driver and Passenger, Remote.

Tires: GoodYear, plenty of rubber

Engine: 3800 starts immediately, runs quiet and smooth.

This garage-kept Reatta is in excellent shape for a 1990. As mentioned in the previous post it is turnkey. This is not in perfect condition … as mentioned earlier there are chips on the front, which includes the nose, the cow catcher (cowl) below the bumper, and the front bumper, and some paint wear on the rear bumper. Other than those minor imperfections the Reatta looks terrific, runs terrific, and is mechanically and electronically sound.

This is a car I would snatch up in a heartbeat at this price or more if I were in the market for a Reatta or wanted a car I could turn around immediately for profit. Reattas are not all that rare in Florida and there are a lot of wealthy folks in the Sarasota area (I’m not one of them) … combining those two factors drives the prices on Reattas way down here.

The $3,995.00 price is this week only and then the car is going to be wholesaled out. Remember, this car was for sale recently for $9,999.00.

Contact: Kenny Obney at Germain Toyota. Nice guy, allowed me all the time I needed to scope out the car. Telephone #: (941) 924-7700 – Facsimile: (941) 925-9165 _ Cellular (941) 539-4557

I have no ties to this dealership car and only have provided this info in response to a request. I do not take any responsibility if there is something wrong that the dealership did not disclose or something goes wrong after a purchase … I am simply passing on what I saw from an in-person inspection.

[Ronnie]

I have contacted the salesman and I'm in the process of purchasing it. Thanks to your help!

[Roadster90]

Now where is the 91 blue/gray/white coupe with the same credentials Pleeeease?

[serb]

Ronnie,

It looks like a great one, good luck, I hope everything is as good as it looks. Keep us posted as to what is happening.

Stevo

[Ronnie]

As information for anyone interested in this car, I want to tell you about my experience.

THE SHORT VERSION:

I was not able to purchase the car. It was not really made available to me by the dealership.

THE LONG VERSION:

I'm writing this so anyone who wants to pursue purchasing this car will know what I went through in my quest to purchase it.

When I first saw this post I followed the link to the web page of the dealership and tried to call the toll free number. It would not work in my area. I called another number I found on their website and asked to talk to someone about the car and got a voice mail box where I left a message to call me. No phone call. I called back a day later with the same result. Then I saw the post that said the car was sold and I gave up on it.

Then I saw the post by Enoytsur saying he had checked on the car again and it was still for sale. At 2:45 I called and talked to Kenny the salesman mentioned in Enoytsur's post.

The salesman, Kenny seemed to have an uncertainty in his voice when talking about the car. He agreed the car was priced at $3995. When I asked for the total price out the door he paused as if calculating and then said it would be "around" $5328.00. I told him that sounded high to me. I asked him of he could tell me what made it so high and he said he was not certain. I asked if he had to charge tax with me taking the car out of state to have it registered. He said he didn't think that included any tax??? I asked him what the charges were for and that is when he told me he would have to talk to "Joe" the sales manager who was at lunch. This was at 2:45 this afternoon??? An awfully late lunch. I told him if we could get the price down firm that I wanted to know how I could make a partial payment to hold the car until I could get there to pick the car up and pay the balance. He said he didn't know if that would be possible or not. He said as soon as Joe came in he would talk to him and either Joe or him would call me back. I didn't get a phone call yesterday from either gentleman.

I don't feel that I was out of line not wanting to pay the full (overly inflated) price and pay for a car up front sight unseen. The availability of the money was not a problem for me. I just wanted to try to protect myself from a sour deal after driving 700 miles. That shouldn't have stopped me from being able to purchase the car and IF it had he should have said so.

This morning I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and call them again. I called and left a voice mail for the used car manager's desk. I read on the web site they have two used car managers so one of them should have been there. I also tried to call the cell number of the salesman, Kenny. I didn't get a call from anyone.

Maybe someone was there with cash in hand and bought the car. I don't know. Maybe the car is still for sale. I don't know. Maybe someone got a great deal on a nice car. I hope so.

For me it was one of those deals that was just too good to be true. I do not mean to infer Enoytsur was not sincerely trying to help someone get a nice car at a good deal. He is not to blame in any way for my misfortune. I appreciate his efforts.

[Guest Dan Cook]

I bought a 1989 Reatta in December and had to travel 650 miles to look at it so I understand your misgivings at paying for a car you can't see right away.

What I did after talking with the salesman several times and setting up a day to get there and see the car, was to hold the car for the sale price against a credit card for a couple of days so it wouldn't be sold out from under me before I got there. They were not against this idea.

This worked quite well for me but the salesman and the dealership were up front with everything and no hidden costs. After we saw the car and decided to buy it they refunded the money back to my credit card. They also gave us a reasonable trade in on my wife's old Grand Am so I only had to pay them $2,100 cash. A pretty fair deal I thought.

If they still have the car and if it is in that good of condition, maybe a credit card might be the way to go to insure you get it for $3,995. I don't understand the $1,300 markup of the sale price either.

For that price if you aren't satisfied with the car you could always turn around and put it on e-bay for the orginal price of $9,999 and work from that. You probably won't loose money.

Good luck with whatever you do.

Dan

[Guest Dan Cook]

As an after thought, maybe you could get the sales ad from Enoytsur showing the $3,995 price for a little added leaverage.

[Ronnie]

Thanks Dan for all the tips. I would have no problem with them holding the credit card number in lieu of payment till I could pick the car up. The problem is I can't get hold of anyone to even discuss purchasing the car. Enoytsur may have a copy of the sales ad but the Sarasota Herald Tribune newspaper where it was advertised has no mention of the car or the dealership anywhere on the website. Not in the classified ads or dealer ads. That seems odd to me. It is still listed on the Toyota dealerships website. I'm just a little baffled by the whole thing.

[Guest Dan Cook]

If Enoytsur lives in the area maybe he can work the deal on your behalf.

[Howard]

I'm going to add my two cents here. I worked in new car dealerships for almost 25 years. I assure you something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Car salesmen work on commission. There is an old saying for car salesman. You stay with the customer till they buy or die. Most won't leave you alone till you buy something from them. Sales Managers too work on a commission. The fact no one will call back regarding this car seems very odd indeed. As a last resort if you are truly interested in the car, I would try to reach the dealer principle or the dealership's general manager. If you can reach one of them, tell them that none of the sales staff has returned your calls and you want to buy the car. Having been part of a dealership's "inner circle" for a lot of years, I know this will set a fire under the top management. Salesmen who don't produce, are gone in a heartbeat. The same is true for sales managers. The car business has no heart I assure you. If the GM or dealer won't call you back, then something really stinks to high heaven.

[DAVES89]

I think what happened is that someone made a pricing error. They are choosing to ignore Ronnie knowing that sooner or later he will give up calling. The proof is in the fact that the "new" price is over $5000.00 plus taxes. If you really want the car, I would ask for the owner and if that doesn't work, I would contact the better business bureau and get them involved. They must sell at the published price or print a retraction/or notice of a pricing error in the same medium they advertised in.

[Ronnie]

Thanks guys for the encouraging words but I think this is over for me. I did all the right things to try to make a legitimate purchase. I don't really have a leg to stand on in forcing the issue. I can't document anything that took place if I talked to either the upper echelon at the dealership or the BBB, like the car being for sale for $3995 (I didn't personally see it in the newspaper and can't find it listed on the newspapers website) or any of the conversation with the salesman that took place.

I have a very nice Red 88 Reatta I really enjoy. I have done most routine things that older Reattas need to put it in top shape. It is a beautiful car. The only reason I want another Reatta is I really like the looks of the dash on the 90 and 91 models. My first choice would be a '91 to get the 16" wheels but they are harder to find. If another nice 90 or 91 model comes along at a good price I will try again.

[Guest Tammy]

Oh my goodness! I would NOT roll over on this. I would try Howard's route first. I have had my share of run in's with car salesmans. Oh,this makes me want to go on a rant!

Sounds like you want the car, and can buy the car, so you should be able to do that. DON"T LET THEM WIN !!! If you do decide that you don't want it, you should still REPORT THEM. ~Tammy

[DAVES89]

About 1 year ago I tried bying a car for my daughter at an out of state dealership. There were issues with the car that they needed to resolve before I could buy the car. We had agreed on a price and everything. Well long story short I think I talked the guy down too far, or the cost for repairs were too high for my agreed upon price, or someone came thru the door to buy the car about the time the car was done. All of a sudden there was no returning calls, my salesman was out on the lot with a customer and will call me back when he was free etc... Upshot they never called me back and we ended up with a different car purchased locally. At any rate I don't know how something that should be so easy can get so screwed up.

[Guest Dan Cook]

I agree with Tammy. If you still want the car, go after it. At this point I would go after it even if I had changed my mind or they have sold the car. As far as documentation goes, you have what is posted here. That should account for something with the BBB.

Hell, I'm POed now. I think I might make an offer on the car. If I get it you can have it for the same price.

If this comes about you would have to pick it up. I'm in No Calif.

This kind of stuff really makes me mad and sometimes you shouldn't let go. Kind of like that dog holding on to the end of the rope.

I'll let you know what happens.

Dan

[Guest Dan Cook]

Ronnie, one last word, never give up. I made an offer on the car, I'll let you know what happens. I asked for the sale price of 3,995. If they want to sell it to me way out here and not you there is really something wrong.

I don't want the car, I have two Reattas now. If they sell to me then you will become my representitive and will purchace the car on my behalf and it is yours.

But lets see what happens when business is open tomorrow.

I'll be in touch tomorrow.

Dan

[Guest Tammy]

GO DAN GO!! Please keep us posted. Maybe they will stop doing this to people.....no I doubt that, but maybe they will think before they screw over the next person. Like the older gray haired lady who just lost her husband. Dress up as a little old lady once and see how they treat you. ~Tammy

[KDirk]

I'll echo what Tammy and Dan have said here. If you really want the car, don't back down. The out of state thing should be a non issue.

I bought my 1991 Reatta 1/13/08 from a dealer in KY. I live in MO, and they took a credit card on the phone for 10% down. Funny thing is, they never ran it through, just held the number for 6 days until I went down to actually close the deal. I expected them to run the charge through, so I was surprised at this.

As to the price (error?) - they may be hoping that someone else who didn't see the ad will show up and buy it at a higher price. This kind of relates to my purchase in that I tried to talk them down a bit (only $250) from the asking price and was told no deal.

They claimed three other people were willing to buy at the listed price and thus I had no leverage. Now, this may have been typical car salesman BS, but while I was doing the paperwork in the salesman's office, a couple was looking at the car. They even sat down in it as I had left if unlocked after the test drive, it was right at the front door of the showroom. Obviously, there was enough interest that I was wise to just quit bargaining and eat it or I would have had the car sold out from under me.

Anyway, if they screwed up and underpriced it in the ad, they are still obligated to sell. They may (and probably are) trying to blow smoke hoping you'll just go away. I say don't give them the satisfaction.

KDirk

[Ronnie]

Thanks to everyone for all the kind words of encouragement. I called again today and have a deal worked out and will be going to pick it up soon. Cross your fingers that the deal does not fall through when I get there.

[Roadster90]

Congrats !

[Guest Tammy]

YES!

[Guest Dan Cook]

Ronnie, By now it is probably about 4 in the afternoon in Florida an I still haven't got an answer from the dealership. Maybe because they are selling the car to you or I'm too far away for them to take me seriously.

I really do hope you get that Reatta and for the sale price. If I hear anything from them I will pass it on.

Gook luck,

Dan

[Ronnie]

Thanks, I appreciate it.

[Guest Dan Cook]

Let us know how it turns out.

[Guest EDBSO]

Have thenm FAX a contract to you and put a Credit Card deposit on it and they will have no wiggle room.

[Enoytsur]

Hi folks, this is Enoytsur ... there is nothing sinister or underhanded going on here (Sarasota) with the 1990 Red Reatta in the ad I posted and Ronnie inquired about.

I'll let Ronnie fill you in once he has completed his deal but where the confusion came about is in the Manager protecting the dealership's reputation. Again, Ronnie will fill you in when he returns home ... he will be here tomorrow unless somethng goes awry between now (9:17 p.m.) and 6:00 a.m. when he hits the road in Tennessee.

As far as me, I did not leave Ronnie hanging, wouldn't do that to anyone much less a guy needing assistance. Per Ronnie's request I have been to the dealership, which is 20 minutes from my home, twice ... have inspected the car head to toe twice ... took 29 photos of the car and e-mailed them to Ronnie ... started the car, tested every button, switch, mirror, knob, window and any other thing that moves, goes up or down, beeps, or whatever. Everything works, plays, rolls, and goes up and down. As an owner of a 1990 I can tell you this one is nice.

I was as annoyed as the next guy with the dealership at the initial confusion, in fact I pursued submitting a formal complaint over the weekend. However, since then I spoke with the used car manager in person twice and I am convinced that his only issue was the dealership's reputation (this dealership is in a highly competitive area and they compete for big dollars from a high-end crowd) ... he simply felt if he let the Reatta go to auction he could wash his hands clean of it.

Again, Ronnie and I have connected for his pursuit ... I gave him my personal e-mail address up front, we e-mailed several times, and we exchanged telephone numbers when time suddenly became an issue today (he called at 2:30 and I was at the dealership by 3:00 p.m.). We have spoken on the telephone a couple of times. Ronnie will be at my home later tomorrow ... I look forward to meeting him.

I'm certain Ronnie will catch everyone up on the particulars of the great deal and the fine car when he returns home.

I simply wanted folks to know that there is nothing ugly going on ... all is good.

John in Sarasota

[Guest Dan Cook]

Thanks for the update Enoytsur. I'm sure no one ever thought you were leaving Ronnie hanging. The issue was that it seemed that the dealership seemed to be putting him off for whatever reason they might have had. That is what got everyone in such an uproar.

I am glad Ronnie is getting the car and hope it is the best. He is very fortunate to have encountered a man such as you, one with a big heart and the time to help someone who you have never met.

I will be watching, as I know everyone else will also, for Ronnie's report.

Dan

[Enoytsur]

Hi Dan, thanks for the kind words ... wasn't looking for praise just became a tad sensitized when one of the posts seemed, I repeat, seemed, to infer that Ronnie could use some local help and wasn't getting any. My tired eyes may have seen something that wasn't there, not an issue whatsoever. My main concern was/is that Ronnie is a popular guy on the site and I wanted to provide some degree of comfort to those concerned that he may be blindly getting involved in a mess, which he isn't ... that's it, perhaps my word-smithing needs tweaking.

This thing is about Ronnie not me. The guy has an opportunity to get a very nice car (driven on average a wee 2,600 miles per year) at an even lower price than originally thought. Unfortuntely this thing seems, theres a form of that word again, to have taken another odd twist on Ronnie's end (not with the dealership or me) but it is his story to tell.

If the thing ends up on the right track my Silver 1990 Reatta is looking forward to having a Bright Red pal in the garage for a few hours or so. And my Reatta's human companion, uh, that would be me, is looking forward to meeting in person a nice new friend in Ronnie.

Enjoy your day, Dan

[Ronnie]

For those interested, I want to let you know where things stand with my purchase of this car. As far as I'm concerned this car is again for sale. I will start another thread soon in an effort to let anyone that might want the car know that is again up for grabs.

Here is what stopped me from being able to complete my part of the sale. Late yesterday when visiting the U-haul website to try to reserve a tow dolly to use to tow the car home, I found that I was not able to rent a tow dolly or car trailer from U-haul. My 2-WD, S-10 Blazer was determined not to be heavy enough to pull a dolly or a trailer with the Reatta in tow. I was told the same thing by a local U-haul dealer based on U-haul policy. (It is all done on computer now and they must follow the U-haul rules.) My friend who was going to travel with me to Sarasota to pickup the Reatta graciously offered to take his vehicle that did qualify to pull the tow dolly.

We left out this morning at 6:00 am headed for Sarasota. About half way to the Georgia state line he had fallen ill with virus like symptoms and we had to stop a number of times. We turned back at Chattanooga and returned home. He is doing somewhat better now. However, due to a job commitment on Thursday he is not able to leave again tomorrow and come back on Thursday as would be required on a ~1500 mile round trip.

I know that are other options like having the car shipped and Enoytsur has been so nice in offering to assist any way possible and I'm sure others here are too. But, I feel it is time for me to let it go. To be frank I just don't want to deal with trying to get there and back any longer. Some things just weren't meant to be and this is one of them.

Thanks to every one here for your kind words and heart felt concern for me being treated fair in this matter. It means a lot to me.

[Guest Dan Cook]

It is really too bad things didn't work out for you and I'm sorry your friend became ill.

Still a nice deal for someone. I'm sure the right Reatta will come along when you least expect it.

Dan

[Booreatta]

I sent you a PM thanks

[Guest gryfan]

just a bit of an update on that car in sarasota .i attempted to buy the car but i could not get a straight price on the car......it was anywhere from $9000 to a low of $6500.i had the car checked out at another dealership and it neede about $3500worth of work.i made an offer of $5500 and it was not accepted.now i am glad it was not.also had some issues with not being able to get the same salesperson to deal with.also they required a $600 payment for administrative fees.my attempt to buy the car was mid december.i did find a red and saddle car out of philly for a lot less money form a private seller.

[Ronnie]

Did anyone buy this car?

[Guest tomt]

My mom lives in Sarasota. I asked her to drive buy and see if it was on the lot. She'll report back after work today.

I also suggested that she not be tempted to buy anything.

[Guest tomt]

Well go figure.

My Mom E-Mailed me that the Reatta is still for sale at the Toyota dealer in Sarasota, but she says it's gray and for sale for $8,900. I'd love to hear the rest of the story and wish I were there. Does this dealer have a stash somewhere?

I'll talk to Mom tomorrow and send more details.

Tom T