NY Dealer Markes Up TRD Pro 4Runner by 30K
While perfectly legal, outrageous markups on TRD Pro 4Runners indicate a dealer to avoid at all costs.
At the beginning of Tony Scott’s cinematic masterpiece Top Gun, the commander of Maverick’s air group on the USS Enterprise says his instinctive pilot’s “family name ain’t the best in the Navy,” and that he has to be doing it “better and cleaner than the other guy.” Now, given the less-than-savory reputation that car dealerships enjoy, you’d think there’d be an incentive to not look greedy, and follow the commander’s advice. But apparently, New York’s Millennium Toyota thinks greedy is a good look.
The shots below come courtesy of Reddit user Astroalpha2, who runs the Asphalt YouTube channel, and was recently looking at new 4Runners in the dealership’s Long Island showroom. The first one shows a $23,000 markup, while the second shows an even saltier $30,000 premium — presumably because Lunar Rock is a really cool color. In both cases, the extra charge is due to “limited availability.” Obviously, raw material and chip shortages have been a problem for months, but this is just outrageous.
There’s nothing new about dealers marking up hot product, to be sure. The laws of supply and demand apply in the car world just like they apply in the world of collectible records and street drugs. So there’s absolutely nothing illegal about what Millennium Toyota is doing here. But it’s an excellent of the “you’re not wrong, you’re just an asshole,” argument so eloquently presented in the Big Lebowski. The folks there are free to charge whatever they want, and if the market will bear it, so be it.
This bold strategy does beg some questions of the consumer, however. For example, would you want to have your vehicle serviced at a dealership who so nakedly advertised a willingness to screw people? Would you trust the service department when they told you a part needed to be replaced, that they’d rotated your tires, or changed your oil? Would you believe they’re doing anything that’s even remotely in your best interest? Because my answer isn’t no, it’s hell no. If you think I’m wrong, hit me up and let me know!
Photos: Toyota, Astroalpha2