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jc100

Well-known member
Just had a bizarre test drive experience.

2nd car of the day. 2019 Toyota Highlander, very low kms, top level trim. Posted at about the going rate for the vehicle. Autotrader says $1k below average but autotrader is not an independent entity anymore. Dealer says it’s a Canadian lease buy back.

Anyway…out we go, hmm, this car seems really slow getting to 60. Wait…the gauge is in Mph. Alright, it’s a modern car, has to be switchable? No…sadly not, the highlander for 2019 still has analogue gauges. So…it’s a US car. Ok, not a deal breaker…the safety would mean the gauge would get changed and I’ve bought a US bike before and the same thing was done.

Next up….is that some front end noise? Yup. Drove it back to the dealer (a Toyota dealership). Mentioned both these things, the salesman didn’t think the gauge was a big issue until I said why is this a US car? Also told him about the noise and he agreed but said “buy it and it will all get fixed”.

He showed us the carfax report and the vehicle started life in Alberta. It then ended up in New York where presumably the gauge was swapped from Kmh to Mph. It was then sold at auction….and ended up back in Canada with the US unit gauges and the nasty front end noise. Along the way, between the trip from Canada to the US the windshield was replaced for some reason. Don’t know if it matters but the car also had a hitch (u Haul brand).

I told him all these things have made me unsure and that for the price and kms the car should be next to perfect already. Walked away.

I'm not mad right?
 
I’m feeling better now!

The previous car we drove was one trim level down. Great dealership, really good no pressure salesman…great vehicle, no issues, just missing some “toys” that we liked in the top level trim.
 
Evoex said:
Stuck on the highlander? Some decent options in that segment.
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Need a separate opening rear glass hatch for the dogs. Very limited number of recent SUV's fit the bill. 2019 Highlander and below, 4 Runner, then we get into a few brands I don’t think I’d consider. So the good news is that it won’t be new…means we can get an upper trim vehicle and we won’t be paying massively over the odds. We also thought that Toyota, should be bulletproof, should be easy. That’s why when I saw this one at a Toyota dealer I thought it would be a slam dunk.

Edit: previous test drive car drove like a dream. Might forego some toys but the toys are nice and useful on the Limited. The cooled seats are nice, 360 degree camera is great and way better than the standard. Pano roof is a bonus.
 
I'd only buy from a legit dealer that deals with said brand or buy private. Any other way is too risky for me.
 
F those guys.
Hate when people try to make you override your own instinct in order convince you into a decision you wouldn't otherwise make.

Most of us here tend to be detail oriented - so if your spidey sense is tingling...there's a damn good reason for it lol.
 
jc100 said:
It was a Toyota dealer….I was looking at a Toyota Highlander.
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"Legit" not sketch

There are good dealers out there. Try a dealer from the Zanchin group. They are well run operations.

Curious if this particular dealer is from this group. I will be terribly disappointed based on my experiences with them.

Car Dealerships in Ontario | Zanchin Automotive Group

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Evoex said:
Personally I couldn’t own an SUV without a pano roof.
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It was definitely nice in the Limited but the SE trim has a moonroof. So for a difference of 6 grand it really comes down to enhanced parking camera, cooled front seats and a pano roof in the Limited. Stereo was a bit upgraded in the Limited too but the one in the SE was just fine. SE has sport suspension but to us it felt pretty cushy.

The SE is a 2018 with 19700 kms on it.

Chatting with a few people and the dealership selling the SE has a good rep.
 
jc100 said:
It was definitely nice in the Limited but the SE trim has a moonroof. So for a difference of 6 grand it really comes down to enhanced parking camera, cooled front seats and a pano roof in the Limited. Stereo was a bit upgraded in the Limited too but the one in the SE was just fine. SE has sport suspension but to us it felt pretty cushy.

The SE is a 2018 with 19700 kms on it.

Chatting with a few people and the dealership selling the SE has a good rep.
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6 grand...whew. doesn't seem worth it..

are you going to drive it into the ground? if not the Limited will add to resale value.

I know a few toyota master techs..i could ask about whatever model/year you're considering.
 
Evoex said:
6 grand...whew. doesn't seem worth it..

are you going to drive it into the ground? if not the Limited will add to resale value.

I know a few toyota master techs..i could ask about whatever model/year you're considering.
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Yep. We keep the vehicles until they die generally. I did a quick look and the 2018s seem solid. Main complaints are outdated tech and looks. I don’t really mind the looks and the SE has a blacked out grill, bigger wheels and a few styling extras inside. For the 6 grand difference we can easily get snow tires/rims and rustproofing and still have plenty left over.
 
One thing possibly worth considering is that 4Runners are kings of low depreciation. They are slow and get terrible fuel mileage though. No idea how it compares to the Highlander
 
regder said:
One thing possibly worth considering is that 4Runners are kings of low depreciation. They are slow and get terrible fuel mileage though. No idea how it compares to the Highlander
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I'd love one but can’t find a decent one with low kms in our price range. They run about 4-5k above what our budget is.
 
jc100 said:
I'd love one but can’t find a decent one with low kms in our price range. They run about 4-5k above what our budget is.
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Yeah, that's where the low depreciation comes into play, on both ends of the car ownership experience.

Another car worth consider is a recent gen Grand Cherokee, pretty sure all of them have a separate rear glass opening. They drive unbelievably well, not a fan of any other Chrysler product, but the Grand Cherokee's are absolutely amazing on the road. Doesn't have to be an SRT or V8, even the V6's are great. They have the feel and ride quality of something much more expensive.
 
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