“If I were to build my own RAV4…”
A Toyota dealership in New York appeared to have the easiest sale imaginable sitting right in front of it: a customer who had already researched the car, secured financing, test-driven the model, and arrived ready to sign paperwork. But instead of grabbing hold of that rare sales momentum, the interaction spiraled into nearly an hour of evasive pricing discussions, repeated trips to “the manager,” and a customer who eventually walked out and bought a Mazda instead.
We learn in the viral TikTok from creator Deanna (@defnotdeanna) that the sales staff of Westbury Toyota in Westbury, New York fumbled a customer who walked in ready to buy on her own terms. It ultimately led to easy sale for a competing dealership.
“If I were to build my own RAV4, the price was $41,000. So you’re telling me that you mark up the price because it has the things already that I could put on the car, but for the same price?” Deanna asked in the video, which has been viewed more than 1.2 million times.
She said the conversation started going sideways almost immediately after she asked what she thought was a pretty simple question: “What is the out-the-door price?”
Instead of answering directly, she says the salesperson immediately pivoted to monthly payments, prompting her to cut off the attempt to lure her into dealership-arranged financing.
“Don’t worry about me and my monthly payments. I already got pre-approved,” Deanna purportedly said.
But the actual number still never came.
Instead, she said the salesman kept disappearing into the manager’s office and returning without a straight answer. According to Deanna, the cycle dragged on for nearly 45 minutes while she waited for someone to simply tell her what the RAV4 Hybrid would cost to drive off the lot that day.
Even when a manager finally joined the conversation, she said the dealership still steered things back toward financing instead of the total vehicle price.
“I got a great deal for you,” she recalled the manager saying. “You are gonna pay $745 a month.”
“What year do you think I was born in?” she responded.
Eventually, she said the dealership did return with a total figure, but by then the process had already worn thin.
The RAV4 Hybrid she wanted carried a window sticker price of roughly $41,000, leading her to estimate the final out-the-door number would land somewhere around $45,000 after taxes and fees. Instead, she says the dealership eventually presented a figure closer to $48,000 after markup and add-ons were factored in.
“Sir, that’s crazy,” she recalled responding. “How did we get to that number now?”
The explanation centered around dealer-installed features and the continued popularity of Toyota hybrids, with staff purportedly telling her the vehicles were “flying off” the lot.
At that point, she decided she was done.
Instead of continuing the negotiation, she left the Toyota dealership and headed to a nearby Mazda dealership, where she says the process was simpler and more transparent.
“They gave me one price,” she said. “They were like, ‘I want this car off my lot. What can I do?’”
She ultimately purchased a Mazda CX-50 Hybrid instead, something many viewers found especially ironic given that the CX-50 Hybrid uses Toyota-sourced hybrid technology under the hood.
“You actually won because the Mazda CX-50 Hybrid is actually a RAV4 hybrid system,” one commenter wrote. “Best of both worlds.”
Others said the video mirrored frustrations they’d experienced at dealerships themselves, particularly when discussions repeatedly shifted toward financing terms instead of the actual selling price of the vehicle.
“Buying a car shouldn’t be this complicated,” one viewer wrote.
Several commenters also described abandoning Toyota, Honda, Subaru, and other brands after frustrating dealership experiences and switching to Mazda instead. Many cited simpler pricing, smoother transactions, and more upscale interiors compared to similarly priced competitors for leading them to switch.
The video also touched on a larger issue many car shoppers continue to encounter as demand remains high for hybrid SUVs like the RAV4. Consumer advocates and car-buying experts have long warned buyers to focus on total out-the-door pricing rather than monthly payments alone, since financing structures can make vehicles appear more affordable while obscuring the actual total cost.
The creator’s experience also highlighted several strategies many experienced buyers recommend before entering a dealership: securing outside financing ahead of time, researching competing inventory online, understanding MSRP pricing, and being willing to walk away if pricing discussions become unclear or overly focused on monthly payment numbers.
Motor1 reached out to the creator via direct message and comment on the clip, and to Westbury Toyota via phone and online contact form. This post will be updated if either responds.
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