- A salesman posted online that his location had two GR Corolla units selling for $1k under MSRP.
- However, the dealer’s website indicates that instead, there’s a $10,000 markup on each car.
- Regardless of which is right, the dealer still tacks thousands on top of the final price in the form of junk fees online.
It’s a tale as old as time. A dealer wants to sell a car, but not bad enough to sell it for what the manufacturer says it’s worth. Instead, they use various sales tactics to get customers interested before showing them the real cost. In this story, an alleged dealer employee says that the desirable Toyota GR Corolla is available for under MSRP. The dealer itself wants over $52k before tax, for a car with an MSRP of $39,538.
The dealer in question here is Camelback Toyota of Phoenix, Arizona. On the dealer’s site, they appear to have four examples of the GR Corolla when we first looked into this story a few weeks ago. In a public post from a salesman there, he says that they’re offering “$1k off MSRP on our 2 GR Corollas,” so it might be that they only have two at this stage. That itself would be newsworthy since so many dealers have gouged customers over this very car.
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Instead, it seems as though this might be just one more example of bad business for GR Corolla enthusiasts. Hop online and take a deeper dive into Camelback Toyota’s website and the numbers don’t add up. A white GR Corolla Core with an MSRP of $39,538 comes with the performance package, removable crossbars, a frameless homelink mirror, and all-weather floor liners. Those are stock parts from Toyota that came with the car.
If the salesperson is correct on the Facebook posting, the final price should be $38,538 plus applicable taxes and fees. Sadly, that’s not the case online as the dealer adds a $10,000 “addendum” and then more “dealer-installed equipment.” That includes $499 for ZakTek Ultimate Protection, $699 for “Tint (Lifetime Warranty)”, and $1,995 for a “Protection Package.” It almost sounds like the old-school mob demanding payment for “protection.” Camelback certainly doesn’t clarify what the “protection package” is, so we’re left to wonder.
What about the other GR Corolla you ask? Well, it’s a Premium trim so its MSRP is $42,428. Again, the purchase price should be $41,428 one would think according to the salesperson. The final cash price is $61,060 though. Again, a $10,000 addendum and $3,193 worth of add-ons end up playing a role.
We’ve reached out for more information on what’s happening here, but if you hoped to get a GR Corolla that’s actually under MSRP you might want to check elsewhere. Despite several messages asking for paperwork confirming these “under MSRP” prices we haven’t received that documentation.
Other folks online appear willing to wheel and deal at MSRP though. In fact, those willing to go for a lightly used GR Corolla can find one on a CPO deal with a 7-year 100,000-mile warranty beneath MRSP should they look in the right places. Maybe the salesperson was truly offering a great deal. We just wish he’d written us back.
