A “car acquisition pro” documented just how tough it is for car re-sellers to turn a profit on Toyotas. Alexander Saliba (@alexanderjsaliba) uploaded a viral TikTok that’s accrued over 87,000 views as of Saturday.
In it, he shows just how quickly the bidding price of an 11-year-old out-of-warranty RAV4 increases during an online auction.
Saliba goes on to express his shock with prospective buyers who want to buy anything and everything Toyota.
No deal
“You guys want to see how desperate people are to buy a cheap Toyota? I’m about to buy one from the auction and then sell it,” he says before snapping his fingers, “like this. Check it out.”
Saliba’s clip then transitions to him looking at used Toyota vehicles at auction. He spots a 2013 White RAV4 with 144,000 miles. After checking what the going rate for the car is in the entire country, he realizes he could easily double his profits.
Even after narrowing his search to buyers within a 100-mile radius, he sees that he’ll still easily make several thousand dollars on the sale of the car. However, as the bidding begins, the price of the vehicle starts to climb past the $7,000 mark. Saliba then hovers his mouse cursor over the “bid” dialog box.
“Never mind I don’t want it anymore, it’s too much…no I’m not gonna buy it,” he says. “If it was for six grand I’d buy it.”
Something on the screen immediately catches his eye, however. He exclaims, “No sale!” then flips his camera around to show the bidding screen.
He couldn’t believe that a sale didn’t go through during the auction, which could only mean one thing. The car’s reserve price wasn’t met and like whoever was selling the vehicle is pricing it out for a dealer fix and flip.
“That means the seller wanted more money. Even they think it’s worth more money! The dude over $1,000 more than MMR,” he says, highlighting the $6,075 Manheim Market Report price.
@alexanderjsaliba Everyone keeps coming in the dealership for this car brand and they literally don’t care about the age or the miles. Can someone please tell me why they love these cars so much? #cartok #cartiktok #carguy #carcommunity #cargirl #carspotting #CapCut ♬ original sound – Alexander Saliba
Used Toyotas in demand
Saliba continued to speak about the RAV4 owner’s unwillingness to hand over the vehicle.
“He didn’t sell it. And I’m thinking I’m about to get it for six grand. You cannot get a cheap Toyota,” he declares.
“I get people coming in all the time I’m looking for a Toyota RAV4 for six grand. I just laugh,” he shares. “I’m like dude, you know that car’s gonna be like a 2012 with like 200,000 miles? You OK with that?”
He says people claim they don’t care about the mileage since it’ll “run forever.”
Toyota’s reliability as a car brand spans several decades. The internet is full of lists where folks even parse which models offered by the manufacturer are the most dependable. Even for newer model-year vehicles, there’s only one other brand that outclasses Toyota. Technically, that brand is just a fancy Toyota: Lexus.
Some car re-sellers aren’t fans
The Daily Dot previously reported on a used car dealer who said Toyotas and Lexuses are almost always going to sit on a dealer’s lot. That’s because the profit margins on these vehicles, for resellers, aren’t high. It seems they’ve constantly run into the same exact problem as Saliba did in his video. Since Toyotas generally retain their value much better than other cars, driving prices down on used models is tough.
These higher prices may potentially turn away used car buyers, who opt for more initially cost-effective solutions. However, many believe that the higher upfront costs are ultimately worth it. Not only do many Toyota owners extol the manufacturer’s resale values, but their dependability as well.
TikTokers explain
In a caption for his video, Saliba wondered why folks seem to be so enamored with purchasing used Toyotas. He writes, “Everyone keeps coming in the dealership for this car brand and they literally don’t care about the age or the miles. Can someone please tell me why they love these cars so much?”
Folks were quick to answer his query. One TikToker remarked, “Because toyota keeps them from having to come back and buy another car.”
“It’s a Toyota they run forever,” another said.
Someone else chimed in to speak to the longevity of Toyota vehicles. “That’s because Toyotas are extremely reliable I own a 2010 Corolla it has 371k miles I hardly spent any money on it and it’s easy to work on.”
However, some thought folks willing to spend that much on an older car are out of their minds. “Ain’t no way ppl are that delusional to buy a 11 y/o Toyota with 166k mi for $10k,” one said.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Toyota via email and Saliba via Instagram direct message for further comment.
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