Question for people who bought NEW Toyotas

[7wt]

I say get an OME account, order some parts for one vehicle and test it out. Put an OME front bumper on a Tacoma, OME lift and some decent AT's or MT's and see how it sells. If nothing else you will be able to break even but in the meantime use it to drum up some free advertising. Take it to a local car show with all the dealer info on it and see what happens. My bet is you will do pretty well with it. I would have bought such a truck so I could have financed in my upgrades had I been given the chance.

 

[targa88]

I would agree with most of the commentary that has been put forward.
Availability and competitive pricing would be the priority.
However, knowledgeable sales staff is a must when it comes to specialized equipment. Most dealerships that I have dealt with - were limited to "its a 4x4...."

 

[Colorado David]

Take the advice here, do some mods, lift, winch, bumper, tires, then work a deal to display the vehicle at your nearby Bass Pro Shop/Cabela's. Display at the Harrisburg Sportsman Show next year. Make sure that the people who would be interested in a package of vehicle and mods get to see the vehicle and then take the time time to talk to all the tire kickers at those locations. There was some company that used to display a vehicle in front of Sportsman's Warehouse here. It was never anything that caught my attention because it appeared to be glitzed out rather than kitted.

 

[keezer36]

I say get an OME account, order some parts for one vehicle and test it out. Put an OME front bumper on a Tacoma, OME lift and some decent AT's or MT's and see how it sells. If nothing else you will be able to break even but in the meantime use it to drum up some free advertising. Take it to a local car show with all the dealer info on it and see what happens. My bet is you will do pretty well with it. I would have bought such a truck so I could have financed in my upgrades had I been given the chance.

Yes. Build one out, stick it out front on a rotating platform and you'll get the form and the function crowds at least in asking questions. Think outside the bubble of these forums. I'll bet there are alot of Taco owners that don't know most of these parts exist.

Then again, do you have enough of a market out there? I lived in San Diego for fourteen years and am now in Ohio and it's like night and day, all the Tacos and Tundras have turned in to Buicks and buggies (Amish reference).

 

[allochris]

May I suggest posting your question on:
www.fjcruiserforums.com
You might also want to consider offering a FJ with a 3.0L V6 diesel for a reasonable price (ie, reselling the 4.0L V6 to compensate for the swap). You would be surprise how many people are waiting for a diesel engine...

Another mod that the community is waiting for is a secondary gas tank... 72L is way too small...

As for the 4runner, people are waiting to see the (new) 2010 models. There is a rumor that it will be redesigned for 2010 and in this economy, people are willing to wait and see before buying...

Cheers

X2!

Toyota North America could also target to offer specific items that are especially hard to get in North America or items that are somewhat difficult to install as opposed to easy-to-install items (i.e. off road lights, roof racks, shocks) that can be purchased from most 4x4 web stores or local shops.

This can be done by offering an "expandable" platform such that the client can add further "easier to install" accessories later down the road instead of doing it all at once. (Beside, how many can actually shell out all the $$$ for all the goodies in one shot?)

The best examples of an "expandable" platform would be providing a factory/dealer-installed auxillary long-range fuel tank, dual batteries systems (so lights, air compressors, and electronics can be gradually added later), different gear ratio, lockers, and springs... etc

As for the diesel engines, my suggestion for Toyota is to offer options of engine components which are compatible to run with both low-sulfur diesel fuel & regular diesel fuel. This is useful especially for those who travel abroard in Central/South America as low-sulfur diesel fuel are simply impossible to find. We don't want to have a computer lock up on us, leaving us stranded on the road.

 

[winch wench]

i am an ARB fan, fo sho...

if my dealer had offered my truck with ARB accessories, i would have taken him up on it...of course, if the price was right and the products carried a warranty just like oem....

unfortunately, its been my experience that those that are ARB dealers usually price them out higher than most on-line sellers..