Man Sells Grandma's Toyota RAV4 In Pristine Condition. But He Makes A Key Sales Mistake: 'Never Let A Customer Know'
"People these days..."
How do you lose two used car customers in one day? A California car dealer explains how he accomplished this feat after failing to sell his grandmother’s Toyota RAV4 twice in one day.
TikTok creator Darius Shakeri (@dariusshakeri) sells cars at his business Bavarian Imports based in Vista, California.
“If you’re thinking about being a car dealer, listen to this story first and then make your judgment based off of that,” he says to set up the video.
What Happened When He Tried To Sell The RAV4?
Shakeri explains that it all started with his grandmother’s 2016 RAV4 AWD XLE. She is the only owner and the vehicle was garage kept. It only has 60,000 miles, which Shakeri characterizes as “super low.”
Given the popularity of the RAV4, it should've been an easy sale.
An interested shopper reached out to Shakeri about the RAV4 and took it for a test drive. Then they agreed to purchase the RAV4, but didn’t want to leave a deposit. Shakeri agreed that they could return the next afternoon with cash.
The next day, as he was waiting for the customer to bring the cash, a woman approached him about the same RAV4. She returned from her test drive also interested in buying it, and promised to go to the bank and return with the cash in under an hour.
Gallery: 2026 Toyota RAV4 First Drive Review
Why Did He Fail to Sell the Toyota RAV4 to Two Customers?
While the woman went to the bank, Darius texted the original customer to let them know he had someone with cash willing to do a deal right away. A few minutes later, he heard from the woman. She'd decided against buying the car.
“That’s what happens in the car business,” Shakeri says. “If you want any part in that, go ahead, become a car dealer.”
In the comments section of the video, viewers questioned why Shakeri handled the interactions the way he did and offered their opinion on what would get better results.
“Bro, never let a customer know a car is sold until you have the buyer signing on the line that is dotted,” one person wrote.
“Simply just let the customers race to get the car,” a second person suggested. Shakeri replied, “The problem is I’m trying to not get bad reviews from people over a car. If I had let the other people show up at 4 p.m. and there were already customers there doing paperwork, that would start lots of issues.”
Why Dealers Struggle to Hold Cars Without a Deposit
Shakeri is correct; this is a very real dilemma that faces car dealers all over the country. Car dealers want to sell cars, so they will often agree to hold a car for a short amount of time, especially if the person puts a cash deposit down in the meantime.
As illustrated by Shakeri’s story, there is obviously a delicate balance to this kind of arrangement. That’s because a dealer can easily hold a car for a customer that doesn’t ultimately return and lose sales in the meantime. This could also prompt negative reviews from unsatisfied customers who feel they were wronged.
Motor1 contacted Shakeri via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We'll be sure to update this article if he responds.
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