Toyota outlet starting up here

Cars Plus is the exclusive dealer of Toyota vehicles in Rainy River District.
A sales outlet for Bayview Toyota in Kenora, Cars Plus, located on Highway 11/71 just west of Fort Frances, has moved from selling used cars and servicing vehicles to offering a full line of Toyota trucks, vans, and cars just over a week ago.
“I always like Toyotas. Since I was younger, my family always drove them,” Car Plus owner Joe Barker said.
Starting as a one-man service and repair shop six years ago, Barker has expanded greatly since then. “It got busy, and naturally had to hire more help and add a parts department. And now, we’re at this,” he smiled.
Barker contacted Bayview Toyota in Kenora last summer when he saw what he called a lack of variety in the local market.
“We have no imports here, and Toyota’s an excellent product,” he stressed. “I’ve worked at car dealers since 1984 and [Toyota’s] reputation is very good.”
The partnership also seemed natural, said Barker. “I had been looking for a long time and so had they,” he noted. “They wanted to pursue it further and told us they were interested.”
“We had a satellite store in Dryden for about five years but the owners had to leave the area,” said Bayview Toyota owner Don Brown. “We always wanted to come to Fort Frances because we thought it would be a good market.”
Barker agreed to become a satellite store for Brown back in October but the licence wasn’t completely processed until earlier in March.
“We needed Joe because he’s decent, and people like him,” noted Brown.
Although he admitted it may be tough to break into a local market that is used to domestic brands, Barker was confident the variety and quality of the Toyota product would prove itself.
“Camry is a major plus for Toyota as a luxury car, and the Echo is a good budget car if that’s what you’re looking for,” he reasoned. “We have one of each model here so you can see what they’re like and how it drives.
“If you don’t like the colour, we can get it for you,” he added.
“I think people who have done their homework know it’s an excellent product and [will] rush out to get one,” he enthused.
Cars Plus will accept trades, as well as offers financing and leasing through Toyota. All new Toyota vehicles have a five-year, 100,000 km power-train warranty.
The partnership also includes Cars Plus in the “Access Toyota” pilot project for Toyota Canada, which involves outlets in Winnipeg and Bayview Toyota in Kenora.
“With Access Toyota, the prices for all the cars have been pre-negotiated. There’s no haggling–it’s the same across Canada,” Brown noted.
As well, any model found at Toyota’s website (www.toyota.ca) can be ordered there and picked up at a local Toyota dealer, such as Cars Plus.