‘Price Is Right’ contestant wins a Nissan Sentra. Then, she ended up paying an extra $15,000.

Appearing on the popular TV game show “The Price is Right” and driving away in a car as a prize is something Americans across generations have aspired to do. However, it turns out that getting the car after winning it is another task altogether, and even after all that people end up with something entirely different. One contestant, Samara Leilani (@samaraleilani on TikTok) decided to switch the vehicle she won for an option she was offered. Leilani was a new driver and required a reliable car that would give her longevity and there were a lot of options on the market better than the Sentra.

She was not an expert on cars so she asked the TikTok-verse for help and it made her job a lot easier. It’s always better if one can get a second opinion and in this case, she got loads of them. Several options were suggested but the one brand that got the most positive feedback was Toyota, making her choice simpler. But she had to pay an additional $15,000 to get her hands on it.

Ending up With Something Unexpected?

Leilani explained on TikTok that winning a car on a game show does not always mean that one receives that particular car. Rather, they receive a coupon equalling the value of the car that they can use to purchase any vehicle on the market. She revealed that she could pick from seven cars. These included luxury brands as well. However, after taking the opinion of her followers, the 2025 Toyota Camry was the one Leilani went for.

The Camry had a higher price than the Nissan so she had to pay an extra $15,000 but in all fairness, it was quite a good deal. “Everybody’s like, ‘Look at Toyota,’” she said as per Daily Dot. “There was not a single comment that was telling me anything bad about Toyota or to honestly not even look at Toyota. Everybody was so pro-Toyota.”

TikTok Followers Support Contestant's Choice

It might seem confusing when it comes to exchanging one new car for another, but commenters under Leilani’s TikTok fully supported her decision. The key factor was that Toyota is a bigger and more reliable brand than Nissan.

“This was actually a smart move. Eventually, you’ll want to trade her in and it’ll add more value with all the bells and whistles. Yes you only paid 15k but it’s still a 38k car, so when you do sell you’ll probably make a couple grand if not break even,” one user commented.

Leilani was perhaps put off by a condition that she learned of after she won the car. It turns out that the contestant does not get the car displayed on the show. They might not even get the same color or model depending on its availability. All in all, she won a red Nissan Sentra on “Price is Right” but three months later, was driving around in a black Toyota Camry.

For more such updates follow Samara Leilani (@samaraleilani) on TikTok.