2013 and Earlier - Toyota Sienna Prices Paid and Buying Experience

2004sienna

I just bought my Sienna 2 days ago. 2004 LE 7 FWD Option package #1 with floor matts and alarm for 26,183. Basically retail. Tax, title, reg: 28,129 (I didn't bother negotiating- too hot) Comes in three weeks.
FINANCING
Walked in with a "blank check from peoples bank" It is on the edmunds web site. 60 months for 4.09 with direct withdrawal. Received my blank check in 3 days.

When I went to buy/negotiate for the car, the Toyota finance department beat it and gave me 3.5 for 60 months!

It would be a great negotiating tool to walk in with the check- real easy look into it!

After I was financed at a lower rate I called peoples first and cancelled my blank check. No problems. The worse you could do is end up with 4.09 which is not bad at all.

Good luck

tripoli

I am ready to buy a XLE Limited with pkg #5 in So California. Any direction?

grub_grub_argh

Just picked up my XLE LTD in Desert Sand Mica w/package #6, running boards, glass breakage sensor, and floor mats!

I dealt with their internet/fleet department, and they always treated me with class when we were negotiating price. Many other places didn't.

Paid $38,150, which is $1,414 below MSRP. I learned that I got the first Sienna they received that had NAV.

Had a PeopleFirst blank check with a rate of 3.94%, and Toyota finance beat it with 3.80%.

Pretty happy with my experience with them and verrry happy with the car!

mcross67

I have not been able to locate very many 8 passenger Siennas in Northern California. Does anyone know why there might be so few available?

lok888

You are not alone. I talked to my dealer here in MA at the end of May. The sales manager told there will one CE 8-seater build on June 2 and deliver to dealer within one week. I (my relative) didn't order it because he doesn't like gray. And there isn't any 8-seater on his list as incoming or to be built. I looked at the Toyota website. They have been removing the 8-seater info from Build My Own feature. But I found LE 8-seater later on.

jgundrey

I reviewed Edmunds' True Market Value (TMV) pricing on a whole bunch of 2003 Siennas with various options, and generally speaking the TMV pricing on the base prices were around 1% over invoice (MSRP). The TMV pricing on options were around 2% over invoice (MSRP). But, for the 2004 Siennas, the TMV pricing is at or above MSRP! And when I requested an e-mail quote from the Edmund's web site, Longo Toyota in El Monte (near Los Angeles) quoted me the full MSRP.

What's with that? Are the TMV's high because there isn't a lot of sales data yet on the 2004's? Or, is Toyota going hard over and charging sticker across the board because of the popularity of the vehicle? Can I try to bargain them down to 2 or 3% over invoice, or is the Internet quote the best they're likely to do? I got my 4Runner for $800 over invoice in 1997 (the sticker was thousands higher); 4Runners were popular at that time, and I got a deal anyway. What's changed?

stever

TMV is based on actual transactions, but when a make/model is new, there are few transactions to draw on. So the data folks extrapolate something and fine tune it as new info comes in.

There seems to be a lot of demand and limited supply for the '04 Sienna, so that's a big reason why dealers can get MSRP. At least the car market is so bad generally, you aren't seeing much ADM scalping.

If you can afford to wait a few months, that'll help your pricing a lot.

Steve, Host

d_hos

25150 Invoice price XLE no options
00550 Toyota dest. charge
00595 SE Toyota Admin Fee
00389 Documentation fee
02065 Dealer markup
00026 Title + some other $3 fee
01725 6% Sales Tax
30500 Total drive out price

The dealer claim the SE Toyota fee is mandatory and a pass through charge. The 389 documentation fee is also mandatory, as is the dest. charge. He wanted nearly a $3000 mark up, and came down to $2065 which is around 8%. I hoped to pay a $1250 markup (5%) and avoid a documentation fee but no area dealers will go there with me. They all claim they can sell these vans at higher costs with no problem. I'm in the North Atlanta area. This is the best deal I can find.

Comments?

stever

And concentrate on the out-the-door price you want to pay. Don't waste a lot of time nickel and diming the "mandatory" fees, just tell them that you want to get out the door for xxxxx.xx dollars.

You aren't all that far from the Smokies and the Smokies are within a day's drive of half the US population. Are you willing to travel or have one shipped to you? TN isn't in the SET distribution area.

"In the Southeast, large distributors control Toyota pricing, and take advantage of this monopoly by charging more money for destination and advertising fees. They also front-load many cars with worthless packages of cosmetic items that you don't need." link

The end of the month and end of the quarter are both approaching fast. Lots of dealers are hurting and there's a glut of cars out there. Take your time and don't get taken :-)

And tell your sales rep that you're looking at the Odyssey again and you really like the moonroofs in the new Quest....

Man, I'm in hardball mode this morning! Easy for me to say, since I don't need a car right now....

Steve, Host

d_hos

That's what I did (concentrate on total cost). I started out offering 29,500 out the door price for a 2004 XLE and have been steadily working my way up because no dealers would accept my offers. This breakdown is from a dealer that finally agreed to my out the door price when I came up to $30,500. I really don't want to pay that much, but can't find an alternative for an XLE. I can afford the cost, it's just principle I guess. Before I take the deal, just wanted some feedback on the total price, and those extra fees.

I didn't consider going to TN to avoid the SE Toyota LLC fee, which is only about 2 hours away from where I live. Good tip, thanks! I'll have to make some phone calls now.

stever

I need more stuff to rant about, LOL.

Oh yeah, the one way express shuttle to Chattanooga from Hartsville is $31 :-)

Steve, Host

ralphj2

I got this email from the Maplewood Toyota:

We are on an order only basis for the 2004 Sienna with order times ranging from 6-12 weeks with 8-10 being the norm.

We are offering a 3% discount from MSRP. You can go to www.xxxxxxxxxxxx.com and use the build your own section(pop up)to configure your van and figure out your price. You can then submit it and have us contact you if you want to order one. We can take care of the preliminary paperwork on the phone.

Thanks,
Maplewood Toyota

dave_h2

"rant" S_H was referring to.

Now that the "purchase pressure" is over, I'm sure to enjoy these posts even more.

sbell4

Atlanta is a tough market to be buying a 2004 Sienna from. The host may have went a little overboard by painting the southeast region with a broad stroke stating that all of the vehicles are loaded with worthless options. The van you want doesn't have any options on it and in other regions you have TDA fees and charges that are equal to if not higher then the SET admin fee. It appears you are getting a decent discount on a high supply van. The bottom line is you do not need to leave the region to buy a Sienna. Because the host suggested leaving the region I am forced to "borderline" solicit but I don't want to lose any business from this region.

stever

Make 'em wince :-)

What's a Good Deal?

I keep trying to put Scott on the street and he keeps telling me about his cruises to Hawaii, LOL.

Steve, Host

lok888

Just talked to the sales manager where I bought my new 03 Camry. There is no question about the shortage of 8-seater (CE and LE) beside the regular Sienna. It is hard to find. There are only 18 to 20 Siennas with 8-seater (mixtures of CE and LE) to be built each month for the New England region (NH, MA, RI, VT, ME). Our relative may be getting one within 2 to 3 months if we order one now. One good thing about the waiting is the sales manager is willing offer some discount, maybe 3% off MSRP.

sbell4

You know how to keep my blood pressure up! I hate losing any deal (even though its not mine and I haven't a clue to who this person is or what the details are). You are right, I work hard but southeast Toyota does take care of us so I am obligated to take care of everyone in the southeast that is considering a Toyota.

d_hos

Sbell4- Maybe you can explain the fees to me, then. I don't want to be upset about them if they are legit, but maybe I'm just not understanding things the right way.

If the Toyota $550 destination charge is to get the car from the factory to the dealer, and this gets passed along to the buyer, then what is the $595 SE Toyota charge for, if not basically the same thing? It seems like the buyer is paying twice for the same service.

I'm all for people making their fair profit and I do feel uncomfortable if I think I'm taking advantage of someone by shorting them, but this just doesn't seem right. I assume SE Toyota gets some if not all of the Toyota $550 charge as well as profit sharing with dealers, and maybe some kind of volume rebate from Toyota. So why would they need to hit up the buyer additionally?Can you explain how those two fees work and why they are both legit?

sasas1

We found a LE-8 in the SE region. It is a good price, not the best price. I especially like the very good and pleasant service. The best price was that dealer that was mentioned from Ks. But we would have had to wait the 8-12 weeks. The SE region had some that weren't sold yet and the Heywood Allen dealer in Athens, Ga. (Zip code 30606)was able to get one for us by the end of June. In fact, they went out of their way to get us our color choice. We ended up with our 3rd choice but that was acceptable for us.

There has been some discussion on the SE Admin fee. Of course we don't like it but we're still getting a decent out the door price. The SE region works different than other dealers. This is how it was explained to us. They get their cars from a distributorship while other regions get theirs directly from Toyota. Basically the admin fee is for the "middle man."

We will pick it up this weekend. We look forward to a pleasant transaction. I'll check back in if it goes other than expected! Email me for more info on the salesperson I am working with.

kbpa

d_for and blandfordm, please email me with name/email of the person you dealt with. thanks

sbell4

Del, Proc & Hndl - Delivery, Processing & Handling - the fee that is paid by the Dealer to the Manufacturer to cover the cost of transporting the vehicle to the dealership.

Admin - the Adminstrative Fee is a charge paid by the dealer to Southeast Toyota, the regional distributor and is used for regional dealer support programs.

Holdback - a percentage of the vehicle invoice that is billed by the manufacturer to the dealer to assist the dealership with recovering some of the daily interest expense paid to their bank for keeping the vehicle in stock

Yes, SET collects a flat fee for every vehicle sold to the 165 dealers.

stever

If there's an 8 week wait to get a new Sienna and it never sits on the lot, why don't you eat the holdback?

What Edmunds says about holdback: "Toyota 2% of the Base MSRP (Amount may differ in Southern U.S.)." link.

What's the holdback % in SET?

More Norvasc for Scott :-)

Dang it, D_hos, now you have me pouring over the line items instead of the "out the door." Go back up and check out those $1,000 under MSRP posts - there's a couple up there.

Steve, Host

mk37

If you are willing to drive a bit more to be treated fairly and respectfully then you should contact Pitts Toyota in Dublin GA. If you e-mail me then I can send you the name of the dealer we worked with. We contacted all the North Atlanta dealers and did not care for the way we were treated by any of them.

We paid 30768 at Pitts for an XLE with leather, moonroof and mats. If was allocated to this dealership and we waited only about a week for it to come in.

d_hos

I'm a detail kinda guy! I did read those posts and problem is, the dealers I talk to just ain't budging. Good point about the holdback. I guess maybe I'm just not asking the right questions. Now I got a few more to try

"Regional Dealer Support Programs" eh? Like the one where more money is put in their commission checks, I'll bet.

d_hos

Wow, that sounds more in line with what I'm looking for. Thanks!

stever

There in Hotatlanta :-) Plus the Sienna is a new model, in short supply, high demand. You know the drill. Dealers don't have to deal if people are banging on the door at 7 am.

Here's another - it's near the end of the month and end of the quarter (or maybe Toyota is on a whole different calendar?). Maybe you can find someone trying to meet their quota.

Steve, Host

sbell4

Hold back is 2% of base MSRP which equals $565.20 and finace wholesale reserve is 1% of base MSRP which is $283. The first two Siennas I sold went into the Atlanta market, I know what the vans are going for over there and d_hos has a good price. The problem is d_hos isn't happy with the deal and if the dealer is a high volume dealer that gets 10-15 vans per month I think the dealer needs to cut the price $300-$500 and put this puppy to bed. The dealer still sells a van and makes a decent profit on a high demand vehicle and this mystery d_hos gets the van they want at a price that they feel like is fair. What is wrong with that scenario?

rarmv

d_hos you will probably have good luck in Chatanooga. When I had my doubts about Bennett, I sent out about 30 faxes asking for 5% over invoice on a XLE LTD that was on their lot. The only person to call back with a van willing to deal was in Chatanooga. The only problem is that it had nav and for me that just added too much price and I lost a couple features that I wanted (6disc chager, spoiler). I also don't like all the worthless addons that the SE region adds on so I am waiting now and will drive my new van back to FL sometime next month. Good luck and listen to Steve's good advice.

d_hos

That's just what I wanted- some feedback on the pricing I have found with some alternative options, and a better understanding of my situation. Great help!!

lok888

steve (Host) - Be patient. That's what I say to all Sienna hunters. You are right about the holdback. It is a guarantee profit (2% of MSRP) for the dealers especially they come and go without spending long time on the lot. I would say the mark up for the dealers is between $2500 to $3000 for Sienna. I am not for the dealers, but this a high demand and short supply vehicle. They have no reason to discount the Sienna while they can do much better on Camry and Corolla.

stever

But it's new, it's hot, it's first on the block. I want it now :-)

It just costs a bit more to be first.

Steve, Host

3girlsmom

Just bought our first brand new car in 17 years--2004 LE Sienna. Fully expected to pay sticker price b/c demand is so high and supply so low, but was very happy to end up paying $700 over invoice. Had a great sales guy who was very up front with showing us invoice vs. MSRP prices on everything. Very pleasant experience. Were told it could take up to 60 days but was just notified today that it will be in mid-July. There was no holdback fee on our van. In fact, there wasn't even 1 Sienna on the lot--they have all been pre-sold. If you want the name of our guy, email me. Good luck to all of you Sienna hunters!

lmura

Just placed an order on a 2004 LE Sienna 8 passenger w/ #6 package Silver Shadow color. Price quoted was $26,600. Which is about $1000 less than MSRP. In So Cal, the vans are going at MSRP and higher. A couple of dealers I called, wouldn't even go lower than MSRP and even quoted a higher price. I spoke with the internet sales manager at Wondries in Alhambra and we should be getting the vehicle the week of June 30. I contacted Wondries based upon an earlier posting in this message board. So far so good, we'll see when it actually gets in.

3girlsmom

I would be glad to give you the name of the guy but am unable to access your email. You can email me and let me know your address and I will respond quickly. I have heard from several others that they have been unsuccessful in getting dealers to budge from the sticker price.I did check the 4 closest Toyota dealers in this area and this sales guy knew I had done my homework. I don't know if it was that or I just caught him in a generous mood.

kbpa

3girlsmom, can you share line items details of what made up the invoice? With Toyota and the SE region, there seem to be a lot of interpretations of invoice. thanks.

stever

Congrats on the great deal!

It's ok to name your dealer here on the boards - we just have problems with naming individual salespeople. Thanks!

Steve, Host

pwm88

Any good recommendations in North Texas areas (Dallas) ? Preferably, a LE with package#7.
I hope to get one by the end of next month (July). Help me out !
Thanks.

annie22

Any recommendations for the WNY area (Buffalo, Rochester)? I'm looking at an XLE Limited and there is only 1 dealer in the immediate area and they aren't willing to negotiate. Thanks!

jonjazzblue

I live in Augusta, GA and am looking for a 8-passenger Sienna LE (Salsa Red) with option 10 or 11. Will settle for a #6.

Have discovered that I will have to wait 8 to 10 weeks AND pay MSRP. Local dealer and some in Atlanta are not willing to negotiate. I was subtly told that I should be glad that they weren't demanding a mark-up unlike some Florida dealers. :-(

Anybody heard of a SE Toyota Pilot program that can get you a specific van faster? Has anybody actually paid lower than MSRP in GA?

Thanks!

sbell4

there are plenty of unsold 8 passenger vans that you can get this month, but not with factory package 6 or 8. You can have the factory package changed before production and the van can come in exactly as you would like or SET can add the DVD and alloys to one of the vans already in route. The breakdown is as follows that are available to you:
50% have package 1
25% standard equipment without an additional package
15% have package 4
5% have package 3
5% have package 5

You shouldn't have any problems with this deal. Let me know if you have any questions because you should be driving this van in a few weeks.

lok888

jonjazzblue - I don't know about the S.E. region. But my dealer told the New England region only get 18 to 20 8-seaters per month with a combination of CE and LE, like 5 8-seaters per state for an average of 10 to 15 dealers per state. And this could takes few months for waiting.

I think there is not much choice of options, packages and color at this stage. It is up to whatever Toyota is going to build and whatever the dealer can get.

And I think Toyota didn't realize the unusual high demand of the 8-seater when they were planning for the redesignment. Or they should go with LE, XLE and XLE Limited with the choice of 7-seater and 8-seater on every trim. And the AWD option isn't a big seller for a minivan.

jonjazzblue

Have you heard of the SET Pilot program? Does it really help certain dealers get custom vans faster or is it just a figment of a creative salesman's imagination?

Are any SE dealers offering discounts? I wouldn't mind driving 2 to 3 hours if it is worth my while.

Thanks!

bobbya2

I spoke to internet dept. saleslady. She was even willing to negotiate and was very interested to do whatever possible to Write An Order, but...
she , later I found, was too far for me because I wanted to Test-Drive Vehicle prior to Delivery
because some people have reported "Transmission failures" which I don't want to happen to me Anymore as I already have couple of vehicles with transmission problems.
If you email me your address as my email address is Public , I would be happy to give you her name.
Or if you make your email Public in your profile, then I can email you her name.
I think you can strike a deal at 3% for sure if you don't order right on 1st phone conversation.
You could also get deal at 2% above invoice which they were giving to everyone previoulsy.
Good Luck

sbell4

You answered your first question without my help. Dealers do have the ability to change factory equipment before it is built and it does cut down on the wait, that is the only thing I can think of that they could be tlking about. As far as discounts, not only are the large markets like Atlanta selling for MSRP but don't forget the $500 clerical fee added to the price. I know of dealers that are selling these vans at a profitable margin for the dealer and still discounting the vans to the consumer so it is a "win-win" situation for all involved.

tfrank3

I live in Denver, but have worked with Foss Toyota in Casper, Wyoming before. Last year I got a Highlander for $500 over their cost (including delivery and TDA). They did the same deal on my 2004 Sienna that I picked-up on Saturday.

I got the AWD XLE w/ package #17 and a couple port options for around $32K. It took about 7 weeks or so to get, but the price couldn't be beat. I didn't trade-in any car to get this deal.

Local Denver dealers want MSRP. You might negotiate out the Toyoguard if they are feeling gracious.

One thing nice about buying in Wyoming is that there is no sales tax to pay, but I have to pay Denver tax when I get home. I think in CA, they have to do the sale over the state line so that you don't pay tax in CA and your home state.

jonjazzblue

Can you give me the names of any dealers in GA who are willing to cut a "win-win" deal?

All I am hearing is MSRP or bust!

Thanks

stever

You're putting Sbell4 in a bit of an uncomfortable position since he's a dealer and doesn't want to run afoul of Town Hall's Member Agreement that frowns on solicitation.

Steve, Host

prodogs

For those of you who have placed orders and then actually recieved confirmation (or been denied) of their allocation, how long did you have to wait from order to confirmation?

thanx

sbell4

Allocations are mid month and end of month. You should hear from the dealer the production week number in less then three weeks in any situation.

discgolfer

NEW 04 Sienna XLE, 7 passanger, GC package (Moonroof, DVD Entertainment, Leather, JBL 10 speaker 360W stereo, 6 disc in-dash changer, 17" wheels, and more). Southern California area. Called 20+ dealers, could only find 1 with DVD, and couldn't find a single one with NAV. ALL of them told me MSRP (or more), except one, Longo Toyota (biggest in US), said "maybe a couple hundred off", but didn't have the DVD. I couldn't wait, so MSRP it was...

This is one nice van. Checked the Odyssey, T&C & Quest, and the new Sienna is better IMHO...