2013 and Earlier - Toyota Highlander Prices Paid and Buying Experience

mjbuffalo

I'm planning to buy a Base AWD or a Sport AWD in the next few weeks. We also own an 06 Sienna, which we have 3.2 years remaining to pay it off at 6%. I am trying to decide if I should put $ 0 down on the Highlander at 4.9% financing and apply what would have been the down payment to the Sienna's balance. It seems to make sense given the higher interest rate on the Sienna, but the HIGH payment on the Highlander is freaking me out. Any opinions??? :confuse: I wish I could call Suze Orman!

lucky_777

Suze Orman would tell you to pay cash for a new car or buy something that you can afford without stretching out your budget. That especially true in today's shaky economy.

kyfdx

The difference between those rates is fairly small, and the term left on your current car isn't all that long.. If you do the math on a $4000 down-payment (I'm guessing here), then the difference. would be only $150 over the life of your current loan (more or less).

That's assuming that you make the payment against your current loan, and the bank credits it correctly..

Not worth it... Put as big a down-payment as you can on the new car.. Skip Starbucks twice a month and you'll come out farther ahead (there is your Suze Orman advice)..

jds3

Shopping for Highlander Limited AWD w/NAVI, DVD, JBL, power rear door, Moonrf, Rear Auto HVAC etc. in Chicago. Negotiating with a dealer & want to check the offer I am getting. I did a lot of research on all the hidden "dealer costs" which really just jack up the invoice price so joe blow thinks deal is better than it really is e.g. advertising fees (a.k.a. TDA for Toyota), dealer holdback (I had read 2-3%?), wholesale financial reserve (passing on costs of dealer borrowing?).....these last three things really add up, effectively raising the invoice price by this big chunk (in this case approx $1500). Sticker price is approx $42,200 INCL destination and dealer negotiated to $38,000 on an invoice cost of $37,500, including all the hidden "costs" above. Anyone seeing better deals out there? :confuse:

Karen_S

A reporter hopes to speak with consumers who want to buy hybrid SUVs that are having a hard time finding them at dealerships and/or are frustrated by dealers marking up the prices on the hybrids. If you are a consumer looking to purchase a hybrid SUV, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime contact information no later than Tuesday, March 25, 2008.

bigdadi118

Just took delivery for a friend at Boston Boch 08 highlander 4x4 LTD with DVD, NAV, back-up camera at MSRP 42,306 less $4,956 = $37,350

easea

We expect to buy a HiHy Ltd with Opt Pkg A this weekend in the Puget Sound Region. We've only talked to one dealer so far. Through the costco auto program, the dealer offered the vehicle for $2k over invoice, which worked out to $41,800 before T&T. The edmunds TMV report suggests that is $500 over what people are paying on average.

I wonder what other people's experience have been recently. I'm thinking of asking for $500 over invoice, but might be more aggressive if it makes sense.

jimmy2x

The problem lies in determining in just what constitutes "invoice". I am a long way from the Puget Sound and tend to use pricing available on the net from Fitzmall in Maryland. $500 above what I know to be true invoice sounds about right.

So far as what constitutes "invoice" you might check out my #1622 in the Murano "prices paid" thread.

knocker81

Thanks for the info I went to the website and ordered the body side mouldings but a few days later they told me that theres an unresolved quality control concern, and are not available. So I'll have to wait

findme

Is heated leather seats an option on the sports model? If so, how much would that option be? I think leather by itself is about 1200 isn't it? I love the heated seats and am trying to see if it is worth the extra money?

pauleyc

bigdadi118 - What is included in the $37,350. Was destination and toyota marketing additional (or included)? Wonder what the "plus TTL only" pricing was.

Thanks, Chad

qs933

On the Sport model, the leather seat package includes heated front seats. The only way to get heated seats on a Sport is with the leather package.

gjpearce

I am ready to buy a 2008 FWD Highlander Blizzard Pearl/ash leather with Nav/heated seat/power rear/auto rear air/towing pack/mats. I am in Florida and this is a cash deal with no trade. Does anyone know how to get it at TMV price plus TTL?

jimmy2x

Contact a couple of the larger dealers in your area and ask for the internet manager. Do the calculations ahead of time so you know exactly what the total should be. Make a clear offer and do not negotiate. I'll be shocked if you do not make a quick buy.

gjpearce

I think I will tell them I need a car loan- get it with no prepayment penalty, then walk around and pay it off. For a let's say 32000 car loan, how much can I be out for one month's interest and doc stamps? a couple of hundred dollars? at least I will get some pleasure when the crooked dealers realize that their anticipated profit on the car loan evaporated..........

findme

I had a price quote for 33,300 out the door for a cloth sport. If I were to upgrade to heated leather, how much more will I be looking at? With all things equal on another vehicle, what should I offer?

Thanks!

miacar07

I just purchased a 2008 Highlander Limited Blizard Pearl equiped with the following options Moonroof, Tow Prep Pkg, Power Rear Door, Multi Heated Seats, Rear HVAC, DVD Rear Entertainment, and Spoiler for an out the door price of $38,000. I'ved had it a couple of days now and loving it. Did I get a good deal?

qs933

The MSRP for Leather on the Sport is $1,490 for a 2-row or $1,840 for the 3-row. Invoice pricing is $1,192 and $1,472, respectively. How much it'll actually add depends on the configurations ordered by your dealer and/or region.

For example, if your region packages the leather option with the moonroof (in other words, to get leather, you must also get the moonroof), then the delta between a cloth Sport and leather Sport will be much higher than just the cost of the leather package.

My recommendation: if you haven't already done so, go to the pricing section here on edmunds.com and price out the Highlander configs you're looking at. This is the best way to arm yourself with information regarding what options are available and what the prices are.

There's no sense in negotiating with the dealer without this vital information. The last thing you want to do is come back to this site after you've inked a contract wondering if you got a good deal.

kittycat2

I hope your new HL had Nav as well. I paid for $38,400 for my AWD Limited with all you mention above plus floor mats, spoiler, Smart key.

maugham

Hi all, I read this forum extensively before buying my new Highlander. Wanted to share what I paid + my experience.

2008 Highlander base model, cypress pearl, 4WD
Options: 6 CD changer, cold weather package, tow prep package, rear A/C, convenience package (roof rails, tonneau cover), cross bars, mats.
Sticker price $31,254
Paid invoice $28,171 + TTL + $299 document fee

There is a CarMax dealer about an hour from us, they had the exact same car for invoice price... I printed up the details and told my local dealer I'd buy from them if they could match the price (which included the $685 delivery fee). Also had my trade evaluated at CarMax and asked them to match that price too. They did (after a bit of back & forth), so I bought. Thank goodness I had the printouts because it really made it easy.

Several days ago I went to another dealer, and they were a little squirrely. When it came time to talk numbers, the sales person presented me with one hand-written number. Apparently that number included them paying off my trade-in and the cost of the new car. It was weird - I've never seen a deal presented like that before - it seemed really sneaky. I told the sales dude that I had no idea what he was showing me and that I wanted to see how much they were giving me for my trade and how much the new car cost. He said - and I quote: "Hmm, let me think, I don't quite remember." Are you kidding me??? After some hemming and hawing and punching his calculator it turns out they were offering me $2,500 less than KBB / CarMax for my trade and the new car was nearly sticker price. Haha! Good one! Anyway after I told them what I thought of their sneaky offer, they did match the CarMax offer on my trade and came down about $1k more on the car. We walked - no matter what they offered I didn't like how they did business and I didn't want to buy from them.

The dealer I bought from had a nice computerized printout of their offer, which clearly showed every single number and a final price. Their first offer was basically the same as the final offer from squirrely dealer #1 so it wasn't awful, and it took 2 more offers to get the price where I wanted - but it wasn't stressful and I just stood firm with my CarMax printouts. I think I got a good deal, but regardless I love the car - love the color - and I am very happy.... and mostly I am glad to not have to hang out in another dealership for a long, long time!

findme

When will the 2009 Highlanders come out?

miacar07

well, no NAV, didn't want it anyways. but with mats, spoiler, and smart key. the spoiler and smart key are standard on the limited.

wtfjr

I would check out the south FL dealer Earl Stewart in north Palm Beach, ask for Peter Rosenblum in internet sales.
They charge no dealer fee & knocked off $3200 from MSRP on our HIHY Limited w/sunroof et al & also beat our local dealer on the trade.
Good luck !
Bill in Daytona Beach FL

mehrishis

What is the best price now a days to lease a totyota highlander, AWD with navigation and other accessories? Right now toyota is offering, 2499 down, plus 570$ bank fees, 3 years, 12000 miles, fopr 419 $. Is this a good deal?
sandeep

mj999

Hello,

My HL has heated leather seats and I believe that all leather seats are heated. The cost is $1500 for three rows and $1200 for two rows.

wintensive

I leased a base model HL 4X2 that the dealer had added a leather package and chrome rims to.

Sticker Says:
2008 Highlander
Base model 4 X 2 - $27300
Convenience Package - roof rails, tonneau Cover - 240
2 Row seats - -$740.00
Carpet Mat/Cargo mats - $230
Delivery - $685
Upgraded Chrome rims package and Leather (2 Row Seating) - $2495
ProPack Vehicle Theft (etching) - $299
Door Guards - $89
Total Sticker Price: $30598

Lease Deal I have negotiated:

36 mos, $406 with $500 total drive-off (includes first month payment)

Details of the lease:
Cap Value: 27626.68
Money Factor: .00148 (3.5%APR)
Residual Value: $16334 (54.54% of MSRP)

How does this stack up with what others have seen? I'm in Ventura County, California (Close to LA). I couldn't figure out what Invoice was on this because Edmond's didn't have the leather or chrome wheel options to add to a Base model.

lilwill

Did you get the Navigation and DVD system with your Highlander?

napa

Our local dealer has their lender 2007 Sport Hylander with side air bags, mats, updated sound and not much more with 15,000 miles asking price of $25,300

We have never bought a used car before, but at new car high prices, and we keep our cars 5/7 years we thought we would look at them.

My question is: If it was a lender and different people driving it all the time, is that a bad thing?

kittycat2

I have a pretty much fully loaded HL AWD with DVD and Nav.

stldon

Dealers are quoting prices for Highlanders several thousand dollars above the Edmunds TMV. Has anyone had any good buying experiences recently?

lucky_777

You can buy brand new 2008 4x4 Base with 3 row seating for around $26K why would you pay almost the same for a used car with 15,000 miles and old body style?

eessydo

Just purchased a 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid Limited with the following options:

Dual front air
Auto Rear Air
Carpet floor mat / cargo mat
Tow Hitch
Lighted running boards

MSRP with options: $43244

Paid: $38,675 ($40,434 drive out)

danmohiuddin

Hi All,

I am debating between a full loaded Sport 4x4 Highlander or getting a limited. I have heard that the suspension settings are different, but is it noticeable? Please advise?

eessydo

Dealers don't make much on the loan unless it is financed internally. The way dealers truly make money is by selling in volume. There is a tiered structure for cash back from the mfg's to the dealers. The more they sell, the more they make.

That is why you should always buy at the least, at the end of the month. Preferrably either at the end of a Fiscal Quarter OR when the new models come in. If they have a number to hit to maximize their profit on vehicles already sold, they will make deals where they deal.

I just bought on 3/31 from a desperate dealer and that is how I got $1000 worth of options tossed onto a Highlander Hybrid Limited that they were selling to me at 300 over dealer invoice.

Get multiple quotes from EVERY dealer in your area. Get some direct, and some online. Pay attention to dealer fees, some have higher fees than others. Also ask if they do Dealer trades so you can get the vehicle you want.

Get them to show you the dealer invoice, then deal. If you are negotiating off MSRP you have already lost the battle. A good way to identify what the invoice is is by going through a Auto program with a company like COSTCO. It is required that they show you the dealer invoice on the vehicle.

napa

For two weeks we read Consumer Reports, edmunds and talked about our needs. In order we felt important items were:

Safety, my husband is 6'4'' and all legs, realiablity, ability to move some mid-size items (our other cars back seat does not go down), fuel effency

Then for two weeks we went to the following dealerships, test drove the cars, we told them upfront we were just looking at models, not ready yet, we did not talk specific pricing, all but one Toyota dealership in Northern CA were very professional.

Honda CR vs. Toyota Rav4

My husband height eliminated both, but if we had to pick one the Honda won because of the finished felt better, drive felt better to me and I liked very much how the 5th door opens up not down.

Honda Element

My husband LOVED it, but it was not for me, way to nosier and on a long drive I think you would feel tired.

Nissan Mourono (spelling?)

No test scores out yet on 2009 so we eliminated, everything it it was much nicer then CR or RAV4, drove very well and would have been good for us. The 2009 is out so the 2007 are at a good price, but when we went to sell the 2007, it would seem older, there was no 2008.

Highlander vs Lexus

I was all for the Lexus, and we could pay that much for a car, but my husband could not get over our fact our first house cost not a lot more then the fully loaded Lexus hybrid. 2008 Highland Hybrid was not a lot less then the Lexus, but it felt way bigger and I did not like the size at all, felt like a tank.

Three weeks latter we bought:

2007 Highlander, with 19,000 miles, moon roof, added on the seven year bumper to bumper warranty and leather. We wanted to do the right green thing, and do hybrid but the numbers did not work, and with low millage there were few available in our area. We used our local Crigslist, edmunds and Carmax to get the price we felt good with, it may not have been the cheapest but it is what was good for us and we are very happy.

Thank everyone who writes into the community forums, it helped us a lot.

Can not make edit buttons work, sorry message is so jumbled

gilk3914

I was talking with a fleet salesman yesterday (Costco) about getting a Ltd. and when I mentioned that I was in no hurry he indicated that their might be one more delivery of 2008s and then there would be a dry spell before the 2009s start being delivered.

I said to myself that he was just messing with me, but last night on TV there :confuse: was an ad for a couple other models of Toyotas and they were 2009s!

Does anybody know when the '09s come out? Any rumors about changes?

lucky_777

09 Camry was on sale for a couple of months already.

cherishzm

Hello, all. I visit this forum few times a week to check what people are paying for their new HL's, but there are not many updates. Are HL's not really selling well?

I set my target price for 2WD Limited with no options (it's nearly impossible to find Limited with no add'l options, though) at $29k plus TTL and have been waiting for cash incentives. Is paying $29 for 2WD Limited possible in the next few months? Could we expect some incentives once 09 models come out? I'm also considering '09 Venza, but I'm not sure if I can wait until late this year.

Any updates on recent deals or incentives would be appreciated.

Thanks!

jaymk

Congrats homeskewlin on your new Highlander,
Can you please tell us what options your car has? You paid almost $5500 less than MSRP, thats the best deal so far.
Thankyou and enjoy your new ride.

eagle21

Hi:

I was curious to find out where is the best deal in Boston? I did see one from Boch for a limited 4x4 with DVD/NAV for 37,350. I'm thinking of getting a LTD without DVD/NAV. I already have a Garmin and don't want a DVD system in my Highlander. Please share any thoughts. I'd greatly appreciate it. The time frame will be towards the end of this year...

gilk3914

go thru COSTCO - $500 over invoice.

jayadalla

I ordered a HL Limited in January. I was just informed this week that it could take another six weeks before I'll see the car. I specifically asked the dealership about the new 2009's and was told Toyota wouldn't be manufacturing new HL's until they could meet the demand of the 2008's.

Are there any areas in the US, minus the midwest, who seems to have problems getting these in stock? I'm starting to feel like I'm being bamboozled.

randyclee

I am in southern California. My wife and I have just recently bought a Limited Hybrid Highlander. It was very difficult to get the one we wanted (but we were very specific on the options we want). I contacted more than 50 different Toyota dealers from Ventura to San Diego (via email). It took me more than 3 weeks to find the one we wanted. After the purchase, the dealer told us that the vehicle we purchased (w/ the specific options and colors), Toyota only makes 3 per month for southern California. We also did not want to pay MSRP. We ended up buying the SUV through the AAA vehicle purchase program. It was all luck and timing. Toyota of Orange just happened to receive the Highlander we wanted the day we called. When we arrived at the dealer, it wasn't even ready for our inspection. It took a lot of work to find the Highlander we wanted. Good luck.

easea

Well, I ended up getting the HiHy Ltd Opt Pkg A (Bluetooth Audio, Sunroof, Dual Front Air, Auto Rear Air, etc) in the special Blizzard White + some misc add-ons that they sneak onto pretty much every vehicle (exhaust tip, etc).

Paid ~$41,600 before T&T. It sounds like I might have been able to push that lower.

In anycase, now that it's done, I'm verry happy with the purchase. Mileage could be better, but it's already better than our old outback.

randyclee

Yes, I think you could have done better. My wife and I bought the Limited Hybrid with Package D or E (I can't remember now, but it had Nav, Bluetooth, Moonroof, backup camera, etc), and we paid the same price. We are in southern California.

About the milage. I was very disappointed on the milage at the beginning, but I soon realized it's the way I have been driving all these years. By watching the milage display, we were able to get around 25 MPG with mix driving. The key is to use the ECON mode and not driving with a lead foot.

mtairyordge

I have an option through my CU to purchase a Toyota at 1% over dealer invoice. This should amount to about $350 - $375 over invoice. What other fees might the dealer try to hit me up for? I am in Maryland.

Also Is it possible to get a Limited w/o Nav?

2002champs

Could you share with the specific model and options you were searching for that was so difficult to find? I plan a similar e-mail blast strategy in Southern Californi and it would be helpful to know what to eliminate from my list of considerations. Anything you found out about the colors easiest/hardest to get, the option package most commonly available, and so forth would be much appreciated! Thanks!

randyclee

I am sorry, but I don't know the answer to your question. We were very specific about what we wanted so we did not search about options that are not on our list. Here is a list of options we have on our 2008 Limited Hybrid Highlander:

0202, Black exterior
LB10, gray interior
FE, 50 state emission
NV, navigation
QC, front dual zone claimate control
QR, rear automatic claimate control
SR, moon roof
CT, 3rd roll seat
Some of these are already included once we decide to go with the Limited model.

If you go on Toyota's website, you can choose different option packages. I think ours was either option E or F. Toyota changes the options packages on their website week to week (I'm not sure why). So what I ended up doing was specify the codes dealers use so its easier for them to track down the car we wanted (ie. navigation=NV, rear automatic air=QR, etc). Dealers don't know what is in option A, B, C, D, E, F, or G. All they know are these code words. You will see them when you pull up the individual packages on Toyota's website. They are the last letters on each option listed.

To get what you want (especially the limited hybrid), you have to cast a wide net. That's what I did. As I mentioned, we got it after three weeks of calling and emailing. The first day after I sent out the emails, I got about 40-50 calls from different dealers. A warning, Toyota of Huntington Beach (fleet department) was very unprofessional on the emails to me so be careful.

vudoo

2008 Sport 4x2 SUV(model 6950A)
Classic Silver/Ash leather
Port:SF Bought in East SF Bay Area

Sticker: $29,950
Options:
(FE) – 50 State Emission $N/C
(EH) – Cold Weather Package $60
(HJ) – Homelink $125
(LA) – Leather Seat Package $1,840
(NV) – Navigation System $2,530
(QM) – Manual Rear Air $385
(SR) – Power Moonroof $850
(TO) – Tow Prep Package $220
(CT) - Carpet/Cargo Mat $270
Delivery $685

Total $36,920
Stated Invoice with TDA(~$500) $32,947
Edmund’s Invoice
(w/o carpets/wheel locks) $32,242
(TMV pricing) $33,797
(add carpets&locks, approx) $200

I paid: stated invoice $32,947
Toyota Gap coverage $250
Toyota Warranty(7/100K) $1100
Dealer doc prep fee $55
California Tire fee $8.25
+TTL (California 8.25%, 215, 64)

I paid for Toyota gap coverage, term is 84 months (only one choice), as this was a no money down deal and completely financed for 6 years. I did give some back; $1100 on the warranty giving back about $200 more than I was willing to give but hey it was rolled into the financing and that is what $2.70 per a month. I am not crying about that. There is a hell of a lot of electronics and other mechanical that i could see breaking on this thing.

Just for an FYI, there is a 4.9% for 60 months from TFS(Toyota) and their rates for 72 months with a FICO about 740 is 5.68% as of April 10th, 2008. I got about 50 basis points better, fully financed for 72 months, so I turn down TFS financing. Also, I think that the leather seats will always trigger a similar packaging as you see above. On the sport you also get the spoiler and roof rails and also the tailpipe chrome tip. No power liftgate but the glass hold lifts. They offered the $127 per service prepaid oil changes. Don't do it. Overall a great experience and good people to work with.

Alex

enxaga

I'm trying to find how much would a highlander sr5, 2wd, 3rd row and rear dvd entertainment would cost any good deals out there.