2013 and Earlier - Toyota Sienna Prices Paid and Buying Experience

avery1 · May 2006

On 4/30 purchased an LE w/Pacage 3 in the silver pine mica that my wife wanted for $24969 before taxes and license in the SF Bay Area in the . I chose the 3/9% financing instead of the $1,000 back because our old van went kaput on Saturday and we shopped on Sunday when we couldn't get a quote from the credit union. It was the last day of the month and possibly of those promotions and I figured interest rates would only be going up so I bit the bullet. I compared it to the Odyessy and for us this was preferable and slightly better equipped at about the same price.

jchan2 · May 2006

Well have fun with your van

Hopefully prices will go down again this fall but if they don't there's always the 2007 model.

followyourblis · May 2006

Congratulations! Would you mind sharing the dealership where you made your purchase? I'm currently trying to decide whether to go to the DC area or CA to get my new Sienna.

Thanks, bliss

avery1 · May 2006

It was Walnut Creek Toyota, the fleet or internet sales division. Very good experience. I stopped in at Concord Toyota since I was test driving a Honda down the street and asked them if they could beat the price. They gave me the typical run around. "Let me check with the manager. Oh, they couldn't possibly sell you that car for that amount, etc." When I got up to leave the next level manager said, "What would it take to get your business? I said beat their price by $500. He worked on the numbers furiously and gave me a price $35 less and it wasn't our first choice color so I left.

The car I got had 9 miles on it and they took it and filled the tank and then gave me another $100 off without me asking so it ended up being cheaper after all.

followyourblis · May 2006

Does anyone know what's up with Darcars? I am in the market for an LE with pkg #3 and they have a number of them listen on their website. I received one response listing a price. They didn't respond to my follow-up emails, or my emails requesting quotes on other similar vans. Their website says "click on ePrice and we will immediately email you a price." What gives? I'm going to buy this month. After this kind of treatment, I'm not sure I'd buy there now anyway, but I am curious why this is happening.

bliss

woody8822 · May 2006

I feel that same way with Maplewood Toyota the weekend I was going to buy. I called to see if they had the package I wanted in the two colors I wanted and the guy's response was "we have every color and package." When I pushed him to confirm, he found he actually did not have LE#4 in red or charcoal.

I went with the Luther Group. They have a Luther Advantage thing too that gives you some small perks like $.05/gallon discount at Holidays stations, cheaper car washes, etc.

My best advice is to realize how much better they are at this game than you are. Don't try to set the Forum record for lowest price; come up with something agressive but that you know they will take and walk the second something is added or treated like a simple miscommunication that costs you more money.

mevande · May 2006

This is from CR there is no reason anyone should pair anything above invoice for the dealer(s) make 1000.00 in holdback on every Sienna.

MSRP = 32,535
Invoice = 28,912
Bottom line dealer cost including holdback = 28,253

nickel · May 2006

Thanks Mevande. I'll like to know more about this CR price. Do you have more info on it? You think I can get a dealer to be firm on this?

dc_driver · May 2006

When I was looking at Siennas in my area, they were going for under invoice (I live in Northern VA) because of the $1K rebate. If you go to a high volume dealer they should be able to sell you one at invoice and also take the additional $1K rebate.

gjbwj · May 2006

Wow, that looks pretty good. I am just wonderring if they could ship the car. Thanks

nickel · May 2006

I was looking on the net what I was supposed to do to buy a car in other state, but didn't find it. What about the taxes paid (those on the state selling or the definite state), or the plates... Any info will be nice

jchan2 · May 2006

You pay taxes when you register your car.

As for registration, typically you can purchase a 30 day temporary tag from the dealership for a small fee ($50 maybe) and that will get you home. Once you're home, you're supposed to register it, apply for license plates, and pay the necessary taxes.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

dc_driver · May 2006

You are mostly right. However, not all states let you pay taxes on where you register the car. The law seems to vary from state to state, so check out the state where you are purchasing. Some states require you to pay taxes in their state if you keep the car there for 30 days or more. It really varies.

guangxinli · May 2006

today, I got a offer for Sienna CE with package1 at 355 toyota at rockville, MD. It's $22870 included everything(tax, title...) Is it a good deal or not?

corclough · May 2006

That just about the out the door deal I got to the number. (see post 6415) My 22,880 was inclusive of a $750 rebate, which I was able to take advantage of by financing through my credit union. Obviously, the tax, title & fees in your deal probably differ.

ladydriver · May 2006

Today we just purchased a Sienna XLE Limited with option package #1 for $1,601 under invoice through their internet sales division. MSRP - $38,939. Invoice - $35,449 Purchase price $33,548 includes the $99 processing fee and $1K Rebate (not title, tax, tags). We had a VERY POSITIVE buying experience. The salesman was professional, up front and a joy to work with. He drove the minivan down to us in Chantilly, VA, my husband did a quick test drive and signed the paperwork in under an hour - it was the quickest and easiest car sale we have ever experienced. I would highly recommend Younger Toyota to anyone.

We originally started our van search on the internet and dealt with Darcars in Silver Spring - we had a bad experience with the salesman there as he tried to put doubt in our minds on the deal we made at Younger. Long story short, the Darcars salesman was full of lies and was very shifty. I would not recommend them at all.

followyourblis · May 2006

I hope I don't overdo it, but I am going to post several times about my recent buying experience. I've seen many people ask about buying out of state and shipping the vehicle home, but few answers.

Here's what I did: I researched prices all over the country and quickly narrowed my focus to the DC area. Then I emailed many different dealerships, but one stood out: Fitzgerald Auto Mall (fitzmall.com) in Gaithersburg, MD. Detailed account to come, but for now suffice it to say, leagues above the rest. I found the vehicle I wanted (Sienna LE with #3 for $24,300), and since I was coming from out of state, they held my Sienna for me. It had 13 miles on it, drove beautifully and we completed the purchase that day. We weren't sure until the last minute whether we were going to drive it home or ship it, but lack of time made shipping necessary.

I did extensive research on shipping companies, and came across a site called www.transportreviews.com, which allows you to search by transport company name, or best of all, by best reviews. I'm really glad I found it, because I almost went with a company because of their nice website, but they had the worst reviews.

I submitted a request for bids, but in the end I chose the company that had the best reviews, Specialty Mobile Systems. It was the highest bid but that meant more for the driver, and I was hoping for fast transport. Well, guess what, I submitted the request Monday and Tuesday my Sienna was picked up. To show how outstanding Fitzmall is, my salesman came in on his day off to do the walk-around. Please email me for his name! After all the jerks I dealt with, I'd like to refer business to someone who is honest and actually does what he says he will.

My Sienna is set to be delivered on May 30; I'll let you know how the rest of the experience goes.

bliss

followyourblis · May 2006

At first, I was intrigued by the low price quote I received from darcars ($24,097-$500 ecoupon, making it about $23,500). However, I had trouble getting responses to my other email quote requests. Their main focus was ongetting me to commit to coming into the dealership even though they wouldn't give me the info I wanted. I was finally able to get a total of 3 quotes, one for each darcar dealership, but after various excuses (our internet is down, I can just tell you over the phone) and outright lies (I just emailed it to you) I decided I didn't want to do business with them, especially since I was going to depend on the dealership to work with the shipping company.

gjbwj · May 2006

First, congratulations. I want to do the same thing, 'cause I am also in Texas. It looks like Texas got the worsest Toyota dealer.

Would you please share how much it is going to cost you on shipping, I am also wonderring how that will be after delivery. Thanks

dc_driver · May 2006

Congrats! Living in Northern VA I can attest that Fitzmall is a wonderful dealership. I would give them my business anyday..

I'll bet you cannot wait to drive that Sienna

followyourblis · May 2006

Shipping with Specialist Mobile Systems cost $1045. I received bids from about $800-$1045. The companies require a deposit anywhere between $100 and $200, with the balance going to the driver upon delivery. SMS charged $195 down, so the transport company will make $850. I'm sure other companies do just fine, but I didn't see a single bad review about SMS and I needed to have that comfort level.

followyourblis · May 2006

Thanks! You have no idea! At least it'll be here a lot sooner than I expected. I had calendared arrival by June 10 and now they say May 30.

cherylgonz · May 2006

After reading current postings, it seems I should look outside of TX for Sienna XLE with leather? What is high price and low price for such vehicle!? Is $1900.00 about the cheapest price for the leather interior upgrade? Is that usually negotiable?

followyourblis · May 2006

I can't answer about high/low pricing on an XLE, but from reading this board, I think it's better to negotiate on one amount (I'm willing to pay X amount) rather than individual options.

You can generally buy a Sienna for under invoice in the northeast. What I liked about fitzmall.com is that you can see the price online, so you don't have to worry about them playing games with the price. In fact, it was a little less than I expected.

In Texas, they'll tell you they'll sell it for a certain amount over invoice, but they print out their own "invoice" in which they've added over $1000 in fees. You can probably get the best quote in Texas by going through the Costco auto program. In San Antonio, the dealership I was connected up with was Cavender Toyota when we were shopping for our Tacoma. At our first visit, we were quoted a price $2,000 off the quote received from the dealership we had been working with for almost a year(I wanted a basic Tacoma but with added side airbags--never did get them). However, they still pulled the above "scam" citing $300 over invoice, but with a fabricated invoice. I decided that this time around, I didn't want to reward this kind of business practice.

gjbwj · May 2006

Thank you, that looks reasonable price for shipping. So, even count on these expenses, there probably will be still 1.5k~2K differetials comparing to buy directly in Texas. The quote i got from a houston dealer is 28,400 for LE 8 with package 3# +TTL. I saw the price in fitzmall is about 24,200 plus much less hassle, I mean arguing with dealers for hiding fee. Would you please share how you handle the financing and TTL since you bought it out of sate. Thanks

followyourblis · May 2006

I financed through my credit union, and took a "car buying check" with me. This allowed me to write the check for any amount up to the pre-approved amount of the check (I asked for $30,000, check is good for up to a month). The dealership charged $99 to take care of all of the paperwork, including figuring the Texas tax+TL.

It is absolutely worth it--this purchase was by far the best I've experienced. Texas dealerships are going to have to learn to quit playing games with their customers. Even though I purchased my truck at Universal Toyota in San Antonio, the experience was so awful that by the time we were picking up the truck, I was verifying the VIN number, making sure they hadn't substituted older tires, etc. They DID rip me off by substituting a slightly different package than we had agreed on (I didn't get the carpet mats I should have). I hope they enjoy those mats! I won't be buying any vehicles there (this van, my 14 year old son wants a Prius, and then there's the 12 year old....)

jagv · May 2006

Silver Shadow CE, Pkg 1: $22168.20 after 5% MA tax, title and registration. Quote received via Internet.

bcash14 · May 2006

I'm buying a Sienna XLE Ltd AWD (with Package #2, rear spoiler, and Floor mats/Door Sill protector) and the sales guy said he would give me "Invoice + $500", and then give me the $750 rebate putting me $250 below invoice. Sounds good, but the invoice price of $38,979 includes the following:

Destination charge: $605
TDA: $825
Gasoline: $ 10
Dealer Holdback: $767
Whsl. Financial Reserve: $383

What the heck are all of these charges? Should I be paying for all of this stuff? Am I getting a decent deal?

I'm in Colorado and this price is in line with the Edmunds "TMV" price. Any comments??

cptplt · May 2006

Destination charge: $605
yes you have to pay this, everyone does

TDA: $825
this is I assume the regional dealer advertising fee etc which the manufacturer makes the dealer pay, 825 seems awfully high, in the midwest its usually only maybe 300-500 for most makes

Gasoline: $ 10
you gotta be kidding, they are selling you a 30K car and they want you to essentially pay ten bucks gas??? I know dealerships where the salesman pays for that full tank of gas themselves out of their own pocket and these guys are tacking a gas charge onto the invoice???

Dealer Holdback: $767
this is what the dealer gets from the manufacturer , no matter what you pay.
if you want a real aggressive deal you should be asking them to reduce the price by a % of their holdback! this is why dealers are not "losing " money when they sell at or below invoice, they always get a holdback from the manufacturer

Whsl. Financial Reserve: $383
no clue

you need to find another dealer!

jchan2 · May 2006

I think you have an inflated invoice. You should not be charged $10 for gasoline. On every one of my new car purchases, the salesperson buys the first full tank of gasoline, even on deals where they didn't make much.

The Toyota Dealer Adversiting Fee (TDA) probably isn't as high as $825. It should be in the $300-$600 range.

You should not be paying holdback. Holdback is paid for by the manufacturer.

Destination is non-negotiable and fixed.

Wholesale Financial Reserve: I don't know what it is but it sounds like extra profit disguised as something else. Negotiate it away, or find a different dealership.

kyfdx · May 2006

You aren't being charged for all of these items, the dealer is...

You negotiated a "dealer's invoice + $$$" deal.. It really doesn't matter how is invoice is broken down... I think if you pull out the advertising fee, you'll see that your dealer's invoice is the same as Edmunds...

But, this does illustrate the danger of negotiating from the invoice... How do you know if you have a good deal, until you find out the invoice price?

Concentrate on the dollar amount that you are being charged for the car, relative to the MSRP. Is it a good deal? Is it more than you expected? If so, you might have some more negotiation to do..

regards,
kyfdx

gsjiv · May 2006

great forum here - very helpful
we looking for the following car

siennas under 40k miles
2004-2006

dark gray/metallic grey exterior
leather
power sliding door(s)
wood trim interior

nice to have -
dvd
rear camera/parking assistance
moon roof
8 seats

seems pretty hard to find used and even a bit difficult to find new - i emailed all 17 Atlanta dealers and some seem to be ready to play ball - workign with the internet manager, some seem to say they can customize the LE with wood trim and leather and do so for around 25k for brand new one, including factory rebate

what is a good price to pay for this with must haves and then with options?

anything else i need to know?

thanks in advance

bl992579 · May 2006

Just bought one in L.A. area:
06 Sienna LE Pk2 7P
out of door $24490. ($22300 (includes $1K rebate) +Tax+TTL).

I feel the dealer can do better than this. Probably $200 to $300 lower.

Good luck!

jchan2 · June 2006

Well if you're looking just for leather and don't need that navigation system/back up camera, that Atlanta dealership might have a good price, depending on what option package their price includes.

gsjiv · June 2006

Got a good deal and dealer will add leather, wood trim, DVD, Rear Camera, Sunroof - all done at port w exception of sunroof

what is standard practice for payment when many key items will not be added until a week after taking possession of car...can we not pay for it all or part until we get it loaded

i am paranoid that i will end up paying for car or part of car and not getting options for price agreed upon

please help with suggestions and standard buying procedure for this...thanks

followyourblis · June 2006

I don't have direct experience with port-added options, but since there have been no responses, here's what I think.

How good a deal did you get? It seems risky to add all of these options, as opposed to getting them already installed by the manufacturer.

I would also be VERY concerned about buying a vehicle and taking possession of it before these items are done, because this is probably going to change your options if the work is substandard or otherwise not completed to your satisfaction. As opposed to simply not completing the purchase, your remedies will likely be different. So unless you have it in WRITING that if the work is not done to your satisfaction, you have the right to get a different vehicle (I can't see the dealership offering this) then I would be hesitant to enter into this agreement.

If however, it's already a done deal, I would be very specific about what the agreement is, length of time and consequence if vehicle is not delivered in the time agreed upon (ie, what if vehicle is kept for a month instead of several days, will they provide a demo or rental?)

Just my thoughts, bliss

gsjiv · June 2006

we got a competitive deal - it makes me nervous that they are throwing in these options - at least $750 cheaper than others

i told them i will sign but am not paying until it is done to my satisfactory in a timely fashion..the sales guy on the phone today said "of course" but i expect full on you cant have this car and we cant do the work until we get paid....i said i will sign but not paying for this car as it is not the car i am buying until all options are added

the le doesnt have all options we want and we dont want to pay $30k plus for XLE Limited - this seems ot be a major savings by adding these a la carte - i hope the quality holds up
any other advice? solid points too by the way and much appreciated

gjbwj · June 2006

Hi, followyourblis, did they deliver the car, how that goes. Would you like to share, thanks.

cptplt · June 2006

usually the dealer at the time of signing the paperwork will have you initial a piece of paper showing what they still have to put in the car such as dealer installed options etc., in fact at least in the midwest, if you have nothing to put in, you have to sign it to say they owe you nothing. this means they are committed to doing whatever they still have to do and you absolve them of anything they don't owe you.
Its possible that they may have trouble getting hold of the optional equipment or they are not aware that some "port intsalled options" are not dealer installable. I have heard of people having this problem, but if they can't get it because of reasons beyond their control, like the manufacturer no longer makes it or they don't want the dealer putting it in, they would have to refund that portion of the purchase price.
I've had dealer installed options put in after the sale many times and have never been messed around with by the dealer yet but thats obviously a function of how honest the dealer is.

chipsnsalsa · June 2006

About three months ago, I had gotten a few quotes on the Sienna XLE. At that time, we still had three monthly payments remaining on our '04 Odyssey lease ($300/mo), and finally decided to wait until lease maturity time to either get a new Ody or Sienna. Back in the beginning of March, we had the following offers on the table:

(FYI - we live in the Raleigh, NC area, so the stated invoice amounts also include the $750 SET fee as well as
$605 destination fee)

1) XLE Pkg #3: (MSRP $33,041, Edmunds Invoice $29,940)
our price: $29,100 + TTL

2) XLE Pkg #2: (MSRP $31,401, Edmunds Invoice $28,628)
our price: $28,400 + TTL

I don't remember any rebates being available at that time.

We just started to shop again yesterday, and we had worked up the following on a base XLE (no additional packages/options except carpeted floor mats)that was available in about three weeks:
(MSRP $30,657, Edmunds invoice $27928)
our price: $28,876 + TTL, then minus $1K rebate.

The dealer claimed that thier invoice price was $28150 (slightly higher than edmunds invoice). Regardless, I don't think this was an agressive offer compared to what I was previoiusly offered on vehicles with more options/cost. I expected the final negotiated price to be a good bit lower than where we were before considering no addtional package cost... I take it that the dealer is hiding behind the rebate and not coming down as much as they should... Should the 1k mfg to consumer rebate be affecting my negotiated price of the vehicle? Are my original thoughts of thinking that this is a lackluster deal justified, or am I incorrect in thinking that a consumer rebate amount should not have any (or minimal) bearing on final negotiated price? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.

54gradsteds · June 2006

Just a quick word of advice for any of you anticipating a mini-van purchase....Check out Warren Brown's article in TODAY'S Washington Post. (June 4). Never have I seen him shower so much enthusiastic praise on a vehicle....

howard2dot0 · June 2006

Houston area Toyota Dealers are running APR specials on Siennas at 0%/36 months, 3.9%/48 months, and 4.9%/60 months.
My wife's FICO is about 687. Would she qualify?

followyourblis · June 2006

Sorry I didn't respond sooner; we brought home a new puppy this weekend.

Here's the rest of the shipping story: My Sienna was delivered on the promised day at about 8pm. There was almost a glitch in that I had checked with them that morning to verify that it would be delivered that day. They called me and said they were in Houston and would be in SA around 6 or 7pm. Once 7 rolled around and I hadn't heard anything, I called. I was then told that they couldn't deliver it until the next day. He said they were in SA but I guess the person they were supposed to deliver to wasn't available to accept, so they wanted to wait. I explained I had a graduation to attend the next day and really needed the vehicle that night. So they immediately came and met me, but they had to offload another vehicle to get mine out.

All in all, I couldn't have been more pleased with the experience. I normally have to be in complete control, but since I went with a top-rated transport company I felt comfortable with the situation.

Some suggestions if you are considering having a vehicle shipped: If the claim sounds too good to be true, it probably is. One company guaranteed pick-up in 3 days, but I couldn't find out what the guarantee was (what happened if it didn't get picked up?) This same company said they had shipped vehicles nearly 60,000 times without a name change, but they had been formed less than a year and only had 8 reviews listed. Even though they were several hundred dollars cheaper, I didn't feel right about it.

Also, be sure to do your own research. Check them out on www.bbb.com. I would even search google for the name of the company in quotes along with complaints (for ex, "AAA Auto Transport" complaints) to see what you get. Finally, verify insurance coverage yourself. The place I mentioned above had "self-funded" insurance which seemed to consist of a trust fund. I didn't like the sound of this.

Hope this helps.

gsjiv · June 2006

Sandy Springs Toyota was so shady I cant fathom it. Wouldnt put it writing so i wouldnt shop the offer around, let me take the car home which made me feel better. Then the Sienna I was told we woudl be getting "disapeeared." After being told it was at a credit union, i was told they didnt own one like it. Then i found the guy who gave me the deal wasnt the owner like he claimed. They knew they were full of it as they didnt even try to get me to stay when i dropped off the car.

STAY AWAY FROM THESE GUYS

gjbwj · June 2006

Thank you for sharing, and enjoy your Van. So, approximately, your final expense is Fitzmall internet price + shipping (~1K) + your flight + TTL, and pleasant experince with the dealer. You know, I've never been in D.C before, if I finally decided to buy the car there, I might spent some days in D.C. since it is very close to D.C., about ~20miles. I guess, at least, to visit whitehouse.

barbiesmith · June 2006

Did I get a good deal? The salesperson said he has never written a deal as favorable as this one before! Out-the-door price of $27,464, which includes

TTL (of course, it is OTD)
LE 8-passenger gold color
package #3 (stability control important to me)
floor mats, cargo nets
72 mos/100k platinum Toyota ext-warranty

They gave me the Toyota Customer CAsh of $1,000 and a Bobby Rahal discount of $2,568. This was at Bobby Rahal Toyota in Mechanicsburg, PA. T.M. (one of the 2 internet salespeople) did the sale with me. I showed them the Fitzmall.com prices, this is what did the most good.

Did I do well for a thoroughly blonde gal, LOL?

Thanks,
Barbie

(edited to take out salesperson's name, just saw that guideline, oops!)

followyourblis · June 2006

We had free airline tickets but we did have the hotel expense. There are lots of lodging options in the DC area, but this time we stayed at a Marriott hotel in Gaithersburg, where the dealership is. We loved this hotel! Everyone was extremely friendly and professional, especially compared to other hotels we've stayed at in DC. It was about $100/night.

There is so much to do in DC, we've been 5 or 6 times and still haven't seen it all. This time we visited Monticello. If you just go for a couple of days, pick 2 or 3 things and do them well. Don't try to see everything. And yes, we are loving our van, even the puppy likes it (we took him to Petsmart.)

If you decide to ship, don't forget to check out www.transportreviews.com

kleed · June 2006

I was quoted a price of $25,567 plus tax tag and title for a 2006 Sienna LE with package #2 and Touring Package. Is this a good price for southeast Florida? Thanks.

bcash14 · June 2006

Does anybody have any idea when the 2007 Sienna's will be available? Any idea what's new for the 2007s? I'm just trying to figure out whether to go ahead and buy a 2006 or wait until the '07s come out.

jchan2 · June 2006

The 2007s will start production in December and will go on sale in January 2007.

The source of information is from some fleet website that lists the build dates of 2007 Toyota models. (I forget the exact web address)

2013 and Earlier - Toyota Sienna Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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