2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Prices Paid and Buying Experience

roxy_ca · August 2002

Well after doing research here on Edmunds and finding what the TMV is I was able to haggle the price to closely that...$15,875 (pre tax) when TMV was to be 15,937.

It is: Corolla S 5-speed, all weather guard, carpet floor mats, delux cd player with changer, power package, sports plus package, destination charges, color adjustment.

HTH!

eggshell1 · August 2002

Bought 2003 Toyota Corolla LE (automatic) with cruise and floor mats. It came with vehicle-etching. Paid 15,330 plus TTL. Was this a good deal?

cali_grl · August 2002

Hi all...well I am talking to a dealer at Longo Toyota here in Southern California near LA and they quoted me 15,900 over the pc which is good until the 1st of September. The car is 5-speed, has floormats, trunk mat, power package, sports package plus, cruise controll, abs, 50 state emissions, and power package plus. They have the red, moondust metalic, and blue.

The dealer said the blue is hard to come by in the 5-speed...anyone else having this problem? Are certain colors more standard for the 5-speed?

I just hope to sell me car before the 1st since the dealer only wants to give me 6,000 for it. That is the low kelly blue book. Do car dealers every give you high blue book?

cali_grl · August 2002

What is vehicle-etching??? Does the "wood" finish come standard with the LE or is that an extra option? How do you like your car so far? Do you like the feel of the automatic? I love 5-speeds but its rather hard to get one with the Corolla...and what is odd is that is suposed to be the standard.

Did you go to what should you pay for a enw car? If the price you paid is very close to TMV then you got a good deal...even better if its close to Invoice.

raybear · August 2002

Longo has a car with ABS? That's rare in those parts.

There are dealers who love to beat Longo's prices, but finding a Corolla S with ABS is tough. What's Power Package Plus? I couldn't find it on my website.

clong13 · August 2002

Well, from the discussion here on price, sounds like I got ripped. I have ordered an 03 Corolla S with just about everything - All Weather Package, Sports Plus Package, automatic, ABS, sunroof, cruise and paid $17,800. They just kept making such a big deal these are so hard to find, which I can see on here might actually be true! First question is WHY isn't Toyota making enough of these yet? I have been told I might have to wait weeks before one finally comes. Another question is why is the ABS so hard to find? Someone else commented on that - ABS is standard on a lot of cars now so why would they make this an option but so hard to find on the S model? Really comes in handy in the bad Indiana winter. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated!

eggshell1 · August 2002

I was searching for a base Corolla LE, because it had everything on it that I wanted. (I don't like ABS, and it doesn't snow here.) LEs are hard to find, but I was able to find four of them at a much smaller Toyota dealership than the first two I visited. Their most basic LE in-stock had dealer-added cruise control, 6 speakers (instead of the four), mats (5), and vehicle-etching. The etching is where a serial number is engraved into all of the car windows, making it more expensive for thieves to steal your car (they'd have to replace the windows to sell it). I really didn't care about any of these features, except for the floor mats. Yes, the fake wood trim is standard in the LE. The car is white with beige interior. I think it handles well, but it's really too new for me to say much. The automatic transmission works well so far. I was suprised to see that the car I bought was assembled in Japan just last month. One feature that this car has (that I have not read about) is whiplash-resistant head restraints (in the event of a rear-end collision). The general feeling that I have about all new cars is that they cost more money, and there's more plastic and fiberglass. I bought my car in New Orleans. If anyone is interested in knowing what dealership, just holler.

cali_grl · August 2002

To Clong13....I guess it depends on the area and climate and where those ppl travel to if the car has abs on it.

Also I was quoted for an automatic S, moondust or blue or red, power package, sports package, delux stereo, floormats, trunk mat, 50 state, cruise controll, and sunroof for 17,281 (without sunroof I was quoted 16,724). That is actually below TMV and a bit above invoice (tmv is 17,529 and 16,818)

Toyota is making the car they are just going bye bye from the lot very quickly. When I was at the various dealers in 40 min 6 were sold. Its a very popular car and I have seen a lot of them on the road...the S especially...everyone wants the goodies on it.

All I know is that toyota isnt producing a lot of 5-speeds...even though its standard on that car??!! Whatever...I guess just another way to get more money from ya eh? lol

Eggshell...ahhh ok my honda civic has that etching also. I think you will really enjoy the corolla though. I have been researching and test driving it since Jan when I went to the auto show in ontario, cali. I do a lot of research when it comes to big purchases. And from my neighbor who has had one for 3 months she LOVES it!

Raybear...yea ABS...maybe its the mts that ppl love to go to and stop and go cali traffic (ie ppl not paying attention, going to fast, slamming on brakes??) lol The power package is the automatic doors, windows, trunk, and gas release.

raybear · August 2002

What the packages are, I sell cars online! I was surprised they had an ABS car, maybe things are changing, I've certainly had enough requests for them.

footie · August 2002

I think that dealers do 'etching'. They try to charge you for something that is irrelevant, since most cars have the VIN number in a Federally mandated location that can't be tampered with without removing the windshield.
Most major parts in a car these days are stamped or engraved with the VIN number too under the 1992 Car Antitheft Act passed by Congress.

sonatina_l · August 2002

I am in the market for a Corolla LE, either base model or with B package will do.
Did any one close a deal lately???

corolla_grl · August 2002

Hi everyone! I just went to Claremont Toyota in Southern Cali and got the 2003 Corolla S Automatic Indigo Ink blue with all the standard equipement plus:

deluxe cd player

cd changer

power package

sports package

cruise control

sun/moon roof

cargo net

floor mats

trunk mat

For $17,100...thats 1,354 below MSRP and about 200 below TMV. I did all of my negotiations trough email and internet sales. The car will be here no later than Sat Sept 7th! Woo hoo!

nikolaikin · September 2002

I was trying to get Corolla LE with auto, cruise control and floor mats. Tried to get a price close to $15.200. Dealler printed out his cost for the car.

MFG BASE PRICE DLR $ 13544.00 MSR $ 15480.00
TOTAL FACT. OPTIONS $ 230.00 MSR $ 290.00
TOTAL PORT OPTIONS $ 150.00 MSR $ 142.00
DELIVERY/PROC./HANDL.$ 525.00 MSR $ 525.00
M.A.F. $ 203.00 MSR $
2% HOLDBACK MSRP $ 309.00 MSR $
PIO HOLDBACK $ 13.00
DEALLER OPTIONS $ 152.00 MSR $ 152.00
1%FINANCE RESERV MSRP$ 154.00

TOTAL : $ 15280.10
In additional to that he wants to charge me $245.00 PDI fee. He said it's a port fee and all deallers have to pay it. Total price is $15525.10
and he wants 5% in top of that.
Could you please let me know which charge is a BS
here. I've never heard that holdback is paid by
customer. And what M.A.F. is? Dealler is in central Texas.
Thank you a lot.

footie · September 2002

LE's are usually sold at a discount to MSRP with no dealer markups or add-ons here in New England.

There's no such thing as port fees, MAF, PIO, etc. here. We just talk invoice plus pricing. As long as you start with an invoice price you believe is in the right ballpark, then it doesn't really matter where the extra dollars go.

You don't EVER pay holdback. I believe that the dealership gets that from Toyota. The reason they get it is to provide for on the lot financing of the cars while they wait for sale. Edmund's has a good explanation of hold back here too.

Check Edmund's TMV for your particular car in your zip code. It should give you MSRP, invoice and shipping/handling for your area in Texas.

Dealer hold back is generally never paid for by the consumer. It actually lowers the actual cost ( invoice - hold back is what dealer pays before any other offsets by the manufacturer to the dealership, which aren't generally public. )

I'd say you have two options. Decide what 'out the door' price (total cash car + all fees + sales tax if any) you are willing to pay and don't budge. Tell the dealer's salesperson or floor closer that is what you will pay. If they don't accept it, get up, leave them your home number and tell them they have 48 hours to take the offer.

Option two, start calling dealerships in bordering states and shop there. You could try BeaverToyota.com. They are in Santa Fe and 18 Corollas in their online inventory ( include 8 'S' models!)

Good luck

nikolaikin · September 2002

I offered to the dealler $15500 he insisted on $16000. He said this is a last price. So I stood up and left. They did not even try to lower the price. I sent faxes to about 6 dealerships in San Antonio area with my offer. If I won't get anything better I'll go for civic. At least it has ABS and sunroof standard for $16500. Looks to me a lot more value compared to base Corolla LE with cruise only. Really base LE doesn't cost more than $14500 IMO. Only one thing I like in corolla it's very soft ride.

footie · September 2002

I agree with your approach.

If you go to Autotrader.com and specify a search for a new car and then build one for a Corolla LE, here's what you might get for example:

MSRP $16,050 and Invoice of $14,426 for a Corolla LE with:
CRUISE CONTROL CL $250.00
ETR AM/FM STEREO W/COMPACT DISC/CASSETTE PLAYER -inc: 6 speakers EJ $140.00
4-PIECE CARPETED FLOOR MAT SET (PPO) CF $76.00
50 STATE EMISSIONS FE $0.00
CARGO MAT (PPO) C1 $56.00
CARGO NET (PPO) GN $48.00.

I'd say your offer was fine. The dealers wasn't. Part of the problem in Texas is Gulf States Toyota, which operates as a very strong distributor in your state.

This is where port options get installed that you don't want.

When you go to Toyota's national site and do a 'build your own', you end up at www.shopatgst.com which is run by GST.

They have the same kind of 1970's useless option packages as South East Toyota does over in Atlanta. They sell things like vehicle etching (new car's major components have had vin numbers etched on them since 1993 due to a Federal law, so the window etching is useless and redundant). The also sell paint sealants and fabric sealants (and probably door to door encyclopedias too).

All of these are good reasons to shop in another state nearby. You could try and call Beaver Toyota in Santa Fe, NM, they seem to be independent of GST's add ons...but alas, maybe that's too far.

Good luck

corolla_grl · September 2002

I also considered a civic again (just got rid of my '99) but there is no way I would pay that much for a car and always have it in the shop again. I went to about 9 dealers before I got the price I wanted. You just need to shop around and realize that it's going to take some time... And believe me that time will be well spent when you get a toyota corolla over the civic because in the long run you will spend less time in the auto repair shop and less money fixing the problems after the warranty ends. And too civics have poor safety ratings and from the reviews I have read toyota corolla ranks in the top 3 everytime and the civic is not in the top 5. It is the #1 selling car around for its class...and I can see why.

footie · September 2002

Edmunds is showing a listing in their TMV Deals of the Week for last week 8/29, for Corolla LE's. The base units are going for high 13's, low 14 before extensive optioning.

Good luck

nikolaikin · September 2002

Thank you Corolla_grl. I have called to about 5
dealerships. All of them said Corollas are in short supply now and don't want to go below MSRP.
I'm going to try Dallas next.
Can you tell me what was wrong with your Civic? I looked in Honda board and don't notice too many complains about civic quality. There are some but not more than any other cars.
Thank you.

corolla_grl · September 2002

Well I recently went to the honda site here and there was a message board dedicated to all the problems the car has (I believe its listed under service and repair issues) So here is the list of problems I had:

Squeeky noise when driving over bumps- struts went bad...had to be replaced 2 times becuase they never got it right

Driver side front window rattling at speeds of 35+ (continually cranking down window and rolling it back up to create better seal...never worked)

Slow crank down in hot weather and rain with windows.

Radiator busting after 2 months of owning new car and then again at 5 months

Seatbelts breaking 4 times 1st month, 3rd, 4 and 6th month of owning car...

Air conditioning going out 5 times (3 times componets had to be replaced)Last time if I didnt have the warranty would have cost me 2,500 bucks to fix

AC never really getting cold...even after 30 min of being on...prolly from all the radiator and ac problems

Clutch going out after 2 yrs (car was never raced and clutch was gently handled when driving) That cost me 3,000 bucks...not covered

Idle and engine problems at 2 1/2 years. Car was in shop for 5 days

Driving off lot with no oil...doing some damage (honda service techs have a history of forgetting to put oil back in...duh!)

Suspension problems after 1st year

Needing new tires after 1st year (cheap tires if you ask me)

Needing a 4 wheel alignment after 5 months ???

Leakage problems with the trunk-car wasnt sealed properly

Front finder falling off...wasnt put on right

Water getting into rear lights...not put on right or sealed right

Plus other things. So as you can see I have every reason to hate hondas...especially civics. After reading posts on edmunds the problems mostly occur on the civics...but the accords seem to do well. But all I know is my car was a piece of crap and I hated it...love the new toyota though...handles sooo much better, much smoother ride...better acceleration, ect.

Oh and dont get a sunroof...they also leak! Oh and if you need a new key youhave to order it from honda...you cant get a copy made or the key will not turn on the engine and it will get stuck in the starter...it needs to have the chip (another way to get you to spend more money) And if you have a low tank of gas...even 1/4 left the car has trouble starting...takes me 1 min soetimes to get the engine to roll over and go. They can also be hard to start in hot weather. Oh and then the cd player goes out easily too.

So yea...hondas stink lol...give me a toyota any day

Oh and the sales man I talked to all said the same thing "they are in short supply" Actually they arent...they get like 20 of them but they sell really fast....try interet sales...thats how I got mine...and it was 1,325 or so under MSRP.

nikolaikin · September 2002

Wow, now I see you have a reason to hate civics. Civic looks very cheap to me. I just wondering how they can hold value so well? I ask dealler about used civic 1-2 years old. He said it's going to be cheaper to get a new one than buy used and he showed me the price list. They want 13.9K for 2000 LX. How they do that?
Tomorrow I'm going to dealership to order my Corolla LE. Dealler said they can get any color now. Seems like production is picking up. But ABS is still impossible to get in Texas. Wish you will enjoy your Corolla for a long time.

britton2 · September 2002

I too can understand why you are not a Civic fan - I drove a '86 Civic hatchback for almost 15 yrs and it did not have any major problems - before that I had a 1980 Toyota Corolla hatchback - after selling my Civic last year I purchased a new '01 Corolla LE and I love it - no problems or recalls or anything to complain about - hope you enjoy your Corolla for a long time -

footie · September 2002

Hi, Nikolaikin

There are two LE's with Automatic and ABS sitting in invenotry at Seeger Toyota in St. Louis.

Try www.buildatoyota.com to get out of buying a Toyota in Texas from Gulf States Toyota's distribution organization.

It's only 950 miles and by the time you got home, it'd be all broke in and ready to go!

Good luck!

nikolaikin · September 2002

Just got my corolla LE today. Paid $15500 without taxes and fees. As I know paid $300 over invoice. Unfortunately, invoice here in Texas bigger than Edmund's. I was shopping for about a month and before could not find anything cheaper than $15.9. Did not get ABS, but it's OK.
Thanks to everyone and good luck.

alaskahighway · September 2002

Absoulute Red XRS
CD w Changer
Carpet & Cargo mat
18 in TRD 5 spoke wheels w Good year Tires
$21682
This has been the best I could find so far in Oklahoma. I think their about $1000 high but they won't budge.
Any Thoughts?

nippononly · September 2002

OK, OK, I didn't bargain much here, so all of you out there can have a hoot and a holler at the price I paid!

$19,040 for Matrix XR automatic with:

sport package

sport upgrade package

cargo mat, floor mats, and rear bumper rubber thingy

lunar mist metallic

Toyota VIP alarm

(it has cruise and moonroof and fog lamps and alloy wheels, I think all that stuff was part of one of those two packages above)

So far, I discovered it does not have retained-power windows for after key is shut off, even though Toyota website says it does. Also, the twilight sensor is a joke, being hidden in the shadow of the A-pillar as it is, so I just leave the lights on all the time, so that they do not flick on and off - I was told by service rep that if it is disconnected, lights will not work any more. Only other issue: RH front door rattles like a can of loose bolts over rough pavement, they were unable to fix this, maybe I will have to pursue this further.

Apart from that, love driving it - easy to drive, I am getting 33 mpg in mixed city driving, A/C is much better than my last car, stereo is good if a little quirky, and I am sitting high enough to see down the road several cars ahead, which I like A LOT. Love the looks too! I am getting lots of comments and compliments from people.

calshu · September 2002

Here is how much I paid.
Matrix XR Super White auto for $17,600
I think I got a great deal! You just need to shop around. I talk and visted over 10 dealers before I got this. The difference can be about 1 to 2 thousands. Another suggestion is that, wait for Friday newspaper. Some dealers have advertise some Matrix as their "loss leader". I saw one XRS for $18K. They are selling a loss to attract more customers.

Hunt for those deals!!

I have everything sport package, floor mat, power package! Everything except moon roof!

wheeless2 · September 2002

I go to pick my daughter's Corolla tomorrow. Basic CE model with Deluxe CD/Cass and mats. The price $14,211 plus tax (3% in NC), tag and $94.50 doc fee at Toyota of Henderson, NC. I've seen better prices in Town Hall, but this wasn't an ad car and it has that Southeast Toyota Administration fee of $525 (requested in NC, SC, FL, GA, AL maybe more). I would have held out longer but I daughter needed a car and this is the one she wanted. You also need to watch out for those dealers that tack on a $300 doc fee, go to a small dealer, they're usually less.

corollale · September 2002

I got my Corolla LE on 9/2/02 for $15,125. I refuse to pay freight charges of approx. $500.00 and got the floor mats for free. They initially quoted the car at 15.5. I decided to walk away from the deal at the last minute and they brought the price down.

The best time to go is at the end of the month because they have a quota to fill. I think I got a good deal because they were closing for their previous month and it was labor day. At the time I got my car, Edmund's TMV was 15.2+, it's dropped a little since then.

The only problem I'm currently having is that the steering seems stiff. It's not that it's impossible to drive. It's just that it's not as soft as it was when I drove it off the lot. I took it back to the dealer and they had no idea what I was talking about. Has anyone experienced this with their corolla?

jacque_ane · October 2002

I test drove a Corolla CE and my first impression of the steering was that it was a little stiff. I mentioned to the salesguy and he said that it was not unusual for a compact sedan. Anybody else know about the Corolla steering?
Also, Does anybody know if there are still new Corolla CE 2002's in stock in LA?
Thanks!

mazdaprofour · October 2002

WARNING
________________________________
My wife has a 2000 toyota celica GT. The car initially had a soft steering wheel but after a while it seemed to get stiffer also. The last year, it has been making a squeaky noise when turning. It seems to be coming from the steering wheel column Numerous toyota dealers have looked and found nothing wrong. I believe that the corolla and celica have similar columns. The steering wheels look identical. I would not be surprised if this is a issue that will end up becoming a recall later.

I was looking at the corolla but seem to be leaning more towards the civic. The corolla seems to have some issues. The corolla also has a recall I think do to some firestone tire issues.

nippononly · October 2002

has tire recall for certain cars with the Firestone tires - they have a place at toyota.com where you can plug in your VIN to see if your car is affected - there are only a very small number of CE's that are.

RAV, Camry, celica, corolla, matrix...all have the same steering wheel - they way the wheel looks does not indicate that the column is the same. If I were you, though, I would not accept a squeaky wheel - I would pester the dealer until they fixed it.

Kirstie_H · October 2002

It reads: Toyota Matrix drivers, are you out there? If you are interested in sharing your thoughts on your vehicle with a national audience, please contact the reporter of a MAJOR daily at lori_f@eudoramail.com with your name, daytime contact information, line of work and city/state of residence by October 14, 2002.

Thank you!

mtwallace · October 2002

I am shopping for a base Model Matrix with auto trans in the Sacramento, CA area. Invoice with destination is 15,955. What would be a reasonable price to pay for this car?

Thanks,
Mark

raybear · October 2002

First, go to www.toyota.com and bring up the vehicle. Use the "Build Your Own" feature to make sure the car is available the way you want it.

Try for $300 over invoice, there are dealers in Cal who will do that.

bsum70 · October 2002

Just got my Matrix XRS: 6 speed, sunroof, weather package, floor mats, trunk mat, cd changer, rear bumper guard. Paid $20000 plus trade in my 1992 Civic SI (200k miles, both fenders bended) TTL is $1358.....

footie · October 2002

Hi bsum70

Your XRS sounds very well equipped. Is the 20,000 the MSRP? An XRS like that here in Boston MSRP's around $20,345 for the same configuration as yours.

Was the TTL included in the 20K or additional?

Thanks

jumbieman · October 2002

Saw one we liked with everything except the roofrack and CD Changer - had single CD and Cass.
Calculated the Invoice prices. Edmunds didn't have all the options listed, at least, I couldn't find them. Went to Yahoo Autos to get the prices for the options. Invoice with options came up to $18378. Offered 3% over. He actually came back with something less but had a $388 "Fees and Services" added. Out The Door came to $20390. We let him sweat for a week (ha ha) meanwhile we checked other dealers. Two commented that they didn't know how the first dealer could offer such a low price with those options so we closed the deal - and had the cargo mat thrown in together with a set of clear plastic mats for inside.

This Matrix even has SIDE airbags for driver and passenger, full security, Toyoguard package, 16" Alloy wheels. The only things not on it as far as I can tell are the roofrack and cd changer (oh, no window tint).

How did we do?

nippononly · October 2002

you must be in the South? Toyoguard package sounds like southeastern states Toyota.

Mine was a few 100 $$ less, but does not have side airbags. It has carpeted mats tho.

jumbieman · October 2002

Yep, the Tampa, FL area. You don't have that "get more profit" package where you are?
BTW, does your cruise forget the setting after about 2 or 3 minutes from tapping the brake then trying to resume? Let me know over in "Problems & Solutions".

bsum70 · October 2002

$20000 is how much I paid... the MSRP of my car (with all the options) is $20,358 (with TTL is about $21,716). So my 'saving' will be $1,716 minus my trade in (a bang up 92 Civic Si.... which I don't think I could sell it over $600 if tried to sell that in private)

nippononly · October 2002

packages here...I am so glad I never have had to deal with southeastern states Toyota - they sound like a bad outfit.

shortshift84 · October 2002

I recently purchased my baby, the '03 Corolla S 5 spd, and if there is anything that will help totally in the long run, be sure to do your homework first. A good suggestion would be to chceck with Consumer Reports (a full report on the car is about $20 and $10 for each additional car if you are weighing your options). Though this may seem like a lot, it is indeed a big help. When you do that, always aim for invoice, even though you won't necessarily get the car at that price, because by aiming for invoice, you show the sales person that you are serious and that you did the right research. If there are additional options, compare them with the invoice and add up the invoice total of the options included therein. Then talk to the sales person about this....try to get them to show you their invoice if you can, and then work from there. The key is: be in control. Do NOT under any circumstances, let the sales person push you in any direction. Cars are durable goods and you are entitled to the BEST product for you at the BEST price for you; keep in mind that the sales person is only pushing for his commission. With that said, you must dictate what you want and articulate your concerns. Don't be afraid to voice your concern about questionable fees (at the same time, try not to be too pushy; just maintain control in a manner that will best get the sales person to give in to you). Anyhow, if you were wondering, the invoice price for the '03 Corolla S is $13135 plus apropriate destination, which is $485 give or take. Smart shopping means doing your homework and being assertive. With that, you can do as I did and get the car for $200 over invoice. Best of luck and happy shopping!

raybear · October 2002

But why pay CR when a myriad of websites, including this one, offer the same information for free?

shortshift84 · October 2002

Granted, they do offer this information for free. And it IS a great thing that they do. The tactical advantage of the CR report, however, is that every single option and the invoice price of that INDIVIDUAL option are listed and categorized into one comprehensive report that is about 10 pages or so long. Also, in the case that you get a sales person who tends not to give credence to on-line scouting (as I have), you can cite CR, whose reputation precedes it far beyond its internet services.

raybear · October 2002

Uh-huh. And that's worth the extra money? You can pay for it if you like, I'll stick to other services.

nippononly · October 2002

kind of convenient - for $3.95 you can get the whole buyer's guide, and have all the invoice prices in one place to show the salesman, as well as individual option prices and package prices.

footie · October 2002

Salesmen already know that Edmunds, Kelly, and myriad other sites have correct online information on all of the options. They also subscribe to CR, etc.

When they argue with your prices and your research, leave.

Leaving is free.

mtwallace · October 2002

My mother is shopping for a Matrix. I sent her to a local dealer to test drive one, and the dealer gave her a sheet on the car she drove that listed the MSRP and Invoice prices of the car along with each individual option (it matched KBB to the $). It also pointed out that dealer's true cost would be lower due to holdback and incentives AND listed the exact $ amount of the holdbacks.

I was pretty impressed a dealer would offer this information, especially to a "little old lady". Is this typical or unusual?

nippononly · October 2002

actually true and correct for the vehicle she drove! That is a little trick some salesmen try - the switch-er-oo...

2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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