2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

teereeves · January 2005

I just received my latest Motor Trend, Car & Driver, and Road & Track magazine. All 3 covered the Detroit Auto Show, but only Road & Track talked about the 2005 Avalon(Touring). I would have at least expected Car & Driver to mention the Avalon, even the 2006 Hyundai Sonata was mentioned by Motor Trend or Car & Driver.

Even without those magazines covering the 2005 Avalon, this vehicle will sale nicely.

eman5 · January 2005

Is the optional XM integrated into the factory antenna and radio, or is it an "add-on" with one of those little black box doo-hicky antennas?

just__me · January 2005

Strange, I think if you said after knowing the MSRP, I will give you a check now and have your figure at a minimum of 1,000 off the MSRP, they would go for it, but I would start at 1,500 off. If one counter offers at a thousand off you can say okay Let me think about I will get back to you then go to the next one and say without ever telling him the name of the dealer that you got a price for such and such and your ready to give your deposit right now if he can better that price by 500 you will buy the car from him. The Manager may say wait a minute and counter offer half the amount. I have to believe one of them will accept it. One way I did it was by phone to an out of town dealer, I said this is what I want and this is the MSRP, I asked him to call me and give me his best shot, he called back within an hour, then I counter offered and he said let me check with my wholesaler and called back and he settled in between. Anyhow I did get a better deal from my Dealership as I told you. If you do this, always ask for the sales manager, not a salesman. I always work with the manager. Have a check ready or credit card to make the deal right there and then. By the way the out of town dealer after quoting me his price and me then saying I will call you back and counter offered, he came back with his absolute best price which was 1,829 dollars less then the MSRP before adding taxes, administrative costs etc which are basic, but as said I made my deal elsewhere. So the only thing I can think of because of where you live based upon a very large population to draw on, they may feel they can sell as many of them without having to discount on a new model. In my case with the dealer I purchased the car from, over the past 5 years I myself bought 5 cars, family included, son etc., so they wanted my business back as well as they know I have recommended people who bought. So developing a track record with a Sales manager who gets to know you I think has a lot to do with really getting a great price. This web address I'm posting is where I found an out of town dealer who gave me a good price as above. Why not click on your state or one near by and try what I said. Good luck Douglas. http://www.carbuytip.com/car-dealers/west_virginia_toyota_dealers- .html

just__me · January 2005

Sorry, I think message 1241 above was for you Mike, sorry Douglas.

just__me · January 2005

That was an interesting article Alpha, thanks.

coug2 · January 2005

Carson Toyota has a number of 2005s listed on their website. I'm assuming they don't have them in stock yet, but it is interesting to see the mix. As far as I can tell a touring, a xls with nav, a xls w/o nav, and the rest are limited with nav.

http://69.93.188.20/~tundraso/fleet/showroom.php?action=vehicles&- amp;data[model_id]=4&PHPSESSID=317a57e997f02878ea179d37a77625- 94

buyer777 · January 2005

Usually you would put the shifter into the gate and you can access gears 1-5 manually....

ednovak · January 2005

Just about everything I've read in the past couple of years recommends bargaining UP from the invoice price rather than DOWN from the MSRP. When I went to purchase my daughter's Corolla last year I settled on a final dealer profit over invoice and only then did I place an order for a car decked out exactly as I wanted. It worked out very well and I intend to follow the same route next month when I shop for an Avalon. The Limited configuration I want (including an extended warranty) produces a nearly $5K difference between Invoice and MSRP and I don't think I'll spring for anything more than $2K in dealer profit (not including the holdback). I have the luxury of living in an area with many competing dealerships so I imagine I'll be able to do fairly well but if the dealers aren't willing to bargain, I'm considering a used Lexus LS430 as an alternative. I prefer a new Avalon but am keeping the Lexus option open just in case.

ederzawiec · January 2005

I always start with Invoice-Holdbacks+reasonable profit for the dealer. It is much easier to understand for me. And be sure to include all the stuff that gets thrown on (typically after reaching an "agreed to price") like advertising Fees, etc.. It is so typical to think you have a price agreed to and then see extra items. At that point, the dealer has you most of the time.

littlejohn600 · January 2005

Keep us informed as to which dealer in the DC area has the best prices. Remember that the Northern Virginia dealers pad the price with a $200 to $295 PREP fee (in MD it is $100). Please give us your "final" price, not counting Tax,Title & Tags.

spaziwk · January 2005

They had a Limited at the Rhode Island Auto Show today. Seats were confortable. I asked the Salesman if Premimum gas was required. He said Premimum was recomended for the Best Performace but Regular unleaded would work just fine.

prince812 · January 2005

coug2,

Thanks for the link. Can you tell me if all or most dealerships put their incoming inventory online? If so can you tell me how to access them? That would let me know if I even need to bother with calling certain dealerships or not.

Thanks in advance for any help.

mikes. · January 2005

Littlejohn, I'll be happy to let the board know what I pay. As to the prep fees I've noticed that Koons list 200something for Koons Tysons Toyota and 100 for Koons Annapolis, Md. Must be a Md. law in there holding down the fee.

I'd love to buy today but I'm probably gonna have to hold off a week or three to let the market settle down.

mikes. · January 2005

This is the reply I got back from Ourisman Toyota's 2 dealerships, at least, in the DC area. I hope I can prove this guy wrong...

Mike,

Currently we are selling all Avalons' at MSRP which considering that many dealerships will be selling them above MSRP, is a great value in this current market and will more than likely remain that way for months to come. I can also tell you that our two dealerships are in the top 3 for the amount of Avalon's that we will be recieving so we will be getting many more than other dealerships. I may be able to obtain a Blue Mirage Avalon XLS for you with navigation but the sale price will be at the MSRP of the vehicle. The price I quoted you already included the destination fee. In place of the free service, we can give you the items used in the free scheduled maintinence over 24,000 miles but we do not place an actual price value on our free scheduled maintinence because it is complimentary.

mcardle · January 2005

On Friday, I took my Highlander in for its normal maintenance visit (37,500 miles), and wandered on to the sales floor. When the salesman approached I told him I was interested in information on the new Avalon, and he produced a brochure immediately. We talked a little about the improvements, and he said they'd have their first ones on site within 2 weeks.

prince812 · January 2005

I just spoke with a dealer who says that when the Limiteds are built they will all have the remote start, preferred accessory package, glass breakage and wheel locks. This drives the price up another 1000 and are unnecessay items for me and I certainly do not want to pay for them since I do not want them.

Has anyone been able to locate a Limited with Nav, Laser and VSC (E option package) but without the other add ons?

I would think if someone has found one like that I could just hold out or let the dealers know in this area that it is possible to get one without the extra stuff which seems to be basically profit for the dealers.

cove148 · January 2005

I bet you are in a state that falls under a master distributor. For example, Gulf states is the Toyota master distributor for 5 southern states. It is my understanding that these options are added by them. I called a dealer in the mid west who gets cars from Toyota direct and he said that they did not have to add the options that you mentioned. Give a dealer in Illinois or Indiana a call to check out.

prince812 · January 2005

Thanks Cove 148.

I live in Northern CA. Do you (or anyone else) know if that is one of the "master distributor" states?

If so am I just stuck having to pay the extra $$?

wesg · January 2005

I live in NE Oregon and am interested in a Limited, Blizzard Pearl (wife's color) and only Option B (VSC and brakes). Might be tough to find one...but, yet, the dealers have a "preference system" (so I've been told) that gives them information/access to other dealer's inventory. Any ideas/comments?

coug2 · January 2005

I think it's pretty much dealer by dealer. I know Carson Toyota (in so cal) is a big dealer...a lot of folks bought their sequoias there when I bought mine (from a local dealer in the northwest). I just went to their website selected, "new/used vehicles" and then selected "new inventory."

The link posted by "just me" (#1241), I found helpful b/c it provides a list of dealers that are within a reasonable distance (to me - 500 miles).

http://www.carbuytip.com/car-dealers/toyota_dealers.html

As far as pricing goes, I think the first few will go for MSRP, but I wouldn't be surprised to see prices soften within a month or two. Although it is likely to be a very nice car, it is not a headturner (e.g., the 300) and it's not the luxury nameplate. I'm sure until that time, every dealer /salesperson will us how lucky we are to get it at MSRP.

That said, I did by my Sequoia at MSRP - the very first one my dealer had - but winter was just starting and I needed a new SUV that would haul around the kids/soccer/basketball teams, etc. At the time (2001), the only choices for an AWD with 7-8 passengers were American - i decided to pay the premium for the toyo quality. While there are a number of competitor now, there was not then.

To some extent, the same can be said for the Avalon - basically competes against American cars. There are other nice sport sedans, but few relatively nice choices at that price point. Just some random thoughts....

prince812 · January 2005

I just spoke with a dealer today who said they would discount $800 off MSRP from a Limited with everything.

Unfortunately that is $800 off an MSRP of $38,100 since along with Nav, Laser and VSC it also adds the accessory package, glass break sensor, remote start and wheel locks.

In my area that is the best I have heard. Noone in my area as of yet is offering the loaded Limited without the extra add-ons.

Any thoughts?

future1 · January 2005

2005 Toyota Avalon page updated (added a few more links)

bartalk2 · January 2005

Some folks seem to be shocked and in an absolute panic that they may have to pay sticker price for a highly desirable vehicle that is about to be introduced and is in short supply. This is how the market works. My advice: wait awhile! Supply will pick up, competition between dealers and with other makes will kick in, and prices will come down. If you want to be the first kid on your block with this new toy, you'll have to pay the price and get whatever's available from initial limited selection (which of course will be loaded to the gills to take advantage of the impatient among us).

bklynguy · January 2005

Even waiting a couple of months may make a big difference. It also depends on the number of competing Toyota dealers in your area. BTW I think today (Feb.01) is the "release" day.

marmoreno · February 2005

I went to a car show this weekend.

I was told by a Toyota Rep that I would be able to purchase a Limited for $34,000 with EVERYTHING except Navigation system. Is this true??

marmoreno · February 2005

Release Day is FEBRUARY 7

bklynguy · February 2005

thanks for the correction, I was hoping for today

I checked a few websites in NY/NJ and so far no 05s are listed on the new inventory page.

just__me · February 2005

I was to my dealer today checking on the purchase of My XLS 2005 Avalon. He said it won't be in until around the 15th of February, and since he said I will be the first to have one, that may be the target date that you can expect them to roll in, unless it's just mine coming at that time.

larryt22 · February 2005

I finally found a dealer in my region (NW Indiana) with 2 Limited listed on the internet. A Desert Sand w/list of $37,429 and a Blizzard Pearl w/list of $35,648. There website does not detail options and I haven''t tried to figure out which option packages these have. Hopefully that means the other dealers in my area have them or will have them any day.

mackabee · February 2005

Every dealer in the US is getting an Avalon drop shipped tonight at midnight!

: )

Mackabee

buckwheat · February 2005

Your Custom Car Is Ready:

At Toyota, special orders now go from zero to built in no time flat.

By Rachel Rosmarin, September 22, 2004

You want a 2005 Avalon in Aspen Green with a sunroof and leather, but your local Toyota (TM) dealer's lot is a sea of Diamond White. Getting the color and options you want might normally take two to three months. But not anymore: Nowadays the carmaker can build exactly to your specifications in just 14 days.

Continue - - ah yes continue, it requires membership perhaps a participant here is a subscriber to the magazine or is an AOL member as it is only available to them. Be nice to know what the rest of the article says..

above can be found at this link; http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,699736,00.html

coug2 · February 2005

I would like to read that as well. Nonetheless, I did find this regarding custom orders...

http://www.forbes.com/global/2004/0705/022_print.html

cove148 · February 2005

Mack

Two questions:

If your dealership get one tonight when are you going to have on the showroom?

Second- In Virginia can you order the 2005 without the remote start, first aid kit & other unnecessary add ons?

holyoke · February 2005

I understand all the excitement of a new model being introduced but for goodness sake don't give the house away in your quest to get the car.

There have been several posts here advising folks to steer clear of a first year model. That is excellent advice. Believe me, as much as I would like to hit the dealership, I'm sitting back and looking to see how this first model year plays out. You can't lose! Prices will come down.

tasso · February 2005

Well, I am the one to blame. Just stopped by and paid off the balance due, have not even seen it yet. Originally, I had worked out a $29000 trade in value on my 2003 Denali and $1000 off MSRP. BUT, the dealership let me sell it privately and run the transaction through them as a trade in. So I got $32350 for the Denali, saved $600 extra dollars on taxes, and avoiding any tax consequences in selling my Denali striaght out ( I depreciated 50% of its value last year). THey helped me a ton. So I did pay the difference to MSRP $3300, BUT I got them to include a spoiler, plus I will use my my Citi Drivers Card to get $500 back through Citi. SORRY I just cannot wait or hold back, but I came out great in the tax world.

cove148 · February 2005

Remember the average age of the Avalon owner is above 60. One needs to consider that for many our time is more important than money. Got to go change the oil in my wheel chair.

just__me · February 2005

For those of you who are wondering whether you have to pay the MSRP or not, I will tell you now that deals have been made for over $2,100 dollars under the MSRP. You should also know that from all the excitement on this board, after I made my deal on the XLS Avalon, I asked my sales manager if anyone has been coming in asking for the 2005, his response was they are coming in asking for deals on the 2004. My dealer in my area is one of the largest, so take this into consideration when they try to sell you on the MSRP. Now as far as not being first to by a new model that has been redesigned with a new motor, as far as I am concerned, Toyota has built a very fine reputation for quality, it's not like buying pie in the sky. My belief is that once the car gets into the showroom, once the advertising starts and the car is on the road and the test drives are in, the car is going to sell very well and the price will begin to creep up. I am sure the Lexus engineers have some input into the Toyota brand and they aren't going to build a lemon. My experience with Toyota as far as service and correcting any faults has been excellent. So for those of you who want to own this new Avalon, I personally wouldn't have any second thoughts. Good luck to all of you.

mackabee · February 2005

cove148, we probably won't put it in the showroom as I pretty much have it sold to one of my previous customers. Answer to the second question is yes, actually every dealer in the nation can do that. These are port installed options and they can be deleted by the inventory control manager at the dealers. Unfortunately some of these "icm's" don't have a clue what the option codes mean so they stay on the car. For example; I get my next months allocation. There is an Avalon XLS with VD,NV,G4,Z1 these codes mean Vehicle stability control, Navigation system, Remote start, and Preferred accessory package which includes the glass breakage sensor, floor mats, cargo mat, etc. The first two option codes are factory options and the last two are port installed options. If I have a customer that wants this car but doesn't want the remote start or the accessory package but does want the floor mats then I would go into the Toyota Dealers's website where I can make these changes to the car. I would delete the G4, and Z1 options and add CF for floor mats. A lot of dealers will leave the Z1 package on there as there is a credit to the dealer for every package sold. I'm off today but one of my colleagues is supposed to call me as soon as the car gets here. The midnight thing was just a tease on my part!

; )

Mackabee

future1 · February 2005

Mackabee: The midnight thing was just a tease on my part!

I am not sure I follow you, but then again, I am 85 years old and my sense of humor ain't what it used to be. So, would you please clarify again -- what is the expected day when all the dealerships should have at least one Avalon?

dna2511 · February 2005

hello everyone. I got to test drive the car today. My dealer got their first one last night. I set up a 11am drive. The car I drove was a silver XLS. I thought they were going to get a limited. The car drove very good. It handled well in corners(very little if any pitch). It had great excelleration. It had options of the jbl synthesis 360w radio(wow),add-on wheels(did not see need for this), toyota prot. package(dealer markup junk) . MSRP was around 34200.00. I'm sorry I did not write down the exact amount because I'm only interested in the limited.I have been shopping around for a new car for three months. I decided on the Lexus ES330 but the Toyota dealer said I should wait to drive the Avalon. I will have to drive the limited to compare the two. I was not overly impressed with the interior and the ride is ok. I'm comparing the Av to the ES. For the money the limited will have to be alot better than the ES330 because I can buy the ES loaded for less money. I know the power is more and the back seat has alot more room but the front seat spacing is about the same. If I can work out a deal, I will post my findings.

P.S. I do not understand why Toyota is so secretive about their cars. The salesman was asking me questions about the car and when we got back to the dealership he got some of his co-workers to ask me questions about the car. I thought this was funny.This just shows that the information is out there. Happy car shopping everyone

future1 · February 2005

I know the power is more and the back seat has alot more room but the front seat spacing is about the same.

Interesting. Last time I drove the '04 Avalon, I found it significantly more spacious than the ES330, so it's surprising that you rate the ES330 and 05 Avalon "the same" in regards to the front space. It looks from the specs that the Avalon front driver position has significantly more room in all dimensions (compared to ES330), except for the legroom.

I'll test drive the 05 on Saturday and report my impressions. Just like you, I am also cross-shopping between the ES330 and the Avalon Limited. Here is the Avalon vs ES330 side by side comparisson (includes the dimensions data):

http://www.carsdirect.com/research/compareresults?cat=all&aco- des=USB50LEC111A0,USB50TOC011C0

prince812 · February 2005

Thanks for the post it was very helpful. One question. You said-

"P.S. I do not understand why Toyota is so secretive about their cars. The salesman was asking me questions about the car and when we got back to the dealership he got some of his co-workers to ask me questions about the car."

I am a little confused...which car were they asking you about- the Avalon or the ES330? And what kind of questions were they asking you?

dna2511 · February 2005

Hello future1, I'm 6'3 330lbs and for me it was not the shoulder room or the hip room it was leg room and the footwell space. I felt the Av had a ton of room for the body but it seemed to cramp up in the foot area. I like the power pedals in the Lexus Es330. I prefer the pedals over the manual tilt/telescoping wheel because I have long arms. I feel this car would have benefited by having a power tilt/telescoping wheel. The new Maxima has this available, I would have expected to see this in the flagship. One other thing I noticed is in the compartment area in front of the armrest there is a holder for your cell phone, which is nice but you cannot close the compartment with a phone in it. This would have been nice to hide your phone when you are out of the car and there is not a single place for lose change. Also be sure to check on the door that covers the audio system, it opens nice but I had to press really hard two or three times to get it to close. The salesman told me this was a problem in the camry as well. One nice feature is the spare in the trunk. It was full size with a standard wheel and matching tire. I'm saying standard wheel because the one I drove had special wheels but the one in the trunk was a standard XLS wheel not a matching one. The standard wheels I thought looked better than the special wheels.

The size of the back seat is a plus for small kids and adults. I got in the back seat and there was enough space to put my knees together and they would not touch the seat in front. The tilt feature on the back seats is nice. Another thing about the back seat is if you get the jbl sound system, set the surround function on then get in the back seat.(I think the sound is better back there)

One other thing is there is no key access to the trunk. I know the keyfob or the button on the inside will open the trunk but what if the battery was completely dead you would be stuck unless there is another way that I do not know about. I hope this helps everyone out. I know there is alot I did not mention about the car.

dna2511 · February 2005

The toyota guys were asking me about the avalon. I could not belive this since I was in their car. Most of the questions were about the performance figures and info on the electronics like the radio, nav, laser cruise. Then they asked me about the differences in the av and the es. I hope this does not sound like I'm bragging because I don't brag about anything. I just make it a point to know as much as possible about the cars I am interested in. Most of the info I pieced together was from this site and a few other sites. The info was easy to find. That is why I could believe the salesmen did not have the facts

prince812 · February 2005

dna2511,

This does not sound like you are bragging at all. I too try to find out as much as I can about the car I am going to buy. I know that salesman cannot know everything about every car on their lot, but I am a little surprised at the lack of information most salesman have about the 05 Avalon.

I do a little research just so I can know the basics myself since some salesman can give you wrong info. I hope this does not sound like I am bashing salesman in general. There are some knowleadgeable ones out there- Mackabee has been a great help in this forum and is very knowleable. But unfortunately they are outnumbered by the ones who do not or will not do the research.

I must say you did not seem overly impressed. I thought with the extras the Limited offered it would be far better than the ES330 which I also cross shopped. It seems like even after test driving the Av you still are on the fence. I have not yet test driven the Av although I have driven the ES.

I would be interested in any other information you have about the Av. Did it have a Nav system and if so how did it work? I travel and would use one often.

fd1000 · February 2005

Just to toss another opinion on the heap...

A few years ago, I owned a 2001 Avalon XLS.

Went to the Lexus dealership, and drove the new ES330.

I am being completely honest when I say, I was more then happy to drive away with my Avalon.

I really did think that my Avalon rode just as smooth, maybe even smoother, and had just as much power (they have the same engines).

And, the ES330 seemed a little bit cramped compared to the 2001 Avalon (it should since the Avalon is huge in comparison).

To make a long story short, the ES330 to me seemed like a fancy Camry. (which is what it is)

Now with the new 2005 Avalon, it shouldn't even be close. In my opinion.

The BIG thing with me is the Laser Cruise Control, the AC seats, the Smart Key, and the power.

All that stuff, you can't touch for anything less than 45k. The 2005 Avalon is offering it for 37k.

I was going to buy a loaded Chrysler 300C, but the Avalon is nicer. Besides, I think if you chrome the Avalon's limited wheels, or put some nicer wheels on it, it would look just as good as the 300C.

I just couldn't live with myself driving a 300C thru traffic for 3 years, and wishing I had Laser Cruise Control, when the Avalon has it. Not to mention the smart key, so on, so on...

fd1000 · February 2005

If you really like waiting, I read that the new VW Passat will offer around 280+ hp, all wheel drive, laser cruise, dvd nav, ac seats, basically everything the new Avalon is now offering.

But won't be around until at least this fall.

Guess this fall I'll drive over in my new Avalon to take a look...

mackabee · February 2005

Future, I posted yesterday evening in jest that all Toyota dealers were having one Avalon dropped off at midnight. I wondered how many of our Edmund's members got in their cars to go check last night! Seems like some dealers got theirs today, we didn't as we were told by our district rep! : (

Dna, are you by any chance in the Southeast Toyota distributor region? Sound like you are by your description of the car. Here in my region there were a couple of Avalon learning tests online for Toyota salespersons. This is a requirement to get certified as a Toyota Salesperson although not all salespersons take the test due to high turnover. We usually wait to see if a salesperson is going to cut the mustard before adding them to the master roster and having them take the required tests.

Prince, thank you for the kind words.

: )

Mackabee

future1 · February 2005

fd1000:

"Went to the Lexus dealership, and drove the new ES330. I am being completely honest when I say, I was more then happy to drive away with my Avalon."

I had the same impression, when I test drove 2005 ES330 and the 2004 Avalon, one after another. The Avalon was just as refined, smooth, and quiet as the ES330, but I just felt better in the Avalon because of the extra space surrounding me. The other thing is, of course, that infamous Lexus laggy transmission, which I did experience in the Lexus, and none of that in the Avalon. As we know, the new Avalon does use the same tran as ES330, but according to the first Avalon test drives, it's nothing less of spectacular in how it works with the engine and delivers the power.

"The BIG thing with me is the Laser Cruise Control, the AC seats, the Smart Key, and the power".

I believe the seats are ventilated, not air-conditioned. That is to say, I don't think it will be cooled air blowing through the seats.

"I just couldn't live with myself driving a 300C thru traffic for 3 years, and wishing I had Laser Cruise Control"

That's interesting. I see the use of the laser cruise control on the highway, but never thought that it would be useful on regular roads with traffic, especially if it's "stop and go". Is that what you mean -- you intend to use it on regular roads, with traffic signals and stuff?

dna2511 · February 2005

fd1000,

I would have to agree with you on the es330 being a fancy camry. I do not think by looking at the car you say wow that's a lexus. Also, I'm

just sitting on the fence now. There are quite a few things I liked as good as the Lexus And a few I liked more. I still have to drive the limited. It should be more quiet than the XLS because of the dampening winshield. I would rather have the laser cruise,smart key and the power. The lexus I'm looking has the heat\cool seats. I believe that the sound systems are close together(Mark Lev--JBL synthesis). The nav on the lexus is far and away the better system(touch screen is awesome and the screen is bigger). There are a few little things between the cars that most people would consider trivial but not me. (lexus= tool kit, spot for loose change ect.)

For people who are interested in the XLS. When you add the JBL system, behind the little door on the bottom of the console is a cassette player in place of the ash tray.(I am assuming this because when my dad was driving today i was looking through the owners manual that showed thit

2005-2007 Toyota Avalon

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