Toyota Sequoia

hookey · August 2001

Icd1 - your are right on target. Every fee charged by the dealer is charged for "profit". It increases the dealer's revenue, or I guess more accurately it decreased the dealer's expenses. It is the same as if WalMart or McDonalds were to charge an "administrative fee" on each sale to cover its advertising costs or to cover its electricity bill. These are legitimate costs of doing business and could be passed on at cost (i.e. "no profit to the dealer"), but aren't these expenses part of their cost of doing business? I guess if they lowered the prices of their products and the final out of pocket price paid by the consumer was the same, then it wouldn't matter that they charged this fee separately instead of including it in the cost of their products.

I am of the opinion that unless the fee is disclosed by the dealer up front, prior the the completion of the price negotiation, that it is a sneaky sales tactic and inappropriate as the buyer generally assumes the costs of being in business is born by the dealer and paid for with the revenues generated by selling vehicles rather than passed on separately and on top of the vehicle price. If the fees, however, are disclosed up front by the dealer then both parties are on a level field as far as price negotiation is concerned. As several posters already stated, these fees are negotiable, depending on the supply/demand characteristics of the vehicle in question.

movan · August 2001

Dptbones--the ONLY thing the kit doesn't cover are the bottom of the switches where you place your fingers. To me it's hardly noticeable, and certainly to my and others' eyes who have seen the before/after, it's a big improvement. It's a Woodview kit, and I paid around $300.

Genghis721--Lexus also does a good job w/wood trim. My GS400 has California Walnut, which is also used in Rolls Royces--one of the best wood finishes I've seen. Ultimately, to each his own regarding preferences for wood vs not. But if you're going to name an SUV after a tree....

dptbones · August 2001

First of all thanks for everyone's opinions. That's what I was looking for, to stimulate some discussion.

I agree the wood trim is very subjective and I have not made any decisions. First I have to buy the Sequoia and for that I have to decide between thunder gray and black, so opinions are still needed for this. If you do well I'll start to ask for opinions on girls names as our third is due in a few months. (Hence the Sequoia purchase.)

The admin fee that the dealership is attempting to charge me is separate from the SE Toyota destination charge and SET administrative fees. I talked to another SE Toyota dealer and he confirmed it is pure profit. The second dealer said he charges $119. By the way it is Scott Bell at Tuscaloosa toyota in Alabama. If anyone is considering a purchase in that area please give him a call. This guy has told me from the start that he doesn't want to "steal" the local dealers business and didn't do anything but help me with option invoice pricing and answer specific questions that I couldn't get a straight anwser from the local salesman. When I asked him about the local administration fee he explained his fees and offered to better the current offer. I'm not going to get specific that's up to your negotiating skills, but lets just say I've read EVERY post on this bulletin board and no one has mentioned a better deal than Scott has offered me. If you want, email me at toyseq@yahoo.com and I've be more specific. By the way I'm not a dealer posing as a buyer. In fact I'm a surgeon in the Clearwater Florida area.

Scott was also helpful in giving me info on the 2002's as he has several on the lot. I've was ecstatic to find out that the metal tone trim on limited with oak interiors has been changed and now is a brownish color that looks much better according to Scott. He is going to email me a digital picture later today. If anyone is interested in the picture let me know.

Thanks again for everyone's help and keep the opinions coming.

Bones

lcd1 · August 2001

Here's an update on my AC problem. I took the Sequoia in. The service dept. kept it for two days. On the second day, they called me up telling me that the part needed for the repair of the AC (i.e. heater shut-off valve) is on back order. I will have to wait about 1 to 2 weeks. They will let me know so that I can bring the car in.

Well, it will be the fifth time that the car will be in for service on AC related problem. This is not counting other times that I dropped by to show them what the AC was doing or not doing.

From my experience, Toyota definitely has very low quality service.

tlpvp · August 2001

This is my first post to this message board, so be easy with your comments. I am in the market for a new Sequioa and have been doing all the research possible on this vehicle. I have read all the post to this site and have been quite impressed to the questions and responses to these questions. I live in Alabama and have had a hard time to get a dealership to work with me on ordering a vehicle with the PM package so that I can get the side air bag system. I did find a dealership in Knoxville that agreed to order me a vehicle at $750 over cost plus a $375 advertising fee. At the time the vehicle was ordered, the 2002 pricing was not available. I found out today that my vehicle will be built on 9/10 and the total cost is $35,610. Based on the invoice information that I got from KBB, my cost should be $33,608 plus $375 and $750. I am know being told that I have to pay a $625 dealer hold back, $242 finance reserve and a $10 TDA fee.

Does anyone know what these added cost are and any suggestions on what to do?

raybear · August 2001

Dealer holdback? That's below the invoice, shouldn't enter into the picture. You may be looking for a new dealer.

lcd1 · August 2001

While waiting for the heater shutt-off valve to be available, I'd like to know where this thing is and what it looks like. Could anyone help me out?

The dealer said it would take 1-2 weeks for it to come as there is a backlog. Does this mean that the part shortage is caused by existing defective ones? Could there me more problematic AC out there than people are reporting in this forum?

robh3 · August 2001

In my mind the dealer should have cannibalized that part off of another Sequoia (or Tundra if it's the exact same part) on their lot to install in your car. They can let the vehicle sitting on the lot wait the two weeks for the part. They shouldn't make an existing paid customer wait, especially given what you have been through on this issue already!

Heck, My mother had the headlight switch on her Mercury Sable station wagon break. She brought the car in, they didn't have the part in stock, so they took one off of a Sable on the lot (even against a sales rep's objections 'cause he felt he could sell that car that weekend. They took care of the EXISTING customer.

Now, granted it probably takes more work (labor) to remove this heater shut-off valve from a car than a headlight switch, but regardless you might suggest, or even demand, that they do this for you.

I am not a Sequoia owner but I read several topics so I can get real world feedback from customers of different car brands.

gratefuldad · August 2001

Icd1,

Did you see my post at 3449, not realy a description but might help you locate it. And yes, I have read about several others having the same problem. I'm surprised it took the dealer so long to diagnose it.

Good luck!

shweggy · August 2001

There is no reason you sure have to pay dealer hold back on an ordered vehicle. That is a fee the dealer puts up to it's lender per month for a car to sit on the lot. If the car is sold in under a month the dealer gets that whole amount back, but they don't tell you that. Even if you buy a car off the lot you should ask for the hold back to be removed if the car has been there less than a month. And a special order should not have any holdback at all.

sbell4 · August 2001

You have $1000.00 to invest in a company. The product you sell has a cost to you of $10.00 each. It cost you 30 cents each to cover overhead and packaging. Your cost is now $10.30 for each unit now. You could invest your money safely anywhere and earn a profit or you can take risk and liabilty for an opportunity to make a few more dollars so you decide to sell your product for cost ($10.30) plus clear profit of "x" amount over cost. Some of your product sells right away and some of your product sits on the shelf for a long time before it sells. You look at the big picture and average the total cost it is costing you to stay in business and add profit to that figure. Yes, even if you are making .30 per unit that is not profit. Admin fee is the manufacturer selling you the product they bought for $10.00 and selling it to you for $10.00 plus 2.5 cents admin fee. If you can only get the product form them there isn't anything you can do if you want to sell that product and plus teh manufacture will return that money in forms of advertising, incentives and support. Bottom line is that hold back is not a bad word and neither is profit and you need to find a dealership that will explain and answer any questions you may have so you are comfortable with your transaction. Hold back could be greatly reduced if people just looked at pictures of cars and said I want the green one and have it shipped directly in but most people want a wide selection with different options at a fair price and hold back is always part of the fair price and should not be seen as clear clean profit even though it is profit.

lcd1 · August 2001

I think it's a ploy to provide bad service to Toyota's customers so that the Lexus division of Toyota could look better. Just kidding.

People praise Toyota quality so much so I thought I'd give it a try. As it turned out, a $40K truck effectively costs much more as I have to spend so much time dealing with the service shop and Toyota Customer Relation. This will be taken into consideration when I buy the next new car.

I looked at the engine compartment and was not able to figure things out. My engineering degree was not helpful here.

Thanks for your response.

adebisi1 · August 2001

I just got thru talking to a salesman @Gateway Toyota in Ocean County New Jersey and was quoted a price of $43,400 for a Limited. The options and accessories are: Upgraded JBL system
Rear Spoiler
Moonroof
Daytime Lights
Curtain and Side Airbags
Cargo Cover
Cargo net
Glass Breakage sensor

He didn't fax me the invoice yet but I will give a breakdown of it tomorrow when he does.Tell me....is this a GOOD price?

Thanks!

crimson · August 2001

I purchased my LTD with these folks back in 11/00 and was able to get $2300 off sticker in addition to them eating 3 months of lease payment on my 'trade-in'. They're pushy, which requires you to be pushy in return. Also, watch out for the finance guys. They REALLY push hard to get you to pay for an extended warranty.

tillicum · August 2001

Purchasing Aug. 24 in Colorado with options: Premium JBL 6 disc CD, Side Airbags, Rear Spoiler, Day Running Lights, Moonroof, Glass breakage sensor, Floor mats with door sill protector , wheel locks for $41,958. This is $900 over invoice which included delivery and Regional TDA fee. This was as fair a price that I could find without traveling about 1,000 miles to purchase out of state.to save around $500-$600 more. What do you think--is this a fair deal? BTW it's Silver Sky Metallic with Grey Leather. Also, the MSRP was $45,590 so purchase price is $3632 off MSRP or about 8%.

mcmatt · August 2001

In the books, I only see a "water valve". It doesn't say heater shut-off. The valve I see is mounted with a bracket to the firewall right in front of the driver's seat. I will post if I see another candidate.

Someone said the rear unit had no shut-off valve, but there is a "water valve" which may indicate this is not the valve in question.

mcmatt · August 2001

There is a simple check to test the water valve. It is mounted on the firewall just in front of the driver's seat. You can set system to MAX COOL and MAX WARM and make sure the control cable moves the lever fully in both directions. If it doesn't, disconnect the control cable, turn the system to MAX COOL and move the lever all the way to the "COOL" direction, then reconnect the control cable while pushing up on the valve lever. This should put the correct amount of play in the cable.

lcd1- you might try disconnecting control cable and manuall moving the valve to the cool side to see if your A/C gets any better.

lcd1 · August 2001

adebisi1 · August 2001

Hey Crimson did they give you the free lifetime oil change too? I came in looking to order a 2002 Limited model but they had a black 2001 Limited on the lot with only 4 miles on it. Since it was one of the last ones they had as well as it being near the end of the month,they were VERY EAGER to make a deal last.They stayed open nearly 2 hours after closing to close this deal with me.MY MISTAKE!!

It was late and I was tired so I let a MAJOR trick slide pass me! Heh,I even feel ashamed....a little angry but it was my fault.Never go to do a deal when you're weary and tired cause that in turn affects you're thinking and reasoning ability(well for me anyway)! Oh well...that's one expensive lesson.

crimson · August 2001

Yes, the free oil changes is one of the perks. Not only that, but if I remember correctly they state that they give you 3 (or 4?) free changes per year, but the service guy I deal with has already given me 4 (or 5?) changes free and told me that as long as I don't need one every month, he'll accomodate me.

lcd1 · August 2001

This is not related to the Sequoia.

I had a BMW and took it to a dealer for its first service. Well, they didn't change the transmission oil and the differential oil as they were required to do. I discovered this when I crawled under the car to inspect it and found that none of the drain plugs' seals were broken. Needless to say, I have not visited that dealer ever since.

I guess paying for a BMW doesn't mean you'd get good honest service. As for my AC problem and dealing with Toyota, I think paying $40K for a good name brand truck also doesn't guarantee decent service either.

bbrown011 · August 2001

I hear a number of bad remarks about customer service and warranty issues with Toyota. I work at a Toyota dealership in VA and read about a lot of problems that wouldnt arise at my store. I am not saying that Toyota is perfect..... they aren't, but 99 % of the problems I read deal with a bad dealer and not a bad manufacturer. Dont hold it against Toyota that your closest dealer stinks, I promise it wont be that way for long. Toyota is currently doing lots to keep a better eye on dealers...things will change.

Something for you price hunters, Sequoias are more popular in some states than others. Rebates vary by region and so does the amount of profit each dealer hopes to receive. Asking people on the board what to pay is a good guide, but dont get upset if your price varies a bit.

dptbones · August 2001

Please Everyone read this, you don't want to miss it

I can't believe what i'm about to tell you. I recently became serious about purchasing my Sequoia limited. A nearby dealer offered me the vehicle at invoice plus $500 plus $399 for a clerical fee. I also had an offer of $300 plus $119 clerical fee at a dealership at a days drive from my home. Before I decide on what to do I decided to email all dealers within 250 miles an offer to match or beat the offers I had received. The following are two of the replies. I must admit all the other replies received to date have been polite refusals, except one offer to match $500 over invoice.
YOU MUST READ THE FOLLOWING EMAILS, YOU'LL LAUGH I GUARENTEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
David,

I have an even better offer.

How about $2,500 over in voice on any new 2002
Toyota Sequoia Limited.

These are just what the name says "Limited"
and our market has allot of demand.

BUT.. If there is a dealer out there that will sell it for that
price go, go, go, it is probably already sold.

Thank you for your time.

Below are all the ways to get in touch with me
if that dealer changes there tone when you get in the
door.

Jody Jordan
Internet/Fleet Sales Manager
Arlington Toyota
904 - 465 - 4422
10939 Atlantic Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32225
JACKSONVILLE'S VALUE & VOLUME DEALER!

OK, well that one was just a little rude, but acceptable. Now read this one...
Good Morning David,

I recently resigned from the position of Internet Sales Manager at one of
the Toyota dealerships you sent your email to. For the time being, I can
still access my old email account. When I read your request for a quote on a
2002 Sequoia Limited, I thought, having been on the inside, I could help you
out. First, you are a god****** weasel. If some one is going to give you a
Sequoia Limited for a nickel over cost, BUY IT!!! You are willing to spend
almost $40,000 and you are trying to chisel it down a lousy $200??? How did
you get your twisted system of value? Were you raised during the Depression?
On-line auto sales are designed to be a convenient alternative to traditonal
showroom/lot shopping; a no haggle experience. It's not there so you can
save an additional .005%. Just so you know, everyone who got your email this
morning has printed it out and passed it around and remarked on what a
no-good,cheap-***, chiseling weasel you are. Someone will do the deal.
You'll come in, they'll be friendly, smile. But they will hate you. When you
leave they will ridicule you. They'll be right to do this, because you won't
even be happy with your ridiculously short-*** deal. People like you are
nver happy. You'll complain about your service, wonder if you could have
chiseled another $200, give the dealer a bad survey, etc...

Then again, you may be a perfectly lovable human being who just happens to
be a little misguided. So, do yourself a favor, take the remarkable deal you
already have. Appreciate it, and don't embarrass yourself with petty
chiseling.

A. Fitch

WOW, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. How many time do you think people overpay for cars because they have NO CLUE. I should feel guilty because the playing field is now level and I know what's going on. I mean they have a point, I'm getting a good deal, but they are also making money. We all know about holdback, I'm learning also about something called financial holdback and then there's the clerical fee at the dealership.

David Thompson

lcd1 · August 2001

Wow! I thought I had dealt with bad salespeople. These sales folks are rough!

Thank goodness that I only had to deal with a few salespeople and most of them were very decent.

Thanks for your story.

norwesterner · August 2001

I'm about to purchase a Sequoia in part because of the lack of problems with my 94 Camry. Had a Terrible experience purchasing the car. And not much luck with the service department.

Knew what I wanted, saw an ad with pricing, went in said ok I'll take that one and the management decided they needed an extra $500 over the advertised price. Three hours later after being browbeaten and intimidated nearly physically I finally drove off with my car at the original advertised price.

I refused to walk back into a Toyota dealership but finally did for a major service around 50,000 miles. Took a 150 mile trip and smelled oil burning, thought it was just spilled on the manifold but finally figured out they had over filled it 1 full quart. Took it back and they said no problem it will just burn off don't worry about it. The 150 mile trip was to my mom's, she doesn't drive any more and had some windshield washer fluid so I thought I'd top off, it took 3/4 of a gallon so the major service hadn't even checked it ...and then the parking brake light kept coming on and I thought it was just an adjustment, found out it was low on brake fluid so they hadn't topped that off either.

I, needless to say, am not very impressed with Toyota dealerships. I have an interesting e-mail similar to dptbones, I'll try to find it and relate it to you.

The place I bought the Toyota is no longer in business, the place I had it serviced was Burien Toyota in Burien, Washington, just south of Seattle.

dptbones · August 2001

Just to update you all. I sent an email to A. Fitch who went postal on me and he/she apologized. I think they are a frustrated sales person who sees the writing on the wall about the internet and information. Profit is going down and I doubt the owners are splitting things fairly with the staff. In fact, I think these "clerical" fees are a direct attempt by owners to squeeze the profit away from the sales staff. Think about it. They are mandatory. I'm told that even employees have to pay it, they can't be waived. The clerical fee is not shared with the sales staff (I've been told this directly by my salesperson.) So it goes directly to the owners.

I think I'm done dealing. If I push this too much more, someone may hunt me down...

Good luck with everyone's purchase, I'll let you know how things turn out.
Bones

adebisi1 · August 2001

They go beyond the stated 3 per year? NICE!

Tell me.... when you received your customer feedback card what did you rate them? I don't think I'll be giving them an excellent rating though because they could've eaten the motor vehicle,registration etc. fees($1000) to kind of alleviate the tricky crap they pulled!But like I said it was mostly my fault for trying to deal late into the evening while being weary.

Lastly,what town do you live in? I'm up in Brick town.

oac3 · August 2001

will like to contact you in person. can you send me your contact info at

thx

crimson · August 2001

Toms River

jarco_john · August 2001

Bones,

Can you please send me the pictures of the interior or tell me where I can download them? I was thinking of buying the Limited, but one of my major obstacles is that ugly metal finish. I would love to get a wood grain finish sort of like the Toyota Avalon, that would be beautiful! What kind of a deal did you get? I am a systems analyst from San Antonio, TX and I am weighing the differences between buying from one of several dealers in town (as a walk-in) or going over the Internet. Either way, it looks like I will have to order because there is not very many too look at on the lots over here.

I am just really nervous about what color to pick. I have seen the Thunder Gray, but it just does not appeal to me as it changes color. If it would just stay gray at all angles, it would be perfect. I am leaning toward the SR5 also because I like the two-tone look and how the fenders offset the main color (or do you think it is cheap looking). So far, my favorite colors are Chestnut, Jade and Red (in that order). One major problem though is that I am colorblind and I dont want to get something repulsive to everyone but me. :-)

John

jarmstrong2 · August 2001

Earlier in the year I purchased a Limited in the Silver sky with everything on it. I love this SUV. But the metal grey dash turned me off. I purchased a wod dash Kit from Woodview thru tundrasolutions.com It cost $330 including shipping. I had a friend that works in a detail shop that also installs SEQ wood dash kits. He brought over a wood piece to compare to the woodview kit.
After 20 minutes or so we could not tell the difference. But the wood dask kit costs over $1000 and is very hard to fit the contours of the dash.He installed my woodview kit and it looks beautiful. It really classes up the interior even with the grey leather. I highly recommend this kit to anyone who wants to upgrade his or her SEQ.

norwesterner · August 2001

Walk in or internet?

Go to the Toyota web site and you can get the e-mail address for the dealers in your area. Figure out exactly what you want, send an e-mail to everyone in the radius you feel comfortable with and negotiate only through e-mail. Don't call them until you have everything and the price you are looking for in an e-mail from them. Ask for the total amount, taxes, fees everything before you go in to write the order. If they make any changes once you are there in person walk on them and keep trying. If you walk in off the street you're playing on their playing field, playing their game and you're going to loose. Good luck!

dptbones · August 2001

Send me an email and I'll send you the pictures I have. They are dark, but there is a picture of the old type silver trim for comparison so you can see how much better it looks. Note that it is only in the tan leather interior of the limiteds. The gray leather interior has not changed. I have seen the new trim color myself now and I would no longer bother putting wood trim over it as I think it looks good.
My email address is thompsbonedoc@yahoo.com

I agree with norwesterner on tactics. I can tell you that with the internet I feel like I'm in the driver's seat (excuse the pun). It has turned the whole experience into a pleasure. I have more information about the vehicle than most salesman know so I operate from a position of strength.

One thing though, first go in and see the limiteds, the SR5s, the different options, the colors, and do the test drive. Take the salesmans card and promise to call back, but don't give out your phone number. If anything give out your email address. I established a separate email address on yahoo, just for the purposes of making this deal. I can simply wipe it out when I'm done so I don't get those emails 10 weeks from now about a new "deal".

Good luck
Bones

gwkiser · August 2001

Please email me directly so we can talk. I am not a dealer, or associated with one (beyond buying our Highlander from one here in San Antonio). < gwkiser@yahoo.com >

aboyne · August 2001

What is up with that ugly metal dash on the limited. We have been looking for weeks and want the limited but not that horrid dash. So I did some research... a company called Superior Dash makes a molded wood grain option that they will only sell to toyota, but I don't think that it is available yet. PART NUMBER IS OCOMD and will be available at toyota-parts.com in about a month. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find in the Black/Oak LTD that I just bought yesterday that they also offer a darker brown color instead of just the metal. I love my new Sequioa.

triple_b · August 2001

Just got my new '02 Black/Oak LTD yesterday. It has the Brown/Bronze hammertone trim. Matches much better with the Oak then the Silver hammertone did. Been reading the board for quite awhile, thanks to all for the posts. Loving the new truck!!

d2000one1 · August 2001

Just test drove a Sequoia Limited today. I don't know if my expectations were too high, but I walked away disappointed. I've also driven GMC's Yukon but I walked away from my test drive feeling very good about it. The Yukon fit me better than the Sequoia. Even though the Yukon has less room in it, it was more comfortable to me. It's like the vehicle was designed for me, a 6'4" 200lb man!!

I don't have anything bad to say about the Sequoia, just the fact that it's not made for me. Even if the Sequoia fit me better, it would not justify the $5000 difference in sticker price. My hard earned money will be spent on the Yukon.

norwesterner · August 2001

Sequoia VS Yukon.

It's good you're saving the $5000...you're going to need it.

I went through the same dilemma and my wife said it's worth the extra money knowing that we won't have the problems.

We currently have a JGC with 90,000 miles and it's left us dead in the water 3 times

I have two young boys and I truly believe the Sequoia will stand up better in a crash in the event that ever happens and I also believe the Sequoia will run much longer and much more trouble free.

Good luck with your Yukon.

d2000one1 · August 2001

I've owned both imports and domestics and I must say that my experiences with the domestics are much better. My most recent vehicle is Japanese... a Mazda Millenia. Consumer Reports and all the other auto mags, websites, etc rated it very highly in terms of reliability and performance. Here's my experience.

It has 149,000 miles on it and I've had to replace the computer chip (at 105,000 miles but Mazda felt so badly about it that they paid for the part and I paid for the labor). The radiator cracked and the water pump went out at about 100,000 miles, the supercharger is leaking oil (which will cost about $4500 to replace), and the transmission badly needs to be replaced (about $3000). Replacing the timing belt costed me $1000 also. All scheduled maintenance was performed on time.

I also have a 1993 Chevy Cavalier that I've owned since Nov. 1992. It has 150,000 miles on it and I've replaced the battery twice, the starter once, and the ignition switch. Total cost of repairs is about $600!!! That is what I'm driving now while I decide what's the best route to take with the Millenia.

I also had a 1994 Pontiac Grand Am. The only thing I ever did to it was change the oil and I replaced the shift cable for the 5-speed. It finally died at about 195,000 miles.

My point is that I don't see how foreign cars(ie Japanese) are so superior to domestics. I know people who have horror stories about Camrys, Accords, E Classes, Buicks, Chevrolets, and Fords. I've had outstandingly good service from my GM vehicles, while my one Japanese almost put me in the poor house. When the Japanese has let me down, I had to turn to my good ole reliable Chevy. I'm more inclinded to buy GM because of my prior experiences.

Thanks for your advice!

corsicachevy · August 2001

I don't much care for SUVs, but am an admirer of Toyota products (at least from an engineering stand point).

I have a question about your last post, however. What does a Jeep Grand Cherokee have to do with a GMC Yukon? Are you implying that your one experience with a domestic SUV is grounds for labeling all domestic SUVs as unreliable? That would be like me saying - "Don't get that Sequoia. I used to have a Mitsubishi Montero Sport and boy did it stink".

norwesterner · August 2001

The three cars you listed have 494,000 miles on them in total since around 1993. That's around 55,000 miles a year which tells me they must be road miles. Most people don't put those type of miles on a car, it's more stop and go city driving. That's much rougher on a vehicle.

I spent 14 years on the road with a clothing company and had similar luck. 1974 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 147,000 with no repairs. 1979 Datsun 280ZX, 165,000 with only a belt change. 1982 911 140,000 needed a starter in the first 3 weeks then nothing. 1983 ford van which I still have just turned 180,000, 2 starters and a clutch and a carburetor float.

My current 94 Camry has 70,000 and the antenna stopped going up and down a couple weeks ago, other than that I haven't even had to put a battery in it! My wife drives the Jeep. We like the vehicle but viewing its crash test and knowing the reliability we won't buy another.

One of the things that is offered on the Sequoia that I don't see with Ford or Chevrolet is traction control and stability control. In the Northwest where we get a couple rainy days and spend a considerable amount of time in the mountains in the snow, for the safety of my wife and kids it's well worth it for my money.

lcd1 · August 2001

As suggested by mcmatt and doggy at www.tundrasolutions.com, I check my valve to see if the cable connect to it has enough slack to allow the valve to close completely or not. Well, I discovered that my heater shutt-off valve as partially opening because of the cable. I adjusted the cable and was able to make the AC 3 degrees cooler. The whole task took 2 minutes and with no tools.

It's not a whole lot but I can feel the difference between 45 and 48 degrees.

If anyone wonders if their AC is not working well, I'd recommend checking for 1) freon level 2) heater valve cable 3) heater valve itself.

lcd1 · August 2001

George, a member of www.tundrasolutions.com, showed me how to test to see if the valve is defective or not. He says that if the inflow-tube and the out-flow tube connected to the valve are of about the same temperature when the valve is in closed position, the valve is defective.

heatwave3 · August 2001

norwesterner: traction control is available on 2wd F/S GM SUVs (Subs, Yukons, Yukon XLs, Tahoes, Escalades). The Escalade AWD, Denali and Denali XL come with 38/62 full time AWD with a rear and center limited slip diffs negating the benefit of traction control. The Escalade AWD also comes with StabiliTrak, GM's brand of stability control.

jarco_john · August 2001

I finally did it! Thank you to all your input and opinions. Gwkiser was right... it was better to purchase the SUV through the Internet. I tried to tell the salemsan I wanted to buy the car at invoice + $1,000. He then politely said that that is not even close to what they could sell it for and went on to tell me about supply and demand (yada, yada.)

Then I Emailed Cavendar Toyota in San Antonio, TX an offer letter with VIN (yes, the vehicle was in stock) I offered $42,000 for the fully loaded SEQ (EVERYTHING on it - even that funky spoiler) He told me that he could not do that but he could give me invoice + 5%, which was basically $2,000 which was more than $3,000 LESS than MSRP. This was their fleet department, which was not even on the carlot grounds, to separate you from all the sales sharks.

They even sold me the Toyota 6yr/100,000 bumper to bumper (Platinum) warranty at cost of $1,100.00. Another dealer would not even tell me how much the warranty cost, he said it might be about 1,500 to $2,400 (probably depending on how much padding they needed.)

Bottom line is that I may have paid a little more than some on this board, but everything was out in the open and I did not need any boxing gloves. We worked from the invoice price as a baseline, not the MSRP. And I did not have to order it – it was the only one on the lot. Here is the breakdown:

2002 Toyota Sequoia Limited 4x4 Thunder Gray, Leather, moonroof, 6CD changer, heated seats, etc (the works)
$41,543 Invoice price (includes destination charge)
+ 5% (around 2,077)
+ state/auto fees in TX (only $84.00 registration) Eat your heart out CA!
+ 2,721.46 sales tax (6.25%)
= $46,533 total
+ $1,100 6yr/100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty
= $47,633 out the door. (no trade in)

Oh, I asked about the free lifetime oil changes and he told me that there is no such thing. He said that the dealer will just add the price to the vehicle somewhere else and charge you for it weather or not you use it.

He said that this kind of deal can be had through various fleet buying programs such as AAA auto club, Sams club, USAA auto club, etc. Some models with less demand are slightly above invoice (such as the Camry.) He said the Sequoia may sell closer to invoice in 1.5 to 2 years as supply increases and demand decreases.

jarco_john

gwkiser · August 2001

Congratulations on the new wheels!

lcd1 · August 2001

My latest trip from Northern VA to the mountains of West Virginia provided the following gas mileage data:

Driving to the mountains with 2 people, no luggage, and with AC on: 17.1 mpg

Driving home with the same passenger load with no AC on: 20.1 mpg.

gpm5 · August 2001

I am wondering, is the yukon 2002 going to still have the steering wheel to the right of center from the center of the drivers seat? I disliked having to lean to the right by 2 inches to be in front of the steering wheel. Why doesn't GM correct this mundane problem (in the 2000 and 2001), since it just means moving the seat over to the right. Is this a sign of poor quality workmanship? I felt like I was sitting in front of the side pillar in that truck and it felt closed-in in comparison to the sequoia. I'm not sure how anyone 6' or more would not get that same effect in the GM truck. Just my 2 cents.

heatwave3 · August 2001

gpm5: Don't know if the design flaw you saw in a Yukon was corrected or different in the 2001 GMC Yukon XL Denali, but my steering wheel is dead on center. I'm also not sure whether you are referring to a Yukon or Yukon XL but the XL (Sub) is larger than a Sequoia in every interior dimension both in the cargo area and passenger seating area.

mhnclt · August 2001

For those of you out there shopping.. I highly recommend bypassing the Dealer Salespeople and going directly through the Internet. Specifically through BuyAToyota.com. I got the same sob story from the Dealerships saying that I was crazy thinking I would get my Sequoia for what I thought was a Fair Value. I proved them wrong. Picking up my 2002 Sequoia LTD 4x2, loaded with Leather, Moonroof, 6CD changer, heated seats, spoiler, Toyo Guard Protection, Carpet Mats, Daytime Running Lights for $40,600 (including Tax, Tag, Title)... i.e, Out The Door Price! Feel very good about this car purchase.

Toyota Sequoia

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