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2013 and Earlier - Toyota Sienna Prices Paid and Buying Experience

Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
edited January 2014 in Toyota
Please continue posting your Sienna deals here.

Past Sienna price discussions:

Toyota Sienna-What did you pay?
Toyota Sienna-What did you pay? II

KarenS
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Comments

  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    We are about ready for the final step on an LE with TO--towing, UN (power windows etc.) bumper guard,and cargo net. I've read a lot of the back comments and it appears that Sienna's are now easier to purchase at lower prices than about 8 months ago, but where does the profit come in for the deal (in other words) what do we watch out for when they say "we know you're using the internet and have invoice prices from Edmunds etc. so let's just cut to the chase, and here's our offer. How much room is there to negotiate? We know there's that $1,000.00 rebate on MSRP, but they state that doesn't affect invoice. Will we hit once we start to close with hidden costs? Help! We'd like to do this soon.
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    We are also looking for a Sailfin Blue, several available on the Milwaukee area, don't know where you are. We have heard that the towing package is an OPTION, my husband wants it because we travel a lot and he feels it's better for the tranny. Sometimes it's difficult to keep all the options straight, but if you look at my previous posting you'll see our description. Here in WI they are offering us this for 23,349 or 23,218, almost sounds to good to be true, but we've gotten this type of offer from 4 dealers, maybe they're slower around here or incentives we don't know about
  • edeldiceedeldice Member Posts: 3
    We got a Silver Spruce Metallic LE with UN (TO pkg was on the car but was told that the ones they have on site all do; they'd have to order one without....whatever!)

    We paid $24,031. Here's the breakdown:
    Sienna LE $22,148
    TO Pkg 128
    UN Pkg 271
    FIE 399
    Fuel 6
    TDA 398
    Destination 480
    ____________________
    TOTAL "Invoice": 23,830

    We paid $24,031. Difference: $201

    Of course I think the TDA (advertising) and the FIE (factory installed equipment) are a load of crap and are most likely just profit for them. Still, I feel it was the best deal I could get in my area (NYC metro area). I checked at more than one dealer to see if they could do better and they were all like "buy it from the other guy; I can't come close to that number let alone beat it."

    Should I have argued on the FIE and TDA charges?

    Tina
  • nuwave1nuwave1 Member Posts: 1
    I HAVE SPOKEN WITH SEVERAL DEALERS IN CHARLOTTE,NC. AND SEVERAL IN SOUTH CAROLINA..NONE HAVE BEEN THAT GREAT...FIVE STATES ARE HANDLED BBY ONE DISTRIBUTOR AND HE DICTATES.... ALL CARS START OFF WITH A $300..ADM FEE + $15 ADD DEST FEE(OVER $480) + MOST HAVE TOYO GUARD (INVOICE 399-454, LIST 599-699)...SO ALL THE PRICES ARE HIGH AND HIGHER.....I AM LOOKING OUTSIDE THIS REGION....I JUST GOT A QUOTE VIA THE INTERNET FROM A DEALER IN JOHNSON CITY, TN FOR 5% OVER INVOICE.??????(AT LEAST IT DID NOT HAVE AFORE MENTIONED COSTS......I THINK WE SHOULD START A BOYCOTT OF THE SOUTHEAST REGION.....

    I'M DRIVING MY WIFE CRAZY BECAUSE I KEEP HEARING ABOUT ALL THE GOOD DEALS....I JUST CAN'T SEEM TO FIND ONEEEEEEEEE.....
  • edeldiceedeldice Member Posts: 3
    Um, I never heard of that. Or an administrative fee. Nothing like that came up in my purchase in the New York City area this past Tuesday.

    Of course they did charge me for advertising (398) and for "factory installed equipment" (399) and for fuel (6). I think these dealers just come up with something to call their PROFIT when they know they're dealing with customers who have all the invoice prices and are doing their homework.

    Good luck in your car search!

    Tina
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    We are still waiting in Milwaukee area to see what the dealers will offer. We sent e-mails as have been suggested in previous postings,listing our requested price. Around here, they are offering 100-300 over invoice, maybe you southeasterners should try our northern climes. And yes what the heck IS Toyo Guard. Maybe they'll try and pull that on us once we get in, but they can tell that we've shopped around and used forums and info like this, and seem to realize that we'll walk.
  • zip9zip9 Member Posts: 1
    After using half a dozen Internet sites (autobytel, carpoint, carsdirect, cars.com ...) to send out request quotes, I finally got a deal I think it's "fair" from Toyota of Morristown, NJ.

    Here is the breakdown:
    LE invoice: 22148
    UN: 271
    TO: 128
    EF: 36
    N1: 190
    SK: 80
    Destination: 480
    Total: 23333
    Quote: 24000

    Will go and pick it up tomorrow (5/13). I hope
    the deal will go through.
  • jeff1962jeff1962 Member Posts: 4
    Can anyone recommend a good Toyota dealer (and salesperson) in New Hampshire? We are looking for a new Sienna and would appreciate any recommendations. Also, what kind of prices are you paying for an LE? Thanks!
  • quadfourquadfour Member Posts: 1
    what dealership and sales person did you deal with? thanks
  • edeldiceedeldice Member Posts: 3
    I dealt with Victor Varga at Toyota City in Mammaroneck. I have liked dealing with him, but frankly I'm irked about the "Factory Installed Equipmment" charge of $399. I should have argued it to get a lower price...although on the other hand I'm not sure how much lower I could have gotten anywhere else. I dealt with 3 different dealerships in Rockland and Westchester.

    Why? are you in this area? Where are you shopping? And what kind of quotes are you getting?
  • buffaloabbybuffaloabby Member Posts: 1
    For all of you who are being quoted prices for advertising, factory installed equipment,gas,etc., come to the Buffalo NY area. I ordered an XLE last month for $26,200. The breakdown is as follows on the invoice:
    Base: 23,930
    destination 480
    HE pkg: 1020
    TO 128
    EF 33
    total: $25,624

    the difference between the real invoice and what I'm paying is $576 and that is without all the garbage that they are throwing on to the invoices to make it look like you are paying only a couple of hundred of dollars over invoice, when actually you are paying closer to a thousand! So if your interested, I purchased mine from Downing Halls Toyota in Lockport NY. Stop and see Niagara Falls while you're here it's very close by. Good luck
  • mslynnmslynn Member Posts: 2
    Some of you Southeasterners might want to try Bohn Toyota in New Orleans. They will work with you over the internet - but get their phone number and call them. The woman that is listed doesn't return phone calls OR e-mails. I'm assuming she's not there anymore. If you ask for their internet specialist, he will talk to you - I received a GREAT quote - now all I've got to do is sell my car....Please let me know how it goes...it's not TOO far to N.O.; it might be a nice drive back in a Sienna though!
  • buycar5buycar5 Member Posts: 4
    How did that deal go? That looked about 3% over invoice, not bad. What was the name of that dealer?
    I too am in the South East. Got a quote on loaded XLE from a dealer in IN about 7% over invoice. I'm hoping to find better.
    What is this FIE? Is that only in the LE and CE, or are they sticking it to all models?
  • okskiokski Member Posts: 3
    It was a great Mother's day..she had her Sienna XLE...equipped with..LL pkg#4...WD sunroof wind deflector...rear bumper protector...dest charge..$26946 plus tax...
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    I inquired of the Clearinghouse for that $150.00 coupon and was informed that in the midwest region, they sold out two months ago. Shoot.
  • m3838m3838 Member Posts: 3
    HI.
    I sent one e-mail to about 25 dealers within 50 miles and got about 10 responces.
    In the mail I specified:
    CE base invoice -- $20 602
    Extra Value package - $847
    Tow package -- $128
    bumper protector - $40
    Invoice price $21617 plus 2%($432) over - $22055, to which I had to pay 8.5% tax at the end.
    plus delivery --$462
    plus handling fee - around $400 -- $23 000.
    Looks like the price I got was $438 over the invoice, but then I had to pay delivery and handling fees(including registration, licence etc.) My out of pockett expences were roughly $25000. Plus I got exended warranty for 5 years(100K mls) that was applied towards financing and lowered my interest from 8.9% to 8.5%, and increased my monthly payments from $300 to $330.
    The best offer was from Berkeley Toyota, I was given flat price, came over there and filled out the papers. End of deal.
    But the best part was the next day. If you are intrested, please read my follow up.
    Thanks.
  • dana20dana20 Member Posts: 1
    Can anyone recommend a dealer in Houston? I'd like to find one that will give a fair deal. Thanks!
  • m3838m3838 Member Posts: 3
    Hi.
    Well, when we were ready for test drive, fleet manager asked us to file the papers first and then to look at the car and drive it. If we will not like it - we will toss the papers. He didn't play any tricks - it was Mother's day and I arrived late at the lot. We (silly) agreed and when we were shown the car - we were a bit disappointed.
    There were some minor problems with it. The guy wanted to go home and started to pressing us a little. He didn't mention that garage was just across the street, so we could roam the lot and pick the car ourselves. He was just calling there and the car was delivered. Well, we bought it. My whife didn't like it, my home folks didn't like it etc., so when I came back to the dealer (to bring the keys from my trade-in and pink slip), I asked this silly question: "if it is possible to switch cars, because i accidentally dropped by the garage and saw white CE that I liked. Off course the manager said "no", I was not leaving, he explained it to me a couple of times, I explained to him why I didn't pick the other one the day before and finally he allowed to do that!
    Amazing! So now I have white CE that suits us perfectly!
    Soo, my great thanks and highest rankings to Berkeley Toyota's manager Tim, who showed real respect for the customer in very tough situation.
    His advice at the end was: NEVER sign anything sight unseen, even on Mother's day, and even at his own dealership.
    Berkeley Toyota, at 2400 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, CA.
  • eckn994eckn994 Member Posts: 3
    You paid for the handling and delivery fees for $400 and $462 (total of $862)? I believe the destination charge of $480 includes the 'handling' and 'delivery'. If this is the case, you paid more than 2% over invoice ($432). You really paid $814 over invoice. If there was a 'dealers-trade' involve, then I see that they could possibly charge you for such fees, but not as high as $862.
  • bowden1911bowden1911 Member Posts: 2
    I am working with an internet sales manager in Dallas, TX who said I can get an LE at $100 over invoice. However, he is including the following additional invoice charges which I am not familar with.

    T.D.A. $ 247.00
    M.A.F. $ 323.00
    BASE VEHICLE HOLDBACK $ 430.00
    PIO HOLDBACK $ 96.00
    WHSL. FINANCIAL RES R $ 215.00

    The dealer assures me that any dealer has to pay these costs. Should I expect the invoice price to include these covering these charges?
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    It really sounds to me like the dealers are blowing smoke. I don't know whether Toyota charges the dealers on a per car basis, or whether this is just an estimate.

    Also, I thought "Holdback" was a credit to the dealers, not an extra charge. So I don't know what they're talking about.

    I suspect they're inflating the invoice to make you feel good about the deal you're getting.

    This is substantiated by one initial quote we've gotten that is very close (within $200) of our target price of 3% over invoice, less 2% holdback, plus destination charge, which comes to a profit of $700, which is not bad for filing paperwork.

    The best solution is to forget about costs and prices and just make it competitive. Develop your target price and keep on playing one dealer against another until they bottom out. When they do, you have your best price, and it's independent of what the car cost.

    We have just begun this process for ourselves. We are emailing dealers within about a hundred mile radius (we're in San Jose), have received about five replies so far, and are beginning the process of negotiating from there.

    Just ignore all the talk of their invoice and the MSRP, and open it up to bidding. Our approach will be to tell each bidder about all the bids that are better than theirs, but not the bids that are worse.
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    Does anyone know if the CA invoice prices are different from the other states?

    CA has different smog requirements, so I'm wondering whether perhaps the invoice prices are different. The Toyota dealers I've talked to so far are telling me the invoice prices are higher than my estimate, but I haven't drilled into what they're claiming is on the invoice.

    The Toyota web site shows the same MSRPs as the ones published by Edmund's, but I don't know if that tells me anything.

    Any help along these lines, thanks.
  • eckn994eckn994 Member Posts: 3
    Don't fall for that. If you did he knows that you are an uneducated buyer. He'll make you think that you're ahead by saying you're only paying $100 over invoice. But, in reality, you're paying way over $1,000 invoice. All those items you mentioned above are all bogus items. This so called 'Internet Sales Manager' is nothing but a spineless worm. This guy has no morales.

    Only pay for the following:

    1) Dealer invoice + negotiated profit to dealer (approx. up to 3%),
    2) Destination charge ($480),
    3) Tax + title and registration, and
    4) Nothing else

    Never pay for all the other non-sense stuff. If you don't feel that you're ready to negotiate, I suggest for you to read-up on 'How to buy a new car' from the library. I know because I did. Because of all the books I've read, I only paid $535 over invoice for my Sienna XLE with no Advertisement fees and all those fees you mentioned. Good luck
  • linda963linda963 Member Posts: 7
    Do you have the number for that dealer in N.O. or the internet address? And if you don't mind sharing, what great deal were you able to get and on what model? I am interested in the LE with UN. Thanks for any feedback.
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    Did you pay $535 over net invoice (less the 2% dealer holdback), or $535 over gross invoice (without the holdback)?

    I ask this because, as I mention in another post, I've gotten an opening quote that's 4% over net invoice. Seems pretty good to me, but then again, $535 for transferring a car from the delivery truck to you is also pretty easy money.
  • m3838m3838 Member Posts: 3
    Hi.
    I got my papers in front of me and clearly saw my mistake. The numbers were from different estimate.
    Here are my real numbers:
    Berkeley Toyota offered $23000 for CE with EV, Towing and bumper cover.
    If to break it down:
    base invoice 20602
    EPV 847
    Tow 128
    bumber cover 40 all together 21617
    -------------------------------------------
    included are:
    delivery 460
    TDA 247(?) all together 22324
    --------------------------------------------
    So I paid 3% over their "invoice" price.
    My mistake was paying those 3% profit AND 8.5% CA tax on destination charge and their TDA, which account to $1167, otherwords I overpaid about $130-135.
    All and all I paid $676 plus $130 -- $800 profit,
    you are right. Considering dealer has 2% hold back
    - they made awsome profit.
    Still, I don't consider myself robbed, because 3%, and even 3.5% above the invoice is pretty good price, and it's almost $2000 less than carOrder's.
    Besides, I was able to change car AFTER the deal was sealed!
    Hint. When you get your new car, don't rush to call your insurance. Wait for a day. If anything wrong will accure - you have the chance of going back to dealer and swapping cars, otherwise your car will be considered used.
  • zoltyzolty Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone recommend getting the extended warranty?
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    Extended warranties are a huge profit center for the dealership.

    It's not a warranty, it's an insurance policy, and a pretty expensive one at that, and one which is difficult to collect from.

    You're better off taking the money and investing it for the three years till your factory warranty runs out.
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    Stings, don't it, to know the dealer makes that much money?

    We're going to buy a car and basically drive it off the delivery truck. For shuffling paperwork and handling our check the dealership will probably make anywhere from $1000 to $1500, counting holdback and everything else.

    Sure seems like easy money to me. But something's got to pay for all those spiffy showrooms and sales managers that sit on their rears.
  • eckn994eckn994 Member Posts: 3
    I paid exactly 1.98% over invoice. I did not bother to negotiate with the 2% holdback they get from the manufacturer. I know Toyota and Honda consider their 2% holdbacks non-negotiatble. Other dealers that sells american made cars deal with their 2 or 3% holdbacks. I supposed I just got lucky getting that deal. It was a rough negotiating for five weeks but I managed to get what I wanted.
  • mslynnmslynn Member Posts: 2
    The website is Bohnzone.com and they normally offer 2% above invoice plus TT&L - that's it! I believe the guys name that I spoke to was Ben - he was very nice about it! One thing that I learned when I bought my last car: I figured exactly what I wanted, and the price I wanted to pay. I called the dealership that I wanted to buy from. I told them that if they would accept my offer with no other fees attached, I would be over to pick up the car. They guy checked with his SM and called me back within 15 minutes. It was a great way to buy a car. They held up their end of the bargain too! Good luck Linda - please let me know what happens!
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    The dealer holdback is funny. I think the dealers have it in their minds that the holdback corresponds to a direct cost (the cost of capital), and so is not part of the cost. But the fact of the matter remains that the amount they pay on the invoice is 2% less than the gross invoice amount, and how fast they turn over the inventory is up to them.

    In fact, we are offering to place a factory order. In this case, they would get our money thirty days ahead of when they finally pay the invoice, assuming they pay their bills in thirty days, so they're earning interest on our money for thirty days, on top of the 2% they're already getting from Toyota.

    The dealer cost is, in the final analysis, irrelevant. What counts is that you get the lowest price in a competitive situation, and it sure sounds like that's what you did. So you know you got the best deal you could, and the cost doesn't matter.

    For this forum's information, we are looking for a 2000 Sienna with UN UP TO EF. We have collected about ten initial bids and are proceeding from there. We will keep posting to this forum with our progress. Wish us luck!
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    Excellent price! Congratulations!

    Was there a tradein involved that made them more willing to do this deal?
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    In San Francisco Bay Area, we seem to be reaching bottom at 24,500 cash (excl $45 doc and TTL) for this vehicle. Maybe that's the price of living in sunny CA :-(
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    We've poured over these for weeks, so went really prepared. There was no trade, just two people who got a lot of help from all of you out there. Our gut instinct after numerous stops and e-mails was to deal with only two dealers at the end. We were ASTOUNDED at how wonderful the process was at Don Jacobs Toyota in Milwaukee, can't recommend them highly enuf. Good luck and good shopping to everyone else.
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    You didn't finance through the dealer, did you?

    Looks like we've hit bottom at 24,500. Even the Costco (Sam's Club to you?) price is 24,700. Only some of the dealers will get to that price, and nobody will beat it. Heck, one of the dealers stopped at 25,000. Let's see if any of the dealers has a change of heart overnight.
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    No, we financed through our credit union. What area are you dealing in? After reading all these postings (again) we find that the midwest seems to have the best prices. We actually had several dealers near this price. We went with the dealer/salesperson we felt most comfortable with. No pressure, knowledgeable, friendly, one of the few lots where a salesman didn't come running out when we looked at the van. We did follow advice from other postings, told them immediately that we've used Edmunds, actually knew more than some sales people, (see GAMES DEALERS PLAY here in Edmunds), spent about two weeks preparing, calling and saying, we'll get back to you. When we went to the dealers yesterday, we knew EXACTLY what we were willing to pay and what we wanted. Told everybody up front "we know you need a profit, but we'll go with whomever meets our price and treats us well." Two dealers, actually asked almost $1,000.00 more than what we paid. We didn't waste their time or ours.
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    We are trying to decide on extended service contract (extending to 6yr/75,000). We are planning on keeping vehicle, last new car purchase was in 1993. Realize that this is insurance and would probably do better investing the money and Toyota's reliability is pretty good, but right now in this region, the "Toyota Tent sale" is on and they are offering 'Platinum plan' (No deductible-covers most everything) for $590. The normal price is $890. Interested in hearing from others on extended service contracts. P.S. we are Chrysler owners (enough said).. OH yeah, still don't know what TOYO guard is??? from previous postings/ sounds like T.urn O.ver Y.en O.nce !!!
  • lakebreezelakebreeze Member Posts: 2
    A brief history of Toyota cars I've or a family member has owned.
    1985 Corolla 108,000 mi. 1 oil sensor replaced. Car totaled after another car ran a red light in 1993. (Body was in excellent condition- no rust- despite Wisconsin winters and parking outside.)

    1994 Camry 88,000 mi. Still running, no rust. 1 wheel alignment early on to correct bad tire wear.

    1985 Cressida 140,000 The power sun roof
    failed at approx. 40,000. Got rid of car when it became a 3rd car in a two car family and the right rear wheel needed replacing.

    1995 Avalon 40,000 My dad's car. No problems, rides like a dream.

    2000 Sienna 1,076 mi. Yeah, it's early, but what do think I can expect?

    The only maintenance done is brakes, belts, oil, and in the case of the Corolla and Cressida, mufflers too.

    All cars are in Wisconsin winters. Never bought an extended warranty. Keep your money. :)
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    That price you got is amazing -- to me at least. We've been bidding dealers against one another and have really hit a wall at 24,500. One of the out-of-town dealers grudgingly went down to 24,650 but then refused to go further. We have had several dealers match the price but none go further.

    We are in the San Francisco bay area. I suspect it's part of the price of living here as I got an immediate quote significantly more favorable from a Los Angeles dealer. I'm almost tempted to fly down to LA to pick up the car there.

    Regarding the extended warranty: No way would I purchase one ever again. I have once had one, and my wife has too, and they're not very useful, particularly for a car as reliable as the Toyota.

    Don't think of it as an extended warranty, think of it as an insurance policy. Do you really need to insure yourself against mechanical trouble in your new Toyota? Save the money, buy Toyota stock instead, and use it to pay for the repairs yourself should the vehicle ever break down.
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    Thanks for the input on warranty. You need to know our car history: Eagle Premiere (Renault/AMC/Chrysler mutt) extended warranty paid about $2500.00 worth of repairs, Chrysler Concorde, about $900.00 plus AFTER warranty work in the past year about $2,000.00 more. Can you figure out why we're buying a Toyota? Our fear is that our curse will extend to this van too. Our brain tells us you're all correct, but our heart is looking at that empty bank account. We still have time to consider. Lakebreeze, we're "Up Nort'" in Sheboygan...know about these winters, you made a lot of sense.
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    Worst case, you have 3 years / 36000 miles in which to save up $2500 for unexpected repairs.

    Look at it this way: you would be paying $600 for the warranty, right? Save another $50 a month for future repairs, and at the end of three years you will have $2400 saved up. Plus interest, which probably would contribute another $200 or so. So you have $2600 at the end of three years. That will pay for some pretty hefty repairs, which are exceedingly unlikely in a car as reliable as the Toyota.

    By far the most likely outcome is that you won't touch the car for ten years. Toyota knows this, and that's why they're willing to sell you the warranty for $600. They're still profiting handsomely.
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    The $24,500 for our LE with UN UP TO EF appears to be a solid floor. No dealers are willing to budge below that. It's almost like there's collusion: everyone's agreed to sell cars for $xxx above invoice, minimum. I had several opening offers at 24,600 that only went down to 24,500 and then stopped cold.

    I can recommend carsdirect.com as they did come in with $24,478, beating the other dealers by all of $22.

    I imagine we might be able to get a better price by walking out of dealerships. But I really don't know, and don't want to spend a whole lot more time with this.

    We did the whole thing via phone and email, and definitely found it worked better talking with the fleet managers / internet sales managers. They were able to deal, whereas a couple of times we got stuck with a salesman, who had to go to the sales manager to get everything approved. For what it's worth, the salesmen had by far the worse attitudes.

    I calculate the dealer is making $1,000 on our deal. That is assuming they do in fact pay $400 to Toyota for advertising, as they have claimed.

    Either way, it's not a bad day's work for them.

    Best of luck to all shoppers out there!
  • ash007ash007 Member Posts: 1
    Hi friends,
    I am in the look out for an LE in CT. I have contacted most of the Toyota Dealers in Connecticut. They all are quoting much above invoice. Is there any dealer in CT from where I can get around 2-3% over invoice? If you know some body please let me know.

    Thanks

    ASH
  • ewessonewesson Member Posts: 24
    The advice I offer regarding your situation is to forget about the invoice. Use it just to communicate to them that you know what you're an educated buyer.

    One of the risks is that you are quoted a certain percentage above an inflated invoice figure. Additionally, the invoice they show you is the gross invoice, which is actually reduced by 2% for the holdback. Read the previous discussions about what should and shouldn't be included in the "invoice".

    I recommend laying out a fairly standard configuration that you're comfortable with. The extras such as cargo net can be either added later or purchased aftermarket for probably less than the Toyota invoice. Then ask for quotes on that configuration. After you have collected a few quotes, challenge the highest quote to beat the lowest. Then challenge the next highest to beat the new low. And so on until you reach bottom.

    I felt it was important during this process to radiate niceness and gratitude. Getting confrontational with the people I was talking to didn't seem to help in the slightest.

    Also, check out carsdirect.com. They actually got slightly below my $24,500 price, but by that time I was already in final commitment with a dealer.

    For the extra step, go into the dealership with the final low, and go over the numbers with them. Then thank them politely and tell them it's more than you wanted to pay and walk out. If they bump the price down again, you have a new low with which to work. Of course, this step is a tiny bit risky and will be time consuming and difficult.

    My experience was almost eerie. We negotiated fine and then suddenly hit a wall at 24,500 for the LE with UN UP TO EF. No dealer would go below this price, though about half would match it.

    We will pay about $900 more than we would have had we lived in Wisconsin, about $400 more than if we lived in southern California, and about the same as in the eastern U.S.

    Good luck!
  • linda963linda963 Member Posts: 7
    I am in San Antonio and wonder how many Texas Sienna owners there are on this board and how negotiable the Sienna is here. I've been reading about people who get very good deals and people who have reached a floor in their area. Also, do most of you think you have to pay all those advertising fees etc. or will dealers knock those off?

    We just recently looked the Sienna and were impressed by the safety, reliability and quality of the van. We were originally looking at the MPV and liked what we saw, especially the magic seat, we think it might be better for us to pay a little bit more (hopefully, "little!") for the Toyota reputation.

    Thanks for any help.
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    You may really have a good price, sounds a BIT low but follow everyone's advice and work the REAL invoice. See our posting #34. This was the first offer from one dealer, others we had to haggle with several times to get near it. It was clean and simple. Everyone does seem to pay TDA (Toyota Dealer Advertising), it varies from region to region as to how much. Check with at least one other dealer as a back up. If the invoice they're quoting is the same as Edmunds's and you just add $100.00, maybe they're just slow moving in your area and you can believe it. We were at about 1.5% over invoice. Edmund's has a "Fair Price" formula you can use for an idea of what to expect, but some of us are doing better. And yes, of COURSE, they're still making money, don't worry about them too much.
  • tzstzs Member Posts: 17
    Please, I'm staying awake nights...can somebody PLEASE tell us what Toyo-guard is?
  • tmnkwdtmnkwd Member Posts: 4
    The Toyota marketing department discovered that people were losing interest in their cars and the buying process as they slept. So, the masterminds came up with Toyo-guard. With Toyo-guard, you will now lay awake at night thinking about Toyota. It is just one of the many ways they try and brain wash us ;-)
  • mgripsmgrips Member Posts: 1
    Hi everyone,

    We discovered that you can indeed buy a Sienna @ invoice.
    We visited Dry Ridge Toyota in N. Ky. and let them know going in that we were looking for an "Invoice deal". (No trade-in).
    The price we paid for our XLE was $23,930 plus we paid invoice price for all options:
    LL...$2298
    TO...$128
    SK...$80 + $68 install fee*
    RB...$365 + $140 install fee*
    SD...$33 + $14 install fee*
    EF...$36 + $27 install fee*
    * The van came from the factory without these items, and we paid the dealer to install 'em...
    seemed reasonable to us.

    So, do your homework and stick to your guns!

    mgrips
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