When I ordered, a month ago, they were saying they could have them in 3-6 weeks. Now they seem to be saying 2 months+. I think what's happening is that more and more people hear about the new Sienna's and want them. I think it will take a long time before the demand slows down.
Yes, it was the 8 digit temp. VIN# but we were told when it goes into "F" status the 8 digit temp VIN# would be the last 8 digits of the final VIN#. But in this case, the final number was completely different. We have a feeling we are getting a totally different vehicle than what was agreed to. Is it true that the 8 digit temp VIN# becomes the last 8 digits of the final VIN#?
No the temp VIN and the actual(final) VIN are not the same. To verify this I just reviewed several of my old inventory sheets (including Sienna's).
It should be the same Sienna that they originally indicated.
Was it a salesperson or manager that told you that the last 8 digits stayed the same ? If it was a manager, I'd be worried about what else they don't know if they don't even know how to track their inventory.
Well, we purchased over the weekend our XLE FWD with the GJ, CF, FE, DH, V2 options for 1000 over invoice, $32991. Really 1565 over dealer cost when you account for holdback (not counting any spiffs I don't know about). This XLE was one used as a demo van ("Brass Hat" as they called it). That's the only reason they would go below MSRP. It seems most Siennas in No. CA are going for MSRP. The van we purchased had 2600 miles on it. So far, it drives great. I like it much better than the Odyssey that we had.
After contacting 20 dealers in PA. I found 18 dealers saying one of two things. One, when your ready to pay MSRP, give us a call. Two, we MIGHT be able to get the vehicle you want for a good price in August. The 19th dealer would only come down $1000 off of MSRP and the 20th was who I went with. I placed a $500 deposit on a XLE, dessert sand mica, packages GJ and Z1 for delivery in Aug/Sept. I payed $32,533 on a vehicle that has a MSRP of $35,589.
Here is a breakdown of what I paid. I hope this helps.
I checked out a dealer that some stranger on this board (blanfordm) recemmended and low and behold he did have the lowest price (so far). A plain old XLE in the color I want for roughly $1000 below MSRP. You may e-mail me or I guess blanfordm) and I can pass his name & # along. The problem for me at this point: 6-8 week wait moves us out beyond summer vacation time; wait 2 months (anyway) and prices may be better. Also, in Dublin, GA there was not an EASY delivery option other than us driving two cars there to pick up and my wife would probably get the nice drive back in the van while I drove the crummy Buick home. But this guy was straight up, e-mailed me the "best price" as the first price, and I saw no games or tricks. But I did not order, so no deal is complete.
There have been a couple of questions re: Dealer Holdback and Wholesale Financial Reserve. It turns out that the Edmunds.com Base Invoice price includes these two numbers. For e.g. take winedogs numbers in Post#1410 of 1411
Edmunds.com Base Invoice Price for an XLE model (and using the zipcode for Pittsburgh 15222) is $25150.
And, for a good idea of the TDA click the link for Invoice price in Carsdirect.com's numbers. It will tell you the approx. TDA is included in the invoice price. In the case of winedog's XLE, it says its $540 (Actual paid by winedogs is $510).
So, total profit for the dealer is around: Dealer Holdback:$565 Whsl. Financial Res. $ 282 Profit: $850 Minimum Total Profit: $1697
If you add in the "actual" TDA amount, and any other incentive that Toyota is giving Bennett for moving large volume, then the total profit probably nears the $2000 range.
Of course, that means the other dealers are making off like bandits with $4500+ when they charge MSRP.
I've seen a bunch of recent posts saying you can't get a 2004 Sienna in Northern California for less than MSRP. Before you write out a check for MSRP, read my post (#1249).
I live in Santa Clara and got a deal almost a month ago that isn't as good as some other deals around the country, but was between $1200 and $1500 off MSRP, depending on how you look at it. Salesperson and entire process was a pleasure. You just have to be willing to drive to Dublin Toyota (about 45 minutes from Santa Clara) to pick it up. You can email me if you want his name. Be sure to go through internet sales. Just email him with exactly what you want, and he'll quote you his best price, no games.
Post-mortem. I've had my Sienna for almost 3 weeks now. It is *awesome*! I also chose the 7 year extended warranty and ditched the prepaid maintenance. I figured with all the gadgets like seat warmers, dvd player, and traction control, it would be worth it.
"I saw no games or tricks. But I did not order, so no deal is complete."
I know exactly how you feel and good for you for being cautious. I hope your deal, wherever you buy from, turns out great.
When I dealt with the salesman from Pitts Toyota in Dublin, GA over the phone and via e-mail, he was so straight forward to me, I constantly expected there to be some surprise waiting for me. I asked every question I could think of and even politely told him that I was skeptical of most car dealers. He just answered that he could tell.
Fortunately, the only surprise for me, was that there were no surprises with the deal. He sold the exact vehicle I wanted in the color I wanted it, on the day I wanted it, for the price I agreed to.
And to me, it got to the point, where one reason I wanted to buy from Pitts was because it was such a relief to be able to stop dealing with shifty salespersons. I got so tired of negotiating with other dealers who would tell me one thing to get me interested, and then offer me something different- I guess, thinking they had reeled me in far enough, that I would just take whatever they gave me.
As I said, I hope whoever you buy from, it works out great.
I am looking to buy an LE 8 with package 4. I have color preferences but it is not critical. It looks like the Southeast Region has a fair amount of LE8s and a few with the options I want.
I've spoken with someone at Heyward Allen Toyota in Athens Ga. They don't have it on lot but could request it from the pool. Has anyone had experience with that? How likely are they to get it?
I'm feeling a little better about my recent XLE purchase. My purchase price was 32991 (before TTL) with a MSRP for that van of 36075. Looking from the MSRP side of it that's 3084 under MSRP. Mine was a "brass hat" demo unit with 2600 miles on it. It came with the 1.25" DPS hitch but I needed a 2" receiver hitch. I just ordered a "Hidden Hitch" for $142 and it was delivered yesterday.
It's ok to name dealers - we just draw the line at salespeople's names. Mostly because we get salespeople posting what a great deal they got from themselves. Or someone is trying to get a kickback/bird dog fee and the salesperson isn't really so hot. Thanks!
I just took delivery of my 04 Sienna CE with AI package in NC which I ordered on 3/15. Fayetteville wouldn’t budge from sticker. Sanford offered 200 off sticker. Pinehurst offered to split difference between sticker and invoice. Rice Toyota in Greensboro offered 500 over invoice. Raleigh stated that they wouldn’t be willing to entertain a discussion below sticker (not kidding). Sanford and Fayetteville called back to try and re-negotiate but I told them I already made deal with Greensboro. Great dealership. Great sales manager. Great salesman. Breakdown:
CE: 21,216 AI Package (#3): 1,388 Destination: 510 Floor Mats: 56 Tax, Tag, Title: 777 SE Toyota Distributor Fee (Ouch! But it’s legit here): 565 Dealer Profit: 500 Total: 25,012
LE - Package #6 with - Cargo Nets - Floor Mats - Hood Protector - Wireless Head phones - No Trade - $26,000 + Uncle Sams share - Ordered with the color I wanted.
We signed the deal six weeks ago. I have another two weeks of waiting before we receive the van. Thanks for all those who posted before me. Happy hunting if you are still looking.
Sorry, didn't understand nor read the rules for posting dealer's or salesman's names here. I'll try to get it right this time.
Regarding purchasing an XLE with package #14 in Illinois below MSRP. I ordered an XLE with package #14 for a little over $1800 under MSRP two weeks ago from Midtown Toyota on the northwest side of Chicago. The salesman I dealt with was very friendly and helpful, and even fought for me to get the price for under MSRP.
trevork - we just purchased a 2004 Sienna XLE package #3 in Arctic Frost White. MSRP for the special color cost was $250, our price at 2% over invoice was $187. Check out my message at #963 for more details.
We just took delivery on our 2004 Sienna XLE and its wonderful! Drives like a dream and looks terrific. If anyone is looking for an excellent deal on an '04 and can find Lawrence, Kansas (about 30 min. from Kansas City) - you can go to Crown Toyota and probably get a great deal at 2% over invoice like we did with NO HASSLES. (see message #963) For those who don't live near Kansas City, it might still be worth the drive if you can save $2 - $3K on the van. Send me an email and I will be happy to give you our salesperson's name and phone number!
I pretty much wanted a no frills CE, and so my local dealer (in northeast MO) ordered one for me. He ended up trading for what I wanted: CE with Package 2 and Accessory Package 1 (floor mats, cargo nest, first aid kit) The MSRP is $24,209, but he gave it to us for $22,985.
Just wondering about all these good deals. Are there trade ins involved? If so are you getting Blue book trade in values? Are you paying cash or getting financing? And is it worth a six week wait now that summer is here and the kids are getting out of school?
We live in Central Florida and have been told by a few dealers that the SE region (FL, GA, AL) aren't getting any 8 seaters until late summer. The fellow at 1-800-GOToyota wasn't much help, either. sasas1 mentioned that the "Southeast region has a fair amount of LE8s". Can anyone tell me where I can get an 8 seater (preferably w/ pkg#4) in Florida or a neighboring state sooner rather that later? Thanks!
I have looked everywhere and I can't find anyone willing to budge from MSRP. I have deposits on 2 xle's right now. One for a GH package and the other for a GJ. Delivery is a week for the GH and a month for the GJ. I only got MSRP. Also, I didn't get much for my trade-in so they are screwing me both ways. Anyone else hear of anything? I like the Salsa Red color....
If you look on the Atlanta Toyota and Toyota Mall of Georgia websites they have several 8seaters listed. I have no idea if they are really there, of course, but you could email or call. If you look on the page that says we have access to 900 vehicles in the region, there will be tons listed. It doesn't sound like your dealer was willing to look. Good luck!
I went to Toyota.com and put in several different zipcodes. If it is a Southeast one, you get a pop-up screen that shows the available vans in that dealersip and what they have access to in the region.
Heywood Allen Toyota explained that the SouthEast region is a Distributorship that the dealers get their vans from. The dealers don't get them directly from Toyota.
You can configure your van and see what they have. There were over 130 LE8s. Only a few w/pkg 4, but still others might work for you. All delivery dates seemed to be early June.
I 'm still hoping to hear about experience with Heywood Allen Toyota!
I talked with every dealer in the greater Pittsburgh area. ZERO dealers were willing to move off of MSRP right now. The demand currently is much higher then the inventory available. They all gave me different time lines (3 months to a year)as to when the dealers would start coming off of MSRP.
There is a dealer in Johnstown that told me they would come down a $1000 off of MSRP on a loaded XLE in August.
I few people in Pittsburgh, including myself went to Bennett in Allentown. They are $850 over invoice and only taking orders for August/September delivery.
One dealer in Boston told there is one CE 8-seaters incoming. Of course, they will sell it at MSRP. It will be built on 6/2/03 and properly takes a week or two for arrival. It is not the LE that we want. I don't care about the power sliding door (had problem with the Odyseey). So I can live with the CE.
Anyway, they told 8-seater is hard to find in New England region. Because the Sienna production just started in February. They only made few 8-seaters. I checked out the "Build you own" feature on the Toyota website. They don't show any 8-seaters any more in my region. Then I used another zip code in the west. They showed only LE 8-seater, no CE.
BTW, anyone has a Sienna brochure beside the e-brouche?
I finally decided on a deal for 2K off MSRP for a 2004 Sienna XLE FWD w/Pkg 16 (everything except Nav and 17" wheels).
I contacted many dealers in the area and found many were unwilling to even give a quote. Those that did were at least 800 off MSRP (except one that would not budge off sticker). One actually offered me 2.2k off MSRP, but I really did not trust that guy so I went with the deal I felt more comfortable with.
I would try Fairfax Toyota, they have several in stock (6-8). At least get a contact, they don't seem to be selling at their location, and maybe they will be willing to get them off their front stoop. Tysons Toyota was trying to sell me a pre-order van, and was willing to give me all my accessories for nothing. I worked with a guy in the internet dept. Warning, they will call you daily, which can be a good thing if you run across something better and tell him what you got, he will try very hard to get you to buy from him. The last I heard from Tysons is when I told him I had found a dealer in Pa (Bennett) who was offering a very good deal. He said, "is it worth driving all the way up there to save a few bucks?" I told him it was more like a couple thousand bucks, and that was that. I am not in a huge hurry and my van is expected to be in Pa 2nd week in June. Patience does pay off when it comes to saving some money. BTW, I ordered an Le -7 with the DVD package and Aspen Green.
I ended up going with www.fitzmall.com and bought the XLE with the GH package for $339 below MSRP. They also don't charge a service fee of $289 (like tysons) or $249 (like other locations..)
They had it in stock and didn't have to wait for a month...
I would recommend going with them, seemed easy to work.
We put a deposit down on an XLE with #12 that should be arriving in 7-10 days. They offered me $2424 off msrp via the internet dept without even asking!! This was at Bill Dube toyota in Dover, NH. Our deal on an LE-8 fell through after trying to verify the upgraded stereo. This was another dealership and they new all along that it wasn't possible, even though the brochure stated otherwise. They admitted the brochure was incorrect and that a new one is being made!! There is not trade in with this car....
Did anyone end up going with extended warranty? I got a quote for $930 for a 6 year/100,000 mile 0 deductable from toyota. Anyone else have any better deals?
Also, what do people think about the rust proofing ($159), paint fishing protection ($139) , undercoating ($139), and interior protection ($99)?
I got a quote for $499 for all those or the individual prices above. They mentioned these are good things to do if you plan to own the car over 5 years. Not sure my plans but wanted to see what everyone thought.
I believe rust proofing, undercoating, and interior protection (Scotchguarding) are at least 99% worthless and just a way for a dealer to make extra money off of you. I've never heard of paint fishing protection. Another popular one is VIN etching. I believe if you read some car buying guides such as at Edmunds.com (under tips and advice), Consumer Reports, http://www.carbuyingtips.com/ or http://www.autobuyingtips.com, or http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/ they will recommend that you not pay for them.
When I was shopping for a 2004 Sienna, these add-ons are the exact reason why one dealership, Classic Toyota in Milledgeville, GA went from hero status to one I did not trust and I ended up buying from someone else, Pitts Toyota in Dublin, GA, who I do trust.
I shopped around a lot. A salesman from Classic called me and said 'I'll make this easy on you. I'll sell it to you for $200 over invoice.' I asked a lot of questions. It seemed legitimate until about a week later when I finally got him to give me a quote for a Sienna he found. The quote was for $1,500 over the invoice according to Edmunds.com and a couple other internet sites. When I asked him where the discrepancy was between $200 and $1,500 over invoice, he asked me, does the price I was looking at include the Add-ons, like undercoating, VIN etching...?
I told him that all of the buying guides that I had read said that the factory does a more than satisfactory job on undercoating and rustproofing their vehicles. And that you can etch the VIN into your own windows with a $10 tool from WalMart. I told him I wasn't willing to pay for the add-ons. He said he couldn't take it off and couldn't get a vehicle without it. Since a dealership in the same region, and not very far from him did get a 2004 Sienna without the add-ons, I'm confident the guy from Classic Toyota was not honest with me.
As far as Scotchguarding goes, you can also get that done with a can from Walmart or go to a nice car wash- they can probably also do it, for considerably less than $99.
As far as extended warranties go. I would read the same buying guides I listed above. I believe a lot of consumer buying guides will recommend against buying the extended warranties up front. I believe you can buy them later. And since the Sienna comes with a 3 year/ 36,000 mile (whichever comes first) warranty, you can invest the $930 you would have spent on the warranty now until the factory warranty is almost up, and then, if you want to spend the $930, you can. But like I said, I'd read the buying guides.
They tried to sell me the scotch guard, rust add-ons when I bought the van this week. It was about 400.00 for the scotch guard and rust proofing. I said no. I've had many cars and have never had a problem. I don't want to waste my money on it now. If I get a stain, so be it. I'd rather have a stain than 400 less in my pocket. Although, I guess if I lived near the ocean and rusting was a problem, I might get the rust proofing.
I haven't decided about the warrantee. They are telling me they have a deal right now (180.00 off) for the 6 year, 100,000 mile warrantee. Something like 1200.00. If I did that, I'd add it onto the loan for the car. That means I'd be paying interest on that money starting now. Almost makes sence to wait, even if the price goes up. At least I won't be paying finance charge on it until 36,000 miles. Need to decide in the next few days.
Has anyone figured out how to use the rear audio system on the LE #7? I can't figure out how this thing works.
We leased our 2000 Sienna LE from Heywood Allen in June, 2000 after getting quotes from several of the Atlanta dealerships via internet. Heywood Allen gave us the best drive-out price and salesman was very helpful, courteous. We will be contacting them again since the lease is about up on our 2000.
Hi. I am new to this so please bear with me. I am looking for a Ce 7 passenger with package #3 or a Le 7 passenger with package #4 in the NY,NJ,or PA area. I would prefer Silver Shadow Pearl but I am open to Desert sand mica or Phantom gray pearl have not found any local dealer in central NJ willing to go under MRSP. Thanks in advance and any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated
Today I put a deposit down on an '04 LE with Pkg #1 and Mats for $26,005 plus TTL and some document fee that is non negotiable and surely 100% profit. This van was already allocated to the dealer so they were able to reconfigure so it wouldn't have all the extra stuff I didn't want (like ToyoGuard, leather seats, alloy wheels that it was originally supposed to include). Because they were already allocated for it, it will be delivered in about 30 days. They wouldn't budge on price, but with the ability to configure the van, I didn't get stuck with dollar grabbing options that I didn't want to pay for (like the Toyoguard) The only mistake made is that I wanted a 7 pass and between the sales person and the guy configuring the van that wasn't addressed and I ended up finding out after I got home (and was looking at it on the internet) that the van will be an 8 seat. I called to ask and they apologized and said that almost everyone wants an 8 seat so the guy pulling it up on the computer never even thought about it. They said that is not something that they can reconfigure so I guess I will just take the middle seat out to have the floor space I want. My only other option is to order a van and they said it would take 120 - 180 days to receive. . .holy cow, I didn't want to wait that long! No one else anywhere near me even had a van to test drive - so waiting for one wasn't really an option - they are selling them before the vans even get to the dealership! I hope I don't end up regretting the 8 vs 7 seat mistake!
I just took delivery of an XLE with package #16 (Leather, DVD, moonroof etc.) I shopped all over Western PA, and found although a few dealers were willing to move a little off of MSRP they were going to take me so deep on my trade-in it would have been a wash anyway. I ended up going with a dealer that had a Sienna on the lot to test drive, and was able to get me the XLE as I wanted it equipped in about 5 weeks. Now many of the other dealers are calling saying they are expecting shipments of Siennas over the next few weeks that are not yet sold, so you may have some bargaining power if you are willing to wait. I suspect once fall hits, all the dealers will have them in stock and you can negotiate a fair price.
Well, at least there is only about $150 difference between the price of the 7 and 8 passenger. So, if you only want the 7 passenger and you want it right away, not a whole lot of money is wasted.
It is a shame you can't get one as quick as you would like.
If you were able to get out of the deposit you put down, you might try looking further away from your home. I don't know if you already tried that or not. I know Georgia is a long way off, but I paid $26K even for an '04 LE with option package 1 to include dealer fees and 6% sales tax. That was about 2 weeks ago in Dublin, GA, which is about 371 miles from Fayetteville, NC. Maybe you could find a better deal in SC or southeastern VA.
In regards to the warranty, you have at least 18-36 months before you need to decide, the extended warranty does not have to be bought at the time you buy the vehicle. The following web site is a place that sells the Toyota warrantee for less than most dealers or it can be used as leverage to get the local dealer to give you a deal.
There is a alot of debate on the value of extended warrantys, but with the rising number of widgets and other electronic bits in these vehicles, I suspect they will pay for themselves.
I am sure you will not regret having the 8 passenger, for a $200 hundred dollar difference it is a nice thing to have just in case. But if it is really an issue for you, you may have some options. I am not sure about NC, but in Georgia a deposit is only a sign of good faith. A dealer has to give it back if you insist. I am not sure how far you are from Atlanta, but my dealership has several LE 7 Passenger vans with Pack 1# coming in over the next few weeks.
Our story with the Bennett Toyota in Allentown PA was kind of similar to blandfordm's experience with the Classic Toyota in Milledgeville GA (post #1443 and 1342). I called them four weeks ago after reading some positive news about them on this board. The saleslady I spoke on the phone sounded very straightforward, she told me the price was $800 above the invoice and it was a one to three months waiting period for the LE with package #1 (AM). She also told me that she would need my credit card number to put me on the waiting list and a $500 deposit will be charged once my Sienna is ordered but it’s refundable. When I asked if it was still refundable after the car is delivered to the dealer, she answered that she would need to check with her manager on that. Feeling that it would be a while before the car is delivered, I called her the next day and gave her my card # (sorry Host Steve, my mistake, should have listened to your advice). When asking for the detailed quote, she told me that we would have to wait till they found my allocation. A few days later a lady from Bennett’s accounting informed us that she found a white LE #1 and extra similar to my request and was available for mid of June delivery. After I confirmed that I did not need other extra options except possibly the Gold package (GP), she promised to fax me the detailed quote the next day. After continuously pressed them finally I got the quote from them a week later. The quote only contained one single price of $26477.20 with tax and tags along with a $399 quote for gold package (which was actually $100 invoice price according to the Kelley Blue Book). After my protests, they sent me two more faxes with different prices and the last fax finally contained the itemized details. However, their quote of invoice price was more than Edmunds’ and Kelley blue book’s invoice with the difference mainly being the Dealer’s holdback ($488). I called them again questioning about the price and the sales manager told me that he was not going to negotiate the price and he could sell the car to others in 10 minutes. Feed up with their attitude, I told him to cancel my order and he told me that he already did. Later that night I found out that they actually post a $500 charge on my credit account the same day I gave them my card number. The next morning we call them about the $500 deposit and they told us that the car was sold in 5 minutes to next customer in line and it will take 4 to 5 days for the refund to show up on our account. Five days passed and nothing happened. So we called them again and this time they told us that the deposit was not refundable! After nearly a whole afternoon of numerous phone calls to them finally a man claimed himself next to the owner of Bennett told us he would personally handle our refund and asked us to call him when the refund show up in our credit account. We also call the credit card company later that day and the lady on the line advised us to dispute this charge if we have any doubt on Bennett. I am glad that we did because another week has gone by and we still haven’t seen Bennett’s credit in our account. Sorry for the long posting, just want to share our story and make sure nobody gets away from stealing. If you have similar experience with Bennett and are willing share with us, please let us know. We may need it for the credit card company.
Iounothing, where did your xle? FYI, those thinking that Honda may be willing to deal given the Sienna's introduciton, think again. A co-worker of mine just called all over the Pittsburgh area, a the best deal they could get was about $500 off MSRP for an Odyssey. Given this, I will be surprised if Toyota will be dealing in the near future since no one is really undercutting them.
Cw11, I don't remember what advice I dished out, but glad you finally got your deposit back.
There's a new review up on the main edmunds.com page today - hopefully it won't drive many more buyers to the car lots before you can find one at a dealer you can work with.
Steve, I am quoting your advice in post #1165: "Just tell them that a reasonable deposit is fine, but it's contingent on your acceptance of the van after a test drive. And put something like that in writing." I should have got something in writing before I handed out my credit card number over the phone.
Blandfordm, thanks for the suggestion. We will report Bennett's practice to the better business bureau as well as Toyota's regional office.
In the case of Bennett Toyota, we have pleasant experience to begin with them. The relationship turned sour after they failed to keep a few cheap promises on the phone and we started to press them to put something in writing. Sadly we could not recommend any Toyota dealer at this point since there is no dealer we can trust in the NY/NJ area that offers below MSRP price for Sienna (but at least they were honest about their profit oriented intention :-) All we needed from Bennett was just trust and peace of mind before we drive three hours along with two young kids to Allentown PA. At the end we decided it's not worth the risk and time.
cw11, I got similar run around from Bennett. They called me several times and said $850 over invoice. I said "great," email me or fax me the specs of the deal. I have received nothing to date. They called me back and asked if I was ready to order. When I asked them again to email or fax me the specs, they said they thought they already did so. I was strongly contemplating ordering from them but your story confirms some of my suspicions (too good to be true). Also, a 3-4 hour drive is not worth it to me if, in the end, means more inconvenience.
Comments
We have a feeling we are getting a totally different vehicle than what was agreed to. Is it true that the 8 digit temp VIN# becomes the last 8 digits of the final VIN#?
It should be the same Sienna that they originally indicated.
Was it a salesperson or manager that told you that the last 8 digits stayed the same ? If it was a manager, I'd be worried about what else they don't know if they don't even know how to track their inventory.
Here is a breakdown of what I paid. I hope this helps.
Invoice on XLE $24,303
Package GJ $ 5,274
Package Z1 $ 174
TDA $ 510
Destination $ 510
Gasoline $ 6
Dealer Holdback $ 565
Whsl. Financial Res. $ 282
ALL OF THE ABOVE IS BUILT IN PRICING - I was unable to negotiate these
Dealer Profit $ 850
Dealer Handling $ 59
Plus title, registration, 7% sales tax, etc...
Invoice on XLE $24,303
Dealer Holdback $ 565
Whsl. Financial Res. $ 282
Total: $25150
Edmunds.com Base Invoice Price for an XLE model
(and using the zipcode for Pittsburgh 15222) is $25150.
And, for a good idea of the TDA click the link for Invoice price in Carsdirect.com's numbers. It will tell you the approx. TDA is included in the invoice price. In the case of winedog's XLE, it says its $540 (Actual paid by winedogs is $510).
So, total profit for the dealer is around:
Dealer Holdback:$565
Whsl. Financial Res. $ 282
Profit: $850
Minimum Total Profit: $1697
If you add in the "actual" TDA amount, and any other incentive that Toyota is giving Bennett for moving large volume, then the total profit probably nears the $2000 range.
Of course, that means the other dealers are making off like bandits with $4500+ when they charge MSRP.
Just my .02
-sr15
I live in Santa Clara and got a deal almost a month ago that isn't as good as some other deals around the country, but was between $1200 and $1500 off MSRP, depending on how you look at it. Salesperson and entire process was a pleasure. You just have to be willing to drive to Dublin Toyota (about 45 minutes from Santa Clara) to pick it up. You can email me if you want his name. Be sure to go through internet sales. Just email him with exactly what you want, and he'll quote you his best price, no games.
Post-mortem. I've had my Sienna for almost 3 weeks now. It is *awesome*! I also chose the 7 year extended warranty and ditched the prepaid maintenance. I figured with all the gadgets like seat warmers, dvd player, and traction control, it would be worth it.
-Dean
"I saw no games or tricks. But I did not order, so no deal is complete."
I know exactly how you feel and good for you for being cautious. I hope your deal, wherever you buy from, turns out great.
When I dealt with the salesman from Pitts Toyota in Dublin, GA over the phone and via e-mail, he was so straight forward to me, I constantly expected there to be some surprise waiting for me. I asked every question I could think of and even politely told him that I was skeptical of most car dealers. He just answered that he could tell.
Fortunately, the only surprise for me, was that there were no surprises with the deal. He sold the exact vehicle I wanted in the color I wanted it, on the day I wanted it, for the price I agreed to.
And to me, it got to the point, where one reason I wanted to buy from Pitts was because it was such a relief to be able to stop dealing with shifty salespersons. I got so tired of negotiating with other dealers who would tell me one thing to get me interested, and then offer me something different- I guess, thinking they had reeled me in far enough, that I would just take whatever they gave me.
As I said, I hope whoever you buy from, it works out great.
I've spoken with someone at Heyward Allen Toyota in Athens Ga. They don't have it on lot but could request it from the pool. Has anyone had experience with that? How likely are they to get it?
Also, any experience with this dealer?
Thanks!
Can anyone confirm this to be the add on for this color?
Anyone buying this vehicle in Illinois for better than MSRP?
Steve, Host
CE: 21,216
AI Package (#3): 1,388
Destination: 510
Floor Mats: 56
Tax, Tag, Title: 777
SE Toyota Distributor Fee (Ouch! But it’s legit here): 565
Dealer Profit: 500
Total: 25,012
- Cargo Nets
- Floor Mats
- Hood Protector
- Wireless Head phones
- No Trade
- $26,000 + Uncle Sams share
- Ordered with the color I wanted.
We signed the deal six weeks ago. I have another two weeks of waiting before we receive the van. Thanks for all those who posted before me. Happy hunting if you are still looking.
I'll try to get it right this time.
Regarding purchasing an XLE with package #14 in Illinois below MSRP. I ordered an XLE with package #14 for a little over $1800 under MSRP two weeks ago from Midtown Toyota on the northwest side of Chicago. The salesman I dealt with was very friendly and helpful, and even fought for me to get the price for under MSRP.
CE with Package 2 and Accessory Package 1 (floor mats, cargo nest, first aid kit)
The MSRP is $24,209, but he gave it to us for $22,985.
Heywood Allen Toyota explained that the SouthEast region is a Distributorship that the dealers get their vans from. The dealers don't get them directly from Toyota.
You can configure your van and see what they have. There were over 130 LE8s. Only a few w/pkg 4, but still others might work for you. All delivery dates seemed to be early June.
I 'm still hoping to hear about experience with Heywood Allen Toyota!
Also, anyone know of a good place to buy an extended warranty and not get ripped off? I know you can buy them from any toyota dealership....
There is a dealer in Johnstown that told me they would come down a $1000 off of MSRP on a loaded XLE in August.
I few people in Pittsburgh, including myself went to Bennett in Allentown. They are $850 over invoice and only taking orders for August/September delivery.
GO STEELERS!!!!
Anyway, they told 8-seater is hard to find in New England region. Because the Sienna production just started in February. They only made few 8-seaters. I checked out the "Build you own" feature on the Toyota website. They don't show any 8-seaters any more in my region. Then I used another zip code in the west. They showed only LE 8-seater, no CE.
BTW, anyone has a Sienna brochure beside the e-brouche?
I contacted many dealers in the area and found many were unwilling to even give a quote. Those that did were at least 800 off MSRP (except one that would not budge off sticker). One actually offered me 2.2k off MSRP, but I really did not trust that guy so I went with the deal I felt more comfortable with.
Tysons Toyota was trying to sell me a pre-order van, and was willing to give me all my accessories for nothing. I worked with a guy in the internet dept. Warning, they will call you daily, which can be a good thing if you run across something better and tell him what you got, he will try very hard to get you to buy from him.
The last I heard from Tysons is when I told him I had found a dealer in Pa (Bennett) who was offering a very good deal. He said, "is it worth driving all the way up there to save a few bucks?" I told him it was more like a couple thousand bucks, and that was that.
I am not in a huge hurry and my van is expected to be in Pa 2nd week in June. Patience does pay off when it comes to saving some money. BTW, I ordered an Le -7 with the DVD package and Aspen Green.
I ended up going with www.fitzmall.com and bought the XLE with the GH package for $339 below MSRP. They also don't charge a service fee of $289 (like tysons) or $249 (like other locations..)
They had it in stock and didn't have to wait for a month...
I would recommend going with them, seemed easy to work.
Also, what do people think about the
rust proofing ($159),
paint fishing protection ($139) , undercoating ($139), and interior protection ($99)?
I got a quote for $499 for all those or the individual prices above. They mentioned these are good things to do if you plan to own the car over 5 years. Not sure my plans but wanted to see what everyone thought.
Thanks
When I was shopping for a 2004 Sienna, these add-ons are the exact reason why one dealership, Classic Toyota in Milledgeville, GA went from hero status to one I did not trust and I ended up buying from someone else, Pitts Toyota in Dublin, GA, who I do trust.
I shopped around a lot. A salesman from Classic called me and said 'I'll make this easy on you. I'll sell it to you for $200 over invoice.' I asked a lot of questions. It seemed legitimate until about a week later when I finally got him to give me a quote for a Sienna he found. The quote was for $1,500 over the invoice according to Edmunds.com and a couple other internet sites. When I asked him where the discrepancy was between $200 and $1,500 over invoice, he asked me, does the price I was looking at include the Add-ons, like undercoating, VIN etching...?
I told him that all of the buying guides that I had read said that the factory does a more than satisfactory job on undercoating and rustproofing their vehicles. And that you can etch the VIN into your own windows with a $10 tool from WalMart. I told him I wasn't willing to pay for the add-ons. He said he couldn't take it off and couldn't get a vehicle without it. Since a dealership in the same region, and not very far from him did get a 2004 Sienna without the add-ons, I'm confident the guy from Classic Toyota was not honest with me.
As far as Scotchguarding goes, you can also get that done with a can from Walmart or go to a nice car wash- they can probably also do it, for considerably less than $99.
As far as extended warranties go. I would read the same buying guides I listed above. I believe a lot of consumer buying guides will recommend against buying the extended warranties up front. I believe you can buy them later. And since the Sienna comes with a 3 year/ 36,000 mile (whichever comes first) warranty, you can invest the $930 you would have spent on the warranty now until the factory warranty is almost up, and then, if you want to spend the $930, you can. But like I said, I'd read the buying guides.
I haven't decided about the warrantee. They are telling me they have a deal right now (180.00 off) for the 6 year, 100,000 mile warrantee. Something like 1200.00. If I did that, I'd add it onto the loan for the car. That means I'd be paying interest on that money starting now. Almost makes sence to wait, even if the price goes up. At least I won't be paying finance charge on it until 36,000 miles. Need to decide in the next few days.
Has anyone figured out how to use the rear audio system on the LE #7? I can't figure out how this thing works.
Bev
This van was already allocated to the dealer so they were able to reconfigure so it wouldn't have all the extra stuff I didn't want (like ToyoGuard, leather seats, alloy wheels that it was originally supposed to include). Because they were already allocated for it, it will be delivered in about 30 days. They wouldn't budge on price, but with the ability to configure the van, I didn't get stuck with dollar grabbing options that I didn't want to pay for (like the Toyoguard)
The only mistake made is that I wanted a 7 pass and between the sales person and the guy configuring the van that wasn't addressed and I ended up finding out after I got home (and was looking at it on the internet) that the van will be an 8 seat. I called to ask and they apologized and said that almost everyone wants an 8 seat so the guy pulling it up on the computer never even thought about it. They said that is not something that they can reconfigure so I guess I will just take the middle seat out to have the floor space I want. My only other option is to order a van and they said it would take 120 - 180 days to receive. . .holy cow, I didn't want to wait that long! No one else anywhere near me even had a van to test drive - so waiting for one wasn't really an option - they are selling them before the vans even get to the dealership! I hope I don't end up regretting the 8 vs 7 seat mistake!
PS: I'm in eastern NC
It is a shame you can't get one as quick as you would like.
If you were able to get out of the deposit you put down, you might try looking further away from your home. I don't know if you already tried that or not. I know Georgia is a long way off, but I paid $26K even for an '04 LE with option package 1 to include dealer fees and 6% sales tax. That was about 2 weeks ago in Dublin, GA, which is about 371 miles from Fayetteville, NC. Maybe you could find a better deal in SC or southeastern VA.
Regardless, I hope you enjoy your vehicle.
http://www.toyotawarranty.com/Security.asp
There is a alot of debate on the value of extended warrantys, but with the rising number of widgets and other electronic bits in these vehicles, I suspect they will pay for themselves.
A few days later a lady from Bennett’s accounting informed us that she found a white LE #1 and extra similar to my request and was available for mid of June delivery. After I confirmed that I did not need other extra options except possibly the Gold package (GP), she promised to fax me the detailed quote the next day. After continuously pressed them finally I got the quote from them a week later. The quote only contained one single price of $26477.20 with tax and tags along with a $399 quote for gold package (which was actually $100 invoice price according to the Kelley Blue Book). After my protests, they sent me two more faxes with different prices and the last fax finally contained the itemized details. However, their quote of invoice price was more than Edmunds’ and Kelley blue book’s invoice with the difference mainly being the Dealer’s holdback ($488). I called them again questioning about the price and the sales manager told me that he was not going to negotiate the price and he could sell the car to others in 10 minutes. Feed up with their attitude, I told him to cancel my order and he told me that he already did. Later that night I found out that they actually post a $500 charge on my credit account the same day I gave them my card number.
The next morning we call them about the $500 deposit and they told us that the car was sold in 5 minutes to next customer in line and it will take 4 to 5 days for the refund to show up on our account. Five days passed and nothing happened. So we called them again and this time they told us that the deposit was not refundable! After nearly a whole afternoon of numerous phone calls to them finally a man claimed himself next to the owner of Bennett told us he would personally handle our refund and asked us to call him when the refund show up in our credit account. We also call the credit card company later that day and the lady on the line advised us to dispute this charge if we have any doubt on Bennett. I am glad that we did because another week has gone by and we still haven’t seen Bennett’s credit in our account.
Sorry for the long posting, just want to share our story and make sure nobody gets away from stealing. If you have similar experience with Bennett and are willing share with us, please let us know. We may need it for the credit card company.
There's a new review up on the main edmunds.com page today - hopefully it won't drive many more buyers to the car lots before you can find one at a dealer you can work with.
Steve, Host
"Just tell them that a reasonable deposit is fine, but it's contingent on your acceptance of the van after a test drive. And put something like that in writing." I should have got something in writing before I handed out my credit card number over the phone.
Blandfordm, thanks for the suggestion. We will report Bennett's practice to the better business bureau as well as Toyota's regional office.
In the case of Bennett Toyota, we have pleasant experience to begin with them. The relationship turned sour after they failed to keep a few cheap promises on the phone and we started to press them to put something in writing. Sadly we could not recommend any Toyota dealer at this point since there is no dealer we can trust in the NY/NJ area that offers below MSRP price for Sienna (but at least they were honest about their profit oriented intention :-) All we needed from Bennett was just trust and peace of mind before we drive three hours along with two young kids to Allentown PA. At the end we decided it's not worth the risk and time.