2013 and Earlier - Toyota Sienna Prices Paid and Buying Experience

davenow

rinkwide write:
Example: I actually closed my own sale by telling the fleet sales guy, "I've never heard of a dealership turning down an offer of $1000 over invoice but if you guy's can afford to do that I'll be happy to take my business elsewhere".

Turn the tables on 'em!

Great Advice!

I've got a deal brewing now, and if the vehicle is still on the lot by the end of this week, i'll go for the kill!

stever

It's hard to argue against more information, but it seems that pricing info tends to get stale pretty fast.

It's great to see some downward price pressure on the Sienna (unless you're a dealer I suppose).

Steve, Host

mackabee

You guys are killing me!
                      ; )
                      Mackabee

stever

Yeah, but you'll make it up on volume :-)

Steve, Host

bondguy1

Signing contract for Sienna...I have not bought a car in 10 years. I have been leasing. Does anybody have a recommendation on GAP Insurance. Do I need it on a purchase? I know that it covers if van is totaled or stolen the difference between payoff and value. It costs $395 for the 60 month contract (like $6.50/month). It's not about the $395 but do I need it? I have to let them know tomorrow so I am in need of some advice ASAP. Any help would be appreciated. Financing $30,000 on an XLE Limited with a retail of about $37,700.

garnerj

I put a deposit on a Dealer to Dealer trade on Saturday... I did user my credit card... The Dealer said there was a change the sienna would be sold that day and he could not check until Monday. He said he would call me Monday... Monday afternoon went by and I finally called... Well as it turns out that one sold… But they said there was another one on it way and should be there in a week. The said they would call me with a delivery date the next morning.. Well I received no call… I fear these guys first did a bait and switch as the first sienna was an LE7 option 1 the only other ones they could find were now LE7s with Option Pack 5… I don’t getting the option pack5 so much… the thing that bugs me is I have nothing but a credit card receipt from them, and they are not returning my calls… It has only been 1 day… should I wait it out a few more days? I don’t want to loose my deposit… but I don’t want to go with this dealer if they are just going to put in an order…. What are my rights… Can I just demand my deposit back? Should I give them one or two more days to see if they make contact with me?
If I call them and they magically have a sienna available can I still demand my deposit back?

The market is very tight here most dealers would not go below MSRP and other had only $40,000 XLE limited on their lots….

Part of me feels like I am being jerked around… the other part of me think I would give them a few days… after all every one gets busy…

bondguy1

Autofair.com in New Hampshire has an LE package 7 with Z1 accessory package for $25,926. You should consder dealing with them since Colorado dealers (I think that's where you are) won't deal on price. Autofair Toyota sells at about $100 over invoice. They can truck it to you for about $500-600 and it would still be worth it. I bought my van there and I live in Florida. Go to their website and check prices out. LOL Hope this helps.

garnerj

Im considering doing that... I wonder do I have any recourse on getting my deposit back or will I loose it if I walk away at this time...

njawdriver

In msg #3340, bondguy1 wrote: Autofair.com in New Hampshire has an LE package 7 with Z1 accessory package for $25,926. ... Autofair Toyota sells at about $100 over invoice.

I'm confused - isn't that about $1000 over invoice? Are Autofair prices negotiable or is the $100 over invoice only for vehicles OTHER than the Sienna.

I'm looking for an AWD LE with package 4 (maybe the XLE if the price is right) in northern NJ. Autofair prices are about $1250 over invoice for the AWD LE.

etalon02

From what you described, I gather that you did not even have a written purchase agreement with the dealership before you gave them your credit card. If that is the case, whether you can get your deposit back depends largely on your salesperson/dealership's scruple and good faith.

If you find out in the next couple of days that your salesperson has indeed been playing games, you have to cancel the order and demand that the deposit be returned to you. Check with your credit card company to see first if the charge has been executed, second to see if they will stand behind you in case you file a complaint to contest the charge. Good luck with your effort.

From my past experiences, especially through the recent purchase of our 04 Sienna XLE (a high demand product), when it comes to ordering or committing to purchase a car, written purchase agreement with both the sales manager and your signatures on it, together with complete and accurate descriptions and OTD pricing of the model you are to buy, is a must before paying any money out of one's pocket.

garnerj

That’s most discouraging…

etalon02

I don't think it is a prerequisite for the loan to go through. Frankly I don't think you need it. My finance manager never even mentioned gap insurance to me. Just say no to that if I were you and I'd take my chances with Sienna depreciation and my luckystar.;-)

Hey, did you read my message#3328? What is the final rate you are able to secure? Go to your finance manager and bring a cell phone with you, then call capitalOne and ask them to beat the best rate the dealer has to offer. Only thing you need is to apply online for a blank check. If your FICO score is decent, you will get an approval within an hour.

nofeer

when a friend of mine went to a columbus, oh toyo dealer the "invoice" that was shown was about 700 more than what edmunds lists, what gives, are edmunds correct. Am i missing something or do dealers have or can make their own "invoice"
what is included and what "padding" should we avoid, or what are they trying to pass on us.
what are the trade secrets of different "fee", what should we look out for and avoid

bondguy1

I called Capital One before I got this rate. They quoted me higher than 3.19. In Florida, most dealers make you feel like you did great at 4 to 4.25
As far as the GAP Ins, they didn't mention it to me. It's just something I mentioned to them and wondered if I need it. I am going to forget about it and will take my chances. But up north, rates are more competitive.

bondguy1

Walmart.com has a new no name brand DVD Player w/ 2 6.2" screens for $278...I don't know how good or bad it is but it is certainly worth checking out at that price.

lambster

Toyota dealers offer a "Threshold Protector" accessory. Guy on the phone explained that it protects the rear bumper when moving things in and out of the back. How is this different from the standard "Rear bumper protector"?

Looking for an XLE AWD - very tough to find in the South. AWD seems to be selling for a premium as compared to FWD due to lower supply.

Have read about a problem where the battery dies if lights left on or doors left open. Apparently the battery saver feature is not working as advertised on Sienna. Have any owners run into this problem?

Also, any one know when the '05 Sienna comes out?
  
Thanks

mommyx2

When I first decided to purchase the Sienna, I went to the COSTCO website. Go to Services and then click on Auto Sales. The site is decent and it shows the Invoice and MSRP price at the bottom and changes with whatever package you select. If you have a membership with them, you can enter your zip code and they'll tell you which fleet dealer they deal with. When you go there, they show you the Costco sheet. For the Sienna, it said $1500 over invoice, but the dealer said it was revised to $1200 since then. So at least that is your starting point, it won't be higher. I didn't end up using the referred dealer because he didn't find what I wanted, nor called me back when he said he would. I also gave him a check for $1000. I called him yesterday to tell him I bought a car and he's going to return my check in the mail. But I used that amount as the starting point to negotiate at the next dealer since I had no idea how much people were paying (also until I used this site).

One other note, I thought I could choose from 20 or so packages for the XLE. I wasted a lot of time looking at them and going back and forth deciding. Found out only 3 packages are available in So cal or near my area. I finally went to the Toyota website, clicked on BUYATOYOTA, and entered my zip code. Sure enough, only 3 listed. If I entered in a zipcode for Colorado or Florida, different packages showed up. Wish I knew that ahead of time. It would have saved me a lot of time and decision making.

etalon02

The Edmunds invoice applies to regions covered by Toyota Motor Sales, which include OH. There are at least two extra items on the dealer invoice: one is toyota dealer advertisement cost, the other is a floor plan finance charge, costs Toyota charges the dealers for each unit they receive from the factory. The TDA varies from region to region and to a lesser extent depends on trim level. For example, in the Indianapolis market, TDA is roughly $570 for an 04XLE FWD. The floor plan charge, in Toyota's case, is 1% of base MSRP, IIRC.

In my opinion, you should not concern yourself with those dealer invoice numbers. Rather, focus on an Out-the-door price, leaving out only the mandatory state TTL and sales tax. Let your dealer figure out how to break down the total costs to balance their books. Research the model/trim/option you want, figure out the total Edmunds invoice (including freight), and add to it a profit margin that you are comfortable with, say 4-5% above, and present your offer upfront. I would not mind seeing a line item on my final contract, showing a $600 charge for predelivery dealer prep, allegedly to be performed by a team of spacecraft engineers from Cape Canaveral Space Center, as long as the final number is what I agreed with the dealer (in writing) in the first place. ;-)

mcp23

We have been looking at the Sienna LE for quite some time and finally have decided on the 8 passenger with the BW package. Has anyone had any luck with dealers in Northeast Ohio? We just started talking to a couple of dealers and they don't seem to be dealing much. Thanks for any info you can provide.

rickpct

Looking at an LE Package #7 with mats and cargo nets - Silver Mist. Have a quote of $26,289 (not inluding Tax and Reg) but includes Dest and Doc fee.

Its interesting to read about how the various dealers are willing to deal/not deal in various parts of country - here in New York/Connecticut area most are willing to go $1500 below MSRP without asking. Supply here must be good as I saw two trailer loads of Siennas on I-95 last week!

I think my current price quote isn't too bad. Stopping by dealer tomorrow after work to take a look. Want to add an accessory or two and if final price is right, I think I'll pull the trigger.

Thanks all for good information and input.

lok888

rickpct - As long as you like the car, I think you are ready. I paid the same price back in December (shopping for 7 months, ordered on October) for the same equipments but also with factory installed V.I.P. RS3200 alarm system. I live in MA. And it was about $1800+ off MSRP. Good luck.

davenow

Have fun riding in your new minivan!!

I'm still finding that the dealers are holding out for top dollar on the LTD's. I don't know why, but they refuse to go under $1000 below MSRP!

05 Ody here I come

bondguy1

I think you are in Connecticut. Why don't you drive to Autofair in Manchester, NH. I got a LTD there for $3780 off of list price. They still make their holdback and TMD and I'm saving $3780. And, they post their prices online. They have been nothing but exceptional to deal with. They didn't try switching anything or ripping me off on financing...in fact I got 3.19% for 60 months which I understand is a pretty good rate. Only getting $1000 off on a vehicle with that kind of equipment and sticker price is crazy!!!

etalon02

They run a business that is quite different from a lot of dealers. I was thisclose to deciding to buy from them back in December an XLE w/ a somewhat rare option package for our region. The saving would have been almost $2800 with a 4-week turn around time. Luckily a local dealer came through with an exact color/option configuration for $2500 off sticker. Going with this dealer saved me a lot of hassle of either a one-way flight and a 16-hour drive home, or paying a $950 flat-bed shipping charge and praying nothing whould go wrong during transit.

As to Davenow, I understand that he wants to contribute to the local Connnecticut economy, rather than letting a New Hampshire dealer pocket his hard-earned money, right? ;-);-)

bondguy1

Well then...hapily contribute or save your "hard earned" money and buy elsewhere. Believe me...the profit on his one van isn't going to change anything or make anyone pay less taxes in CT. How did you get a $950 shipping charge? Where are you located? I'm in FL and it's only $550.

etalon02

$550 is really a good deal for shipping, it must have come on a multi-car transit carrier, right?

I am in Indiana and the $950 charge was quoted to me by a third party company for "deluxe" transportation, i.e. one flat bed for this very vehicle. I knew then that autofair might have access to cheaper shipping options, but I did not pursue the purchase further, because one local dealer (50 miles away) came through with a competitive deal when bottom line was considered.

impact01

With all due respect, I suspect you are not ready to buy even if the dealer were to agree to your terms. When I got $2800 off of MSRP in MD, the dealer had only one van with the package I wanted, but both the salesman and the manager knew I was ready to buy if the price was right. Looking through the online inventories, this particular dealer hasn't received a van like mine since then (now about more than two months). Good Luck on your window shopping! LOL.

Funny, there is no sales tax in New Hampshire, so you will only contribute to CT when you register your vehicle there!.

davenow

I'm ready to buy! I had negotiated a price for a LTD FWD on the lot (with GW trim, and i'm really interested in getting the HF trim) that was pretty close to what i wanted to pay. ($200 difference) They lost the deal when they did not give me a fair trade-in price for my car.

right now I'm fluctuating between Quest & 05 Ody.

I'll vist a few Nissan dealers and see what happens!

RE: Autofair: Sounds great, but not too excited about the trip. I not only would like to see a dealer here in CT compete but would like to see feel and touch the cars i negotiate for. I'll never order or wait in line to purchase a van, it's not me.

davenow

Thanks for the tip! Ive looked into autofair and they seem like the percet dealership! If it was located closer i would probably be driving one of their vans. It's just i like to see the van a couple of times before commiting to it. I'm a touchy feely type of consumer!

I wish i had the gusts to purchase from there, i'm just afraid of recieving a lemmon! maybe i shouldn't be?

mackabee

Sounds to me like you are becoming what we call in the biz "a professional car shopper". Come on just do it and get it over with!
                        ; )
                        Mackabee

chorton

think about how much time you have spent shopping ang such. Do you gat paid hourly? add it up and see how much $$ you owe yourself worring about the "little things"

bondguy1

I felt the same way you do originally. I am in Florida and ordering from NH is a little weird. If the van was on the lot and had been test driven by lots of people, I would understand your point. But, they had to have the van built for me and gave me a build date and approx delivery date. The van has 4 miles on it. My point is it is not a van that had been sitting around. They are one of the top 100 dealers volume wise in the country. They are strictly about rolling units and one thing I like about them is that everybody gets a good deal without having to go through all the salesman headaches. Maybe they should change their name to "AUTOGOOD".

davenow

Got a quote from a local dealer that's $145 more than i'm willing to go with XLE LTD pak HF for $35,785 OTD plus tax title reg etc. Does this sound like a fair price?

I'll go with it if they agree to cut the conveyance fee in half which would drop the price to $35,640. This is just a test to see if they are willing to go the extra mile for a sale. Remember it is the end of the month! How badly are you missing your monthly target?

Could it be i'm going to be a proud owner of a Toyota Sienna?

etalon02

Hey you are very close, hopefully you will convince them to make the deal so that you get to drive your spanking-new Sienna this weekend. Close the deal and do not look back, though you may need to find another dealership nearby for service. ;-)

Good luck!

wildred

I think it's a fair price. How much of a difference would $145 make to your monthly payment? Let the sales people make a little, they need to make a living too. Life is too short. I say you should enjoy the best minivan on the market today. Or maybe you're just having fun haggling the price?

andrewtran71

Make them earn the sale.
If they say, "$145 is not that much", then you say, "Right, so what's the problem with giving me the measly $145 I ask for? Give me the insignificant $145 and I'll buy your $36K vehicle!"

Good luck, man.

By the way, how much is that off MSRP? The lowest I've heard is almost $4K off MSRP--like $3800 or something.

bondguy1

Well, I think it's a great deal for the dealer. If that is plus tax,tag,etc...than it's a terrible deal. I'll tell you why. I got an Arctic Frost ($220 list option) plus a Z1 package, wheel locks and I got the HF package (#5) for a price before tax, tag of $33,763 complete. If your price included tax, than it's a good price. Otherwise, not such a great deal. Plus, my dealer doen't add any dealer fees of like $300-$600 dollars which is pure profit for dealer...I don't know what name they're calling it these days but don't ever pay additional fees.

mackabee

For God's sake! Get it over with. $145.00!! Good grief!
              : )
              Mackabee

bondguy1

If Davenow buys his van, what will we have to talk about in this forum...better yet, give him his own forum called "Dave finally bought a van"!

mackabee

of a guy that came to buy a Camry last night and ended up with a Corolla. I had been e-mailing for the past week on the price of an Le Camry. He shows up last night his wife and kid right before it's time for me to head home. Normally I just turn them over to a floor salesperson but last night I wanted to go back and sell one myself. So we look at the least expensive Camry and then he asks about an Echo. Echo? I ask. That's two totally different cars. He sits in an Echo and says it's not right. "Look, if you want an inexpensive vehicle with all the attributes of the Camry, let's look at a Corolla." he agrees. At this time his wife leaves to get something to eat with her son. I show him an LE Corolla and he drives it and asks me if I can do the same deal on the Corolla as I was doing on the Camry. "Very similar." I tell him. So I tell him he can buy the Corolla for $750.00 under invoice after the rebate. He pulls out a competitors ad for a Corolla Ce which they are selling for $1000.00 under invoice plus freight after rebate. "Sure, I'll do that." So now we are at $1000.00 under invoice after rebate but my price includes freight. Then he starts to outsmart himself. "Would you let me walk for another $250.00?" he asks. "I sure would, now your are asking me to lose another $250.00." I reply. "You guys always say that, I got friends up north that sell cars and they have told me you get special prices from the factory the more cars you sell." he states. "Really? if that was the case we would be overloaded with cars. But that's beside the point. You want the car or not?" I ask. "I don't really need a car until April or March." he says. "Ok, then I'll be seeing you. I'm going home now. You can stay if you want to" and I start to walk away. "Wait, whose going to help me?" he asks. "I'll check the schedule and get you someone that's working 'till 9" I reply. "Can't you at least wait until my wife gets back? I need to discuss this with her." he says. I head back to the sales managers desks and he comes in right behind me. "Ok, I'll buy it. What's going to be the total out the door price?" he asks. I do a work a quote and give him the total price. "I'm not taking the car tonight, I want to pick it up first thing Saturday morning. What do I have to do to hold it?" he asks. "Write me a check for $500.00 and I'll have the car ready to go Saturday morning." I reply. He leaves with his wife and kid, and I head on home. That was fun.
              ; )
              Mackabee

garnerj

OK I guess I was being too impatient…

My deal came through today.. Exactly word for word.
The Dealer in Denver, CO was exceptional… Within one week of loosing the other vehicle I had another all ready to go… This dealer took the time to find a vehicle, do a dealer trade, all while making a deal only $1000 over invoice. All other dealers in Colorado Springs and several up in Denver refused to budge off of MSRP.

04 Sienna LE 7 with Package BJ #5, CF WL
TOTAL $$ 25508 + 199 Dealer Fee and Taxes
$1093 Below MSRP

If any one wants to know who to goto email me and I will share more

stever

Congrats - it's ok to name the dealer in here.

Meanwhile I'm still searching the French car sites looking for Le Camry. I can find info about Le Car easily enough.

Steve, Host

mikev_co

I am seriously considering buying the 04 Sienna XLE FWD Option #12 instead of the Odyssey EX Cloth with some accessories for $27250 OTD. Boy it's sure was tempting with 2.9% financing right now for 60 mo at Honda. I figure I will probably save 4-5k over the Sienna, however with the MANY options that the Sienna has that the Odyssey does not have gave me second thoughts about the purchase. What is another 4-5k more for a lot more options when I'm spending 27k anyways? I'm wanting to keep the minivan for a long time and don't want to look back wishing I should have gone with the Sienna instead. Two things come to mind are the Sienna has more safety features and the 60/40 split row back seat. Also, I'm getting leather, heated seats, second row window that rolls down, better gas mileage, better sound system, 3 zone temperature control, 3 row side curtain airbag, better wheels, and one that doesn't get noticed is the outside temperature (I know it's not a huge feature, but I like it!)... all of this for 4-5k more? I believe that's worth it (especially more safety)

Here's my question.

The MSRP for the Sienna is $32930. This is including the Option #12 package, Floor Mats/Still Protector, and Wheel Locks. Also, I am considering of getting an Alarm, bra, and mudguards for accessories. I'm thinking 30k for the car price plus tax for OTD total. Would this be a great deal? It is end of the month, so I'm sure they are hungry to sell. I'm not too sure what the price is on the Alarm, bra, and mudguards... the toyota site didn't say.

Well, I'll be shopping for a Sienna soon this afternoon. Any advice before I leave would be appreciated!

Thank you for your time,

Mike

lambster

Finding an XLE AWD in NC has been tough. Not that many available. Thought I had one at the price I wanted but the dealer couldn't pull a swap. Started looking in VA and got the price I wanted at a dealer 2 hours away.

XLE AWD w/ package #17, carpet mats, front and rear mudguards:
MSRP: 35,253
OTD (excluding tax & tags): 32,848
 
Dealer had a 299 fee that wasn't relevant to me as I was looking for a total out the door including tax, tags, everything for 34,000 which is what I got. One good thing about NC is that the tax on cars is only 3%.

Thanks to all for the help.

garnerj

Mike I wouldn’t just drop into the lot.. Email first…

Here are my experiences with the various dealers in CO.
We were looking for an LE7 Package AM at first then BJ

After emailing all of them with what I wanted and asking for their best OTD price...

Liberty North in the spring said MSRP only
Liberty South said 1000 OVER MSRP but would graciously go down to MSRP!

Elway called me and said on the phone they wouldn’t go below MSRP.

Pueblo Toyota said they would do 3% over invoice but had none on the lot at the time…

Stevinson Was working a deal on one they really wanted to sell about 4.2 ver invoice.

We finally purchased from Burt Toyota. I worked the deal over the Internet with Matt
Over all they were about 4.3 over invoice, (invoice + what I think is tda + 1000)
.
They were the only ones who didn’t just quote come down put in an order it will be 6 to 8 weeks… We purchased exactly 1 week after emailing them… They found ne being allocated to another dealer and traded… I was very nervous that week.. I only had email from them nothing in writing.. Would it really happen kind of thoughts… But they stuck to their word…

There was absolutely no pressure from day one. We declined the extended warranty and I thought I was going to get pressured into it… That way not the case…

I don’t know if your results will be different with a high package.

The end of the month is DEFINATLY the best time to go…

Good Luck and post your results...

I CANT BELIEVE I HAVE A BRAND NEW CAR SITTING IN MY GARAGE!!!

lambster

Here's part of an email from a dealer who wouldn't budge on price because they thought I couldn't find the vehicle I was looking for close to my area. We were only off by $500 on a 34K car. They wouldn't come down. When I found one the next day at a dealer 2 hours away at the price I wanted, I asked them to beat it. They included this in their response:

I realllllllllllly want to sell you this vehicle, but you are making it very hard!

I got a kick out of that - I'm making it hard for them because they want to rip me off. We were only off by $500 initially and I'm making it very hard for them. They did eventually match the offer but then I said no thanks eventhough they were an hour closer.

They warn consumers not to get too greedy. This was a good example of a dealer getting too greedy and it cost them an easy sale.

stever

Please do not post a salesperson's name, phone numbers, etc.

We realllllllllllly want to discourage shill posts :-).

Steve, Host

garnerj

Oops... They need an edit your message feature... So we can go back and correct our mistakes...

stever

We have one but it's only good for 30 minutes.

Now, better go back out to the garage and check on that new Sienna :-)

Steve, Host

kksdad

So far, just doing some web-surfing to check on availability, but we're looking for either an LE 7 w/#9 or 8 w/#11, and are wondering what kind of deals people are getting from Bay Area dealers. Seems like inventory is up, just not sure how serious we should be about shopping??? Appreciate any comments you can share, THANKS!