2013 and Earlier - Toyota Sienna Prices Paid and Buying Experience

porcaccio

Well, I have negotiated a Sienna XLE FWD with package GT (#19) for $500 over invoice. Now, the dealer is trying to tell me that the lowest rate Toyota Financial is offering is 4.65. If 3.35 rates can still be had, I will end up walking from the deal. I am getting tired of them trying to get their money back every which way possible. I appreciate this board because it has made all the difference in the world in negotiation.

Thanks again.

Rob

spongen

I was reading my extended warranty information. It states " you must have your vehicle serviced as recommended by the manufacturer as provided in the Manufacturer Owners Manual."

As far as maintenance, it does not matter who does the work, but you must keep all records. "Records must indicate work performed, date, parts replaced and odometer reading at time of service. Receipts for purchases of parts and fluids or service and maintenance must be retained with this agreement for the entire period of this agreement. Failure to
provide records of maintenance may result in the denial of claims. The administrator's retention of broken parts, for inspection or other use, may be required for any repair work."

heywood1

Assuming your credit score, debt ratio, and payment history are top-notch, you should be able to get the 3.35% from Toyota Financial Service.

petronio

Going to place order later today . . . can't decide on the color: Aspen Green or Desert Sand Mica?

Any suggestions?

heywood1

I have Aspen Green w/Fawn leather, and it's very attractive--(was my first color combo choice). You don't see many around.

Desert Sand and Silver Shadow are the most popular and common colors, according to my salesman. If you go with the Sand, you'll see yourself coming and going all the time. Probably easier to keep clean, though.

sienna_me

Sounds like you've done a great job at negotiating to get to $500 over invoice. The process continues with interest rates and Ext Warranties if you choose to get one. I wouldn't walk away from the good deal you've negotiated for the car. Loans can be had from many other sources.

You may want to go in knowing your credit score (I believe it is referred to as beacon score). For a few bucks you can gain online access to your credit history and score. I am still in the process of researching and getting up to speed, but from what I understand, with a score above 750, they should give you the best rates. It also depends on how much money you are putting down on the vehicle. Also, I believe rates have started creeping up a little in the past week or so. Plan on talking to the finance person with another loan option in you back pocket.

Heywood1, how long ago did you get your rate and what percent did you put down? Thanks.

sienna_me

Thanks spongen for the feedback.

Have you had an ext warranty on a car before? (This would be my first). If so, have you run into any gotcha's with these programs?

Sounds like it should be a very straight forward process, but things don't usually work out that way.

ralph_00

I am about to place a non-rufundable deposit down on a 2004 Sienna with a dealer, which I have never done before, vehicle should be delivered within one month. When I place the deposit with the dealer, I assume I will be signing a contract for the new Sienna that is being either build or in the process of delivery from another location. When and if I sign the contract are there items in the contract, I need make sure are present. For example, as I have learned from this board, make sure the dealer informs me of the VIN number? Do I need to stipulate other items, such as, acceptable mileage, vehicle options, dings in the body of the vehicle from shipping, vehicle color, delivery date, etc? Also should I stipulate that if any of the above are not acceptable to me at delivery then the deposit is REFUNDABLE?

Thanks, soon to be a proud owner of a 2004 Toyota Sienna.

stever

Why is the dealer requiring a non-refundable deposit? I bet they are just getting a van from their allotment since it's nigh impossible to custom order a Toyota, especially not for delivery in one month.

It's not like they won't be able to sell it if you have to back out due to unforeseen circumstances.

In addition to spelling out the conditions, I'd try to pay by credit card so you could back charge the deposit if the dealer doesn't deliver and strings you along for weeks and weeks.

Steve, Host

nickles

You shouldn't be making a 'non refundable' deposit.
Sounds like the dealer is trying to pressure you.
I put $500.00 down on a '04 Nissan Quest, waited almost 2 full months, then test drove a Sienna.
Asked Nissan for my deposit back.. no problem. Was on my credit statement the next day.

I question the integrity of any dealer who requires a non refundable deposit.

ralph_00

Great idea Steve. I will you use my credit card in-case they do string me along.

The dealer stated that they needed a non-refundable check as "good faith gesture"; that I would stand up to my end of the bargin when the vehicle arrived. But as both you and nichels stated they sure can sale the Sienna if I welch on the deal (which I would not do) after it arrives.

Thanks to both of you for your response.

stever

There was a deposit thread about 3 months ago over in Any Questions for a Car Dealer?. I don't think a consensus was reached. (see posts around # 6862). It's reportedly illegal in some states (California?) to accept a non-refundable deposit on a new car.

Steve, Host

faraz

I live in Iowa/Illinois border. any one bought a sienna in that area. If you got a good deal tell the name of the dealership.
Look like most of the people are on the coasts.

ppnff

Last night, I signed a purchase agreement to special order a Stratosphere Mica. The dealer asked for a deposit of $250 which I put on my credit card (in case something happens). The deposit is refundable if I cancel the order. The purchase price was $32,200 (MSRP $35,071). Apparently, this color coupled with the model (XLE AWD with package #17) is almost impossible to find. I also negotiated them into matching Carmax's offer for my trade-in which was a few thousand above blue book. All in all, it was a few hours of haggling and cliff hangin', but I now have to wait the 4 weeks for the vehicle I want. I still need to obtain the VIN, etc. since the dealer is switching an identical vehicle on their allocation, but different color, for my color. I am also looking into other financing alternatives since the interest rate quote (3.9% for 60 months) the dealership gave me was padded by about 1/2 percentage. We'll see if there is a happy ending in all this. Hope this helps. Thanks for all the help. Edmunds is definitely changing the way people buy cars!

faraz

can you tell the name and city of the dealership. i think this is allowed.

aggie76

Also check internet contact at dealership in Clinton, IA - I got a very agressive quote from him recently for XLE Ltd FWD or AWD with HO pkg.

heywood1

Sienna me, I bought my van on March 27. The '03 Sienna I was trading was paid for, so I only financed the difference--$11,500. But I have no idea if this had anything to do with the rate I'm paying (3.35%). I had also used Toyota Financial once before (financed about the same amount on my '01 Tundra and got 0% just after 9-11), and I have good credit.

heywood1

Petronio, which color did you finally go with?

spongen

No, I have never purchased an extended warranty before, so this is all new to me also. I guess the main reason I decided to go with the warranty was because I was able to purchase it at cost from the dealer, and I plan to have this van for 5 years or longer.

Hopefully I won't have many repairs to worry about since I bought a Toyota (my first Toyota also). The extended warranty will help give me some peace of mind.

spongen

Faraz,

The dealer I purchased my van from is in Central IL, was very straight forward and upfront. Actually we made the deal over the internet, and I had my van in 5 weeks from signing a contract with them. I paid 3% over invoice in February and at that time, they had many Sienna's allocated to them, so even though I had to wait 5 weeks to get my van, it was better than 3 months at most other dealerships.

Also this dealer will be able to offer an Extended Warranty to you, at their cost, as they did me.

Please send me an email for details.

nofeer

artic frost, fawn
fwd
z1
#3
32850+ tax/tag
several dealers said i got it below there cost and couldn't match it. I'm in eastern KY tried huntington, wv, portsmouth, columbus and nicholasville. ordered from nicholasville over the internet. dealer only asked for my credit card, no deposit, and if i don't like when it comes in don't have to take it.

jaymk

Congrats on your purchase CjKim,
Can you please tell me is that price your out the door price ?
Also if you can provide the name of the dealership and the State. I am also in the market for the same package and the prices I am getting are very high.
Any help would be highly appreciated,
Thankyou
Krystal

petronio

Desert sand -- after I looked at the pics previously posted:

http://captkg.tripod.com/siennapictures/id2.html

Put the order in last night -- XLE AWD option package 17 -- $33,100 plus tax and tags. After calling and emailing a number of dealerships up and down the east coast, finally did Carsdirect and took the quote from a local dealer that was only $75 over the lowest quote that I got (from a dealer in NC). (Some dealers were quoting me $34,999 as their no-haggle, non-negotiable internet price!)

faraz

Spongen,
I do not know whether I can e mail you for details. I am probably technically challanged.
Can you tell me the name and city of the dealership.
Thank You
Faraz

spongen

is K C Summers Toyota located in Mattoon Il. Ask
for the General Manager. He was excellent in handling my transaction.

Also if you are interested in an Extended Warranty, the Finance Manager will give you the same great deal they gave me.

Lee Ann

porcaccio

I am wanting to make sure my pricing is right. I have a deal for a XLE FWD, Phantom Grey, Package #19, Rear Spoiler, Carpet Mats, Auto Dimming Mirror, Cargo Net for $500 over Invoice. Priced out at Edmunds.com, that number with destination charges should be $32,719. The dealership is trying to charge me $33016+TTL. Can anyone confirm that the invoice price on Edmunds is 100% accurate?

I, of course, will be trying to get back my $300 tomorrow if they were trying to cheat me.

weedshasta

Go to Carsdirect. I put your car in and it gives an invoice price of $32734. That includes $515.79 TDA (advertising) and $540 destination, but does not include an extra $25 if you live in the Gulf States. You have to put in your zip code for a price quote, so your numbers may be a little different (I am in Northern California). All in all $33,016 sounds like a very good deal. They list MSRP at $36,989.
     The Carsdirect price comes up right on the screen so you do not have to put in any personal information and nobody will contact you unless you request it.

porcaccio

Thanks, I am in Northern Cali as well, in San Rafael. I know the deal is good, but when you quote $500 over invoice, I expect you to honor it, no?

pompeii

We placed a deposit for an AFP XLE FWD with package #17 (GK) and floor mats for $28800 + tax, we should be getting the van by the end of this month. We told the salesperson that we have a trade-in but he hadn't appraised the car yet. My question to all of you experts is, before I take my car to the dealer to be appraised, should I also bring it to Carmax to be appraised as well? And what if the dealer will not match the appraisal price from Carmax, can/should I sell it to Carmax instead and take the cash as part of down payment or does it have to be a trade-in with the dealer? The reason I'm asking is b/c I see a few posts where the person would walk away from a deal just simply the trade-in price wasn't what s/he expected, it makes me wonder since this is my first time trading in a car for another one. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

ppnff

Pompeii. I would recommend going to Carmax first since the dealer will low-ball your trade. Low-ball is an understatement of what they do. Quite honestly, they will come in very low and have some "legitimate" excuse. Before going to Carmax, I would recommend checking the value of the trade-in on edmunds.com, kbb.com, and the local classifieds including Carmax's own website. Then, go to Carmax for an estimate. Based on my visit to Carmax last Monday, Carmax is very reasonable (unlike the new car dealers). Then, force the dealer to match Carmax. Since Carmax is also new Toyota retailer with competitive no-haggle prices in certain states, the dealer may have no choice but to be more honest with you. Sadly, this is the state of affairs of buying new cars. Good luck!

golfnut

The invoice listed on edmunds is always off from the actual dealer invoice. I did some research and Toyota has a fee called TDA (advertising fees). After substantial research, I found out that the dealerships are not making these fees up. Whether you like it or not this is a legitimate fee. It is usually about 1.5 percent of the invoice that you find on edmunds. Edmunds does disclose these fees when you go to "10 steps to buying a new car." Its step #3.

porcaccio

I just purchased my XLE FWD with Package #19 and I am really happy. However, the Finance Manager was not happy with me, as I didn't pay for any of the extended warranties or service plans (or paint protection and such).

My question is whether there is somewhere that I can purchase the 7/75/0 Extended Warranty at cost. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

siennalooker

HI yall,

I'm a newcomer to this townhall. I have been following you for awhile. Thanks for all the help. Doing my homework in order to get the best deal out there. I've been told by dealers that the Sienna XLE FWD Desert Sand w/pkg 12 and CF are hard to come by. I had a UBS price about 30,330 but no local vans.(I live in NO. VA) One guy slipped and told me that there were 3 in PA. Is there someway to figure out what dealers have particular models on their lot or coming in? (short of calling all the dealers in PA, not all dealers have online inventory) I always got, come in give me a deposit and I'll find one for you. I really dont trust those guys who want my money before they search for me. I've tried to stay strictly with the internet to do all my correspondance.

Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks

dennis2

Hello siennalooker, I guess we have the same tastes, I was also looking for a desert sand XLE with option #12. I personally do not know how you can find out what vehicles are due to arrive at a dealer's unless you rely on them to tell you. I had one fleet salesperson tell me he could beat any deal, but I had to drive to his office to find out. I didn't bother, as I had 2 other folks tell me they had XLE vans with #12 arriving within a month. Hopefully I will have the van within another week or two. BTW one other plan I gave some thought to was waiting until the 2005 models were about to hit the lots, and then trying to find an XLE Limited with nothing but the most basic Limited configuration - which I believe would include everything the XLE #12 has and then some - and trying to get it at the end of the year price, which I bet wouldn't be a whole lot more than I'm paying now. Trouble was it seemed that almost all the limiteds I saw had all the high dollar options. Well had to draw the line somewhere. good luck.

stever

You could also try a dealer quote service using some PA zip codes. Like ours :-)

Free Dealer Price Quotes

I plugged in 15235 and got 4 dealers. If you tried another zip or two and you hit 5 or 6 dealers, maybe one of those will figure out where one of the three are and do a dealer swap and sell one to you. You'll have to plug the color and option pack in the comments (along with an indication that you want to buy today <g>). Worth a shot.

Or tell your local dealer you'll put up a refundable deposit if they'll find you one, and put your deposit on a credit card so you can dispute it if the dealer strings you along without apparent results.

Good luck (and thanks for unlurking!),

Steve, Host

weedshasta

I don't think you are going to find it at cost, but I got the 7yr/75K/0ded for $500, which is about $20-$25 over cost. See my posts 3604, 3796, and 3810 for details.

toyotafan2

Hi all,

We have ordered a XLE FWD pkg #14 for $30,215 plus $45 doc fees. My husband&#146;s co-worker referred us to the dealership owner. He says that's his cost. We have a copy of the invoice so I believe him. I also haven&#146;t found a quote anywhere else as low so I think we&#146;ve got a good deal. This week, they&#146;ll be trying to work a trade between the one they have and the Mirage Blue one I want.

So, regarding the other things we&#146;ll be offered when we actually close the deal: I&#146;ve read here about the Extended Warranty so I&#146;m prepared for that discussion. We&#146;ll also be offered the 4 yr pre-paid maintenance plan for about 1K and the paint protection for another 1K. We&#146;ll skip the paint protection altogether. Anduril has shared his experience with the combo Warranty/Maintenance deal. Thanks for that info. Does anyone else have an opinion about prepaid maintenance? Also, what other extras should we be prepared for?

Thanks for all the info. It&#146;s been an education!

micjoe

Hello Everyone!!!

I was pricing a sienna le package 7 The best price I got so far is 26,345.00 . Is that a good deal??? I was walking with dealer and they said sticker was the lowest they would sell it at but this dealer quoted me this price .. I know its a great selling van But I cant believe people pay invoice price or do they?? Please help .. Thanks

petronio

Package 17 (GK) is not available for XLE FWD -- your dealer should know this -- perhaps you just typed in the wrong number?

petronio

I just concluded about a week's worth of quote-hunting and shopping over the internet and by email. Ultimately, after finding the vehicle I wanted in stock in NC at a quote about $2000 below sticker and $2000 above invoice, I got the same quote through carsdirect.com from a local dealer at $75 more (except I had to order the vehicle and wait).

You may want to check out the following sites:

http://www.autofair.com
http://www.fitzgeraldautomall.com
http://www.darcars.com/index.asp
http://www.moderntoyota.com

Autofair and Fitzgerald list their upfront "no-haggle" price. Darcars and Modern have internet sales managers who will send you low internet quotes. Darcars seems to be trying to unload some of its Sienna inventory.

Good luck!

pompeii

Package #17 (leather trimmed seats, curtain airbags for 3 rows, etc...) is offered for XLE FWD. I've been getting quotes all over for this package and the trim selected, also Edmunds.com and the other sites showed them as one of the option packages as well. So do you think I got a good deal? And what is the best thing to do with the trade-in?

looksee

Hello folks, good news here:

Just made my purchase after several weeks of looking and much helpful advise on this board. Here are the numbers

2004 Sienna XLE Ltd FWD
Blue Metallic Mirage

HO Package
Z1 Package (Sill, cargo nets, first aid)

$35,851 Car
$2,204 Tax (6% in PA)
$152.50 License, tags, notary, doc prep
$38,207.50 Purchase Price

Signed the papers on Wednesday afternoon giving a $500 deposit. Dealer said up to 4 weeks for delivery. Called me on Friday (2 days later) and said car was in. Picked it up with 3 miles on it, they didn't even glue the panel on the side window.

Love the car, nav system is pretty cool. Kids love the DVD and the side shade screens are nice. Back up camera is incredible.

Thanks to nickles and host steve for all of your input. Just knowing what other prices paid was a huge help in finalizing the deal. Thanks to Edmunds, I'll faithfully patronize this site.

heywood1

Petronio is right. Pkg 17 is only available on AWD models. Brochure confirms this. Also, I own one.

rorr

That's odd heywood; Toyota's web site certainly show's FWD (not AWD) Sienna XLE's available package #17 (heated leather w/ side/curtain airbags). There is at least one listed in the local inventory (a desert dune XLE pkg.17).

I wonder if this is a regional thing? They certainly seem to be available in Texas.

pompeii

If they give me an AWD for the price of FWD, that's even better!! But seriously, why did Edmunds.com display pkg #17 when I selected the XLE trim? And why did all the 4,5 dealers I've talked to never said anything about the pkg not offered on FWD? We're supposed to pick up the van next week, can someone help me out here? I'm confused.

romana

Have been reading postings for months and have learned a lot. Thanks everyone!

One thing I am still not clear on is out of state sales tax. If I, for example, live in Virginia with a 3% sales tax, and buy a car in Maryland with a 5% sales tax, do I pay the 5% to Maryland and then pay nothing in VA? Or do I pay nothing in MD since I will be registering it in VA and then pay once I am in VA?

Can anyone enlighten me? Thanks for your time!

weedshasta

I am looking at my brochure. Most packages say at the end either "excludes AWD" or "excludes FWD." Package #4 and #17 for the XLE say nothing so I conclude that they are available on both AWD and FWD.

weedshasta

I verified the packages on Edmunds, CarsDirect, Toyota.com, as well as the brochure. There are 21 packages available on the XLE. #18 & #21 are ONLY available on the AWD. #4 & #17 are available on BOTH the AWD and the FWD. The rest are available on the FWD only.

weedshasta

I received my Extended Warranty. It says on the cover to keep it in the vehicle at all times. Is there really any reason to keep it in the car for the first 3 years? I wouldn't think you would need to show it when you are getting serviced under the initial warranty. It was my understanding that it is pretty much an extension of 4 years beyond the first three years. Can I keep it in a safe place until just before my initial warranty expires?

heywood1

You're right. After re-reading the fine print, #17 is one of the FEW option packages that does not have an **excluding** notation. XLE Packages 17 and 18 are printed so closely together, that the **excludes FWD models** notation appears to apply to both, but it does not.

Very easily misunderstood.