2013 and Earlier - Toyota Highlander Prices Paid and Buying Experience

veekay1

What is a good price for Toyota's Platinum Extended Warranty (6/100,000)?
Thanks in advance for any comments!
Veekay1

lobuche

I got a quote of $33,400 from a dealer for
Limited AWD 4dr. HL w/rd Row (3.3L 6cyl )model 6938 with ...
Leather Seat Package
Towing Prep Package
JBL Premium sound system

Is this a OK deal, or am I getting siphoned off? Or, how low could I bargain down to?
 Thanks a lot.

landdriver

Sounds like a fair deal (as in "killer," "good," "fair," "poor," or "rip-off"); try bargaining up from 30,300 and see what happens!

jimbo67

Hi,
Just got back from the dealer. Bought an '04 Highlander V6 AWD w/ RL, EH, SR, GY, TO, AG, CQ, EJ, LP, HD, LF, WL, CF - Basically as loaded as you can get without going with the Limited. MSRP was $34,536 (before I added the sunroof deflector.)
I emailed out 5 requests for quote, the best one I got back was "$250 over invoice". The others ranged from 31,300 to 31,900. The internet salesman at my local dealer (IRA Toyota, Danvers, MA) matched the $250 over invoice, then there was $140 dealer charges (TDA) and tax and reg. The whole process was very straightforward with no hassles. He saw my edmunds printouts and started off by getting a copy of his invoice. I paid $30,950 with no haggling. They didn't want my junky trade, and financing was 4.99%, not quite the 2.9% offered on the '03's. I pick it up Monday.

bpi

I live in Maryland. I enter my zip code. It shows that Central Atlantic Toyota is the distributor. I proceed to the Highlander section. There're five models available. For each one that I select, there're two preconfigured option combinations. Each combination has some features that I don't want (Apearance Package, Towing Prep. Package, Sunroof etc.). I can't deselect both. Is this how Toyotas are sold now? I can't order one with the exact options that I want?

cwbarrett

I just came back from the dealer and put in an order for an O4 w/3rd seat with LP,SR,GY,AG,EJ, CQ,HD,TO,LF,RL,EH. FOR $30793. If I took a gold one he would have thrown in CF. Then added $190 for registration and $1862 in tax. Out the door $33094. Their invoice was $380 over the Edmunds listed invoice but final price blew away the TMV. I still think I left up to $200 on the table but I went to several dealers and this was about the best I was going to get. It was about $75 less than carsdirect.com and I get to work with a (somewhat)local dealer.

glb5

Please does anyone out there know the true TDA cost in the Denver,Colorado Springs, Pueblo area on A AWD V6 3rd seat Highlander and if the TDA is a legitamate cost or pure BS.

landdriver

TDA is Toyota's acronym for advertising ("Toyota Dealer Association"). As car buyers have become more savvy in recent years in terms their knowledge of the invoice price of cars, some dealers have been throwing onto the bargaining table the advertising cost they have to subsidize for each vehicle they have on their lots. Its really just part of their cost of overhead, so in my opinion they shouldn't list it as part of their cost (just as we don't expect them to list the cost of the upkeep of their dealership or their employee's salaries). Its just a bargaining tactic, and regardless of whether they insist in listing it, the bottom line is how much above invoice to total comes to and whether that number is acceptable to you. TDAs tend to vary from the low $100s to the high $700s from personal experience and from what I've read here.

pjaatpdx1000

A dealer explained to me that the TDA is paid to Toyota and is a percentage of the base cost of the vehicle. 2.3% if I remember correctly. I think this is the dealer's share of the Toyota ad program. It's not negotiable with our area dealers.

newtonj

lobuche, if you're out there... where did you get that quote for the loaded 04 Limited V6 model 6938? I'm in NJ, and the best I've gotten is $34,250.

lobuche

Try the dealers in Philadelphia. They quote less than $33,000.

newtonj

My $34250 quote includes a navigation system. Did yours?

Anyone out there have a navigation system in their 04 Highlander? If so, how do you like it's performance. Also, can you have the nav system and the 6 disc changer together or is it one or the other?

Thanks

lobuche

No, mine did not include the Navigation System. That should add another $1100.

rgnmstr

I went shopping for a Highlander at Russel Toyota in Balto. Somebody should tell these foreign car salesman that this is the year 2003. No matter what I asked the dimwit his every reply was "are you going to buy today" Does this car come with a radio? "Are you going to buy today" I left and bought a Lincoln LS V8 Sport. Fold down rear seats. Don't need the truck.

pjaatpdx1000

I was ready to buy a Highlander in July, but decided to wait for the model year change when I could pick up an 03 with a big rebate. Wrong! They just delayed the 04s till most of the 03s were gone. So I started shopping for an 04 in Portland, Or. which was mostly a positive experience. I had one visit to a dealer, then went online, which is the only way to go. Straightforward information, lower pricing, and many less miles driven. Dealers here are selling 04s for $500 to $1000 over the invoice cost. Problem is that everything here, and coming in the next two months, is loaded with options, kicking the pricing levels well over $30,000 for an AWD V6.
And, how often do I use the roof rack (never)spoiler, running boards and on and on. I found that Edmunds pricing information is very accurate. The base price for an AWD V6 is $24,375. What they don't tell you, however, is the REAL base price is $23,555. Then, you have to add a "dealer holdback" of $547 and a "Whsl. financial reserve" of $273. That makes $24,375 as Edmunds states. Next comes the Destination charge of $540 and TDA of $530. None of these costs are negotiable in our area, so you in effect have a base of $25,445. So now we see that they're going to make a little more than $500 to sell the vehicle. Next come the options, and all dealers will work at invoice cost plus their profit, as I said before, $500 to $1000 depending on availablity. I ended up special ordering a V6 AWD with only fog lights, tow package, mud flaps, and heated mirrors. I can buy whatever else I really want aftermarket for a lot less money. Total price out the door is $26,267. Had good experience with Vancouver Toyota,Gresham,Thomason,and Royal Moore. Email me for best salesman: pjaatpdx@ispwest.com
Also, FYI running boards (not listed on Edmunds)cost the dealer $410 and retail for $625.

tidester

Email me for best salesman

People don't need an invitation. If they are interested they will write. An invitation to email may give a false impression.

tidester, host

bluemind2

I bought a new HL 2004(w/ 3rd row seat) last week. With options:
FE
SR - Sun Roof
TO - Towing Prep Package
AG - Appearance Package
CQ - Convenience Package
DJ - Radio, Premium JBL am/fm stereo w/CD
NE - Steering Wheel Touch Control
HE - Preferred Pkg
CF - Carpets, (just 4 pieces)

I paid $26,900 before Tax & DVM. Is this a good price? What do you guys think? Bought it Orange County - Calif

bluemind2

It is V6 4x2

spencer327

I own a 2004 HL with nav and 6 disc changer.
Nav is excellent, fast, does remapping if you change your route Only complaint , you cant program destinations while moving. Apparently all Navs are like that. Should recognize passenger seating since there is a switch for the passenger air bag sensor in the seat.Map function is excellent, POI , points of interest are great.
Phone # recognition for destination etc
I didnt want it but HL came with it, Great toy, probably would get it again though.

lobuche

Hi Bluemind2
I am about to buy similar a Highlander with all the features except mine is AWD V6 with the Leather Seat Package. But I am also about to pay $31,210 before Tax. Am I getting completely screwed here? ?

The features are:
New HL AWD V6 2004(w/ 3rd row seat).
options:
FE
SR - Sun Roof
TO - Towing Prep Package
AG - Appearance Package
CQ - Convenience Package
DJ - Radio, Premium JBL am/fm stereo w/CD
NE - Steering Wheel Touch Control
HE - Preferred Pkg
CF - Carpets, (just 4 pieces)

I paid $26,900 before Tax & DVM. Is this a good price? What do you guys think? Bought it Orange County - Calif

bluemind2

Hi Lobuche, Look like you may pay little high if you have exact options like mine + AWD, leather seats. My deal was invoice + 500 on top.
Maybe it depends on location too. I bought it in Southern Calif. Where are your location?
1)You can access kbb.com, enter your options to obtain the invoice.
2)Carpet, they gave me only 4 pieces, I suggest you to make clear during the deal that to have full set of carpet(trunk + 3rd row?)
Good luck, let me know how it goes.

pjaatpdx1000

don't understand. you said you paid 31,210 before tax, then said at bottom of message you paid 26,900 before tax. which was it? If 26,900 its a tremendous deal

bluemind2

Pjaatpdx1000,
Lobuche is about to pay "31,210" for his 04HL on #817.
26,900 is his cut&paste mistake. This is my price to buy my 04HL #814.

cwbarrett

Unless you ordered something special you probably got a few more options with the leather. There appear to be 3 option packages that they build to. Follow the Toyota sponsored links and then build your own. You'll see what I mean. The standard package that gives you leather also has ej, rl, and more (i'm too lazy to look). The MSRP without mats is 34,280. The invoice according to edmunds is 30,004. You have to add the dealer TDA to that for dealer invoice. All that said if you throw in the mats ($124) your getting a fair deal but they could drop another $300 or so.

tmw911

Does anybody know of a good discount dealer in the Denver/Colorado Springs area? I'm about ready to give up on Toyota. Over the Internet I found a place that said they'd sell me a 2004 Highlander for $600 over invoice. I was ready to buy, even though the dealership was 1.5 hours away. Then I found out they had a little different idea of invoice than I did. They had the base price + $600, which was fine, then they added TDA $589, holdback $547, financial reserve $273 and even $6 to put gas in the car!

Have others had good or bad experiences with Toyota dealers. The reason I ask is that I've had several bad Toyota experiences. I almost bought a Toyota several years ago, and got so feed up, I left and bought a BMW. Then I had a similar situation at a different Toyota dealership, I bought a Honda. I have crossed a total of 5 Toyota dealerships off of my list. I hate getting lied to, and having to put up with sleezy BS. Am I just unlucky or is this a culture within Toyota? I haven't seen any other dealerships this bad (well I did run into 1 bad Chevrolet dealer in CA that was in the same league).

I'm frustrated. If someone knows a good dealer who won't lie or "bait & switch", then I might try Toyota once more. Otherwise I'm going to be looking at Nissan Muranos, or Hondas. I just don't need the aggravation.

pjaatpdx1000

You need to read my post # 812. What you are describing is an actual dealer invoice. If you take the base price, and add the wholesale, and dealer reserve you will match the Edmonds base price. those are just components of the base price. I've seen an actual invoice, and those are bona-fide charges to the dealer, in addition to destination charges and TDA. Now it might be that Toyota is on to all of us who want to purchase invoice + 500, and they kick back to the dealers, but you are not being lied to. As I say, I've seen an actual invoice, and even the 6.00 gas charge is on there.

carpeople

hey am I happy. We got a new SUV and guess what it is? Highlander. But the best part is the price.

We got a 4x4 V6 Highlander 7 seater with:
Appearance package
Convenience package
Daytime runnning lights
Preffered package heated mirros
Towing prep. package
and carpet/cargo mats

With an MSRP for $30,132. We got it for $27,5. I think this is below TMV, and only about $300 over invoice! I'm happy, we will use this Highlander for a good long time!

kaitlin07

Bluemind2, can you say what you paid for your highlander out the door? I am also in s. cal. and would like to buy the vehicle with the same options that you have purchased.

kaitlin07

Can you also say the dealership where you purchased?

suvlovr

I think both of you (lobuche & bluemind2) paid a fair price for your respective model based on my dd for the past month.
From what I heard & someone in this forum also confirmed, the dealer is willing to offer discount near end of month/quarter/year to meet its 'quota' for incentive reasons from Toyota. It's similar to the unconfirmed myth about ticketing quota by cop near month end.

bluemind2

Hi kaitlin07, I paid 26900 + tax&licence.
Out of the door is $29622.xx. I don't remember exact amount. It is Elmore Toyota dealer in Westminster. Good luck and let us know how your deal goes.

brutus_1

Well after much shopping around, and getting tired of Honda dealers that wouldn't deal with Pilots, I ended up buying an '04 Highlander. 4dr, V6, 3rd seat, 4X2. Options were AG,EH,PE,SR,CF, and CQ.(check carquotes.com for options and costs) The local dealer in St. Charles, Il showed me invoice and wanted $450 over. Vehicle sticker was 29,xxx or so. Faxed what I wanted,(3rd seat and 4x2) with some other options to other local Toyota dealers, they were willing to sell to me AT invoice. They didn't have as much of a selection (4x2) so color was not available at the lowest dealer bid. Called my local dealer and made an offer to purchase at invoice, $26,108. They accepted, things went very smooth. Would have liked to have had lther, but only had it in limited, they send out aftermrket for $1300, figure I can do that in a few years myself. Feel pretty good.

brutus_1

Extended the warreny to 6 years, 100,000 miles b2b for $1070.
I usually would not consider this, but I will drive the wheels off this vehicle, and if I don't use it, they refund my $1070 back!!!

dave_b

brutis_1,
'and if I don't use it, they refund my $1070 back!!!' - is this something new?? Is this a Toyota warranty??

kaitlin07

if the day after thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day, does anyone know if this holds true for car dealerships? is it a good day to buy or would it be better to wait til last day of the month?

ichoca

Can someone tell me if it is true that Toyota Platinum extended warranty has money back guarantee as mentioned in Message 830 if not used? Or is it something you have to negotiate at the time of purchase? I bought one, but the dealer did not mention anything about the money back.

steveb84

It's not like the retailers "Black Friday" where it's a make or break day.

But since it's already near the end of the month why don't you give them a shout today. At least that way if they don't have the right one in stock they could locate it for you and deliver it by the month close.

mysticb

Post #812 stated that the Base price ("Invoice" according to reference source cited by the post) includes the dealer holdback and something called a Wholesale Financial Reserve. I know what the holdback is, but I've never heard of the financial reserve.

I have two questions for anyone with Toyota sales knowledge:

1 - Can anyone confirm that the Invoice price includes the holdback?

2 - Can anyone elaborate on or explain the Wholesale Financial Reserve?

Knowing the answers can make a difference when considering the out-the-door price you're getting relative to the invoice price.

Thanks in advance.

landdriver

I'm not a car salesman, but I can tell you that invoice does not include holdback. Holdback is a rebate that Toyota gives to the dealership to offset their costs associated with keeping the car on the lot, so if a dealer wanted to include that as part of the negotiation, that should lower your cost!

I've never heard of Wholesale Financial Reserve in association with car bargaining; its probably a term the car salesman made up...

Consumer Report's New-Car Buying Advice | Negotiating link has a very straightforward explanation of dealership costs associated with new cars. Absent from this explanation is the advertising, or "TDA" in Toyota's case, costs that dealerships are trying to pass onto consumers these days. Another useful link is Consumer Report's New-Car Buying Advice | The Dealership. An enlightening exploration of the car negotiation process from the car salesman's perspective is Edmund's Confessions of a Car Salesman. An excellent book on the subject of car-buying negotiation is How to Buy a Car by James R. Ross (St. Martin's Press, Revised edition, December 2001), a gold standard for any serious car negotiator.

mysticb

Landdriver,

Thanks for the reply and the helpful links. I've read a few of your references previously, however I wanted to get some input on how the numbers add up according to pjaatpdx1000's post. I don't mean to discredit pjaatpdx1000, but that post was the first time I'd heard of the numbers adding up that way.

I appreciate the help.

king_lover

It's a AWD 4x4 V6 (w/3rd row seat).

MSRP $31,740 with the following options..
FE, EH, SR, GY, TO, AG, CQ, HE, LF, C4, GN.

Bought at $30,000(before tax/license fee) + leather seat installation(from local dealership themself). Stuck there for more than two hours trying to talk them into leather installation. (They quoted for $1600 but I don't really care how much they get it done)
They even tried to throw in a limited model with 900+ miles on it(they said it's a manager's demo car and were willing to deal around 32k). Checked the car but it seems to me not very well maintained. It's in N. Cal South Bay area.

atalalay

Can someone give me an idea of price and dealer in NW, preferably Seattle.

I am looking for '04 V6 4WD with 3rd Row that has Option B that MSRPs for about $31.3k. I noticed that they sell for about 28k at in the DC area (where I am) but I am sure about the going rate in Seattle. Thanks!

msbrown

I have an 01 V6 AWD with everything except heated seats. Lease price was 32000 back in Aug 01. Just received a notice they want to buy it back because of "demand". I would like to get a lower monthly payment plus use a purchase option vs lease. Has anyone had any experience with this sort of offer? Buy out of lease is 22,500. Thanks!
P.S. So far in my driving career (30yrs), this is my all time favorite!

kubiak

I am looking to buy a 2004 Highlander at Bob Rohrman in Lafayette, Ind., and although he has a good reputation locally some things seem fishy. First I was quoted a trade in over $3,000 lower than Edmunds and Kelly on my 2001 Malibu in super condition. And then there is the fact that the dealership publishes on its own website the invoice prices of cars, but doesn't seem even to entertain the idea that a customer would pay anything but the MSR. Does anyone have experience handling this prominent dealer and can suggest tactics? Thanks.

nortsr1

You should do yourself a favor and move on to try several other dealers.

landdriver

mysticb:

You're welcome. Actually the last paragraph of my post listing the references was more directed to all readers of this board in case if any found it useful; sorry for it looking like it was directed to you specifically, which it wasn't!!

klin

From best dealer quotes, I found out that similarl-optioned HL Ltd (~32600) is only about $3K apart from MDX base (~35900).

Any suggestion/advice from who had done the study/comparison on which is a better value/quality/reliability?

Thanks

sunangela

I am sure I will buy a new Highlander AWD V6 with 3rd seat but I am not in a big hurry. Any one having good suggestion on internet buying please be kind to pass me the info. I just want the best deal and don't care about any manufacturer/dealer options and plan to do everything aftermarket. If anyone offers a none-black color AWD V6 with 3rd seat for $(invoice + destination + 500 or less), I will buy it now.

alc6

Just bought a HL Ltd with following options:
Moonroof, side curtain airbags, leather, towing, seat heaters (didn't really want), upgraded radio, cargo net, and floor mats for 32400. Edmunds invoice is 31625, but dealer said his invoice was 32301 (includes all the extras discussed in numerous previous messages). Edmunds TMV is 33050, and the color and options were almost exactly what I had been looking for. Dealer was Beaver Toyota in Santa Fe (I live in Albuquerque) and they were having a Thanksgiving weekend sale which ended today. I think the deal was pretty good considering the relative shortage of 2004s equipped the way most people want them. And no, Toyota dealers don't have the best reputation for honesty and fair dealing, so I guess I lucked out.

shued

I hope to ask that the second row of HL is wider enough for one car seat and two 5'6" adults for long trip? If some one has this exprience, please share your information.