2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Prices Paid and Buying Experience

ghulet

....I think the dealers can normally tell you what's coming in to their inventory within the next few weeks, so you can determine if the car you want is coming in at all. Also, you can just request that if that car does come in, not to add anything to it or you have 'no deal'. You could also just order the car you want the way you want it and wait. If inventories in Chicago are any indication (each dealer is lucky to have even ONE Corolla with manual transmission), you may be just as well off just ordering the car, rather than taking the chance that the 'perfect' vehicle comes in.

omo79

Just wanted to share that I bought a '05 Corolla LE in Fairfax, VA this weekend and it was a hassle-free experience. Optional equipment I got is:

- All weather guard package
- Anti-lock brake system
- Driver/Passenger side airbags
- Audio value pkg (am/fm in-dash CD changer with 6 speakers + cruise control)
- Complimentary floor mats
- Complimentary cargo net

MSRP (w/options) was $18,182 and the Edmunds TMV price (w/options) was $16,942 excluding taxes/title/tags. However, I bought my car through my credit union who had a special promotion, so the net price - including the $500 rebate - came to $16,160. My C.U. is financing my auto loan for 48 months @ 3.9% APR.

All-in-all, I think I got a pretty good deal. Drove off the lot with odometer @ 30 miles.

sandman46

What exactly is this? I went looking for a Corolla LE with out the side airbags but all the other goodies mentioned in the last post. They had a $1000. ADM Fee on the sticker and I never paid one if those before. Am looking in the Ft. Lauderdale area and was hoping to pay about $12k with a trade in of a '01 Altima GXE LTD. Ed.. I figured I could hopefully get about $4500. for the Alty. I figured the Alty and $12k cash as an OTD price. No financing will be required as I want a quick, easy and painless sale. Am hoping to do this around the Memorial Day or July 4th weekend.
Is this a logical price on my part for a Corolla LE.
There seems to be a glut of them down here in South Florida.
Thanks for any help. I already drive a '03 Sentra and the wife said she would also look at the '05 Sentra GXE SE, which we could probaly get for maybe $10k and the Alty out the door.
She also likes the Mazda 3 and the BMW 3 Series and the Volvo 240. She still has to sit and drive all these cars but I really did like the Corolla, having owned 2 previous generations.

The Sandman :confuse:

xel

It seems like a good price. Hey what dealer you went to and can you tell me a little bit more of your experience. I'm looking for a corolla and I don't know what to get a LE or S do you know the differences. I hope you can help me a little. Thank you. :

saintrose

I can get a 2005 Corolla XRS for the following price. (I am from NY)

$20458 MSRP
- 1823 Trade-in allowance (for my 98 mirage worth about $1000)
-----------------------
$ 18635
- 400 College Rebate
-----------------------
$ 18235
+ 1600 Taxes/Fees/Etc
----------------------
$19835 Drive-off Price

Is this a good deal? Could I get a few more bucks off?

Any suggestions would be awesome.

Thanks for your help!

sandman46

Why not try working "up" from the invoice price. I try to do that and add in about a 4 % to 5% profit for the dealer, since they have to make something...right? Some of the other fees might be negotiable to, depending on how anxious the dealer is to move another unit that day. I also try to go at the end of the month and around a holiday. I've found twice already that between Thanksgiving and New Years is a great time to purchase. Most consumers have their minds on everything else, car buying being far down on the totum pole.
Good luck and let us know. We're looking at a Corolla LE and a Volvo S40 right now.

The Sandman

litterbox

Is it possible to get a 2005 Rolla "S" with ABS in New England? Autofair Toyota told me that a New England Version of the S model is not available with ABS...sounds silly to me!

Is this true?? If so can I get a S with ABS in another part of the country?? Jeesh :confuse:

etack

I drove an S with ABS in Wappingers Falls New York - pretty close to Danbury, CT. But I also wanted side air bags (S or LE). The salesman told me you can't get ABS and side air bags in my region. Could this be true? I don't believe a word salesmen say (especially those who want to sell me what they have vs. something they don't) so I called Toyota USA. Toyota told me they have no way of knowing if that's true or not. Anyone have the scoop on this? Thanks.

lucian95

I originally planned to buy a new CE 5-speed. I did a lot of research on autotrader.com and decided to go after a used one. I bought a 2005 Corolla CE 5-speed with cruise control as an add-on and 7200 Miles on the odometer. After 4 hours of negotiations, I walked away with a $9500 deal, plus 6%tax and documentation+registration fees ($425). I also negotiated a new keyless entry with that price. Altogeher, I think this was a pretty good deal. Car looks and drives like a brand new car. The only complaint I have is with Goodyear Integrity tires which are Toyota's insult to the customer.

kepm123

Is the best dealer in the portland, OR area, Thomason or Royal Moore, RM is a preiemer on edmunds. Looking at getting a Corolla S with most options except moonroof and side air bags.

kepm123

So i put in all the options i wanted, basically everything but sunroof and side air bags and the invoice came to 16322 and the TVM for portland came to 17043, should i try and get it for the lower first and just work up to the 17 price. Looking to buy in portland so no tax.

mikefm58

Anyone bought a new Corolla recently in Central Florida? Wondering what the going rate here is, if prices are close to invoice and also looking for a dealer recommendation. I'm looking for an S model.

sdjosh

I tried posting this message in another forum category, but it looks like it closed... I'm re-posting here as that these issues relate to price as well

Hi all- I and am planning to buy a 2006 LE when they come out, and have a few ridiculous questions I've been obsessing over. Any insights would be appreciated...

1. Wife wants a sunroof. We rented one for a weekend w/o a sunroof, and I found it to be quite peppy, even on San Luis Obispo freeway grades. We got 37 MPG highway without the car having been broken in. Would a decrease in performance/MPG be significant (noticeable) due to the weight increase with a sunroof?

2. Vehicle Stability Control: For those who have it- Can you feel any difference in wet conditions? Do you feel it was worth the price? How much did you pay? I'm concerned over the system affecting MPG, and that it may be expensive to repair in the long run.

3. JBL Audio: What's different from the Audio Value Package? The LE we rented had just the single disc player, which was adequate, but I wonder if the JBL system sounds better in terms of quality/bass. Again, worth the price?

Thanks for any input whatsoever!

wyldcatz

I just did my FIRST e-mail quote request, and was given a quote of $17,381 before taxes and fees (total of $18417.13 after taxes, doc and license fees). According to Edmunds, TMV is $17,800. He also told me that because he's already giving me a $1,144 discount off MSRP, he's unable to go lower.

Good deal? Something tells me it is... but the other part of me says to try to shop around with a couple other dealers. I should mention that this guy is the only one who's even responded to me, and has taken the time to explain things, rather than just giving me a "take it or leave it" attitude.

Thanks for any assistance! I'm very new at this.
-Cathy

wyldcatz

Follow-up to my above post:

I tried e-mailing someone else from another Toyota dealership here in Hawaii, and found out that he already knew I was in contact with the first guy. I guess once they find out you're interested, they give your name out so that they don't out-sell each other. So much for getting varying quotes in this state. haha

Dumb question alert: TMV is before taxes and other fees, right? Thanks.

mikefm58

" they give your name out so that they don't out-sell each other. "

Just the exact opposite. Any dealer will beat out someone else for $50 less, happens all the time.

If I were you, I'd take the offer and buy from the dealer who gave you a price. If you shop it around, someone will beat it by a few bucks. Would you reward that dealer by buying from them when they didn't have the decency to respond to your email?

You sent emails out, you got a response that sounds like a good deal. Buy from that dealer, not the ones that ignored your email.

mldj98

I am looking for a little help on this...
Looking at buying either the S or LE model and wondering about how close these things are selling at invoice?
I am also wondering if someone can give the actual MPG they are getting in their new corolla? I have read a couple of comments from people saying they are not getting anywhere near the 30 city / 38 highway rated on the car.
Thanks in advance!

wyldcatz

Aloha Mike-

Thanks very much for your reply. I was glad to hear someone say I should take the deal. This guy really took the time and responded to every single one of my e-mails (usually within minutes), no matter how inane my questions were. I spoke with the first guy on the phone, and it turns out that the second guy I e-mailed was his BOSS (unbeknownst to me - the e-mail I got showed a different dealership for him). He gave me the same quote, and said I should continue dealing with the first guy. No other responses from anyone else yet, so I made an appointment with for Thursday evening. Turns out they have the car I want (Corolla LE/Cactus Mica/Stone w/Suffix 4 options) at the Dealer Storage Facility a few miles from the dealership; not even prepped yet, so it should only have a few miles on it by the time I *hopefully* get it. I let him know that as long as there no add-ons that I didn't request, we should be able to work something out.

I e-mailed him my trade-in info afterward because I wanted to keep the two deals separate. Doubt I'll get a lot for my 1990 Acura Integra, but for a 15-year-old car, it's in great shape (aside from a couple of small rust spots).

I love these forums!

minnal

I am in Michigan and the best offer i got from local Toyota dealers is 15900 OTD (incl tax+title+doc) incl the toyota $500 rebate.

* 2005 Corolla LE base model
* Auto transmission
* Audio value package
* Weather guard package
* Mats

I would like to know the dealer name who offers the lowest price in this area (MI, OH, IN, IL, PA).

Appreciate your help in this regard.

kepm123

Well got a S in portland that had a MSRP of 18217 for 15995 out the door. Got the 750 and 400 recent grad rebate. The car was pretty loaded, only options not on the car were like ABS, stability control and power moonroof and side airbags.

jzd1

Recently bought a Corolla LE in Boston area:

Automatic
ABS
Side and curtain airbags
Audio value package + cruise control
All weather guard
Mats

$15600 plus dealer fee, tax and registration. I was able to get the $500 rebate. Final OTD was $16100.

mikefm58

What did you pay not including sales tax and state tag & registration fees. It's kinda hard to tell what you paid the dealer based on what you posted. In my state there's 6.5% sales tax and the state tag & reg. fees are about $200.

ali4

can anyone confirm that the college grad rebate is now $1000? Thanks!

retropolitan

Black Corolla 4 door LE sedan with automatic
Audio Value Package (CD Changer + Cruise Control)
$16,585 MSRP + 6 percent sales tax
OTD $14,900 ($500 rebate + '89 Toyota Tercel trade-in (don't laugh -- I love(d) that car)

I did all negotations through e-mail, starting with 5 dealers in metro Atlanta. The Costco membership price was $1,000 + than what I paid. The dealer tried to pull a fast one at the signing, but came to their senses when I pitched a fit.

jimex

Silver Corolla 4 Door LE, Auto. - $14,000 (including rebate). MSRP $16,687.00
including:
All Weather Guard Pack. - CK
Audio Value Pack. - VV
Floor Mats - CF
MA State Sales Tax - 5% = $700.00
Dealer Doc. Fees = $198.00
Transfer Reg. Plate Fee = $65.00
OTD = $14,963.00

All done through their Web site....very easy.

veer

Hey,

That's a good deal..

Can you please let me know the dealer name and contact person of salesperson.

also what were doc fees and taxes charged?

Thanks.

retropolitan

$14,522.03 vehicle purchase price
+ $599 doc. fee
$15,121.03 TOTAL PURCHASE PRICE
- $614.43 trade-in
+ $870.40 sales tax
+ $20 title fees
+ 3.00 lemon law
- $500 rebate
$14,900 drive out

Not allowed to give salesperson names on this site, but I got it from Lithia Springs. I also dealt with -- and highly recommend -- Sandy Springs as well. I got quick email responses from both dealerships, and they were close in price. Good luck!

reuel3

Please do not ask for or provide the name or contact information for any sales people. You may post the dealership name and location, but any identifying information about the sales staff will result in the post being deleted.

Thank you for your cooperation.

mikefm58

When asking for info. like that, put your email addy in your profile so people can respond offline.

Kirstie_H

Just don't ask, period. If someone wants to take the initiative on their own to contact another member using the address listed in their profile, that's fine.

Creating an e-mail address to make public in your profile is a GREAT idea, even if you only use it for Edmunds.com. Spambots can't access your profile either, but they can "crawl" the discussions for addresses posted.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Host, Future Vehicles & Smart Shopper discussions

bear9

Recently bought a Corolla LE in North CA area:

Silver color
Automatic
ABS
Side and curtain airbags
Audio value package + cruise control
Al alloy wheel

$15760 plus dealer fee, tax and registration.Final OTD was $17200.
Using Financing of Zero downpayment, Zero APR for 24 monthes.

ghulet

Anyone here deal with Schaumburg Toyota or its sister store in the city, Midtown Toyota? I've received e-mail quotes from one of their Internet sales group for right around $2000 off MSRP ($200 under invoice minus $500 customer cash). They don't have a unit I want in stock (I want an 'S', manual transmission, with a sunroof and ABS, which apparently are rare--most manual 'S' are stripped, ABS cars are unusual in Chicago at all for some reason, and usually if you want a sunroof, you end up with a bunch of other crap that I don't want and don't want to pay for).

leyzurela

Bought a 2005 corolla S in Arizona with the following features:

automatic
ABS
6 cd changer
tire pressure sensor
side & curtain airbags
cruise control
Power tilt/slide moonroof with sunshade
alloy wheels
metal door sills
VSC
Power windows with driver-side auto-down feature
Remote keyless entry system with lock, unlock and panic features

paid about 20,000 out the door

got it from avondale toyota. I feel like the people there were very helpful and I would reccomend them. The buying experience is GREAT! Best customer service ever out of any dealership I've been to!

sandman46

Your car seems to have everything except leather...wow! Surprised you didn't try out the Camry SE. Don't know how much more it could of been though.
Congrats and enjoy your new ride! What color did you get? Really love the alloys on the Corolla...gives the car a more refined look actually.

The Sandman

riddlermyth

I am in the market of buying a 2005 basic automatic corolla CE for an OTD of 14,000. Please let me know what is the best deal for one (without the 400 recent graduate program).
Thanks

nmrt

i bought my basic corolla CE (manual with the convinience package and the floor mats) three weeks back for an OTD of $12.4K. i think the window MSRP was 15.5K.

hope this helps.

sandman46

We are comparing this car to a '05 Mazda 3i. We like the power pack,windows, doors, entry, and a 6 speaker stereo would be nice. Basic cloth suits us fine, though the kids think leather is "cool".
Anyone else comparing these 2 cars and what OTD prices are y'all finding? We're looking to buy outright with no financing, but would consider extremly low rates. We do prefer to buy outright and not have to deal with monthly checks and those initial finance charges.
Thanks all.

the Sandman

leyzurela

My husband and I got impulse red. We really liked the indigo blue they had but they didnt have any with the same features. We really love this car! Its a first for both of us that isnt a base model. I'm glad about the alloy wheels, they look great! I'm excited about the way toyota has become with their cars. I'm really excited to see how the tire pressure sensor works and the automatic headlights are awesome!! The only issue is that I noticed a whistling sound coming from the front end, I posted about it under problems and solutions. I think other than this its a great car, and I hope the whistling isnt a big problem. The car only had 46 miles on it and its brand new so I'm surprised that there was even a noise or issue with a toyota.. but it sounds like air escaping from somewhere. anyway we love it!

leyzurela

I would look up TMV through edmunds.com. As far as deals it depends on the dealership you go to. There might be a 500 instant cash rebate, or special apr for certain vehicles. Aslo consider dealerships with no haggle prices. I was sceptical about this at first. But after looking around at a few other dealerships I quickly found out that the no haggle one had lower prices with more options. Also when talking about financing I was basically asked what I wanted to do. I got to choose whether I wanted to put money down or not which to me was great. Be sure to look around a few dealerships and compare prices with options before you decide to buy. good luck!!

bear7

I truly hate haggling with car salesmen and despise the phony kabuki dance routine with permissions from the recalcitrant "sales manager" up on the dais...etc. etc. ad nauseum. Can you guess why my last two cars were Saturns?

Well, my wife has firmly decided she wants a 2005 Corolla. Do we go for a CE or LE? As long as the innards are the same we don't care. She needs A/C (Richmond in summer!) and wants an automatic. Are there no-haggle Toyota dealers? Any advice on model, out-the-door price, best dealer for perks and service? We live in Chester, VA just south of Richmond.

Thanks for the advice!

riddlermyth

Could you please tell me where you bought it?! As stated, Im a poor student, and will be willing to drive a distance for the right price. Thanks!

salina02us

I bought Corolla LE on 5/3; just the day began new interest rate from 1.9% to 3.9% (3 - 4 yrs term).
Silver color, auto, ABS, Side & curtain airbags, 6 CD & Alloy wheel, I paid $15688, + 8.5% tax & fee after that - $500 rebate, but I financial outside 3.9% (so I can have same interest rate + $500 rebate, they allow me some extra time to think about to get $500 rebate or financing from them), and $70 extra for floor mats order by the saleperson.
I think I got a good deal for this price.

nmrt

hey riddlermyth. i bought the car in atlanta (sandy springs toyota). but i dont figure that you woudl have to drive to this place. if you stick to your guns, any dealership in a respectably large city woudl give you this price. since i paid 12.4K (OTD) for the manual and the floor mats and the convinience package, i think you can get a basic auto with no options for an OTD price of 13K. good luck.

ghulet

...all Corollas (except the XRS) have the same engine, all come with A/C and a CD player. Main upgrades for the LE over the CE are power windows/locks, fake wood trim on the interior and a six-speaker (instead of four-speaker) stereo.

haidong

Recently bought a Corolla LE in boston area:

black color
Automatic
ABS
Side and curtain airbags
Weather package
Audio value package + cruise control


$14651 plus dealer fee 199, tax and registration.Final OTD was $16700.
Using Financing of Zero downpayment, 5.25 APR for 36 monthes.

riddlermyth

Wow! Thanks a lot!! I didnt think I could EVER get a Corolla CE automatic for under 14k. Right now Im being shipped off to California for the summer for an internship- so I figure I'd SERIOUSLY look into cars once I get back in August. I will definately keep your contact, and if all fails, drive to Atlanta for the deal. Thanks so much!!! I'll let you know how much I end up paying!!
The car i REALLY want is the Mazda3i, but I doubt I can afford it, so I will end up with this Corolla, ESPECIALLY for 13k OTD :surprise:

corpchimp

I am considering using Carsdirect.com to purchase a Corolla, since the dealerships in my area are unable to locate one in the N. CA area with all the options that I want (i.e. LE manual, ABS, curtain airbags, moonroof, spoiler) and Carsdirect's guaranteed price seems reasonable.

Anybody use this service and have comments?

Also, I'm trying to decide if the moonroof is all that necessary or just something else to break? :confuse: Anybody hear of any problems with Toyota moonroofs?

Thanks!

jimex

I suggest you get onto a local Toyota dealership's web site (most of them do one), find a car you'd like and make a bid. A Interenet Sales Manager will get back to you quickly with a yes, no or counter offer. Just keep dealing with the Internet guy. I just bought a LE (I live in the Boston area). The MSRP was $16,665 and I got it for $14,000, which included mats and all weather and audio packages. Needless to say you have to add dealer fees, taxes etc. to that. But you can get a LE with auto for about $14,000. It's very painless.

Hope this helps.

nmrt

thats coincidence! i too wanted a mazda 3 but they were too expensive. no dont get me wrong, the invoice on the ce and the base mazda 3 were essentially the same but the mazda 3 dealers woudl not budge a lot in their prices. the 3s are too much in demand i guess. but i consoled myself and bought the cheap corolla knowing that i had c\bought myself lots of years of trouble free ownership. good luck with your buying.

songzh

I bought a LE from Miller Toyota at Manassas recently.
Pay 14733 plus 199 processing fee for it. My options are: ABS/Side Airbag/6cd Changer/Cruise Control/All Weather/Mats
I think this is a no-haggle dealer. You can simply find their best internet price then make a dicision.