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Comments
I just brought a used '03 4WD LTD V8 4Runner and I have 2 questions.
1. The outside badge just say 'Limited' on the passanger side. I have seen most other 4Runners have 'Limited 4WD' on both sides or on the driver side. Does that mean my car is not 4WD? I do have HI-LO switch on the dash, Down-hill assist and central diff locking switch. So why is the 4WD missing on the badge?
2. My dealer said XREAS is present. After reading on this site i realized its a optional on LTD. How do i verify that XREAS is present?
Thanx.
For that matter, if anyone here bought a 2004 in the first month or two that it was available, I'm interested in hearing about that, too!
Bottom line, should I brace for paying something near MSRP, or are dealers (sometimes) willing to drop anywhere near invoice price this early in the model year?
Thanks!
-- Jim
Options:
EJ JBL 3 in 1 cd player, 10 spk, 6 disc in dash
NE Leather steering wheel, cruise, audio controls
SR Power tilt and slide sunroof
CM double decker cargo
DR roof rack
AW 17" alum wheels/tires
CF 5 piece mat set
NA 115 V ac power outlet
RF rear spoiler
RL daytime running lights
50 state emissions
Preference ordered in March '04.
Paid: $31,145 out-the-door, cash, no trade
Breakdown:
Sales tax: 2302
DMV fees: 257
Tire fee: 5
dock fee 45
vehicle total 28535
This included the $1k rebate
Additionals: full tank, full detail and fill-up in 30 days; first oil change/service
Love it. Crappy to have to wait so long, but I knew what I wanted, and didn't want. I understand the process. Also did not want an '05.
Question:
I want the Toyota platinum 7 yr, 100k extended warranty. My dealer wouldn't go below $1,175 for it.
Your input please: a) Is this a decent price? b) Do you know of a better price at another dealer or vendor?
Thanks much
I am completely new to this car buying thing and need a car within one week. Up until now I have been lucky enough to have company paid lease vehicles for my entire professional career so I have NEVER BEEN ON A CAR LOT TO PURCHASE. With changing companies I will get a $300.00/mn car allowance (not great but better than nothing). I have always liked the 4Runner but sold myself on the Highlander due to smaller size, work needs (20K driving per year) light towing,gas mileage, and lower cost. So I drove a 4 cyl. and 6 cyl. Highlander. The 6 cyl. is much better than the 4 cyl. but I was disappointed in the cockpit layout, armrests-seemed small and cheap to me for a 25K car. Then I drove a '04 Mitsubishi Endeavor XLS. Very comfortable, quiet, cool cockpit, etc. Sales guy offered me invoice less $200.00 or $24,000 out the door which is $4k over the high end of my budget ($15-$20K). Includes 0% financing for 5 yrs., up to 45K free maint. 5 yr.-60K bumper to bumper, 10yr.-100K drivetrain. It all sounded great until I investigated TMV and Cost to Own. First yr. depr. was $10K. Ugly. I then found a cherry '02 4Runner SR5 (Certified) with 15K miles,tow package, larger tires, etc. In other words, everything I need or want. This 4Runner is extremely clean. The dealer is asking $23,995. What is a reasonable offer by me and acceptance by the dealer for this vehicle? I hope someone will respond and say $18-$19K. According to Edmunds it is. I have budgeted $15-$20K for a vehicle and do not want to blow my budget or offend the sales guy. All I want is a fair deal. I look forward to any and all comments regarding my question and other input regarding car buying. PLEASE KEEP IN MIND I HAVE ONE WEEK TO BUY A CAR.
Thanks in advance for your responses
Keith
Brand new 04 SR5 V8 4WD $29,204 (MSRP: $33,4xx, invoice: $29,954), with the following equipments:
3rd Row
EJ JBL 3-in-1 6CD
Anti alarm
leather steering wheel
rear spoiler
garage door opener
daytime running lights
BLACK color
Second:
Demo (with about 2000mile on it) 04 LTD V8 4WD $33,245 (MSRP 39,xxx, invoice: $34,613), with the following equipments:
Power sunroof
JBL 3-in-1 w/ 6CD chanager
carpet mat
Exhaust tip by valor
daytime running lights
SILVER color
Which one is a better deal? I like the third seat, but the SR5 doesn't have the leather. Limited has leather, but this one does not have the third seat.
Thanks for you input.
Keith
Keith
Thanks for the advice about the fluids. Boy, you really have to watch these guys. They tried to charge me $215.00 for license fee when the tags are good till Jan. 2005. The tag fee went from $215.00 to $15.00. I also purchased the 6 yr/100,000 mile warranty. This will definitely give me some peace of mind. My buddy in the car business recommended to buy it as well as other friends and neighbors. One friend told me he has used the coverage for every used vehicle he has purchased so it sounds like a good thing. I am anxious to take a spin in my new vehicle when it is delivered tomorrow . Thanks again.
Keith
2004 4Runner Sport
Stratosphere Mica
- Engine: 4.7L V8 DOHC SMPI
- Silver Roof Rack & Black Cross Bar
- Leather Steering Wheel
- Power Tilt & Slide Sunroof
- Cargo Net
- Cargo Mat
- Double Decker Cargo System
- Carpet Floor/Cargo Mat Set (5 Piece)
- First Aid Kit
- Rear Seat Audio
- Radio: JBL Synthesis 3 in 1 w/6 Disc/10 Speakers
- Rear Spoiler w/Center High Mounted Stop Light
- Compass
- Inside Rear View Electrochromic Mirror
- HomeLink Garage Door Opener
- Daytime Running Lights
$33,275 +lic and fees. Out the door price came to $36,711.
I went in tell the salesman that I put a request into Costco but I hadn't heard back from them. He said they would price match Costco. He said Costco's deal was $700 over invoice. After going to "the desk" he came back and said Costco's deal was actually $800 over invoice and that's how we got to the numbers above.
They wanted $495 for an alarm system and I said if they threw that in I would take the vehicle. He said they couldn't do that. But I was convinced that I was still paying about $500 - $1000 more than I could get it some place else.
Am I crazy or was that a good deal? What really made me mad was that they said the price was only good for that day. I would understand if we negotiated a price on our own, but they were price matching! How can that be good for only one day if price matching is their policy and not an exception?
Tomorrow you should be able to get another price that's good for one day only too! And that price may be even better than the one you got today.
There's always another car on the lot and another deal to make. Unless your current ride is parked in front of the showroom with a cracked block, there's no reason to get in too big a hurry, even if the model year-end inventory is getting thin.
Sounds like a lot of haggling going on with that no-haggle dealer!
Steve, Host
I came up with $33,442 for a Boise zip code so I'd say it's right in the ball park, but not a super great deal. Seeing as how the '05's are on their way, I would have expected a little bit better offer, but maybe the impending snow season is propping prices up in your area.
Anyone?
Steve, Host
We went to the next dealership, found a Limited with all the options that we wanted, told the dealer we would only do invoice, he said you have a deal. One hour later, we were on the road with a new limited.
The next day we received a call from the "only good for today price", and it seems they had a change of heart. They were very willing to accept our offer.
Don't be afraid to walk away from any deal!
Again, thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences. This is the first place I check out when ready to sign papers.
US Toyota sales were down 10%, so there's another hammer you can use on your today only salesperson.
Steve, Host
We ended up going through an auto broker which saved us nearly $1000 under the dealer final price. The whole experience with the auto broker is very postive. So positive that I believe all our future car purchase will be done through the broker!
Thanks for your input, Steve.
Thanks.
My wife dealt with the broker directly, but I believe we just put our request in for the options we were looking for. The broker then went out and found the 4Runner with everything we asked. Gave us the price of the vehicle plus his flat fee (which was well worth it and still under what we could have gotten the vehicle for at the dealership). We then needed to put $500 down to secure the vehicle. The auto broker then brought the vehicle into his facilities so we could come by and sign the paper work and pick the car up. Very easy and straight forward. No, going back to the desk to negotiate the price. Everything was up front. So, I recommend HM Brown to everyone, specifically the broker we dealt with.
Keith
P.S. Oh yeah. My '03 4Runner is great and I love it.
Don't even think about getting an alternative 4x4 -- especially an American one and especially a Jeep. Total junk, lousy value. And the prices aren't that much better and they depreciate rapidly. 4Runners set that standard and then got overtaken in the mid-90's but now set the standard again. Just read the owner comments and ratings on this site for used ones. I've owned 2 of them and they are awesome. I've been out of the country and am now looking at a 4Runner again. I live in Colorado and really do use the 4x4 -- only 4Runner is truly built to be on off road car.
Surely you're pulling someone's leg here. I don't believe someone actually bought a 4Runner this way. Your statement: "I've since tried to contact the salesman and he won't return my calls." tells it all. The average price now for a 2004 should be invoice or below. Did you pay that??? What's the point of your questions? You can't do anything about it now, but just hope that only thing the dealer didn't tell you about was the mileage of the demo you bought.
Good luck
Thanks for any help.
Thanks for your advice. That's exactly the way it happened and now I know that I made a mistake in the way that I purchased the vehicle. The point of my question was whether or not I had any legal recourse. I feel bad enough already. Beth
From a legal point of view, I suspect the odometer disclosure form rules the day.
Lastly, I considered a demo when I was shopping, and a couple of sources agreed on about 50 cents/mile as the appropriate deduction for demo miles driven. That was right in line with what I was figuring at the time, as a way to compare vehicles with different test drive or demo mileage.
Let us know what your experience is from here, and what your odo statement says.
It would not hurt to see a consumer law attorney. There are two things to look at here. whether or not your vehicle would be considered used before you purchased it and odometer fraud. Are you saying that the real mileage did not appear until you operated the trip odometer? I thought trip odometers were a separate gadget and that the actual mileage shows at all times. Bring all your paperwork for the attorney to examine. Bob.
1. TMV minus the rebate.
2. You should have receive a further discount because the 2005 models will soon be out.
3. To me, a demo is a used vehicle, and you should have received still another discount.
If you feel strongly about this, a consultation with an attorney maybe be worth your while. Bob.
I lease big rigs to National Accounts as a profession. The paperwork is different as it is a lease, but when I tell a customer the truck has 5 miles on it, the truck HAS 5 miles on it. There's no fiddling with the odometer or trip odometer, there's no shuffling paperwork around hoping he doesn't notice if I lied about the mileage and there's no saying "it's not my fault". I'm only as good as my word and I don't feel it's antiquated to expect the same from others. Thanks for letting me vent. I'll fire off another letter to the GM in the morning. What he doesn't know is that my brother IS a lawyer and while I've yet to involve him, it would be easy enough. And cheap too. Getting back to your question Bob, the price I paid was slightly below the TMV, and assuming the mileage was 5, I felt that I had received a fair deal. Had I been told the actual mileage, I still believe I would have bought it. Of course I would have asked for a discount commensurate with the mileage. Today, as I wrote to the GM, I was thinking that 50 cents per mile (suggested by Corancher) would have been an acceptable offer on their part. Now, having been dismissed with an "it's not our fault", I could care less about the $300. It's all about the principle. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks, Beth
4runner sr5 4x4 in black with following options:
sunroof,roofrack,spoiler,wheel locks, jbl head unit, leather steering wheel with audio controls, preferred accessory(floor mats, cargo mat, cargo net, first aid kit), 2 wireless head sets
msrp - 32,752
paid - 27,700
got this deal at 355 toyota in maryland...the people at the dealership arent great but the deals are good...i drove down to maryland from new jersey to get the car. they have pretty good deals going now since they are trying to unload the 04s. dont hesitate to ask any questions you have about my deal.