Toyota Avalon Prices Paid and Buying Experience

bobwiley

Roland---found the Kansas Toyota dealer--- www.crownautomotive.com i haven't dealt with them--but--a Toyota Warranty is a Toyota Warranty! They're in Lawrence, KS, Don't know if I mentioned this or not---I'd originally bought my warranty from my dealer--when i found out about the discounted Greenfield warranty I called Cedar rapids, IA, where they administer the Toyota warranty's and asked about cancelling mine--no problem--I did lose $125--but, when I bought from Greenfield I saved $1,650 minus the $990 Greenfield price I was still $535 ahead. Good luck and let us know the outcome. I'd also complain to your dealer about the lack of selling an authentic Toyota warranty. thye probably make more $$$ with the LDS Warranty!
Bob

1984

You can return your extended warranty and get all your money back. i bought a '06 toyota in June and just received my $1175 in the mail last week - you may have to cancel within a set period to recoup your cash. check the plantinum booklet you received with your warranty paperwork!

rpfingsten

Hello again Bob... just checked my paperwork on my LDS warranty... If I had cancelled my policy in the first 30 days I would have gotten a full refund minus a $50 cancellation fee.. the 9th of this month will mark 60 days since I took out the LDS Warranty.. According to the lds paperwork, after 30 days, I can cancell with a $50 cancellation fee, plus protated on the number of months the policy has been in use ( rule of 12/78ths which I have no earthly idea what that is ) also I"m alittle confused...did you buy your toyota extended warranty from crownautomotive.com in Kansas, or did you getit in Cedar Rapids or Greenfield? I'm lost. also, is the extended warranty you purchased an actual "TOYOTA" EXTENDED WARRANTY. If so, do you mind telling me what a 7 yr, 100K zero deductable policy runs? Thanks for your help.

Roland

smith1

I'm getting ready to buy a 2007 Avalon XL. I want VSC on the car, but not a moonroof. (Being 6' 5", I prefer extra headroom to a hole in the roof I'll rarely use.) Looking at the DriveChicago website which lists dealer inventories in the Chicago area, this seems to be a rare configuration; i.e. it appears that virtually all XL's with VSC also have moonroofs. Out of around 50 XL's listed on DriveChicago right now, it appears that exactly one car has this configuration -- and, naturally, this one car isn't a color that I like.

Can anyone in the know confirm my impression that XL with VSC but without moonroof is a rare configuration? If so, do I need to be talking to dealers about preferencing or ordering a car with this specific configuration or is that even a possibility? I was planning to email bid requests to the internet managers at a bunch of dealerships to get my best price, but I don't know if that technique will work if I am looking for an unusual configuration.

Any info or suggestions appreciated.

amc697

I am shopping for a Limited. Why is it not offered as an option in the New York area?

vaauburn

Just purchased a 07 Avalon Limited for $31,653 OTD at Jay Toyota in Columbus GA. No NAV or other amenities just a spoiler ($289) and carpet mats (taxes and title not included in this price). MSRP was $35,269. This seemed to be the best deal we could get in the area including Atlanta. Found the board to be very helpful in negotiating price. Thanks to all and I hope this info is useful to others.

bushman26

Purchased a 2000 from Car Max in 2004 with 11K. Paid 20K
Have driven it 34K and it still feels new.

armydave

I find the only way to get what you want is to ORDER the car. My camry would have had things I did not want. I avoided $2,000 worth of fluff by ordering a car, It took one month.

Dealers order the cars the way they want them to sell a more expensive car. Higher end cars will have some of those things on board because that is the way the dealer ordered them.

armydave

I have looked at the TMV price and think it is too high on the car I was considering. I don't think you got a good deal but I don't really know. I think we all think we paid too much after we get the car.

The difference on a good deal and a great deal could be a few hundred dollars. When you get 0% fiaancing the dealers do not want to give you anything off on the car. I think it is hard to get the price set without the dealers checking to see if you qualify for 0% financing.

I have never tried to do that but I have thought about it and have no real idea of just how you get the price before the 0% financing comes up.

smith1

Can you really "order" a Toyota in the same way you can order a Ford or Chevy, i.e. have the dealer instruct the factory to build a car with a specific set of options? I was under the impression that although Toyota dealers talked about "ordering" in reality all they could do was "preference" a car, i.e. search unsold inventory and the announced production schedule for a car matching the customer's requirements and snag the car for that customer -- but if the desired car didn't exist and wasn't scheduled to be built, you were out of luck.

Has this changed?

rpfingsten

My Toyota Friends: a question for you about what you paid for your avalons out the door... forget downpayments, forget trade ins, forget taxes, title and license... just take the sticker price of the vehicle, and how much were you able to get the dealership to come off the "sticker" price.... in my case, the sticker on my xls was 33,320.00 The dealership came off that price 3389.07 for a net sticker price of 29,930.93 when you add in the taxes, title and license, plus all of the miscellaneous fees that go with it, my otd price was 32,241.86 This is my first Japanese car and I had heard that Toyota didn't come off the sticker very much because they didn't have to. At first I thought nearly 3400 off the sticker wasn't too bad... but then after awhile I started thinking back to deals I've made on american cars, and on those, I've always negotiated "more" off the sticker than 3400. Did I get hosed? Dosn't matter, I love the car so I have no regrets in buying it...Just trying to get a feel for how "different" toyota dealerships are vs. their american counterparts. Thanks in advance for your input.

Roland

nonjth13

You may have to look around. I factory ordered an Avalon in 2001. Took a trip to 3 dealers in Albany NY area before I found one who was not too lazy to order what I wanted. Took 3 months before it arrived.

fmayberry

Toyota has not changed that process. In recently looking for a particular interior and exterior color, the dealer showed me the build matrix from Toyota covering the next quarter. There was exactly one car going to be built in that quarter with my color combination. He said there i snot such things as custom ordering a Toyota like you can with a Ford or GMC product.

vyrenee

I am looking for the same (XL w/VSC but no sunroof. Dealers in my area (Virginia) told me I could order it.

smith1

Yes, Toyota dealers talk about "ordering" but I believe this doesn't mean the same thing it does with U.S. makes. They can't actually "order" the factory to build a specific car. I believe they write a sales order for your spec car and start watching for it on the build schedule. When they find it, they attempt to snag it for you and if they are succesful you are told that your "order" is about to be filled and given a firm delivery date. If the desired car doesn't show up on the build schedule and you get tired of waiting, they tell you "the factory is backlogged" and let you cancel the sales order.

I'd love to be wrong about this, but what I've read indicates I'm not. So if you do get into "ordering" an Avalon please dig into this and let us know what actually happens.

mahenn45

Hi,
We purchased a 2007 XLS last Friday for $30069 OTD. We live in Greenville,SC. The vehicle comes with Toyogaurd even though we were not interested in that. Since wife was very keen on the color(it was a nightmare trying to get this color and took almost a month and the dealer had to speacial order it). Even though we struck the deal last Friday, we will take delivery this Friday after Thanksgiving. SC is having a no sales tax on Nov 24th and Nov 25th, th dealer mentioned that if we pick it up that day we would save about $400 in taxes- so bottom line, the Toyogaurd was 679-400 = $269

myody

Purchased my new 07 Avalon Ltd w/Nav - online
After researching on Edmunds/KBB I pushed for & got $33,800(including destination)! Brought the car from Auburn Toyota(Northern California) -transaction was smooth, sales people honest-no games! Great Experience... Elk Grove Toyota & Roseville Toyota also offered to match that price!

tammyl

Hi would you mind sharing the name of the dealer name and the city and state please? I live in Atlanta and looking for a good deal on the same car and would love to get the new blue one that came out

tammyl

Hello would you mind sharing the dealer? I live in Atlanta GA

tammyl

Looking to purchase a Aval real soon. What are the major differences between 06 and 07? Does any one know if I can get a good deal with 06? I live in Atlanta so the dealers usually don't give as good of deals as they do in California. Anyone recently buy one in the Atlanta area? If so could you share prices. Thanks so much

rpfingsten

Hello Tammy... as far as I know, there are no major differences between the 06 and the 07 Avalon. I bought mine, a 2007 XLS about 3 months ago and so far I love the car. The sticker on my car was 33,200. I put 5K down, got another 1k trade in on a 15 year old oldsmobile...then of course you have to add tt&l back in which normally will to around 2800 to 3000 bucks...when all was said and done i ended up financing 26,500 for 60 months. I'm sure you would get a much better deal on a new 06 model, but the problem there might be finding an 06 that is the color and equipped the way you want it. However my son just bought a new 06 Tundra 2 weeks ago...He walked on the lot and there it was, everything he wanted on it and more. Good luck and enjoy your new avy. Before I go, you might want to try negotiating a deal via the internet with atlanta area dealerships... just a thought.

Roland

smith1

The only difference between the 06 and 07 Avalon is that 07 adds the tire pressure monitoring system. 06's can probably be bought for less than 07's, but there are two caveats: One, as mentioned above the selection of 06's is not going to be great at this point. Two, the 06 is now one model year old, and if you don't keep the car a long time you will take a significant hit on resale value vs. an 07. This hit could easily negate the savings at initial purchase.

I plan to buy an 07, even though the resale issue is not a factor for me as I intend to keep the car a long time. Reason (besides selection): since the Avalon has had some quality issues which Toyota has been gradually sorting out, I figure the later the build date, the better from the standpoint of likely reliability.

smith1

Just wrapped up a deal for a 2007 XL in Phantom Gray with VSC and WITHOUT moonroof. It was extremely difficult to find this configuration....in fact, I think it's the only VSC/no moonroof Avalon in current dealer inventory within 500 miles of central Illinois.

Besides VSC, the car has only floor mats and body side moldings. I'm paying $26,000 plus ttl. I'm satisfied with the price considering that I couldn't play multiple dealers off each other, since only one dealer had the spec I wanted. I'll pick up the car on Monday.

avadoc

I really did not want a sunroof my self when I purchased my 2007 titanum avalon Touring with vsc, 6 disc but it was the only way to get the dealers to compete by choosing the most common configurations. I had to get mine in Chicago because Central Illinois dealers were way too high.

My purchase price 28,370
Full OTD with everything TTL and all fees: $30,600

smith1

I hear ya....I think it's poor business practice for Toyota to make it nearly impossible to get VSC, an important safety feature (that in a few years will be federally- mandated standard equipment) without also taking a sunroof which is a completely non-essential feature and to me is LESS than worthless as it reduces headroom. I realize it's just a way for them to run up the tab on the average car, but it is annoying nonetheless.

BTW avadoc -- what sales tax rate did you pay on your purchase? I live in Champaign where the vehicle sales tax rate is 6.25%, and am buying from Bredemann in Park Ridge. Bredemann insists they have to charge me 7% sales tax, even though the car will be registered in Champaign. They showed me an Illinois sales tax form ST-556 which conveniently had their name/address and a 7.0% rate pre-printed on it, which they are citing as proof that they are "required" to collect 7% regardless of where I live, but I'm still skeptical and think that 0.75% is going to end up in their pocket. But they won't budge on this.

steve326a

Call your local sales tax office 1st to get the facts. I can't speak for Illinois but here in Ma, you pay 5% sales tax and it's paid at the Registry of Motor Vehicles when registered. Dealers do not collect it. But, Il may be different. I bought my 97 XLS in Manassas, VA but drove it home and registered it here in MA and paid Ma sales tax. Check it out and let us know what you find out.

Thanks,
Steve :shades:

smith1

Yes it's different in Illinois, dealers collect the sales tax and remit it to the state assuming the car will be registered in Illinois. The issue is how much are they supposed to collect when the dealer location is a different county than the purchaser -- since the rates vary by county.

rpfingsten

Smith1... I too would be alittle leary of a dealership telling you that you have to pay more sales tax than where you live... I obviously don't know the laws in Illinois, but I can tell you, here in Louisiana, I bought my 07 avy from a dealership where the sales tax in that city was around 8.5 %... but I don't live in that city and so when they did the paperwork, my sales tax was assessed at the rate of 7.25%, the rate that sales tax is set at in my home town..seems to me you would pay sales tax based on where the vehichle is going to be registered, not from where you drive it off the lot. I'd look into that alittle more if I were you.. they may be right, but it sure dosn't sound right.

Roland

mahenn45

Sorry, that I am replying quite late to your msg. The name of the Dealer is Dave Edwards Toyota, in Spartanburg,SC. They are still offering the free Unlimited miles warranty on the engine and transmission.

lew3

What should I pay for a 2007 Limited with carpet mats? I live in Wisconsin but would be willing to purchase in Illinois. Is the smart start worth the cost? Thanks.

bobwiley

lew3: MSRP of an 07 Limited is $34,068 + mat set $199 + delivery $620= $34,884. Dealer invoice is $30,596. So start from the dealer invoice and work up--not from the MSRP down! Remember, the dealer also gets 3% Holdback on the MSRP which equals $1,046 on the 3$34,884 MSRP. Probably not going to find a Limited with just the mat set on a dealers lot--most will have VSC & Trac Control--Nav (CRAP) and Remote Start (CRAP). So. unless you're willing to get one off the lot with a few goodies---you'll probably have to order. I like the Smart Start--no having to fumble with keys--walk up and the door unlocks--can't lock the car with the "fob" inside--at night the car puddle lamps under the mirrors and interior lights come--nice! The Nav and remote Start--CRAP. I have an 06 Limited--it is loaded--VSC & Trac (great in the Ozarks), Remote Start, Nav, Laser Cruise--love it, XM Radio, body side moldings (a must), splash guards and a couple of other things. Do your homework and use the internet to contact as many dealers as you can!! You can get a list from www.toyota.com Remember--when you look at dealers inventory, you'll see "In Stock" and "Available"---the available are sitting in a dealers supply area and "all" the dealers within a specified distance can pull from that stock. So don't be surprised when looking at dealer inventories you'll see the same cars listed as "Available!" Good luck!!
Bob

pnnz

This got it all, Sticker Price $38,055.00
Negotiated Price $33,570.00

Buying experience was great and I want to thanks "vagentleman" for his posts; I believe they saved me at least $500.00.

tbone9

Bob,
I am the market to upgrade my 2001 Avalon XLS with 94,000 miles. My plan the last few years is to sell my car myself and buy a used or off lease one or two year old Avalon with less than 25,000 miles and drive it four years and buy again. It seems like they are getting such high prices for 2005 and 2006's that I might be better off to buy new.From what I have read from the other members it sounds like if you could buy at 89%(good) to 87%(great)of the sticker price would be a decent deal. Any thoghts.
Thanks Ted

bobwiley

Ted: Sorry about the 1st message--my "fat fingers!!" I'm not sure how many Avalons are leased. Dealers will generally "deal" on returned leases. I do know that if you can, you always get more $$$ out of your car if you can sell it yourself--some folks don't like the hassle. Best way is to get between the "Trade-in & Retail" price. I do know Avalon's really hold their resale value! I just checked EBAY as I'm going to list my 06 "loaded" Limited--buying a "toy" for my wife--she's always wanted a 64 1/2 --66 Mustang convertible. I was amazed at the asking prices for 05's and 06's! Guess I'll see what the market will bring--I'm going to "sweeten" the sale by including the remainder of a 7 year/75K "0" Deductible Toyota Warranty(6 years/67K miles) Bottom line--Avalons sell---folks know the quality and reliability--100K + miles means ntohing to them. Good luck!
Bob

steve326a

As of last week, my 97 XLS turned 183k and still is the best car I have ever owned.

Steve
** 97 XLS w/ All The Toys! **
** Enjoy & Long Live Your Avalon! **
** I Sure Am! **
:shades:

rick72

Just bought a 07 Limited Avalon MSRP of $36,199 including laser cruise, traction control, alloy wheel lock and floor mats for $31,500. Tax and tag came out to $33,559. I live in Pa. Please let me know how is my deal?

killerbee1

rick, which dealer did you get it from?

rpfingsten

well rick72, let's see.. you bought an 07 limited with a sticker of 36,200, and took it off the lot for an otd cost of 33,559, a difference of 2,640 dollars. I didn't buy the limited, but instead got he XLS.. The sticer on mine was 33,300 and I drove it off the lot for a final otd cost of $26,800 a difference of 6500 so outwardly it would appear that your deal was not that lucrative.. however you do have a few more bells and whistles on the limited. I would say this to anyone who wonders how well they did negotiating a car price... if you're happy with the out the door cost, then you made a good deal. JMO Enjoy your new AVY..I've had mine since Sept. and really think it may be the best car i've ever purchased.

Roland

rick72

I got mine at Conicelli toyota. It was pretty straight forward. I called the internet sale rep and gave them my offer at 31,500, they called back and agreed on my price.

rick72

Roland, you stated earlier in post#1163 that your otd price for 2007 xls was 32,241 including tax and tag and now 26,800 otd. I don't get it. How did you get 6500 difference? Is it because of your down payment or trade in? If it is the case,then you couldn't count it as a 6500 difference. The differece look big because that is money out of pocket. As for mine deal, the dealer gave me 4,700 off MSRP. I think it's a few hundred below invoice.

rpfingsten

without dragging out the paperwork, to the best of my recollection my deal was something like this...

Sticker price was 33,300 or 33,200 ( not sure )
trade in for 15 y.o. olds was 1K
downpayment of 5k
add back in whatever tax, title and license is?
add in approx. 1500 for extended warranty cost
I financed 26,800..
I can only assume that in the previous post that I was not including the downpayment or trade it or what it cost me to add in the extended warranty, since the warranty wasn't part of the cars cost, but rather something I added. Hope this clarifies it. Didnt mean to mislead.

carhop57

Hate to admit it, but I haven't found a dealer that will beat a 3% > invoice price. What am I doing wrong (besides poor negot!). We want the Bliz Pearl, VSC, and mats,and they seem to command too many $$$. I'll travel a bit from Middle TN to save some $$'s if anyone can point me in the right direction. Appreciate the help. I'll check some of the dealers listed here, which is a great place to start.

bobwiley

carhop57: Go to www.toyota.com get a list of dealers within the milege you're willing to drive---will take a bit of emailing to the internet manager--but--I'm sure you'll eventually get yoour deal. remember, there's a 3% Holdback on the MSRP--so don't feel bad for the dealer--he makes money even at invoice! Good luck!
Bob

gws

I am a Canadian. In September 2006 I obtained by email two quotes from Phoenix dealers. Each was a few dollars over $30K for a 2007 XLS with premium audio, VSC & Trac package, extra mats, wheel locks and fender flaps - MSRP of $33374. When I began final negotiations after going to Phoenix, it became clear that the dealers were not willing to proceed - they said their franchise agreement with Toyota prevented selling for export. I called Toyota and was told they had no such policy, and that I could get from them a needed confirmation of 'no recalls' to satisfy US Customs. Back to the dealers - same story. I checked several other dealers who confirmed that Toyota said, 'No sale' to exports. One dealer agreed to discuss the runaround with Toyota regional rep, following which I had a call from Toyota Product Admin manager. He said Toyota does not 'endorse' sale for export, but was very evasive when asked what if a dealer did it.
I did find a dealer who was prepared to sell to me, but well above the $30K mark, and insisted that I pay AZ tax in addition, although the car would not have been registered in that State.

gws

To clarify... I made clear in September my intent to export, so believe the Toyota veto may have come later.

angel15

I am in the market for a 2007 Ltd. and would like to hear about any good deals made in the Houston or South Texas area.

baseagle

MSRP $27,894
Invoice $25,539
My price $24,912 which is $627 below invoice, but I had to pay the bs document fee of $279, so that would make it $348 below invoice, depending on how you look at it.

Car $24,912.45
Business tax 92.77
Document 279.00
State Sales tax 1630.28
Local Sales tax 80.00
Temporarty tag 5.50
State License 20.50
Total 27,020.50

avadoc

2007 Avalon Touring with VSC, Sunroof, 6 disc -not JBL-
Purchase price $28,370
Full OTD-all fees and taxes included-:$30,600

Always alot cheaper -thousands- to buy near a major city. I bought mine in Chicago. Remember supply and demand is a major factor in the price.

I used internet to solicit bids from 20 dealers in my state. -go to the toyota website to find dealer list-

I kept a couple 'out of the loop', I walked into one and the dealer beat my lowest internet quote by another $300.

Volume dealerhips are your best chance for below invoice deals especially near the end of the month when the dealer is just 1 or 2 cars away from recieving a rather large bonus for selling X amount of cars.

I decided on the Touring model becaue it it is rather well equipped even in its base form. It does ride firmer.

Only 3 miles on odometer. Don't buy a new car that has been beaten with a couple of hundred miles on the odometer. The avalon owners manual does mention a break-in period of a few hundred miles.

Dealer experience was great.

nygiants8690

Local Toyota dealership has a 06 Avalon Ltd with everything except NAV with 26K miles they'll sell me uncertified for $26,900. Certified is $27,500. Is this a good price? One weird thing is the car has no owners manual.

nygiants8690

Ended up buying an 06 Avalon XLS with NAV, VSC, JBL pkg, 16K miles for $25,900.00. A good deal? I think so.