By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/toyotahighlanderclub
It's the photo album entitled "My new red Highlander"
Check it out!
-Dave
Have you tried getting a ECP price from another dealer or via the internet? My Toyota dealer wanted $1500 for the ECP 6 year 75k gold plan for my HL. I bought the 6 year, 75k platinum plan ("$ 0" deductable) from for $690. It's an official Toyota Extra Care Vehicle Service Agreement. There may even be better deals out there. You would have to inquire as to whether or not these plans from a US dealer would be good in Canada, or maybe there are some Canadian dealers on line.
Good luck,
-Steve
Wind Noise - I am no engineer, but I believe the wind noise from the rear windows is nothing more that air compression. There is no place for the air to excape in the rear. Notice the windows are nearly flush with the metal siding. That makes for low drag, (improves efficiency, and reduces noise), however, it also permits the air to enter an open window. In the old days, cars had little vents to deflect the "slipstream" away from an open window. I am unconcerned. The vehicle is airconditioned for warm days, heated for cold days, and I would never ride with a window open at speed (any car) and the compression is not objectionable at slow speeds when I do open the window. I previously considered an Escape/Tribute, and many complained about the same compression noise in that club.
Console - To each his own, but I have become accustomed to not having a console, and like it. At first I promised my wife we would find a console, now I do not think we will.
Wish list - If I could add anything, I wish it had an outside thermometer (yes, I know I have mentioned that previously, but I REALLY do wish it had one.)
Happy MOtoring all!!
Happy Motoring all.
On my HL (still waiting for it), I will probably get the extended warranty (Platinum 5/75K) as the HL, although it has a lot in common with the current RX 300, has a few differences as well. Being the first year of the model, I'm still a little skeptical that not even Toyota can get EVERYTHING right the first time around (even though they obviously get more right than their competition). It's not the little things that I am buying the warranty for, it's the semi-major things. With the current labor rates as high as $60 / hr. , I'm willing to buy a little insurance for the peace of mind. Additionally, this is our only car and the Platinum warranty allows up to 5 days rental car (up to $50/day) when ours is in the shop. Guess it's a matter of how much risk one is willing to take......
http://www.toyotawarranty.com
(No I'm not employed by them or have I purchased from them....)
Happy Motoring....
gwkiser,
Sorry about your steering box. Being the third year of your Avalon model probably didn't influence the failure of your steering box, seeing as how it sounds like a component failure due to a flaw with that one part (maybe due to material or manufacturing?) rather than a flaw in it's design. Do you still own your Avalon? Did it require any other major repairs?
I realize all parts do not have 100% reliability. Even at 99.999% reliability to target life, ten parts out of each million will fail prior to reaching target life. That's why many tests on components and systems are performed to two and three times target life.
Considering how a vehicle performs and lasts is greatly influenced by how it is driven, treated, and maintained, I will not opt for an extended warranty if I purchase a new Toyota.
Everyone has their own level of comfort and confidence, but overall I feel it's a type of low risk insurance designed to make money for the provider. If nothing else, the provider is making money by investing your premium at least until your factory warranty runs out and usually longer.
At 04/26/2001 10:04 AM we wrote - Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
We apologize about your concerns regarding your 2001 Highlander and the noise you are experiencing from the roof rack.
In order to better assist you, we would like to refer you to the Customer Relations Manager at your local Toyota dealership since they possess specialized knowledge in diagnosis and repair.
Your comments have been documented at Toyota's National Headquarters under file # 200104260456.
National Customer Relations
My brother-in-law financed the HL for us - and he's been in the auto finance world for about 8 years. Between his comments and my experience, here's what I know on leasing:
First, the COST of the lease is based primarily on your credit rating. The finance manager makes commission of the amount he can sell the lease/buy to you above the amount the bank will give. Finance manager have many different sources of funding for leasing and buying - they do not have to use Toyota Motor Credit. And, each leader will have different rates.
The finances TYPE of the HL should have NO bearing on the price of the vehicle. Nothing says "you have to pay MSRP if you lease". In fact, a few shopping sites indicate you don't even tell them how you're going to buy until you've settled on the price in writing.
And, you can get someone to "buy out the lease", essentially buying the amount owed, and financing it to you. I don't know if the lease can be "rolled" into a new one. If you've got less than 1000 miles on it, i think a lease can still be drafted.
Hope things turn out well.
RE: other repairs to the '97 Avalon. The answer is no.
The car is going to be traded off for the HL. Re: care..... Well, I consider myself to be very very meticulous when it come to maintenance. The car was ALWAYS clean, inside and out. All maintenance was done by the dealer (to insure no claim of poor jobs) with the exception of the oil changes. There I used a synthetic. Maybe an overkill, but it was worth it to me.
Re: "the provider is making money by investing your premium". No doubt. That's the nature of the free enterprise system, the insurance industry being only one example.
The car has been at the HL dealer's lot (with me still holding the keys and title) as it was coming up on 60K and new registration. Part of the deal for the HL was that the vehicle would be delivered to me before either of those two things came up (I've been trying to get the HL since late February). Because they didn't deliver on time, I raised a stink and they gave me a rental Expedition for free until the HL comes in (latest word is sometime next week at port). Since my wife and I both work out of the house, we switched to using one car only several years ago and it has worked out well. Less gas expense, less insurance expense, etc.
We both will miss the Avalon as it has been a great vehicle overall. Mileage stayed a steady 20+ in town and 25+ on the highway . On the other hand, I'm sure we will LOVE the HL.
Happy Motoring.....
I'm starting to have HL withdrawals after only two days without driving the HL.
Being a current GM owner and not having the happiest of experiences with our Blazer and now reading about 2002 GM SUVs being recalled already has confirmed my desired to purchased a Toyota.
I just got my Bluestone HL on April 13th(LUCKY!) & I am busting with pride driving it around. I have seen more people eyeing it at stoplights. I pulled up to another HL at a traffic light... I honked my horn & the driver turned to look. She gave me the biggest smile & thumbs up I have every seen. She made me Smile! What a great feeling this HL gives you! :-)!
Warranty Anyone? I bought my Camry XLE in 1992. I was sold a Warranty package for 100,000 miles that I never used. I previously owned a Honda, what did I know! I wasn't sure if I needed it or not so I purchased the extended warranty. They tried the same senerio again when I purchased my HL. I said "NO!" This time, I remembered what my salesman told me in 1992...He said, "You see that triangle on this button...this is your Hazard Lights. This is one button you will NEVER TOUCH IN THIS TOYOTA." He was sooooooo right; I never did. When I purchased my HL, they tried to use the principle that "this is the first year HL is being made & it's track record has not been established." My response was 'someone is wrong...you or the brochure. The HL is suppose to be a Camry type SUV. Don't tell me Camry doesn't have a proven track record. I have experienced 9 years of a Toyota's track record. Please, let Toyota's Record speak for itself.' I don't know if he was trying to take advantage because I'm a women. I think he just wanted to make his commission. He told me he had 3 Toyotas & he had problems with all of them & he is an employee. I asked him if he was trying to talk me out of buying the HL.One thing I do know, I don't expect to touch that HAZARD Button on my HL either. Save your money to buy all those added EXTRAS that you might want to add.
When my HL arrived, it was missing the console, spoiler & I had asked for wheel locks. I was told they were back ordered & Toyota decided to release all the HL's as is from POE(Newark, N.J.). I received an IOU on these 3 items from my Dealer. Am I going to have a problem having these items installed?? What would be a reasonable waiting time? Please advise.
Another Question...Can one use a wind deflector when you have a spoiler? I live in New York. I planned to use the wind deflector during the Winter & early Spring until they clean up all that sand & gravel that is left over from the winter storms. Should I consider leaving the wind deflector on all year? I welcome your opinions. Thank you!
Yomcas
Of course you know that you could have leased a loaded RX 300 for less. In fact you could have leased just about the nicest Lexus LS 430 for about that much. The dealer did you no favors.
I would never buy from them again. What is your end of lease purchase option with 36,000 miles three years from now?
INKY
I seem to remember them that way on another highlander I looked at from another dealer. I wonder if Toyota is shipping the vehicles this way as a quick fix? I measured the cross members on mine, so others could try the same positioning. I measerd from the REAR of the roof rack. The last crosmember is 22 inches from the rear of the rack. The first one is 32 1/2 inches from the REAR of the roof rack.
Try this, and see if it works
1. It is damaged and they are repairing it. This would be noted on our internal system and yours is not marked as damaged.
2. It was "lost". This means it got put into the wrong load line and the truckers don't know where to look for it. This is very rare.
3. Something is blocking it. My Tundra spent 6 weeks on a broken train. Various oddities like this can happen.
On the plus side, since it was released to the trucking company, there is a great chance you will have it by this weekend. This is a good thing because there are no other silver or gold 4x2's in Northern VA. We had one here in Springfield this week but sold it.
By the way, if your user name indicates where you live, I just sold a gold RAV4 to one of your neighbors.
I just spent a glorious 3 days in Palm Springs... on Toyota business, with a little pleasure time thrown in for good measure. Just in time for lot of HLs to hit the shores, I see!
As to the lease question, afraid that dealer got ahold of you with a $615 lease payment, but you leave out a few important details, perhaps? Trade value, if any, vs. payoff? Cash drive off? I can possibly better assist you with more details.. and you know how to find me with a little savvy!
Dianne
GM certainly can improve on a lot of things on their products, but I am really impressed with the GM Buypower site. I wish Toyota would have something that worked as well. It's true many Toyota dealers have their own inventory on line, but it is not convenient to do large scale investigation to see what really is out there, as it would be from a single site. I probably wouldn't have bought my '99 Grand Prix if the Buypower site didn't exist at the time. I really think that the consumer is more likely to purchase when given as much information as possible, and able to walk into a dealership with as much knowledge as they can find. (Note the popularity of Town Hall!) Certainly any dealer can do a search for you, but why not be able to do this on your own? As I am now considering a Highlander, I really wish I had "Toyota buypower" to use! Satifying the customer should not only be with the product, as Toyota's quality assures, but the entire process as well. If something like this exists, please let me know and I will remove my foot from my mouth.
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
My glovebox opens easily. You might want to have yours checked. Great vehicle isn't it?!!
Di
Does anybody know what the speaker sizes are in the HL NON-JBL system?
Since I sell at a fairly large store (5th largest in the Central Atlantic Region), I would probably be on the beneficial end of this quite often. I would benefit from another person's work. Big stores would have an even bigger advantage as they do now.
I understand why consumers want this kind of information and I don't blame them. It might not end up as a consumer benefit though. The big stores would just stop trading with other dealers. You would be stuck paying whatever they asked because you would know the other stores couldn't get the car you wanted.
Classic bob
Not today.
Dianne
It shows assembly line startup/shutdown dates, and lead times.
Steve
That way, folks can see how the cars are being built in SoCal, and as many know, we all do dealer trades. I think you are very right about it being the "person", because the inventory is available everywhere, some places more to look at than others.
I surely pity the poor soul who has to keep up with all of the inventory somewhere that's large... it's hard enough for me to keep up with it all but it certainly helps for folks to see how cars are typically built and what they look like when they hit the ground.
Di
I use a Ricoh 5000 (love my digital!!) and have for almost 2 years now. Hmmm... I also have a flat panel monitor (View Sonic, TFT 15", gray color) that I found at CompUSA for $649 on sale, great screen and soooo easy on the eyes in every regard... barely takes up any space on my always-cluttered-desk!
I'm with you in the regards that the photo tells a thousand words. I just wish, at times, I had 2 more hours in the day to get everything UP and current faster and better!
Di
I'm in New England. Not long ago, a dealer told me, in so many words, hey buddy, Highlanders are hard to get: you want one, you pay my price, and if I do get one for you, I'll be doing you a favor.
After I laughed and left, I seriously considered an Explorer or Suburban, but I calmed down, went to another Toyota dealership, and am in the process of getting a pretty good deal on a Highlander. And the salesman has treated me like a valued customer, not a mark.
I guess the lesson here is that if you ever feel like a supplicant when you're buying a car, you are in the wrong place.