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According to Motor Trend, Toyota has problems getting the new gas tank and there are 2,000 new Siennas sitting at the manufacturing plant in Indiana waiting on the tanks. In all, Toyota has recalled 34,000 siennas.
Here is the link to the Sept. 25, 2003 article
http://www.motortrend.com/features/news/112_news19/
And another article on the issue:
http://www.courier-journal.com/business/news2003/09/28/biz-front-- - cool28-4722.html
Hang tight, it sounds like supply will increase in the near future!
Thanks
I keep seeing reports that new Siennas are arriving at the dealers, which indicates to me that enough tanks are coming in to keep the production line going.
There may have been a few defections to other vans due to the tight supply but I don't think demand has lessened measurably. My guess is that there will be a sales blip for a month, but nothing to lose too much sleep over if you are a Toyota brand manager.
Steve, Host
But, the first article is from Motor Trend and it does cite a Toytoa spokesperson:
"John Hanson, a Toyota spokesman in Torrence, Calif., said the low supply was a reflection of strong demand for the vehicle, as well as a shortage of the replacement gas tanks."
And, this same statement was reported by the Wall Street Journal, both are reputable sources, IMHO.
The 2,000 number Siennas waiting does come from a Louisville, Kentucky local paper. The article does state they were made without gas tanks and are awaiting the new ones.
Demand may never let up, similar to the Odyssey (until now)and you may just have to pay MSRP or better to get a Sienna. On the other hand, I will wait till winter to see what happens. If not, I will buy a Quest or an Odyssey.
We received responses from about 24 dealers after a second round to get info from several laggards. Prices ranged from MSRP by several dealers, a large middle ground around 500 off MSRP to the winning offer of 1200 off MSRP. We had one fairly local dealer expressly no quote which I found rather odd.
So this morning I requested a fax of the contract (from the dealer who is about 2.5 hours away), received it and put down a deposit over the phone. The sales person was extremely nice, knowledgeable and easy to deal with (meaning not high pressure or any of the other frustrations), the sales manager who took the final information was kind and very helpful.
At this dealer, the wait is running about 8-10 weeks, so hopefully my wife will get a large Christmas present that she actually wants.
So, we are happy with our deal, had we been more aggressive I am sure we could get a better deal. I am satisfied and it took less time than I invested at my local dealer (which ended up rather frustrating) I have a deal that lets the dealer continue to eat and me to feel a bit better about spending so much money.
If anyone lives in Michigan, I would be happy to give you the name of the salesperson/dealership, I have no affiliation with the dealer. I did receive several good prices in northern Indiana that were a couple of hundred dollars more if anyone needs a dealer there.
In any case, good luck and we now join those patiently waiting for a Sienna to be delivered.
The following results from 215 people that responded to a pricing poll (that is on-going - these results are to date):
13 paid $3,500+ under MSRP
20 paid $3,000 to $3,499 under MSRP
42 paid $2,000 to $2,999 under MSRP
57 paid $1,000 to $1,999 under MSRP
36 paid $500 to $999 under MSRP
16 paid $1 to $499 under MSRP
27 paid MSRP
2 paid $1 to $499 over MSRP
1 paid $500 to $999 over MSRP
1 paid $1,000+ over MSRP
Hope this gives people an idea of what people may be paying!
Thanks
For example if invoice on the car is $22,000 and I want it for $23,000 above dealer invoice not MRSP is that the way to deal?
or should I do $23700 OTD (out the door) with tax, title, license fee etc?
Please help.
I learned that the dealership where I was making my purchase from had the same model/pkg combo vehicle scheduled to arrive from the factory in 3 - 4 weeks (after the new fuel tanks became available) but in a different color.
No problem! Dealer submitted a change order and on 9-29-03 I took delivery of a beautiful Silver Shadow Pearl Sienna LE.
I paid $200 below MSRP and bought it from Frank Toyota in National City, CA (San Diego) The Sienna was trucked up to L.A. (where I live) at no extra charge and arrived with 6 miles on the odometer.
I used the Costco Auto Program had a hassle free experience. Build date is 10/27 and I have a temp VIN.
I will re post when We get the van around Nov 10th. I was told AAA auto program provides the same deal.
\iKE
Thanks in advance,
Tricia
The best deal I saw in Houston was $1000 over invoice, but this was back in June. And The invoice price is not exactly the factory invoice price. They added some charges (ex: Ad fee,etc) to come up w/ "invoice" price. Some dealers are not even interested in selling the Sienna. There are 2 dealers will give $1000-1500 below MSRP depending on your additional package/options on the car. Sterling McCall who claims to be the biggest Toyota dealer in TX will sell for sticker price.
Finally, on 23rd Sept. place order on incoming van for $26,500 + 50 temp. registration tag. I got 1875 off MSRP and delivered on Oct.4th Sat.
The MSRP is 28,375 for 8 Pass with Pkg. # 7 + carpet mats, auto-dimming mirrors, 2 wireless headphones, cargo-net.
The delivery was 2 weeks earlier than promised as later found out that van was already built.
The only compromise was only on Gold color instead of Charcoal or silver my initial choice.
But I don't regret it as I was tired of finding out CE PKG # 3 in 8 Pass. which Toyota has not officialy introduced in N.E Mkt and would have taken up to minimum 4 to 6 months to get.
The only trouble was My nephew had to drive 130 miles from QUEENS to WILKES BARRE, PA but it was worth it.
The dealership is MOTORWORLD Toyota and the buying experience was my Best car buying experience and better than I heard on the other Forum website.
The dealership has about 10-12 franchises Honda, Volvo, Mercedes etc. They were just alloted I guess because of their Volume.
Their price was $1000 off MSRP but since this vehicle had extra stuff I did not need, they agreed my Offer.
They also had 1 BLUE color FWD XLE PKG # 14, pfd. acces pkg 1, wireless head-phones etc at MSRP 34,001 for immediately delivery.
Their price is 1000 off MSRP and Dealer cost is 30,287 (based on given print out) , I think if someone needs it can ask for as much Possible.
The saleman was very nice and would do anything possible too.
In my case their finance dept even tried on their own for reducing monthly payment from 480 to 467 per month on a 15k 3yrs loan at 7.6% for a "B" credit rating .
I am thank ful to a lady customer at the other website who bought 2 vans from him and I would say my buying experience was better than hers.
SORRY FOR LONG MESSG.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL
Congrats, nice work!
As to the Costco program, you join Costco ($45) and they have an Auto buying program where you they have a pre-negotiated price with a dealer. You e-mail Costco and they hook you up with the dealer contact in your area.
Costco's program is similar to United Buyer's Service and AAA. Neither of these programs are currently offering any discounted price, because they are subject to supply.
I would guess that if you are in a high demand area, the Costco program similarly will not offer any currenlty discounted prices. Even, if they do, it will be small.
The good news is that I am a Costco member and am currently waiting a price from a Costco dealer in a high demand area. I should get it tomorrow, I will post it as soon I receive it.
Stay tuned.
I just got the price, it was $700 under MSRP. According to my local dealer, each dealer submits a price to Costco, which they approve.
Is there anybody else that has waited this long? Anyone know how long it takes to arrive at the dealer after the build date? I'm afraid that I'm looking at November now. I love the van but I'm so frustrated!
I haven't waited as long as you (only since mid-July), but I'm getting very frustrated too; our van has yet to even be allocated. We've discussed changing to a more common options package in order to get what we want faster, but it really irks me to consider paying 2k+ more for extra stuff that I don't need (and a moonroof, which I specifically didn't want), just to be able to get the darned thing.
Thanks in advance,
Tricia
impact01 - I sent you some information at your listed e-mail address.
But I'm gonna wait until my other car gets paid off in January. Does anyone know when Honda will release their redesigned Odessy? If it's spring '04 I can wait.
I think dealers who are discounting, even a small bit, must have especially long waiting lists. I really don't see how folks in this forum say they get their Sienna in a few weeks, unless they are feeding off of cancelled orders.
mcross67, can you post the name and area of your dealer?
The reason that the dealer gave for agreeing was that we would wait (they added us to the list of folks waiting for the Sienna). Well, after a lot of ups and downs, we found out Saturday that "our" CE wasn't in, but another one was (turns out it was the exact color we wanted, "ours" was actually our third choice). Immediately hopped in the car, drove 45 minutes to the dealer, and reserved it. So far, so good. The dealer had indeed put us in their list as promised.
Went Monday evening to pick it up. That's when things got "rocky". Turns out that "invoice" to the sales manager included TDA ("Toyota Dealer Advertising") and that we would also have to pay for VIN etching. This was NOT part of the original agreement and we nearly walked. They wouldn't budge on the TDA, but did drop the silly VIN etching fee. They (of course) knew they could turn around and sell to someone else so they had a strong negotiating position.
I ended up giving in, since realistically it was unlikely we would get even an equivalent deal anywhere else in the area (the wife REALLY wanted the Sienna). Here is the breakdown:
CE Invoice (according to most sites) - $20,658
TDA - $415 (may have been 409, but $6 more came in somewhere)
CE Pkg#2 - $376 (@ invoice)
Destination - $540
Their total invoice - 21989
+ our "850 over invoice" brings it to 22,839
+ Dealer conveyance fee (aka additional dealer profit) = $299
Total (before tax, title, registr) = $23128
The total savings was:
MSRP (w/ CE#2 and destination) = $23,965
Our price (pre conveyance fee) = $22,839
So, a little over $1100 saved. Savings would have been greater if we weren't "bottom feeders", buying the cheapest Sienna we could. The $850 over invoice deal was for whatever we ended up ordering.
Don't know if the dealer would do this deal again (in the near future, given the demand), but anyone in the CT area who wants to try, I can give you the details. They did have 2 Siennas on the lot, I'm pretty certain one was available and believe the other was too.
Overall, an OK experience (made bitter due to the sleazy TDA charge and not being told about it up front). The Internet Salesperson was fine to deal with, BUT should DEFINITELY have made that charge clear UP FRONT.
If you go with these folks, BEFORE going to pick up the vehicle, get EVERY charge identified up front. Had I been travelling a long distance, I would have certainly done so. This deal also came in faster than expected. Also, make sure you are very clear up front that NO VIN ETCHING is done.
TDA is a joke though. I know customers pay for everything, BUT, make any charges part of the "REAL" invoice. It's not like they break out charges for heating the Toyota plant, tool&die charges, etc.
I also have a VERY hard time seeing them spending $409 or $415 advertising Siennas... I have yet to see an advert. Seems like just another gimmick to jack up the price.
Doesn't make me think highly of Toyota. We'll see how the van holds up. So far, after 100+ miles, we like it. It is BIG though, getting into the garage.
More timely info in Financing Pitfalls and Solutions
Steve, Host
Since I followed Sienna since January, I still think I got lucky despite a good price because 8 passengers are still hard to come by and delivered in 11 days is a Bonus. [ post # 2219]
However I have some names of dealers which I hope will be helpful to many since there is still a shortage of deals for PA, NY, NJ, CT & MA buyers.
The names I got are from the other Forum Site:
1] Someone picked up 9/29 LE 7 in 6 weeks from
WELLESLEY Toyota in Wellesley, MA at $ 2250
off MSRP.
2] LEXINGTON Toyota in MA or NH $1500 Off MSRP.
3] BASILE Toyota in Springfield MA or NH same.
4] HERB CHAMBERS in Auburn $2150 off MSRP.
5] SLOANE Toyota in Devon, PA sent someone email that they have plenty of Sienna's alloted but no PRICE posted.
6] CENTRAL CITY Toyota gives $1000 off MSRP.
I negotiated and confirmed LE 8 pass in Charcoal on Friday 9/19 and waited till Tuesday for contract BUT never received which means they sold to someone over weekend.
Hence I chose to compromise on Color and not to waste anymore time finding more info. on CE PKG #3
Since I was getting better price and Delivery, I confirmed deal on an offer from MOTORWORLD Toyota in Wilkes Barre, PA.
Moreover dealing with salesman made me feel that they needed my business too,
unlike with Central city Toyota who sounded polite but arrogant because they knew someone else will take it within minutes.
Incredible, while I am writing this I just got a call from their dealership about my experience with sales-people.
I told them "THANK-YOU" for NOT faxing the CONTRACT, I am sure VAN was SOLD but
I am sure I am not coming to you guys for my other nephew's MATRIX who needs in a month and the other 2 friends who need the Sienna's by FEB/MARCH.
7] Someone also posted an email from HUDSON
Toyota in Jersey City, NJ getting about 30+ siennas in different pkgs between SEPT. & OCT end.
" BUT PLEASE BEWARE ABOUT THEIR BUSINESS PRACTICES as there were WARNINGS from few people.
Sorry for long messg. again and the information is as is from other website as some dealer states are missing but they are either in MA, NH, Or PA. Infact, just a name should be enough too.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL
BELIEVE me the wait is worth it as there is an article about it in recent CONSUMERS REPORT which also mentions about perfection.
So far I have been very pleased with Hobbie. They have been straightforward and easy to work with. Its a small dealership, but the salesperson traded with a larger dealership in the Bay Area to get the exact color and options that I wanted. I ordered my van on August 14th. It was supposed to be built the week of September 8th, but it got hung up in the fuel tank redesign.
I received a call on Saturday from another dealer in the area, who received 5 Siennas he was not expecting as well.
Also, Springfield Toyota has been getting Siennas in every few days as well and will discount.
E-mail me at sstein@gwu.edu and I can give you POCs. I also have the inside to decent deal, if you don't mind a little drive.
esteroali - It does not really matter how or what a dealer says about the fees. The bottom line is to get the dealer to commit to a total out the door price. This way you can compare apples to apples. Then, get the dealer to break it out by vehicle price, taxes, tags (be careful, a dealer will add some profit in here) and any additional fees. IMHO, all that matters is the out the door price, dealers sometimes will resist giving you this number, especially if they are hiding something.
good luck.
Concentrate on your out the door price and let the dealer worry about how to allocate it.
Steve, Host
You need to call 1-800 GOTOYOTA and voice your complaints. Then call your local dealer, ask to speak to the OWNER, and ask for an update or any information they might have.
If you are very flexible, you actually might be able to found a deal on a Sienna on the lot. By us, one dealer has had an LE (w/ side curtain airbags) on the lot for 3+ weeks (still have it as of last Friday). I think the main 2 reasons are - it's white (really hard to keep clean) and that it's towards the top end of the LE price range. Another dealer had a white one on the lot for roughly 1 week (don't know any details on that one).
We had some flexibility over colors, but really don't want white (impossible to keep it looking clean) and black (too hot in summer).
The real key to finding the best deal is to hit a LOT of dealers looking for one willing to deal on price.
Fax, email, phone'em. Set a figure/package that you want to hit up front. Also tell'em up front what you WON'T pay for (e.g. VIN etching, silly Scotchguarding that they push in the southeast US, etc). Make sure that you have the deal IN WRITING, agreed on by somebody with DECISION MAKING authority.
Don't know if it's possible to avoid the TDA (Toyota Dealer Advertising) fee (over $400). This is a farce. It's just added profit for Toyota.
Does anyone thing, sienna recall will affect resale value of the van in future. I don't want to buy a high tag price van which may have reduced resale value in future