Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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A reporter would like to speak with you about your experience; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com by 7/22 for details.
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However, I am now thinking I made a mistake and want to cancel the extended warranty. I think if I have a Toyota, there should be no problems with it at all within the first 60,000 miles - at least not $654 worth. Do you guys think I should keep the warranty or should I just cancel the whole thing.
It's an insurance policy, and collectively across a large pool of people/cars they are paying all of the claims......and still making money. If you can personally afford in the future the (maybe low) possibilty of a(maybe large) maintenance expense, then cancel. Toyota has a good reputation for maintenance, but then again this is a first year of new model. You also might not even own the car in 4 years.
This thread is starting to make more sence. Good dealerships don't cause problems for consumers even when the "typical consumer mistake" is made. Good dealerships want your business and don't punish you by keeping money they didn't earn. If indeed they had a cost to drive 400 miles round trip and you back out they should recover costs. In the case of a car they can immediately sell off their lot then perhaps they should eat that cost.
However in most all of the posts on Edmunds seldom is the trade in mentioned. Perhaps, but I doubt it, many purchases are first time or the owner sold their car prior to the new purchase. If a trade is involved and the poster simply tells what the "cash price" is without telling the whole trade story then the info is totally meaningless. Anyways a "good" dealer will work with you on what the paper work looks like so that doesn't always make much sence either. As far as what we read here we have no way of knowing if the poster had a nice ride or if it was a daily banger that was left out in the sun for 5 years. Usually telling us what the trade in was as compared to Kelly Blue Book trade in value (with the appropriate condition rating) and comparing against the MSRP provides a lot more info than what I've been seeing on this post for several months.
Cash discounts are great but if your trade is given a $1000 below KBB fair condition trade value then you probably got ripped on the deal.
On paperwork, my dealer gave me a $500 discount back in may for a TCH. However for tax purposes I preferred not showing the discount and instead showing more on the trade. It didn't matter to the dealer so they did it. Without knowing the story on state tax credits you the readers won't make much sence from that.
BTW, I was able to get KBB "private party value" with a "good" condition rating against a $500 discount (when they were selling for MSRP. You always lose money trading but this is the first trade (in about 36) that I felt good about not selling outright. In my state we only pay taxes on the difference in trades and I was able to trade very close to "even" on paper. My dealer moved my ride fairly quick. Used cars are a lucrative business but a dealer that wants your loyalty won't rip you. That's a disadvantage some of you in the city have or even some of you shopping on the internet. My dealer knows me, wants my business, knows I'll go elsewhere (i did in the past) and treats me with respect and fairness. I expect them to make money but to not get rich on my deal.
So please, when you post tell the whole story. Getting sympathy from fellow posters really doesn't make you feel better does it? Especially if we don't know the whole story and you do)
I'll admit to getting sick about hearing how good FITZMALL is over the past few month, especially with a couple of the posters being obnoxious to the rest of us like we are stupid for not flying or driving there. However they sound like a good dealership and getting blasted just because someone didn't like the deal is not really fair to them or to us as we seek information about where deals can be had and who's good to work with.
For some reason his experience did sound way out of the norm.
I have never bought one and am thousands of dollars ahead. Most of what you pay is profit. Keep your money and use that if you have a repair to pay for.
Gampa
I still have some problems with your other comments. The fact that they put the keys on a keychain with a used tag
doesn't give me a lot to be uspset about. The keys needed to be on a chain before they gave them to the guy to drive it back and since this actually came from another dealer who knows where the chey chain came from. Granted the other dealer should have told FRITZMALL that there was already 200 miles on the car and that they too got it from another dealer. However if that story was true I would have no more problem with that 200 miles than I would with the other 200 miles it took to get the car to you. It will still be written up as a new car and the warranty is the normal miles plus what was on the car when it was bought.
Since you never got to the paperwork level of the deal I can only guess if there was any real "bank" issues. Not sure why there would be. If the car was used they would not be able to sell it to you with a new title. That would be easy to spot and they would be liable for fraud. If it is new then I don't know what the bank issue is about anyway. Typically if someone drives it away and then something happens to the loan I'm not sure any dealer would be willing to simply cancel the deal. The dealer would not typically let anyone drive it away until the financing is finalized and verified anyway. You drive it away it's yours. Then again it's possible that's what happened, but it doesn't seem reasonable that all these unusual circumstances occurred on this one car and you happened to be that unlucky. But it could be???
When the dealer does a trade with another dealer they also have to draft or write a check for the cars they are trading even though it might be an even swap
In essensce both dealers buy the cars from the other dealer and add the car to their floorplan. This might be why the was "bank involment" in the dealer trade at Fitzmall
Some say that you can cancel the warranty with-in the first 30 days... I do not know if you can.
...check post # 27 on the "camry hybrid warranty" discussion,
click on the first go-to thread
there should be a list of Dealers with low cost "Toyota care " warranties.
Now you have to do some leg work and contact the dealers to find out what there costs are now... but if you want to save a couple bucks it is worth it. (Note: rates may go up starting the first of the year... so don't delay.)
You may be able to get a longer warranty for less cost the what you paid.
good luck.
Gampa
That is one long paragraph - wish my eyes were good enough to sort through that much text all jumbled together.
Only installed option is carpet mats which makes the MSRP $22,814(Edmund's says it should be 22,759 but close enough). Invoice via Edmunds should be around $20,271 with the regional fees I was guessing like $20,600, I was hoping to pay just under $21,000.
Well I sat down with the dealer and we discussed how I'd pay (cash) and Trade-in (Old car he offered a low but decent value) and then on price he just was very unrelenting. After nearly an hour talking we had gone almost nowhere. I had originally said I wanted it for $20,500 but as I left had said call me when we can do $21,000. His final offer was $22,400 a whopping $400 off MSRP. We continued to discuss it for a while and I left. He called me the next day to offer $22,250 and I stuck with my $21,000 offer and they said that was all they could do. It's now over a week later and they haven't sold it or called again.
There aren't many dealerships close by, I knew it would be a chore to negotiate but I never expected them to stop at $1,800 over invoice and give up. Has anyone run into this and what can you do except just drive out of area to another dealer???
I can't think of anything you can do to a dealer that does not want to deal other than not do business with them and make sure your friends know they don't deal well. It sounds like he not only gave you a low trade in offer but that was against a really low discount. Sometimes a dealer just has to know you'll walk away before they get serious, and sometimes when you walk away you do indeed have to go elsewhere.
I don't know why, but I have had times a dealer dealt well with me and then later did not. I've been lucky the last couple of years.
I'd go out of the area for $1000. I usually will bite the bullit if I'm only $500 apart from the deal and I really want the car. However for a "bad" deal, the car should be exactly what you want to be satisfying.
I'm surprised though with the offer because most of the posts seem to be saying large discounts are available, even on the hybrids.
Thanks and I wish you the same,Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays.
Thanks for the input regarding the bank involvement.That makes alot of sense and I'm sure that's why a bank was involved.I'm very naive when it comes to things like this.I was just and being careful on my part so I guess that's why I was curious and backed out of the deal.I was thinking maybe it was used in some way,but your input helps assure me maybe I was wrong.I didn't mean to blast fitzmall.Its just that the mileage,key tags marked used and a bank involvement just made me feel that it wasn't new and maybe I was getting stuck with a lemon.I learned alot from reading these posts.One thing is its impossible for a dealer to sell a used vehicle to you as new so I guess maybe I was wrong for being mad at fitzmall.And the car was new afterall.I also feel bad for criticizing the salesperson for his efforts in getting me the car.He was really nice and worked hard to find me the car I wanted.Although,it wasn't there in their inventory it was nice for him to go out of his way to get it for me.There are very few dealers that go that far to help you and just want to sell what they have in their lot.I know I was partly at fault for not asking him to fax me a report on the car history before he got it from the other dealer.I just hoped I knew what kind of car I was getting before making the trip.It would have been nice if he told me on the phone that there was extra mileage beacause car was previously traded at the other dealer.I'm sure he just forgot to mention that part and in all fairness its no big deal.So please everyone go to fitzmall if you're thinking about buying a car.Don't let my previous comments in my earlier posts discourage you from not buying a car from them.Also,about the deposit I got 90% of it back so I'm happy.Merry Christmas all!!
$19,731 at Fitzmall with the floor mats which would be $19,605 w/o the mats.
Maybe you are down in the rip off SE Toyota distribution region.
Louisiana is not among them.
SET is just 5 states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, NC and SC.
The Gulf States region is AR, LA, MS, OK, and TX.
The Gulf States region is just slightly better than the SET as far as added $$ and useless high margin package add ons.
So I bought an LE with just floor mats/ cargo mat in Desert Sand from Quality Toyota in Independence, KS. Paid exactly $20K OTD. Doesn't include tag and tax since we pay that later at the tag office in OK.
Thanks for the comments and clearing everything up.I'm sorry for all the trouble I put you guys at Fitzmall through.I was wrong about the car being used and feel guilty for blasting Fitzmall.You guys are great.I will definitely come back to visit and buy a car in the near future.Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday's!!!
Try going around the saleman directly to the salesmanger or call and ask if the dealer has a fleet dept.
Kind of surprised by what people are recently paying.
I'm still planning on doing it online, and as the time draws nearer for me to send out the e-mail(s), I find I'm unclear on just how to word my request for an OTD quote.
My question is this: When I ask for the lowest OTD quote, should I specifically ask that they include TTL, do I ask for their quote excluding TTL, or does the term "OTD" inherently imply that TTL is included/excluded? If so, which one is it?
I've gone to the AAA website to get a general idea of what CA TTL would be - I want to be as informed as possible - but I'm just not sure if I'm supposed to add this to their quote, or if their OTD quote includes it.
Is there a certain way to word my request to insure we're all on the same page and clear?
As an aside, I've already test-driven a car; I've been pre-approved for financing; and I won't be trading in a vehicle.
As before, I thank you in advance for your input,
Catherine
I've never done the email quote game, though I have heard good things... what I have done in the past and if you have the time is simply call 5 or 6 dealers close to you. Ask for sales and briefly introduce yourself and your intentions of buying on a specific date and it being a cash purchase. I'd tell them exactly what model, trim, options, and colours and tell them you're contacting all local dealers for their best out the door price. I'd ask them to get back to me within a few days, and who ever offered the best OTD price would earn my business.
In the past doing this, I've had great results where some dealers began calling each other to try and beat each other for a sure commission, others can't or won't release an offical discounted price via phone/fax/email.... but always ended up with a price I was very happy with.
Anyways, best of luck.
I don't think it will matter unless the taxes are different in the areas you are considering the purchase. If however the taxes are based on where you live and not where you buy then they will all be the same.
The processing fees are what could be different, so I would indeed state you want an itemized lowest quote with all taxes and fees included and itemized in the quote. That way if some dealer (as some have stated) want $399 instead of $99 for their paperwork, you'll know who's padding their quote with what use to be industry standard fees that you never even saw until you wrote the check.
I would emphasize to them that you indeed want to purchase that week and the car must be available on the lot (if that's what you desire). If you are considering several dealers and they each have a car with different equipment you'll need a copy or detailed listing of the cars options with the MSRP of each option (or just a faxed copy of the window sticker). If one dealer has a loaded one and one has a semi loaded one, the best deal may be harder to determine and you'll have to study the options and quote. You may be able to pay a little more but get options that would cost a lot more from the low bid dealer that is quoting a lesser equipped car.
Your dealers may all have a car just like you want as they probably have a larger inventory, I don't have that luxury as in rural states you either order it or take what they have available as the next dealer may not be close by.
Your local dealer will service it.
LE manual 4 cyl trans
moonroof with wind deflector
tinted windows
aluminum wheel upgrade with locks
VIP security system
leather upgrade
Vehicle Sheild package
spoiler
offer = $22,900
How much over invoice is this?
Thanks!
Thank you for your responses. Each of your posts contained information from which I will definitely benefit.
Drjames, thanks for clarifying that OTD includes TTL; that information alone is most helpful.
I will do just that which you suggested (providing them with the exact date I'll be purchasing, an itemized list of the model/trim/options I want, and informing them that it will be a cash purchase), only in written form, via e-mail. At this point I feel more comfortable/confident with my written skills than my On-the-spot/back-and-forth phone skills. :-)
Wvgasguy, the taxes will be the same in the area(s) I'm considering purchasing, so fortunately I won't have to use any calculations other than the ones I've done. Whew!
Hopefully, given my geographic locale I won't have to order a vehicle. However, since I have a car and am not in a rush, I'm willing to wait if they need to preference or order it; this way I'll be able to get exactly what I want.
I began this process about a month ago not knowing ANYthing, and now I'm well on the path to becoming an informed, educated and serious buyer. I can directly attribute my newfound knowledge to the online education I've received, right here, from all of you who contribute to this site. Thank you!
Does this make sense, or am I being BS? I am also posting this on the buying experience board.
LJK3
Does this make sense, or am I being BS? I am also posting this on the modficiation board.
LJK3
If I could give you some advise put your phone number and name on all of your emails. Yes they will call you and try and get you to come in but they will take you seriously also. There is a very good discussion going on in the internet verses traditional car sales forum. Don't worry about doc fees in California because they are capped at around $60 I think. Always negotiate off of invoice and let them know you know what it is. It is about $300 over what Edmunds lists because of the advertising fees. I think you should be able to get an XLE pretty close to invoice now. The 2007's are not new and the XLE V6 is not rare. It is very nice but not rare.
First of all, I can totally appreciate being busy with work, and I can imagine you're looking forward to January when it slows down - I also imagine that the fact that there may be a new car in the cards for you at the end of it probably helps keep you going.
Secondly, thank you for reaffirming the importance of including one's name and number(s) in e-mail correspondences when requesting an online quote. I certainly want to be taken seriously, and I recall reading here that providing this information lends itself to being perceived as credible.
Since I'll have, like, NO time between now and the 26th (the day I plan on sending out my requests), I've already formulated an e-mail. I've included my full name and phone numbers, though at the bottom I concluded by informing them that my preference is that they contact me via e-mail at this point. We'll see how effective that is. :-)
Thanks again, Shasta67, and I wish you the best with the remainder of your busy work schedule ... as well as looking forward to learning what your next vehicle turns out to be!
Catherine
Also, thanks for the info regarding advertising and doc fees, as well as negotiating off of invoice. Very good advice!
Catherine
That would also be a special order car , right now only show one 2531(Camry Le 5peed manaul trans) in Gulf states on the ground or incoming and it up in Amarillo and has no options on it.
Most dealers won't do a specail order like this so the price sounds real far to me
Happy Holidays!