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Thanks
T Reynard, where... what dealer did you buy the car from?. Seems like a great deal.
MikeV
These are #;s comparing a well loaded Avalon Limited with invoice and list price:
Base Price $29,514 $33,540
Selected Options $2,145 $2,550
Destination Charge $540 $540
Total $32,199 $36,630
The diff. between invoice and MSRP on this configuration is $4161.00
A "fair" offer would be 500.00 over invoice. The dealer is still making allot of money w/ holdbacks, incentives and more.
Happy Hunting!
Mike V
Agree, this will save you ton's of bucks. Best to negotiate it up front with the dealer before you actually agree to buy the new car. Could be a problem for the new buyer, if he is not ready to pay the taxes immediately, if so, lowering the sell price by a $100 or so will usually work..
Just what is a good deal?
Further off-topic posts in this discussion that aren't specifically about your own experience shopping for an Avalon will be deleted without notice.
kirstie_h
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: )\ Mack
I, like you have been researching both the TL and the Avalon. I have not yet test driven an Avalon. What is the name of the dealer from whom you bought the Avalon? I know you shopped in the Pittsburgh area so I assume you bought it in or near Pittsburgh. I would appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Toby
First, I think the "Saturn" buying model is best.,, same price to everyone. If that policy were adopted everywhere it would make the buying experience easier. I love cars, no doubt. The reason I have not entered the field (it would be fun to sell something you have a passion about) is the games that are built into the system.
That being said, I recieved a quote from a dealer on a Avalon limited for 600.00 above invoice. Another dealer told me not to buy and give him the "last chance" and I will do so this coming Monday. :surprise:
The dealers in south florida are being selfish I went to a few and in actuality when you start talking they take off the above MSRP then look at you like you should be thankful.
If you like the Avalon and know what model you want and are willing to drive there are dealers in the state that via the internet dept will negotiate to 1000.00 over invoice which is at least 2-3thousand below MSRP
I am in Broward and am buying in Tampa
Good luck
I am in Broward and am buying in Tampa.
analyticangel,
can you tell me who you're buying from in tampa? i'll be moving there this summer and have to make a few house hunting trips between now and then. might as see how the local dealers rate. thanks in advance.
DClK
Where are you moving from? The dealership is Precision Toyota in Tampa ......If you happen to be living now further north and want a good deal Toyota in Elizabeth City No. Carolina has even lower prices 500. over invoice In both cases though you have to deal with the internet sales folks........
Good luck
DClK
MikeV
If you read the Edmunds expose "Confessions of a Car Salesman" it confirms what you say ......
I think there is nothing wrong with a dealer making a profit ...........but there is a big difference betwen making a profit and taking advantage of people. Onthe other hand, we the consumers have set the market If NO ONE is willing to pay the outrageous mark ups the market will be more competitive
When I went to the dealer in South Florida to test drive the Avalon it was marked 1500.00 over sticker MSRP plus dealer fees I laughed and told him there was no way I would ever buy a car at these prices he took off the 1500 markup plus another 500. (however still keeping additional dealer fees) and told me that was a great deal I left when he said and I quote "TRUST ME no one can do better"
South Florida must have some awful shoppers. Before I decided the buy the Avalon I test drove the Infiniti G35 and when I walked out because they would not show me the invoice the Manager chased me to my car! I dont think they are used to consumers standing up I have since learned at least with Internet sales you are at an advantage They have to convince you the price is good and to come in.you are not stuck at a dealership with all the games
Posting your e-mail address in a public forum also ensures that it will be picked up by spam-bots, and you'll get even more spam. Better to edit your profile to make it public.
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The saleman was a real snob!!!
He was telling me all Florida dealers do it ,,, add $4995.00 to the sticker.
He would be doing me a favor by negotiating off the add-on price,,, what a nice guy.
There had to be at least 10 salemen outside just waiting for the fish to walk in.
I feel sorry for the older people who come in and get intimidated by these slime bags.
When I mentioned that I would never pay sticker , let alone add-on he just laughed and said that's policy.
All customers should just avoid these dealers. There are some reputable dealers around, finding them is another matter.
00 doc. fee). There are four Toyota dealers in Indianapolis and they hate each other:) Dealers "rob" you blind when you trade in a vehicle, esp. if it is not a Toyota.
MikeV
Had a 2000xls, bought new, that was really mint, 78k miles, dealer only offered me 25% of what I paid it. With the large surplus of used car, I am sure a person can really pick up some deals right now.
Read my earlier post to you naming some very reasonable dealers willing to offer fair prices on the Avalon .If I understand the intent of this forum and I am sure our HOST will correct me if I am wrong this is a place for consumers to share our experience shopping for and buying the 2005 Avalon , As I read the posts I see this is about consumers wanting a fair deal and not wanting to be taken adavantage .thus sharing knowledge re costs around the country
I dont think this is a forum for car salesman to be justifying outrageous tactics, defending sales tactics Lets' stick to discussion of the Avalon 2005 please :mad:
kirstie_h
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I agree with you 100% I hope you realize my comments were supporting you and were directed at carsalesman Don't give up I really believe there are fair Toyoyta salesman out there that get it and want to deliver the Avalon 2005 and do it well In fact one of them frequently comments and provides expert advice as well as pics of him playing drums! (If you read the other Avalon Forum you wil see!)
Good luck
So...... Here's my question. I'm being told that I'll be paying $500 over invoice + fees and what not. I'll just let you know the facts that I have from the dealer's website. (very informative by the way)
Invoice Base - $25,554
Options - $949
Del, Proc & Hndlg - $590
Admin - $585
TOTAL INVOICE PRICE OF $27,678 (sweet isn't it....I'm so excited!!)
In addition to that there will be the $500 over invoice, the $56 tags fee, $395 dealer something fee that he says is standard, and 3% tax.
Are all of those fees common and necessary?? Is the $395 redundant? Add all of those numbers up and I'm left with the # that I was quoted; $29,478. Pretty good I know but am I being charged too many fees? Is this dealer being 100% upfront with me?
For those of you that may not recognize me, I'm 29 and a real estate agent in the VA Beach area. This car is perfect for me! I also want to let you know that no, I'm not being frugal. I will end up paying whatever it costs to get this car. Money is a factor for me however so an over $500/mnth payment does scare me a little. I'm not trying to rape this great dealer that has given me so much help. I just want to know that now when we're getting down to the actual purchase, I'm not being messed around with. ANY AND ALL COMMENTS WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!! This is a very big deal to me and the thought of purchasing a $30k car (please be understanding) makes my stomach turn. Thank you for your replys.
Oh. Toyota of Elisabeth City is my dealer.
I doubt very seriously considering the car was released 02/05 that you will find cheaper prices anywhere in the Southeast
If you love the car relax and go for it If it wasn't too far a drive I would go there!
Best of luck!
Do the dealers in Orlando and vincinity do the same thing?
Anyone have any dealer recommendaions for Central FL area? I actually live in NY, but I'm moving to Orlando end of this month.
Thanks.
-Dean
"All cars traded in DO NOT have the same value! Thats like saying all basketball players at age 30 are the same players. Each vehicle will vary in value from as low as $100 to as high as $2000 difference depending on condition market/area resale value miles and dealer needs. Dont try to play used car manager unless you are one."
Wow. I just read your above response. Two 30 year old basketball players are completely different human beings with distinct genes, traits. Two 2005 Avalons having the same color and options are for all intent and purpose, identical, whereas the basketball players were not made the same way and are two distinctly different people - far more different than Two Avalons will be. Get it?
In case you by now do not see your "apples vs oranges" assessment of my original post, let me ask you a question. Does the phrase "all else being equal" mean anything to you? Do you understand what it means and how it is far more relevant when comparing cars than living beings?
Imagine if you will two identically optioned and like-colored Avalons owned by the same person that are parked in the same two-car garage, are the same color, and have the same options. Let's say that this owner bought one of them new for $36k in 2/2005 and then liked it and bought another new one with same color/options for $34K in 4/2005 then drove them an equal number of miles and each car's mechanical condition and wear and tear was indistinguishable five years later in 2010.
These two cars if sold back to one single dealer in 2010 each car will have virtually identical value to that one dealer. Why? Because the two cars are essentially identical, and the fact that the car owner paid $2k more in profit to the selling dealer for one car versus the other car has absolutely zero bearing on either cars' value in 2010. Remember the phrase, "all else being equal"? Get it now?
If we were talking about two cars with different colors/options/mileage/degree of wear and tear, of course they would have different values five years later. But that was not the case in my original post.
Regards,
Deannie
Your salesman might be being a little deceptive. A $500 over invoice deal means you pay for Base invoice price of the car, plus invoice price for options, plus $540 for delivery (trucking the car to your dealership from Kentucky where it was built), plus the $500 above and beyond the invoice, plus tax and tags. That's it, at least in Maryland. I don't know whether or not Virginia has a different base price. Check one of the auto web sites - either this website, or another (that is known for new car prices and used car values).
If va and md have the same prices, then the $585 admin charge plus the $395 "dealer something" = $980, which when added to your $500 over invoice = $1480 over invoice. That's a lot more than you believed you were paying. And remember, the dealer also gets about $1000 from Toyota (a dealer "holdback" - look it up on a search engine).
The dealer will be getting almost $2500 in profit from you at the price you quoted (if my math and figures are correct), and he can probably let you have the car for $1000 or so less which would more accurately represent the $500 over invoice deal you obviously thought you were getting.
I do not know you financial situation, but think about how long it takes you to earn $1000 after taxes, and know that you might be able to get this car for less. All dealers have to make a profit to pay bills and survive, but how much they earn is up to you, and how much you are willing to pay.
Regards,
Deannie
Invoice: 25,564 + 500
Options: 949
Delivery: 590
Tags: 56
Tax: 3%
Total: 27,659 + Tax [830] = 28,489
Hope this helps.
There's one in that will be in stock 5/01/05 with what I want...
Pricing* MSRP
Base $33,540
Options $3,161
Del, Proc & Hndlg $590
Total $37,291
Options Installed -
Fuel Surcharge $11
Dynamic Laser Cruise Control-CLAT $600
Voice Activated DVD Navigation System-NVAT $1,900
50 State Emissions-FEAT $0
Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and-VDAT $650
Actually, I don't want the Laser Cruise Control, but it seems to be on most of the limited models I pick out. :-( I'd probably use it, but don't feel it's worth $600.
And Blue Mirage Metallic doesn't seem a popular color...which makes me want it even more. :-)
Anyone care to guess what the Invoice price would be? On a Highlander I configured, Invoice was about 10% less MSRP. Is that about the same for the Avalon?
I'll be mighty annoyed if Orlando dealers are pulling the same stuff as Southern FL dealers.
Maybe dealing in the last few days of the month would help a bit?
I'm more than willing to fly to another state (I have a free flight on Northwest) if Orlando dealers are pulling this marked up stuff. Hope it doesn't come to that.
-Dean
Also note, part of the problem is that set (southeast toyota ) adds an additional administrative charge to the dealer on the invoice in addition to the delivery charge from the manufacturer
SET is the distributor for ALL the Southeast states and that is something you have to know. The kbb site shows diff fees and charges for different part of the country
I live in FT Lauderdale and I am buying in Tampa from a dealer
It is not at invoice and not nearly as good as what agent found
but much better than any south florida dealer
Agent found a dealer (Toyota of Elizabeth city ) in NC who is offering 500 over invoice which is true BUT realize the invoices from this area will also have this additional 585.00 SET charge and then this dealer adds an administrative charge of 399.00 so it really is more
However, having said that that is still taking off far more than most in Florida will do
Courtney is suggesting that that agent can get the 585 on invoice and the dealer charge removed as well..............
Good luck if you can find a dealer willing to do it
Right now its supply and demand and I think that will be hard
IN south florida its downright stupid Dealers are not only not willing to take off they are adding above MSRP charges
HOw soon are you wanting to buy?
Also have you seen the Blue Mirage color I have not and would be interested in what it looked like.
Good luck
For all that are interested in my dilemas. Apparently Phantom Gray Tourings are very hard to find. If you're looking for one, STOP and let me have it!! :-) Every time I get word that one is or may be available for me, some other dealer snatches it up so everyone just stop buying my darn cars already! please
Right now its supply and demand and I think that will be hard
IN south florida its downright stupid Dealers are not only not willing to take off they are adding above MSRP charges
HOw soon are you wanting to buy?
Also have you seen the Blue Mirage color I have not and would be interested in what it looked like.
Good luck<<<
Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Agent e-mailed me the dealer in N Carolina. I'm pretty sure you can post that here, agent. Just not the specic name of your sales person.
I'll be buying last week of this month...probably last few days of the month. I'll probably start to inquire the 26th or 27th.
I haven't seen the color in person, so I could change my mind. I mean, I will need a vehicle so if they'll deal I'll buy, if not I'll fly. :-)
I'm hoping last few days of the month...they'll want to get rid of what is on the lot. The only option I truly want on the Limited is NAV, and a large % of in stock vehicles have it.