Toyota Avalon Prices Paid and Buying Experience

njh1 · August 2005

Hi Folks,

I live in Princeton, NJ and have been shopping for a 2005 Avalon Limited with NAV, VSC and Laser Cruise control. The best deal I got so far is from Lawrence Toyota --- 1500 over invoice plus tax and fees. Does anybody know where I can get a 500 over invoice offer? Any dealer within the 100~200 miles radius is acceptable to me. BTW, does anyone know how the Costco Auto program work in New Jersey?

thanks a lot

tjs6 · August 2005

I live in the Memphis, TN area and have been looking for deal. I want to order a 2006 Avalon Limited w/o NAV, w/VSC and Laser Cruise control. I am willing to travel up to 300 miles. Anybody know where I can get a reasonable deal? All offers so far are for MSRP.

Thanks for your help! :shades:

lazarous · August 2005

I would like to know if the sticker and the numbers on the sticker on the new cars' windows made by the manufacturer or by the car dealer? Also, would the numbers, such as the dealers cost or the suggest retail price by the manufacture, I find at Edmunds is identical as the sticker on the new car window? Thanks, Mack

buck11 · August 2005

The numbers on the sticker are from the manufacturer. Sometimes dealers will put an addendum sticker on for any options they have added, i.e., pinstripes, special wheels, etc. Sometimes they add an addendum just for MSRP mark up on limited availability items. Saw this in CA when the Miata first came out and also when the new Ford Thunderbird hit a few years ago.

Sometimes Edmunds is not up to date on manufacturer price increases so the two numbers may vary. Also, and I'm sure you won't find it in this case, sometimes the window sticker are actually less due to old inventory being on dealers lots after factory increases.

buck11 · August 2005

Just did a quick review of what color of 2006 LTDs are due into the Southeast region in the near future and here is the color breakdown by percentages:

20% Titanium Pearl
20% Blizzard Pearl
18% Black
11% Phantom Gray Pearl
9% Blue Mirage Metallic
8% Silver Pine Mica
7% Desert Sand Mica
4% Cassis Pearl
3% Indigo Ink Pearl

dandl · August 2005

You might want to give Lees Toyota in Jamaica, New York a call if it is not too far for you. Ask to talk to their internet manager and explain that you are reading the Edmunds Forums about pricing. They had quoted me a price about 200 UNDER invoice back in June for a loaded Limited they had on order. I asked him if this was out-the-door pricing and he said yes. No doc fee's, ad fee's, etc...and as we are from Michigan, no New York taxes or other fee's. Unfortunately I hesitated, and the car was sold....but then he came right back with the same offer on another Limited but it was not my preferred color. We ended up with a GREAT deal on our car in Hutchinson, Kansas and I much preferred to drive home through the corn fields of Kansas rather than a white knuckle drive through Queens, Hell's Kitchen, Lincoln Tunnel, etc....

BTW: Several people have posted about the Costco Auto program, and while it seems to be a "no haggle" way to buy a car, I personally think you can do better if you do your homework.
Hope this helps.
Laura

cjponline · August 2005

My 06 LTD, no NAV, with VSC and Laser, PLUS Carpet mats was $33,738 plus tax, just outside of Chicago.

KC

mackabee · August 2005

And you've been working at this dealership how long?
:shades:
Mackabee

allson · August 2005

It would be interesting to see how the Midwest numbers match up against these Southeast numbers. Based upon what the sales manager told me at our dealership, I would think the Titanium, Blizzard and Black numbers here would be higher. I'm surprised Black is at 18% for the Southeast.

avalon_buyer · August 2005

Hi,
I am silent viewer of this forum for last couple of weeks ,this forum helped me a lot while negotiating. Would like some advise from experts . The best deal I got so far in chicago area for 2006 avalon with navigation is 34600 +tax + registration -( 1300 over invoice as per dealer ) . Does it sound good deal?

zorro16 · August 2005

hello avalon_buyer,

dont even care about the dealers invoice, they will rip you off as much as they can from you.

go with the edmunds invoice price . according to edmunds quote avalon(ltd)+nav+dest = $31,679.

you do the math.

oracleman · August 2005

Hi,

I just got a quote from an Internet salesman for a 2005 Touring. He quoted me at invoice price. $28163 (with anti-theft,moonroof, 6-disc CD changer, carpet/trunk mats, glass break sensor, wheel lock, auto-dimming mirror) + tax/lic. I think this is a good deal, but not sure. I live in Sacramento, CA.

leinad · August 2005

where can i go to see the exterior colors for 2006 avalons?

thanks,

j daniel

leinad · August 2005

ok I live in Florida and my internet price quote for a 2005 limited with ALL the options I could possibly have on my avalon was $36,222.00...even though the consumer reports listed the CR wholesale price as $33,223, dealer invoice as $33,894 and MSRP listed with all options as $38,695...

but this is the CHEAPEST online quote I have received and he wont seem to budge at all...the other quotes I received online were MSRP....and they're getting that price in Jacksonville, FL

j daniel

jkosuge · August 2005

I just got a quote for a XL with in Utah.
This is what he told me.
"sale price is $27,134 + tax ($1806.62) + lic. fees ($433)= $29,373.62
everything included." The options included was CD changer and sunroof and anti theft syste.He said that this price he gave me was $500 invoice....But I do not believe him.Does anyone know if he is lying?

oracleman · August 2005

Good deal or not is all depend on supply and demand. Where I live, they have so many Avalons. 2006 models are coming in so they want to get rid off the 2005 models. That's why i was able to get the car at invoice. All my options are at invoice too. $29,373 seem to be high for a XL. Ask him to give you at invoice and show you the numbers. My salesman did it for me.

sob · August 2005

Toyota's website now reflects data for the '06 models. No color changes were made.

SOB

toyotaken · August 2005

If you see an invoice directly from Toyota, all of the charges on there are legitimate. Edmunds actually has a page devoted to one of those...

link title

Ken

avalon_buyer · August 2005

I forgot to mention the car has VSC & dynamic cruise control and floor mats too in my earlier post.

Any idea what will be good price for 2006 XLS with Navigation , VSC , floor mat

Does anyone know invoice price for 2006 XLS?

zorro16 · August 2005

avalon_buyer

the invoice price for 2006 limited is $32,922 with all the nav,VSC & dynamic cruise control .

edmunds.com, started posting the prices for 2006 avalons. check out them.

i would say if you are a conservative thinker, $500 above invoice for a XLS is good price and $1000 above invoice for a limited is a very good price.

so try to knock off atleast $500 from the price that he quoted for you.

dogger_due · August 2005

Regarding the choice of Silver Pine Mica, I received my SPM '05 Limited a few weeks ago and am very happy with the choice of color. What really matters is whether you like the color. In my opinion, there are plenty of silver, black, white, and tan cars on the road. I found SPM to very distinctive and frankly, the rarer the better. And yes, I am a male and my other male friends seem to like the color - they don't accuse me of having an "estrogen green" color such as that bluish shade of green found on some cars such as the BMW X5's!

The sales rep I dealt with told me that when the car arrived at the dealership, people were looking at the color with curiosity. One of his colleagues had said that, although he never would have considered ordering a green demo car, now that he has seen the SPM color, he planned to make it his next choice.

Another plus - women like the color. And if a woman likes the color of your car, then.....

rmrm · August 2005

just came back from the dealer here in Libertyville, IL (northern suburb of Chicago). best I could get them down to was $26,000 +TTL for a 2006 XL w/o any options. (sticker was $27,320). I will try other dealers but does anyone know if that is a good price or if I can do better ? would $500 dollars over invoice be reasonable?

sob · August 2005

Obtained written quote in Gulf States region Aug 11. Base Invoice on '06 XLS (3544) was shown as $26,413. This figure excludes options, destination charge,
and misc dealer charges of M.A.F.; T.D.A.; Base-Veh-HB; PIO HB; and finally, Finance Reserve.

Would like knowledgeable parties explain what these latter charges are individually and indicate which may be negotiable items. Thanks

SOB

avalon_buyer · August 2005

Thanks zorro16 for reply

Apparently it looks like Toyota charges dealer advertising cost ( TAC) on which also incorporated in invoice price in chicago area, hence the edmunds price and dealer invoice prices are off by few hundred dollars that is what I have been told. Is there any idea how much this will be?

zorro16 · August 2005

avalon_buyer ,

i think the advertising costs should not be more than $500. i have seen this in other forums.

when honda odeyssey minivans are selling closing to edmunds invoice price, why not Toyota avalons???

have you tried to negotiate more??

buck11 · August 2005

Why should anyone here complain about not being able to buy a new model vehicle at invoice? Get real people. Who pays for the shuttle driver? Who pays for the lot attendant? Who pays the overhead period? This is a new model with limited production. Why should they be discounted to invoice?? Figure out what you consider to be a REASONABLE profit for the dealer and make an offer. But please don't continue to refer to the EDMUNDS invoice cost. It's not even close to actual figures.

lazarous · August 2005

At what style, starting from the bottom style, does Avalon come with leather seats as a standard? Thanks

zorro16 · August 2005

Mr buck11

then how come the Big 3 are selling at invoce price ?

read the posts of honda, subaru, lexus, acura in this forum. you will get to know how much are people paying for these cars.

r u telling us that the car dealers are going broke by selling cars at invoice price.and the sales people are not making money by selling the car at invoice price.

i agree with you this is a new model, what about acura RL, subaru B9X, honda odeyssey, and the hottest selling SUV RX 330

dogger_due · August 2005

In mid-July, I took delivery of an '05 Limited (Silver Pine / Light Gray Int) with VSC, Mats, and XM Installation for a negotiated price of $34,009 ($1,449 off of MSRP) and total drive-off cost of $34,733. To get this color choice, the car had to be located from allocation, which took 1.5 months. I am in Greenville/Spartanburg, SC and most dealers in the area were not willing to budge much off of MSRP up to this point. In this case, I got $1000 off MSRP and the XM unit and installation included for no charge (= a $449 discount). Also ended up getting $400 more for my 8 year old trade-in than I thought I deserved, but that is really a separate matter.

It seems that in certain parts of the country, people are getting better deals, but in this area, this did not seem to be a bad deal. In this case, I was not too consumed with the whole "over invoice" thing. This is a hot car, at a hot time, and market conditions the realities of supply/demand are in effect. I also think this car is really a good value relative to other cars of its size & performance (e.g. Lexus). I guess I could have waited months or even a year to get a good "over invoice" price, but I wanted the damn thing! The only other car I was tempted by was the Chrysler 300, which I could have gotten at a really great price "over invoice", but that is the discount DC must give to compensate for the "quality" deficit. In the end, my intrigue with look of that car faded. Now when I pass them on the road, I am glad I'm in my Avalon!

My biggest compaint was the EMBARRASSING XM installation by Southeast Toyota Distributors. These jokers put that big black antenna on the middle right edge of the trunk lid. Even my dealer seemed embarrassed over this and offered to relocate it. I ended up doing it myself, moving to the inside of the car right atop the rear interior brake light (right under the rear window). I painted it light gray to match the interior so it is very discreet. How is that I am more creative than the idiots at SET and I don't even do this for a living? In the process of relocating the antenna, I also discovered that the XM unit was very loosely bolted onto the bracket in the trunk. It would have eventually wobbled loose had I not secured it.

Minor notice of the transmission issue, but after 1100 miles, I have had a hard time getting overly concerned about it. Will continue to monitor it.

All in all a very happy camper so far.

buck11 · August 2005

I must be a little edgy sitting here all day waiting for a call from my dealer to come and pick up my 06 Silver Pine LTD. Well, he finally called about 8:00pm tonight to tell me the truck was at the lot with my vehicle and I can pick it up at 12:00pm tomorrow. I'll post some pictures once I get it home.

I know for a fact after talking to several dealer friends of mine that the Odyssey, RL and 330 are not going for invoice. Not sure about the B9X. Most salespeople that sell a vehicle at invoice get a flat commission. Maybe $100 or a little more if it's an aged unit with a bonus on it. Now if they sell 20 of these a month they make a whopping $2K. Gonna bring home the bacon with that now aren't we????? There may be 3-4 people in a very large dealership selling 20+ units a month. Depends on how large the sales staff is. Large volume dealers will not go broke selling vehicles at invoice. I'm talking about dealers that sell 400+ units a month. Small dealers may very well go broke trying this. If they don't have the volume they'll never make it. There are not may mega Toyota or Honda dealers out there. I would hazard a guess to say that most of them move less than 200 units a month.

To make a long story short, I wouldn't go into a grocery store and ask to pay "cost" for an item. Try that at Best Buy or Wally World. I wouldn't be surprised someday see all manufacturers go to the "no haggle" pricing such as Saturn. Try getting a discount off of sticker on one of those!! On second thought I wouldn't look at those.

JMHO. I'll feel better after picking up my car in the am.

sob · August 2005

Ref my earlier posting # 500. '05 and '06 so called invoice cost plus buyers, which may have been furnished copies of Toyota to Dealer invoices or are otherwise knowledgeable, are requested to reply. I really need to know of the following listed dealer invoice cost items, provided on my quote, which are bonafide and non-negotiatable and which aren't:

M.A.F. $422
T.D.A. $290
Base Veh HB $621
PIO HB $12
Finance Reserve $310

Thank you kindly, SOB

mstem · August 2005

Buck11,

Congrats on the purchase of your '06 Silver Pine Mica Limited. You should have had it for a couple hours by now. I know you want to drive it some, but PLEASE PLEASE post some photos as soon as possible. There are several of us waiting for this same vehicle and we would luv to see some actual photos! Seems like there are some others who are very curious about the color also... I know they would appreciate it too! Thanks in advance,

Mike

suedunham · August 2005

dogger_due and buck11 and silver pine avalon owners,

If you have any more comments on Silver Pine, please let me know. I'm mostly interested if it is a flat or metallic finish. I'd also like to know if it is light enough such that it will hide dirt like a light silver or gold color does. Any other comments or links to your photos appreciated!

buck11 · August 2005

Thanks. It's great. Look at post 7959 for pictures.

buck11 · August 2005

Didn't realize that you couldn't link directly to this post from this board so here it is copy and pasted.

Just picked my 2006 Silver Pine Limited up about two hours ago. Here's some pictures for you.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d632b3127cce9331d8ac603800000016108Qbs2zZq2be
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d632b3127cce9331d89de13900000016108Qbs2zZq2be
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d632b3127cce9331d89a600e00000026108Qbs2zZq2be
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d632b3127cce9331d887e12300000016108Qbs2zZq2be
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5d632b3127cce9331d898600c00000016108Qbs2zZq2be

Transmission is different from my Honda for sure. Will take a little getting used to but I'm sure I will. Because of the untold number of positions you can put these seats in, it took me about an hour of driving to finally find the right position by just continuously playing around will it. 70 miles from the dealership home. Averaged 27.8 with mixed driving. Everything from full out acceleration to cruise control at 70. The only real negative I've found so far is the passenger seat rattles every once in awhile when I hit a bump. Haven't looked at it yet for possible reason. Minor detail. I'm glad the uncomfortable seat that has been posted on this board is just what I thought it would be, personal preference. If the seat was inherently bad I'm sure some reviewer would have noticed it by now. My seat is perfect now that I've finally played with it and got it just right. No loose fog lights, no uneven tail pipes, no radio cover out of alignment. I'm a happy camper.

jim250 · August 2005

Bought Desert Sand Mica Avalon Limited on Saturday, 8/6/05 in Madison, WI. It was that dealership's last 2005 Limited unit. Options are laser cruise control, Nav, VSC, and floor mats. The sticker including delivery fee totaled $37,429. At the two competing Madison Toyota dealerships, all Avalons had a sticker on the window adding an extra $95 "services fee", and that brought the total price to $37524. From that amount Lancaster Toyota discounted $3729 because my car was a late season 2005 model on the eve of the arrival of the 2006's. So, the cash price ended up being $33795. Taxes and DMV fees were added to that. I also bought a Toyota Platinum 100K mile /7 year /$0 deductible extended warranty for an additional $1285.

Was back at the dealership today, one week later and saw that they now have only 2006 Avalons. Seven days ago they had only 2005 ones.

Jim

Kirstie_H · August 2005

Congratulations, buck11! You should share your photos with other owners in our Toyota Avalon Owners Club.

kirstie_h
Roving Host
Host, Future Vehicles & Smart Shopper discussions

garry4 · August 2005

I purchased a 2006 Silver Metallic XLS yesterday with VSC and Traction Control, JBL upgrade, mudguards and floor mats. The mudguards were silver metallic to match the car which was a nice surprise. I had been told all mudguards were black, but the 2006 models are matching the car's color. The Landers Toyota North dealership in Fayetteville, Arkansas was easy to deal with. I paid $500 over invoice without any Toyoguard, etc. It is a great car, and the only problem found so far is loose fog lights.

msavalon · August 2005

I purchased a Blk 2005 LTD base w/floor mats. Base price was 29,514, destination charge was 540. I paid 31,000 over the internet. Last Dealer that called me quoted 34,000 (MSRP is 33,800). I said 'Not interested'. I wanted the Nav system but thought for 1900 it would be cheaper to keep a phone book in the trunk and use Mapquest. I figured this car has so much on it, I wouldn't need any more. I didn't buy the Toyoguard, but I did go with Toyota financing since they beat my credit unions offer. I wanted door side moldings and was told they could be ordered for 400. 'No Thanks' My salesman sent me to a guy that does after market installations for them. I pd 275. was very happy. I also put tinted (20%) windows in. Black cars are HOT! I love this car! I'm happy with my deal.

55396 · August 2005

"but I wanted the damn thing!"

Yup, and this is the reason that better pricing isn't available. If people have money, or great credit, they are willing to pay the price...... Retailers aren't stupid. They will try for retail or more, and if people are willing to pay it they smile all the way to the bank. Guess what happens when consumers just say 'screw you' and walk away? Prices come down in a hurry. I guess things are too good today as you can see this in any new hot item. Too often, people pay a premium to be first, and then they get to debug the product, as evidenced in the 05 Avalon forum.

I looked at a car one time that had service sheets that were stacked up over an inch high. The service manager said it would qualify for repurchase under the Lemon law. It took an hour to read about all the problems.
So, I bought the car. Why? The previous owner didn't like the car and nit picked it to death. My reasoning was that he had the car all 'dialed in' for me. We did not have one problem with that car - and it was made by American Motors.

There is nothing wrong for 'paying the price' if you choose, but I guess I'm the one that waits for people who do this to get disgruntled and trade them off due to things that irritated them, or an incompetent service department, and then let that work to my advantage for a really low cost of ownership. To each his own, eh?

55396 · August 2005

M.A.F. $422
T.D.A. $290
Base Veh HB $621
PIO HB $12
Finance Reserve $310

Geez, looks like all the add-ons to my phone bill. This kind of thing is a good reason to walk away from a dealer. That just tells me the dealer is trying to pad the deal.

graffam · August 2005

after several days of negotiations i purchased a 2005 xls with leather heated seats traction and stability control and the z1 package blizzard pearl white he showed me the invoice which said 29435 and he took $90.00 off that so it was $29345 + doc fee $219 which i thought was a little high.the sticker on the window was $33113 i am wondering if the invoice price he showed me was the actual one or just a sales tool my out the door price with my rip off sales tax was (1478.00 tax) out the door price 31066.00 any replies would be great

zorro16 · August 2005

graffam

the MSRP from EDMUNDS.COM and the MSRP on the car window should be almost the same. the car window might edge up a little bit, because toyota adds in the dealer advertising costs.it shouldn't be more than $500.

pete5754 · August 2005

I live in Minneapolis. I just talked to a salesperson who has three of these cars on his lot. These cars all have the audio value package (VV), all weather Package(CK) and Carpet Floor Mats (CF). He is offering one to me for $15,752. I can get financing for 48 months at 3.9%. (This car also has the cruise control and is an automatic). I looked this up on Edmunds for my area and under the what others are paying column it says $15,789. Think I can talk him down any? Should I jump on this right now and be happy? (I am leasing a Saturn right now and the lease doesn't expire for another two months, so I'm not without a ride.) Thanks!

john_galt_ny · August 2005

Picked up my 05 LTD yesterday from GEIS Toyota in Westchester County, NY. Replaces my 02 XLS which I also bought from them. Final price was $33,490 w NAV and the VCS systems.

Sales experience was first rate except the salesman-in-training knew next to nothing about the car. Between new model and new salesman, I guess that's OK.
Business manager and general manager were great to deal with but, of course, I'm a regular so that helps.

Test drove the TL, ES330, Passat and Maxima SE. Liked them all but the value seemed best on the Avalon. Also, I think Nissan made the interior of the Maxima look cheap even though I love the 03 SE I bought for my college bound son in June.

Will give first impressions in the '05 forum.

kbarta · August 2005

i put in a an order on may 8th for a 2005 avalon xl in blue mirage.i added an alarm 6 cd changer etc. i told the sales person taht i was paying cash. fine all well and good .i assumed that they would have to order the car as this is not color or model that toyota seems to be producing much of . the the sales person said they would also try to trade for that car. almost four months later a still don't have the damn car.i called last week and the sales person said no word on it and taht toyota doesn't really allow for an order on a particliar car , but the dealship puts in a request for it and toyota gets around to it they ship it! is this true!!? i'm going to cancell it and go out and something else.i've never had so much trouble buying a car.

55396 · August 2005

I just got a price on a Blizzard Pearl Limited demo with 5000 miles. It has VSC, NAV, Laser Cruise etc.

From what I can tell, the only thing it doesn't have is a spoiler, but I'll have to check the window sticker to verify that. Retail: $37,649. Out the door price: $31,490 and NO add on fees. That's a discount of $6,159. Has anyone topped that?

My 03 may be history.

dreasdad · August 2005

Hi

All of them are bonafide items and required by law to be
itemized on the invoice presented to the dealer by
Toyota. Don't think any one would neg any of them on an Avalon, only
ones that would have any play would be the holdbacks(HB). Any invoice you look at would have the same lines on them, dealers in the same TDA woul dhave the same amounts but if they where in diffrent TDA's the amount of TDA could be diffrent.

dreasdad · August 2005

sounds like an auction Demo that one of the Toyota Execs drove and dealership bought at auction. They are not titled and so can be sold as new but dealer buys it at auction back of invoice as they usually have mising items and quite a few dings. You need to move on it if you want it as it will not last long.

55396 · August 2005

"sounds like an auction Demo"

My understanding is that the dealership got this from Toyota for a demo around April/May. It is Toyota owned as opposed to dealer owned, and they just got the word from Toyota that the miles indicated that they sell it. Just announced this AM at their meeting. We looked at a couple of weeks ago. It was the only AV they had and they couldn't sell it yet. It may have been better if it was a Toyota Exec car as I expect the drive train has been 'exercised' in this one, but probably has less cosmetic flaws than an exec. You're right about it not lasting long. I think that's as good a deal as I'll find. However patience will give me better, maybe next year, but likely with more miles. There is another pretty much base LTD for sale for $29+k and 2k miles, but it is Burgundy with a damaged drivers seat back. Anyone out there trade this in on a Lexus in Texas? Also a base XL w/150 miles in the low 20's.

Toyota Avalon Prices Paid and Buying Experience

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