Toyota Camry Hybrid: Ordering Process

djpdx1 · June 2006

I would not have ordered bisque--I hate beige--but once I got it I love it--very classy and warm. Nice grade of leather, too. I have not seen gray but I assume that would be nice too.

djpdx1 · June 2006

Century Leader, voyage 190 came into Portland a few weeks ago.

kdhspyder · June 2006

A -> Allocation means that a vehicle with certain spec's ( color, features and price ) has been identified to be going into a specific store's inventory. There might be several/many of exactly this type of vehicle on a given boat. Thus the specific VIN while probably known on Toyota's part is not given until it comes off the boat, is checked and verified to be OK for shipment. That's when it moves to 'F' and then to 'G'.

Trust them. It's been going on like this for 3 yrs now on first the Sienna's, then Prius' then FJ's and now the TCH's.

djpdx1 · June 2006

By the way for you poor souls still waiting impatiently for your THC's, if you drop me the name of the ship and voyage #, I can tell you when your ship hits the Port of Portland and when it will be unloaded. (Assuming you are northwest to mid-west.) See post #286. You need the order sheet with the ship and voyage #. ORGAL, your ship arrived in Porland at the end of May. If you look at my pics on my profile, you will see the "Century Leader" turning in the river. That was your car. I am uploading a few more interior shots from the floating parking garages that the Toyotas come in on. Check it out:

link title

orgal · June 2006

I live in Portland, and I was told by my dealer that my car docked in the port of portland on Friday... I was told it was going to be "processed" on Monday, but haven't gotten the car or heard from the dealer since. You'd think it wouldn't take days to get the 20 miles or so from the doc to the dealer.

A status is 'allocated' to the store
F status means it's in 'freight' status and the trucker has 72 hrs to get it to the store
G status means the 72 hrs have passed and the vehicle should be on the 'ground' at the store - go get it

kdhspyder, do you know if there is a maximum amount of time it can take?

kathyinca · June 2006

Hi djpdx1,
My car was supposed to arrive June 5th. It came on the vessel PNER. LDV001. I'm in LA......I assume it came into Long Beach, CA. Any idea of when?

kdhspyder · June 2006

There are always unforeseen circumstances like holidays, weather etc but toyota has this down to a logistical science. There's also a business consideration as well in most import situations ( I used to be in the steel importing business ). Time is money. No shipper likes to keep a product sitting on the dock. It normally can't be billed until it arrives at it's destination. Terms may vary.

Order of magnitude:
Say 5000 vehicles each costing $20,000 comes into a port. That's $100 Million of inventory sitting there. At prime ( less 1% ? ) it costs someone ( Toyota most likely ) 0.019% daily on the total or about $19,000 each day that the inventory sits( ~$4/veh per day ). Toyota wants it moved. The dealers want it moved.

dmhltd1 · June 2006

We had talked before out my TCH coming in on the pegasus leader. I figured mine had not made it on the last voyage so I've been diligently watching colrip.com for it's return. I talked to my salesman yesterday and he said my car was now in "G" status though they haven't seen it yet. So I guess it was on the last voyage. I figure it will be here sometime next week. Thanks for the info and picks.

orgal · June 2006

I finally got mine tonight. A fully loaded Blue TCH,with nav, moonroof, leather etc. The dealer said they hadn't even seen one with Nav before, and they have the most volume in Oregon. Its awesome. So smooth, nice inside with the voice activated blue tooth, and the sound is great!

We ended up opting for the extended warranty (100K or 7 yrs) which was $1950, fully refundable if we don't use it. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has done this,and how much it cost.

john312 · June 2006

We ended up opting for the extended warranty (100K or 7 yrs) which was $1950, fully refundable if we don't use it. I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has done this,and how much it cost.

Ouch. I paid $898 for the 6yr/100K/$0ded on my TCH and I probably could have gotten it for less if I called some of the places mentioned in another forum. link

kathyinca · June 2006

I got mine tonight as well. It was in "G status" for 3-4 days before it arrived at the dealership. I picked up a Mag. Gray with bisque leather interior. I also have the fully loaded car. Now, I need to get to work tomorrow without being totally distracted by all the "gadgets" on the car. I think I may make my husband drive around this weekend so I can look at everything and play with it.

kdhspyder · June 2006

$1950, fully refundable if we don't use it

The fully refundable is the key phrase john.

Translation of the two purchases:
john paid $898 ( good price btw ) betting that there will be problems within 6/100;
orgal paid the lost opportunity cost on $1950 ( ~ $800 lost income @ 5% ) betting that there won't be any problems for 7/100.

The costs are the same the perspectives are different that's all.

spiff72 · June 2006

I didn't realize that a "fully refundable" extended warranty even existed.

So as long as you don't have any claims against the warranty between the expiration of the factory warranty and the expiration of the extended warranty, you can get the full cost of the warranty back? Or if you have a minor claim (like a power window motor fails), you get nothing back?

kdhspyder · June 2006

I think it's a new twist that some are offering. I think your understanding is correct.

You might consider it to ba '$1950 deductible' also. If you do have a minor claim it might be less costly to just pay it out of pocket and claim the refund at the end of the period. OTOH if you do have a catastrophic claim within the period you are covered at the cost of the $1950 permium.

Some actuarial specialist in some office did a lot of number crunching and came up with this idea as the flip side of the same Extended Warranty coin.

How often have longterm Toyota owners said:
'It's a Toyota, things just don't go wrong like with other vehicles. I'll pass on it and take the small chance ( self-insure ) that something might go wrong.'

Reply: 'What if you could get all your money back in the end if as you expect nothing does go wrong?'

:surprise: 'Really?'

orgal · June 2006

Yep, this was a debate between my husband and I. I wouldn't have gone with the extended warranty because I believe that we pay a higher price for Toyota and expect better reliability as a part of that.

So as you say, the cost is really the lost interest (we paid cash) on the money. Ultimately, because we have nav and bluetooth and all the electronics in the car, my husband felt like we should get it. We had also bought a similar one on a 2004 Sienna we bought because it had power doors, DVD and Nav - that warranty also covered free oil change for life, which by itself covered the cost.

I can cancel it at any time and get a prorated return, or it can get transferred if I sell the car...and yep, you can think of it as a $1950 insurance deductible policy, paid in advance.

spiff72 · June 2006

When you mentioned that prorated refund, you are talking about the Sienna warranty, right (not the TCH one)?

john312 · June 2006

I understand now. If nothing major happens then they got a better deal that I did. (Depending on interest rates). If something major does happen (and I hope it doesn't for anyone) then they are covered.

This is my first Toyota. I've been driving about 2K/month (394K over the last 16 yrs) in Ford/Mercury vehicles and the extended warranty repairs that were done always covered the price I paid for the warranties.
I made my warranty choice this time based on the fact that this is a first year vehicle (which sometimes have more problems than the following year but I certainly hope not) and the amount of driving that I do which may put a bit more stress on the vehicle than someone who only drives half of the miles I do per year.
In a way I hope I'm wrong this time and I won't have enough repairs to cover the warranty cost.

kdhspyder · June 2006

Since it's your first time in a new make ( Toyota ) in a new model ( TCH ) I think you made a wise decision if only for peace of mind.

Enjoy your beautiful new Camry.

orgal · June 2006

When you mentioned that prorated refund, you are talking about the Sienna warranty, right (not the TCH one)?

For both. The one for the TCH can also be cancelled at any time, and I would get the amount back, prorated for how much time has passed.

spiff72 · June 2006

So if you cancel it just before the warranty expires, you get back a very small refund (not the original cost)?

If that is the case, I wouldn't call this FULLY REFUNDABLE. I am not so sure that you got a very good deal on the warranty. I have seen posts about a 75k mile 0 deductible warranty for around $800.

spiff72 · June 2006

Has anyone in this forum taken delivery of a TCH in Michigan?

Can you tell me what dealer you got yours from, and how long the wait was?

Thanks!

kdhspyder · June 2006

But why, if you are going to get a full refund shortly, would you cancel it to get only a small prorated amount?

The only time most people cancel these VSA's is if they trade the vehicle before the 6 or 7 yrs is up. In this case it prorated and likely you've lost some money versus just buying it outright. But if you keep it the full 6 or 7 yrs then it seems to be a wash cost wise.... as long as you pay cash for it.

Roll it into your loan and then the interest on the bigger amount makes it cost more.

sptx89 · June 2006

Does this glass reflect sunlight or does one need to get the windows tinted?

anniemfuse · June 2006

There is a loaded Desert Sand with Nav coming in this Tuesday June 13th to the dealer in Richmond Indiana (SE Indiana (30 minutes west of Dayton OH). Talk to Vince. It was for me but I've got a different one coming so there is no one in line for it (they don't even have a waiting list).

I got a call this morning that there is a white loaded TCH with Nav in Cincinnati at Joseph Toyota that arrived this morning. Not spoken for. Talk to Chris. Closest dealer to me but not the color I want.

spiff72 · June 2006

I guess I am still misunderstanding how this works...

If you cancel it with a month left, you get a small prorated refund, but if you let it run its full term (and you still haven't used it), you get the full refund?

I guess this makes sense, then.

hardchemist · June 2006

Dealer called me up last Friday (6/2/06), letting me know that my TCH vehicle had arrived from Japan, and was in the Southeast Distribution center (Jacksonville, FL) getting prepped for sale and my add-ons taken care of. All I wanted was the $477 security upgrade and window tinting. It's loaded from the factory with leather, nav, and moonroof.

Anyway, I've been able to watch my car through the buyatoyota mechanism. The website "availability" date said 6/6/06 ever since I knew the VIN# (JTNBB46K773004067) back in mid-May. But every day since June 6th they have been adding one day to the date at the close of every day. And now if course it says June 10th (today). What's the deal? Is it lost? Is some sadist playing with the database?

Kdhspyder, what's your take on this? Anticipation......... :confuse: ............Your insight will help me have a more relaxed weekend!!!

kdhspyder · June 2006

Funny you should ask. I am waiting for a special vehicle myself, in order to deliver it, and the normally reliable G-status is now three days overdue, four counting Sunday.

It's interesting that you mention the same in SET. I do know that there was a big meeting at the distribution center here in CAT on Fri so we couldn't reach anyone.

More on Monday.

tomjc · June 2006

Does anyone know if someone from out of state buys a new car in California do they have to pay California state tax on the car? Thanks.

gagrice · June 2006

do they have to pay California state tax on the car?

Yes you do. CA has agreements with some states where you only pay whichever state is higher. Even if you live in a state like Oregon that does not have sales tax you still pay in CA. CA is not a good state to buy cars in. Try Oregon, CO, Nevada, WA, Idaho is good. None of those charge tax if you are licensing in a different state. I have bought new vehicles in all those states with good luck. I think some areas of CA are now at 8.5% sales tax.

hardchemist · June 2006

Maybe they are delaying all the TCHs so they can have the latest DVD nav maps installed and correct the "zero-mile-range-when-you-actually-have-3-gallons-left" problem that a few people already mentioned on the main TCH forum....LOL....let me know if you hear anything, kdhspyder!

And I'll be sure as h3ll to post the second I get the new beauty! We're down to the hours, now....

tomjc · June 2006

That sucks, thanks for suggestion. I just talked to a Ca. dealer and they said it might be feasible to ship the vehicle to Nevada for delivery, the sales person is going to check on doing this and the cost involved.

njerald · June 2006

My XLE 4 cyl with the gas gauge on E and zero range (actually -5 miles by the time I got gas) yielded 2.4 gallons left in the gas tank. It's not just a TCH miscalculation.

ozarkgolfer · June 2006

Spoke to my salesman on 6/6 and my TCH not due in until 6/15. I live 130 miles away and my girlfriend lives pretty close to the dealer I ordered from. My own local dealership were a pain to deal with and that's why I am so far from home. :mad:

Anyway, we had an early dinner and decided to drop by the dealership just as they were closing and right there, in all it's own glory was a magnetic gray 07 Camry on the lot. Chrome grill? THAT'S MY TCH!

The sales manager let me take her for a ten minute test ride (we took 15) and I'll go back in on Monday (they are closed Sunday) and sort out my trade in nd the paperwork.

Have to say I was very impressed with the test drive. :P

tomjc · June 2006

ozarkgolfer, did the mag gray look as good as the pictures you've seen of it?

umpire63 · June 2006

I have orders in at two dealerships for a loaded Desert Sand Mica TCH. One dealer was slow on the uptake, so I went to another. The problem is that the second dealer is even slower, and the first has improved its communication.

The first dealer now says I'm #1 on their list and the car should arrive in either a week or a month. The second dealer hasn't said anything.

Many people here know when their car is allocated, on what boat it's coming, and its entire history. How does one get that kind of detailed information???? :confuse:

ozarkgolfer · June 2006

Mag gray is very classy and unlike one or two others, I'm keeping my hybrid badges on the car.

First drive thoughts....smooth, excellent pickup and and it's amazing to feel the gentle pulse when the engine shuts off and you glide on electric power!

Truck is small after hopping out of Explorer, but I have an aerodynamic top box for the times I need to travel out of state with the kids on golf trips. Other times it looks like it can easily accomodate our clubs.

ETA at the dealership is 8am on Monday morning!!

tomjc · June 2006

ozarkgolfer, thanks for the excellent report. Sounds like your in the final stretch to having that baby parked in your garage.

I have two deposits on the mag gray, one is due to arrive at the end of the week at a California dealer. I live in New Mexico where sales tax on autos is around 3% , and 0% on hybrids. If I take delivery of this car in Ca. Ill be hit with a 8% use tax since I have to drive on Ca. streets to get it back home. So they may be able to transport the car to Reno, NV for a few hundred dollars where I can take delivery and avoid driving it in Ca. Otherwise, theres a 4 month wait at my local dealer where Im 15th on a wait list.

Enjoy!

kdhspyder · June 2006

In all Toyota's I've had when the warning light comes on - or the trip meter goes to zero in the case of a Chrysler LHS - there is about 2-3 gal left in the tank as a reserve. It's been like this since the late 80's. The trip meter since the the mid-90's.

With my four previous 4c Camry's I could drive about 70 miles with the light on ( have done it once as a test and twice because I was in a hurry

).

anniemfuse · June 2006

This is frustrating, isn't it? This is what I have learned so far.

1) Each region is different. Some have info online about actual inventory e.g. SET (southeast territory). Others don't, like my region (Ohio-Michigan-Kentcuky-Tennessee). The ports are different for the different regions and the time in F status and G status is different in different regions.

2) Each dealership operates differently. More importantly, salesman at each dealership operate differently. Some openly share some of what they know. Some don't share. Some don't know. Many salesman don't even know some of the information shared openly here such as what percent of their regions TCHs come with Package 1, Package 2, and Package 3. I have had salesmen tell me that "Georgetown isn't making the TCH very fast right now" [not true; all TCHs come from Japan until Georgetown starts TCH production in ~November]. Usually the sales manager has a lot more info than the salesman. Probably from a sales perspective, you don't want to give away all the secrets and you want to avoid setting high customer expectations when there are a number of factors beyond your control. It's better to tell someone their car is here early than it's coming later than expected. And these guys are trying to keep up on 14 models simultaneously, not just the Camry, let alone the TCH. They also don't know how avidly you want the TCH or whether you might be convinced down the line to take a car with different options or color.

I think the only way to deal with all of this as a customer is to inform yourself as fully as you can (and want to). Sometimes a salesman will open up more when they realize you have a little bit of "insider" information. We are very fortunate to have the sharing of information here. The other thing seems to be to try to figure out who is giving you the straightest story and reward that behavior by being straight with them and buying from them unless they just can't deliver what you want at the right price in the right timeframe.

I too am awaiting anxiously for my TCH. I think my current 1993 Camry knows I am about leave our relationship. I've had three service visits to the tune of $420 in the last 12 days. I'd like to not have any more before selling it.

How do I get [port date, F or G status, etc] ?

As njerald would tersely reply, ask your dealer.

wvgasguy · June 2006

In all Toyota's I've had when the warning light comes on - or the trip meter goes to zero in the case of a Chrysler LHS - there is about 2-3 gal left in the tank as a reserve.

My biggest concern is does the tank only hold 17 gallons if you take time to keep squeezing gas in, in other words is it full when it kicks off. It seems to kick off and I only get a couple of tenths in while topping it off so that you should assume it's full (17 gallons). However on my company Ford Explorer, when the nozzle kicks off I can actully squeeze (very slowly and short bursts) 4.3 gallons more in the tank. That's the only way to get it full, up to what the rated capacity is. It's been like that since new (81,000 miles)

ozarkgolfer · June 2006

My 04 Explorer is supposed to have a 21 gallon gas tank. I routinely drive it 20 miles (a little more than a gallon of gas) past '0' miles to empty. I can then put in 21.8 gallons!!!!

Looks odds on that I'll trade it in on the 07 TCH tomorrow morning so the game starts anew!

umpire63 · June 2006

anniemfuse,

Thanks for the response. At both dealerships with whom I am working (in the Midwest), the salespeople know very little. At both they believe the car is already manufactured in the states, and on has twice said they had a TCH they could trade with another dealer for the style I want, but that turned out to be false.

It IS frustrating!

And like you, I think my '02 Avalon knows it's about time. It needs new tires, and I hope my TCH comes before I have to put them on!

ozarkgolfer · June 2006

My 04 Explorer needed tires a month into my order for the TCH and I just could not drive on bald ones and have good feelings selling it that way. I also knew the dealer would target the tires as a price lowering area. New 16" rubber was $120 a tire. Ugh!

My local tire dealer had four "take-offs" that were only about 20% used and I paid $120 all inclusive.

Just picked up my TCH this morning. I am extremely pleased so far.

umpire63 · June 2006

My local tire dealer had four "take-offs" that were only about 20% used and I paid $120 all inclusive.

I'm afraid I will have to do this, also. I know I'll take a hit on the tires, but even considering that, I will be ahead on the trade. I just hate to put any more money in it, but I may have to.

Oh, well!

wvgasguy · June 2006

You can probably buy a set of tires and wheels on eBay for your Expo for less than what you're paying for tires. I've done this for my 350Z, (2) F150's and my Expedition.

hardchemist · June 2006

Okay, so it's like Toyota saying to the owners over the years "you toucha my 2.5 gallon reserve and I make-a you feel uncomfortable..." LOL

Maybe they've figured something out about engines, that the less people push it to low levels of gasoline the better it is for the fuel intake/injection system.

Who knows.

But my Benz is pretty much dead nutz on speed, mileage, and miles left on tank vs. fuel level vs. actual tank volume.

spiff72 · June 2006

I have been trolling ebay to see what kind of TCH's are showing up there, and I stumbled upon this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyota-Camry-HYBRID-2007-CAMRY-HYBRID-BLUE-RIBBON- -MET-ASH-LEATHER-NAVI_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6017QQihZ002QQitemZ4647410782QQ- rdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

It made me grumpy. This is the exact car I want, in one of the two colors I want (gray or blue), the bid is currently at $33,750, and this hasn't met the reserve price.

The sticker price (he states it clearly in the auction) is $30,589. That is a $3,161 markup, and even that isn't enough!

:mad:

I had to chuckle at the description of the car and his reasoning for the markup...

balithai · June 2006

tomjic wrote: -I have two deposits on the mag gray, one is due to arrive at the end of the week at a California dealer. -

Wow, I just logged back in after a vacation - lots of folks getting their cars!

tomjc - whats on your mag grey TCH? I'm in N. CA and still getting told by my local dealer that mag grey with bisque leather is not available in CA. If that's what you ordered and you change your mind on the car - let me know! Maybe my dealer can work a trade! LOL!!

And kathyinca -- was your "mag grey with bisque" leather? I am trying to figure out how to work with this dealer and still get the car I want!

Anyone have anyone they can recommed in N. CA to work with?

orgal · June 2006

I don't know if this makes a difference in your case, but...

I just bought my TCH last Thursday. I brought in my 95 Explorer to the dealer to check on trade in value. Blue book said $4000, the dealer offered $2000 (said the car was in great shape, but the price was low because of the high cost of gas). I just sold it for $3900 less than 24 hours after posting on Craig's list.

Why trade in your car when you know that you'll get less than you could by selling it yourself?

ozarkgolfer · June 2006

I bet that is a shill bid for the seller.

Toyota Camry Hybrid: Ordering Process

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