Toyota Camry Hybrid: Ordering Process

kdhspyder · June 2006

My guess is that there are several ships in each regional rotation:
Japan to W Coast to Japan
Japan to Gulf + Jax to Japan
Japan to E coast to Japan

These RoRo ships ( Rollon Rolloff ) have approximately a 30 day rotation. Our friend from the Port of Portland can verify this better.

When a vehicle goes into 'A' status it's either on a ship or just being loaded in Japan.

I'd expect for you to see yours in mid July in Austin; I'd guess 25-30th at the latest.

muuher · June 2006

I looked up Gulf States Toyota recently, and they seem to be a fairly decent outfit. They've been using RFID lately to move cars in and out very fast. One site mentions they process 190,000 cars anually (quite amazing if true). The owner is an interesting personality too (and rich):

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2001/1008/118_print.html

My car (no port options) spent 24hrs at Gulf States Toyota, and was at the dealership in town the next day. So it should be a matter of days once it gets there.

anniemfuse · June 2006

I got a call today that a loaded red TCH is available in Danville Illinois which is about 90 minutes west of Indianapolis on 74 (Phil). (Already got mine.)

umpire63 · June 2006

Found out yesterday that my Desert Sand TCH w/ Nav has been allocated. Now the real waiting begins. Looking at the timelines above, is about a month to Illinois the right time frame?

houtex1 · June 2006

I would think a month is probably a pretty good estimate. Your dealer should know when it is expected to hit port. At the time it hits port, the dealer can give you a vin. Your dealer should also know on average (after a vehicle arrives in port) how long it takes to get to the dealership. From port to dealership, mine took about 5 days, but I live in Houston where the car arrived (port of Houston).

gc77584 · June 2006

I've noticed a dealer in the Elgin Ill area tacked on $1,700 on the TCH window sticker for an Enviromental Package "A". Anybody have an idea what this is??

This was posted in the Camry: Prices Paid forum. Anybody heard of this? I pulled up the Elgin dealer and there's one TCH listed in their inventory, but there's no specific pricing or package information.

spiff72 · June 2006

I got an email from my dealer to see if I was interested in the "highly recommended" environmental package, which includes rustproofing, paint protection, fabric protection, and sound deadener for $695. I said that I DID NOT want it! It isn't clear to me whether this is a port installed option, or something that the dealer "installs".

kdhspyder · June 2006

It can be done in either place depending on the region and the size of the dealership. For some it has value for others it has none.

mrimaging · June 2006

I am in the DC area and have put down a deposit at two different dealerships for a fully loaded Magnetic Gray TCH. It seemes that there have not been many cars with loaded options available around here. I placed my deposit back in May and neither dealership has received any cars with leather and NAV. So currently they are just telling me to wait and that they hope to get one in some time in July.

I have been reading in this thread about allocation and am wondering if I should be requesting the dealers to try to allocate the model I am looking for, or if I indeed should just wait and hope they get one in at some point. I have already gone for a test drive and am ready to purchase as soon as I can find one.

mdyedc · June 2006

Word is out that hybrids registered after 7/1/06 will no longer get HOV rights on certain roads in the DC area. I figure that this will mean there will be a rush on the Camry hybrids in the next couple of weeks, and then the price will drop (at which point I'll go out and buy mine)?

I haven't been out shopping yet -- does anyone know whether dealers actually have any of these on the lots or if this strategy is likely to work given the already-existing high demand and low supply of these vehicles?

What kind of wait times are people seeing in this area anyway? Not picky on anything.

spiff72 · June 2006

Does the person that works in the port of Portland still visit this thread?

I have a vessel number and name:
Vessel Number ...: 500
Vessel Name .....: CNTY LD1V191

My TCH is coming to Michigan, but it wasn't clear to me whether it would come through Portland or not.

I also have a VIN, now - does this mean that it has already arrived in port? There is also a reference to "Category F" on the info my salesman emailed me - does this mean that it is in "F" status and is en route via rail/truck?

Thanks!

wvgasguy · June 2006

My wife just took our TCH in for its first service. She told me Kip from Buckhannon Auto Mall in Buckhannon WV said they have a Blue TCH in stock. It was less than $28,000 on the internet so I assume it's possibly a base with roof?

Buckhannon WV is not a bad drive from Pittsburgh, Cincinatti, Charolotte or DC

kdhspyder · June 2006

In 'F' status it normally means that the truckman has been given the order to deliver it to the local retail store witnin 3 working days.

spiff72 · June 2006

My dealer is estimating that it wont arrive until early in the 2nd week of July! He is guessing around the 7th or the 8th.

He also said that once it hits G status, he can give a better estimate.

From other posts here, I thought that G status meant that it would get to the dealer within about 3 days. Am I misunderstanding this?

Thanks, kdhspyder!

kdhspyder · June 2006

It might be different for the midwest locations since most vehicles apparently are railed in ( 'freight' ) from Portland. This would make sense as opposed to the coastal locations where 'freight' normally means on a delivery truck.

spiff72 · June 2006

OK - that makes sense...

Thanks again

mharris813 · June 2006

Do they not arrive in port at HOUSTON? Here, in central texas, i was hoping this was the case! They are telling me 2-3 weeks on my new Red TCH!!!! Fingers crossed!

spiff72 · June 2006

For me (in Michigan), they seem to come through either Portland or California.

If you are in texas, yours probably would come through Houston.

mfletou1 · June 2006

Well, that was my motivation. I bought one this weekend in order to make the deadline. Turns out meeting the deadline is not easy--you have to have a title number, which usually does not occur until about 10 days after the purchase. My dealer, Fitgerald Lake Forest Toyota in Gaithersburg, went above and beyond yesterday and was able to get me the title number, allowing me to apply for the white CF plates. Hopefully I'll get them, the application met the deadline and was complete.

As for my experience, I was planning on buying the Accord Hybrid which was recently approved for DC HOV use. Test drove one of those, and then on a whim stopped by Fitzmall. I had looked at the inventory and knew they had a few. They had already sold 2 of them but had 2 left. My TCH is Barcelona Red with a sunroof, outside heaters and floor mats. It turns out it had just arrived on a vehicle transfer from Lynchburg, VA (so it already was inspected for me). So, I was basically lucky it was on the lot and unspoken for. I paid about $900 or so under MSRP with no haggling and got a over KBB/Carmax on my trade.

Perhaps there will be better deals to come, I don't know. My motivating factor in this purchase was to get the white VA CF plate, so whatever discount will be available later I guess I'll chalk up to the price of HOV access. Still going to be worth it. However, given the limited supply, it would seem to me that it will be a while before anything better than I got is to be had, at least around here. These cars are staying on the lots very, very short time...while I was deciding whether to purchase my car, another couple arrived who wanted it, and the other Hybrid they had went out on 3 test drives. I knew if i wanted it, I had to buy it on the spot.

Considering the high demand, I felt like I did well. Fitzgerald added on nothing other than a $99 doc fee.

hamm3r · June 2006

I just checked their inventory. Currently they have Blue Ribbon/Ash Fabric and Super-White(options not listed)

"2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid models in-stock $500.00 OFF of MSRP 1-888-482-6255 ext. 8444"

http://www.toyotaofturnersville.com/Default.aspx?page=new-inventory

deg · June 2006

I certainly thought they come in down in the Port of Houston. My TCH just landed at the dealership. Barcelona Red, Leather, Moon Roof, Moon Roof wind shield, Tint, Body Side Molding, Mud Guards, Carpet Mats, and Sliding Center Arm Rest. Some of these options, as you all probably know, are being added at the dealer. I ordered two months ago - no deposit needed - family owned dealership in the DFW area called Metroplex. No pressure -- Sold to me at MSRP. The internet team, which took care of this order was great. It is a 3 person team - Mom, Dad, and Daughter!! NO JOKE!!!! I purchased a Prius in March 2005 when NO ONE HAD THEM!!! They have serviced that vehicle and as soon as the Camry was announced I got my vehicle ordered!! I will probably pick mine up Saturday or Monday.

umpire63 · July 2006

My salesman called me Friday and said my loaded Desert Sand TCH will be built between July 12-19 in Georgetown, Ky (thought they weren't building them there till Nov.???). I would think it wouldn't take long to take delivery after it is built.

What are your thoughts?

kdhspyder · July 2006

Unless the demand has been so extraordinary that Toyota seems to need to move up the initial production period this seems to me to be a misunderstanding on the salesman's part, IMO, but I have often been subject to being corrected

which is OK. :shades:

The production in KY was supposed to begin in Sep/Oct so advancing it by 60 days might be possible but it's unusual. The person you are speaking with might be assuming that since most Camry's come from KY and yours is scheduled for that time .....

oaklandpeg · July 2006

Has anyone had any experience with Costco or AAA's auto buying programs? Theoretically you can get a car for some % over invoice, but there's no way to know in advance whether this is any better than what you might be able to negotiate on your own.

I really want a gold TCH with Nav, but without a sunroof. Is that possible (Costco/AAA or otherwise) in the Bay Area? I'd be willing to travel ~100 miles for a good deal, if there were any to be found.

Thanks!

gandyfire · July 2006

I really want a gold TCH with Nav, but without a sunroof. Is that possible

Unless things have changed, in order to get the Nav you have to get your TCH loaded (leather, sunroof, Nav, and heated seats). Trouble is, it seems to be getting more difficult to find one. Still patiently waiting for a loaded Jasper Pearl

lungdoc63 · July 2006

I got $500 off my fully load TCH by going through Costco.

manojb · July 2006

Which dealership did you go through? Costco web site referred me to Palo Alto Toyota, and they told me that TCH is not eligible for the Costco program. :confuse:

mharris813 · July 2006

We ordered our TCH from our Costco recommended Toyota of Fort Worth. We were told they are going for $3K over sticker, but with Costco we got it for MSRP... That was disappointing, but as hard as they are to find... we went for it! Ours is Barcellona Red, Fully loaded included NAV. It should be here by the 20th.

timcob · July 2006

The costco site directed me to the Sanat Rosa dealer. They gave me their Fleet only price of MSRP. When I complained that that was MSRP and not the costco price they told me I could have $100 off. Im sticking with my local dealer who offered me MSRP at the door.

orgal · July 2006

I called Costco at the beginning of June, when I bought my TCH, and they said that they did not have Hybrid in their program - it was too new, and the demand was too strong. Apparently the dealers get to select in the cars that are included, and they don't include ones where there isn't a market drive to go lower than MSRP. This may change over time.. for example, I don't know if the Prius is in Costco's program.

sibbald · July 2006

Got "the" phone call today and will pick up my Hybrid (at MSRP) tomorrow. One month + one week. Ordered from an out of town dealer (68 miles away) but my car came in at least 6 weeks earlier than the local estimate. My home town dealer made me feel like I was bothering them, "we sell two hundred cars a month, please hurry up so I can get onto selling my next car!".

Anyway, asking for my deposit back will be pure pleasure.

SO, help me..... how can I sleep tonight?!

Cheers,

Tom (Victoria, BC)

jms7 · July 2006

I live in Essex County NJ and I'd like to buy a TCH with leather and heated seats, but I don't want the moonroof, which takes up too much headroom. What's the likelihood of finding such a car? From reading this discussion it seems people are still struggling to get the car in configuration they want.
Does anybody know of a reliable dealer in NY/NJ/CT to work with?

kdhspyder · July 2006

At present this is not possible. The loaded version all come with the sunroof. The big problem though is finding any loaded ones that are not presold or preordered.

There is only three ways to order one.

lungdoc63 · July 2006

I had great service from Jack Wheeler, Larson Toyota of Tacoma (Washington State). At the closing he did have to be reminded that he had promised $500 off. Also, he asked for no money to hold my name on the list. Its only a 13 hour drive from Palo Alto with great scenry.

rscotts54 · July 2006

I'm going to be picking up my TCH in the next few days. Rather than getting "soaked" by the dealer on the extended warranty, I did some shopping.

I just got off of the phone with the Midwest Superstore in Kansas. This is the one that has been mentioned in various posts.
They gave me the following information-

Platinum, $0 Deductable, Toyota Warranty:

6yr 75,000 $450
7yr 75,000 $535
6yr 100,000 $690
7yr 100,000 $830

I suspect that, based on these prices, I will be purchasing one of the 6 year plans.

I'm not affiliated with these folks in any way.

As always, YMMV!

Mods: I've posted this in the gener Extended Warranty area. However, enough folks have been asking, it seemed logical to mention it here as well. Thanks!

PF_Flyer · July 2006

Be sure to stop into the New Camry Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report discssion to tell us just how much you love your new ride and your favorite things about it!

umpire63 · July 2006

My desert sand loaded TCH is at the dealer; I plan to pick it up Saturday, though I took it for a test drive yesterday. Took a little less than two months to get it. It came with a spoiler and Nav., which I really didn't want, but that's the way it works, I guess.

The dealer--Shottenkirk in Quincy,IL--was good about letting me know the details of the order. The first dealership I tried in Springfield, IL, didn't seem real interested in selling me a car.

Now to make the deal on my trade and price. :shades:

PF_Flyer · July 2006

Excellent! Congratulations on your new ride! Be sure to let us know how much you like it in the New Camry Hybrid Owners - Give Us Your Report discussion once you get a few miles under your wheels!

dogzen · July 2006

Has anyone bought from a dealer in St. Louis or in the Columbia area? We went back to a salesman we liked and he was on vacation (we just happened to be in the area) and the replacement salesman gave us the hard sell ("better order it now or you will never get one", etc.). Since we do not qualify for the tax credit we are in no hurry to get a TCH, but the car it will replace has 200,000 miles and needs new tires, so we would like to buy soon. Anyway, if anyone has had any experience with dealers here (or even within driving range (we are about 3.0 hours from Kansas city, 1.5 from St. Louis, hour from Columbia, please share your experience. Thanks.

drat4 · July 2006

Anyone ordering or has gotten a TCH with body side moldings-wondering how they looked, my first thought is dings, dings and more dings!

jbollt · July 2006

A friend got a white TCH without the moldings, but ordered them from the parts dept, and the body shop installed. All totaled, just under $200. Big improvement, in both my mind and the friend's.

I have a loaded Desert Sand TCH ordered, due in any day (was at the port in L.A., CA 7/16...can't wait!) and it will have the moldings from the factory (actually installed at the port). I think the side of the car looks too big without the body side moldings to break the line of sight.

kdhspyder · July 2006

I agree that the moldings are more to break the expanse of flat sheetmetal than to protect 'others' from dinging you. A smaller auto or an SUV or truck are likely to hit your side above or below the thin strip.

The first thing I do on a new vehicle is scratch it myself,

then additonal ones have no significance.

cxhoffma · July 2006

This was a shocker to me. I had a car salesman at the Elgin Toyota tell me a hybrid was coming in the next day and the only extra item was a sunroof. I would be paying msrp for the car. I arrived at the dealership while the car was being unloaded. The car salesman said to wait a few minutes while he finished up a sale. When he came back to me he said, sorry, there will be an additional $1,800.00 for some kind of environmental package added to the car. What in the world! pure profit. i took a look at the other gas saving cars on the lot and this dealer added the same item. This dealer had me drive out to purchase this car knowing at the last second he was going to add this additional $1,800. What highway robbery. This dealership is not to be trusted. Needless to say I did not purchase this car from this dealership and tonight will be ordering one from another dealership and was told i would only be paying msrp with no additional junk fees. Has anyone else found a so called added "environmental" fee? How greedy can you get!

njerald · July 2006

Typical.

You should have had the car total, license and taxes, itemized in writing by email or fax before showing up.

You ended up playing their game on their turf!!!!!!

cxhoffma · July 2006

you are so right. i'm a trusting person and should not be. They wonder why they have such a bad wrap. This left a very sour taste in my mouth. The dealership i'm going to informed me of a 3mth wait for the hybrid. i'm wondering if i should be thinking of another car. I hate this whole buying process. :sick:

gandyfire · July 2006

dogzen

Not sure if it is still there, but Toyota on Western had a white one last Tuesday. They are in Chicago and are about 300 miles from St. Louis. Go to their web site and check. You can fill out their email request like I did and they will call you back.

Price is MSRP
$53 doc fee
$15 county tax
$25 electronic filing fee for title
$11 temporary tag if you need it

Nothing else added

We had been waiting since April with no luck and just happened to find one where a deal fell thru.

desertfox1 · July 2006

Ok, I have ooked in the trunk of a 07 hybrid, but how do you get you clubs in there?
The hybrid as a multilevel trunk, link a sunken living room and the clubs won't fit in that, and if you lay them across the top the only thing supporting the one end are the heads of the clubs that stick out (not a good idea). The hybrid also had this dumb preformed plastice storage box inserted there to further complicate matters.

lefty1970 · July 2006

Hi, all. This is my first post. I've enjoyed scouring all the TCH discussion groups and have learned a ton of good stuff thus far.

Here's been my experience so far: I called at least 3 dealerships in the So Cal South Bay area and was given anywhere from a 3-6 month wait for my first (and only) choice: Blue Ribbon loaded/Ash interior. I wasn't willing to settle for a different color or base model. As long as I procured the car by 9/30 to get the full tax credit, I didn't feel the need to settle for anything else. One dealership wanted to charge me the MSRP + $3k premium nonsense. The other two wanted MSRP. On 5/30, I placed a $500 refundable deposit with Longo Toyota in El Monte, CA (also MSRP). I was given an 6-8 week timeframe, and the car is scheduled to come off the ship tomorrow!

Fortunately, I won't have to haggle about my trade-in, as I sold my '96 Chrysler Sebring a couple of weeks ago. I'm now patiently puttering around in a subcompact from ERAC waiting patiently for that call.

I'm already chomping at the bit to pair up my cell phone (LG VX8100) to Bluetooth, to override the navi address entering restriction while the car is in motion, test out the quality of the aux input for my MP3 player, and a bunch of other stuff!

I'll keep you all posted. Thanks again for all the tips, pointers and findings!

omnivoreceo · July 2006

I'm actually -- barring anything crazy -- going to pick one up tomorrow. I live in the middle of nowhere, so finding them is difficult, but they're not the hot item in these parts as they are in other places, which helps.

I'm still a little wary, just because people are so uninformed about them by and large, but I've read a lot of info over the past few weeks and its been extremely helpful in understand what this car is all about. So that's exciting!

lefty1970 · July 2006

UPDATE: Picked it up on Tuesday afternoon (well before I anticipated). Paid MSRP. Any more comments I have are more suited to the other "themed" topics, so I'll end it here.

Toyota Camry Hybrid: Ordering Process

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