Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

2011 Toyota Avalon

1…457910…35

Comments

  • finfin Member Posts: 594
    The owner's manual for the 2007 Avalon has 400 pages. Are you saying the manual has grown to over 500 pages? We are not building a car, just driving it......wow.
  • wwestwwest Member Posts: 10,706
    Yes, it's more than time for a DVD video owners manual to be standard.
  • ldang78728ldang78728 Member Posts: 2
    MSRP: $33,695
    Standard with Carpet.
    How much should I start with when negotiating? Car Sale Tax in TX is 6.25%.
    At what price would be considered to buy? I'm thinking to negotiating on OTD price.
    PLEASE HELP !!!!
    Very thankful for your opinions.
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    Around here there are some things to take into consideration:

    - How's business been?
    - How many cars on the lot?
    - Sales tax shouldn't come into play when talking price
    - Is the model popular?
    - Is the unit they have in stock, a popular color?
    - How bad do you want it?
    - How close is the next Toyota Dealer, and what ere they selling this car for?

    Start at $30,000.00 out the door (the bottom line) and see what they come back with.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    edited June 2010
    I don't mean to be flippant, but IMO this is exactly the wrong way to buy a car. When you give the salesman a price, you've set a floor for yourself under which his profit is guaranteed. Instead, contact lots of dealers, I used the internet rather than wasting time going into their playing fields, telling them exactly what you want and asking them to tell you what their best OTD price is, including everything but taxes, title, & registration. When I did this I was stunned at how they squirmed and wiggled trying to avoid giving me a firm price. And remember, their first or second price is not their final selling price. Keep doing this with all of them until there's only one guy left standing, that's the lowest price you'll probably get.

    If you want to read some informative stuff, here are a couple of links:

    http://www.fightingchance.com/pricing.php?js=y (I didn't buy his booklet, just read the articles on his site)

    http://www.auto-broker-magic.com/buy-new-car.html

    I'm gonna start a new thread here about how I bought my new Ltd, I just have to get a free hour to do so. BTW, I live in Colorado & bought mine from a Texas dealer, never set foot in the showroom. Let me know if you want to talk in more detail.

    Joe
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,148
    It'd actually be better and help others find the info if you just posted in our Toyota Avalon Prices Paid and Buying Experience thread instead of starting a new one. That's what that discussion is for!

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
    Share your vehicle reviews

  • iamknottiamknott Member Posts: 82
    Absent any advertized rebates, my method is to offer 90% of the MSRP base price plus 75% of the MSRP of the options. This should give the dealer about $500 profit plus whatever volume bonuses he gets from the factory. Go at the end of the month and try to shop more than one dealer. Tax is non-negotiable. Watch for extra fees and decline all dealer add-ons. As ncee rightly points out, there are always supply and demand factors which will influence the dealers' willingness to negotiate.
  • whosea1whosea1 Member Posts: 3
    I started by finding out the dealer invoice price and shopping several dealers on the internet. Once I was satisfied with the invoice price the next step was to find each individual dealers administrative fee which ranged from $100 - $300. I ended up paying invoice plus a $100 admin fee. Don't know if I got the absolute best deal out there but I'm confident that I didn't get taken for a ride and I purchased from a local dealer keeping my dollars in my community.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    Good idea, I'll do that Kirstie. Thanks.
  • ct_nyct_ny Member Posts: 1
    Maybe you guys can help me out...taking delivery sometime next week and i wanted to know if anyone can point me to some of the "personalization options" (puddle laps, etc).
    This way I can give the dealer the "to-do" list before I get there and forgo a follow-up visit.
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    I'm guessing this is mostly based on the fact, that the 2011 is NOT all that new, and that they have some competition now, from Buick and Ford?

    Skip
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    edited July 2010
    That may be it. But the 7.3 is the average of the editors' opinions; the guys who plunk down the cash give it a 9.5.

    http://www.edmunds.com/toyota/avalon/2011/consumerreview.html
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    edited July 2010
    I can't argue with that logic.

    I like my Avalon ('08) a lot, but I don't love it. It is the Touring Edition which I was informed - afterwards, that it is a bit stuffer than the XLS and Limited editions.

    Something I didn't pick-up on in my first test drive (I had a 2008 Camry at the time), and yes, the Avalon is A LOT nicer, smoother then the Camry, just not as nice a ride as I'd like for long hauls.

    I've had the car some 18 +- months now, and have 44,000 miles on it. I'll tack on another 5-7,000 miles in the next 2 weeks, and my old body will feel it afterwards.

    I was hoping the 2011 was a lot nice, smoother more comfortable, but the one I drove, was only slightly better. Not enough to trade up to.

    My guess is the editors didn't give it a higher score based on the fact, it didn't change as much as they and others had hope.

    Now I guess that's a good thing in some ways (that it didn't change much) - maybe it's hard to make something this good … better.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    I am about to purchase a 2011 Avalon. I am trading my 2000 XLS in and giving 28,200.00 to boot. My 2000 Avalon has 108 thousand miles on it. This is a big step for me. I only owned the 2000 for a few weeks and I simply LOVE the car. HOWEVER, my wife wanted a new one and now, guess what. I'm looking. The dealer did NOT offer me as much as I paid but I knew I would take a beating on the 2000. However, I think I got a pretty good deal. I have NOT signed papers yet. I have surgery tomorrow and it will be Friday before I sign anything. He has ONLY two on the lot without nev. system which is alright with me. One Pearl White with 1,900 miles on it, that the owner of the Toyota dealer drives. The other car is Silver with 32 miles on it. My actual price will be 28,200.00 plus my 2000 Avalon XLS, that includes all taxes, hidden fees and so on. I live near Atlanta and that's the car capital of the south. But I think the dealer offer me a good deal. Any thoughts or feedbacks, please write back FAST. Thanks! Nan PS, I do have a constant flickering in the 2000 model which really bothers my wife. Plus one day it acted like it would not start after listening to the radio for about 30 minutes while waiting for her. I do not want to get stranded anywhere, plus the boss wanted a new one to begin with. Love the Avalon. :shades:
  • adholtmanadholtman Member Posts: 21
    Just a quick thought; I have a 2011 Avalon Limited....terrific car...no complaints/no issues...If I were you, I wouldn't hesitate if you feel the pricing meets your budgets...my car w/navigation stickered at almost 38K; the dealer took about 3K off that. Great car! Go for it! I hope this helps!
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    Any impute helps, thanks. They matched a dealers price in Atlanta. A week earlier they would not discuss a low ball price like that. I did pay too much for the 2000 XLS, 88 hundred. Impulse buy on my part and the wife loved the car but like I said wanted a new one. I am sold on the Limited model. I am VERY impressed with this car. I'm not a typical buyer. I wholesaled cars for 20 plus years and drove all kinds of cars/trucks. However I've been retired for some time and not able to go to any auctions. So I know how to haggle with the dealers. Thanks again!
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    I only paid that much for the car because she had all the service records, great color, more door dings than usual even for a car that old, always garage kept. Low miles for the year. The lights flickering do bother me and I'm told that's a problem with some of these cars. I have not tried to fix the problem. My wife is set on a new LTD model. I test drove the new Avalon and I think of myself as an excellent judge of cars. I tell, you I was highly impressed. Shifting of the car was unbelievable smooth plus a 6 speed. Can't wait to get it. I like the Silver, but I would rather have the pearl White. The white car has 1,900 hundred miles on it. So Silver wins out.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    Silver is the color I like too, but be forewarned that you can have any color carpet floor mats you want AS LONG AS THEY ARE BLACK. They stick out like a sore thumb and I hate them.
  • nimiminimimi Member Posts: 249
    The trick is to order the car WITHOUT floor mats and then order, separately, whatever color mats you want for a 2010 vehicle - evidently the mats are the same.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    My wife hates the black mats too. She said this morning, "I don't know that's a lot of money". The 2000 model XLS we're driving now is ok, but she'll probably feel different if she gets stranded out somewhere. Plus I'm sure repair cost is expensive. We didn't think the seats work, but they do. Operator error! Toyota should change the mats on such an expensive car. Especially to keep "would be buyers" in todays market. But that's my thoughts. I did have a dealer offer us the blue one without seeing my car for the same money. I could drive to Atlanta only to be jerked around. I think, IF WE BUY, to sick to the local dealer, and get the Silver one. I guess most people in the blog has been a previous owner of Avalon's. Seems that way. Thanks for the impute. IF we buy it will be the LTD. We really don't care about the navigation system. We're from the old school we can read a map. :o) TC, Bill :confuse:
  • douglas1douglas1 Member Posts: 130
    edited July 2010
    I'm shopping for a 2011 Limited and am considering the Black/Bordeaux interior but there are none to look at within 200 miles of me. Has anyone got this interior? It's hard to tell what it looks like from the pictures. It appears from the pictures that the headliner is light gray, most of the interior is black with just the seating area Bordeaux. Is this correct and if you have it do you like it?

    I's going to be hard to give up my 2005 Limited it's a fantastic car.
    Thanks.
  • bergaminibergamini Member Posts: 45
    edited July 2010
    The Black/Bordeaux is all black with a hint of "bordeaux" (burgundy). There is no contrasting colors except for the woodgrain trim. It is, IMHO, the best of the interior colors because, on the Limited models, the perforated leather seats on the ligher two colors (beige & gray) almost look two-tone this year because of the black color coming through the perforation. The black perforated looks much more even and elegant than the beige and gray perforated, again IMHO. My co-worker has an '09 LTD with gray interior and the perforations on the leather look SO much less noticeable than on the '11 LTD. They matched the fabric under the perforation to be more like the regular leather whereas in the '11 it is a contrast and I hate it.

    Any of the Avalon colors are great but in Limited form, I would only go for the Bordeaux in the future. Those weird perforation colors on the lighter interiors annoy me.

    The really annoying part is that the Avalon in Zephyr Blue you can get the black interior but on the Limited, you can't get the Bordeaux.
  • rotterdam6rotterdam6 Member Posts: 36
    Has anyone purchased a 2011 Avalon in blizzard pearl? Are you pleased with your choice? What color interior do you think is best with this color? Thanks for your help.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    I have a choice of the blizzard pearl or the silver. I'm taking the silver because the pearl has 1900 miles on it and the silver only 32. The dealer will give me both cars at the same price with no reduction for the pearl. So it must be a popular color. I have NOT yet bought my 2011. I hope to pick my Silver Avalon up tomorrow. Someone had a good post about buying the extended warranty from a guy named Jerry. :shades:
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    If you don't mind telling us. What are you paying and is it the LTD. Thanks!
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    You are correct in buying a new car. I've wholesaled cars for many years and this is the ONLY way to deal with a dealer buying a new car. Always get OTD price. Warranty is the same with all dealers. Thanks for you impute! Very wise!
  • iamknottiamknott Member Posts: 82
    In defense of the black mats, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I rather like them. My '11 has silver exterior and grey interior. The black mats are close enough to the color of the dashboard and the door trim to provide an accent color. My '07 had grey mats and after the first winter I could never seem to scrub the dark stains out of them.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    Well, I went and signed the final paper work today for my 11 model LTD. I did not get the navigation system but that's ok with me. My final price was 28,300 OTD price, with my 2000 XLS trade in. I got silver in color, plus the black mats, :blush:
  • douglas1douglas1 Member Posts: 130
    Thanks for the clarification. On the toyota website the Black/Bordeaux looks like it's just on the perforated seating areas and not the entire interior.

    What is your exterior color?

    Is the headliner a light gray or black? I sure wish I could get a good look at the Black/Bordeaux so I could make a decision on what to buy.
  • algeealgee Member Posts: 78
    I have the Black/Bordeaux

    The Bordeaux is just on the seating areas of the seats. The rest of the seat is black. The carpet is black the door panels are black except the plastic paneling areas which are are brown/Bordeaux combo is the best I can describe the color. It really works well.

    The headliner is light/medium gray. The loose carpets are black.

    The whole combo, to me, is really great and to me looks very classy.

    I have had the car for about 3K miles and no trouble at all.
    Gets 21-22 mpg around town with some highway and 28-30 on highway.

    I would buy the car again with no qualms.
  • douglas1douglas1 Member Posts: 130
    Now I'm a bit confused after reading your response and bergamini's(#324) response.

    I'm thinking about ordering a Magnetic Gray Metallic with the Black/Bordeaux but really need to see the Black/Bordeaux.

    If I unlock my email would someone be kind enough to email me a couple of pictures so I could see?
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    edited July 2010
    I'm not sure about unlocking my mail, my address is billforgrace@yahoo.com My can is Silver with Grey interior, with the black floor mats. I think the colors are ok with me, she don;t like them. Right now my hand is messed up hard to type. Black on black sounds nice, if you like black car. I know they are really nice but for me it would be a never ending task to keep my can clean if it was black, Good luck with your Avalon, we pick ours up Monday :) ,
  • tkaztkaz Member Posts: 69
    I wonder if Toyota made any changes in the high beam headlights since 2006? Comparing my high beams with my 2006 LTD to my wife's 2005 Sienna LTD there is significant difference in high beam head light coverage in the Sienna's favor. Both use the same bulb. I assume the difference is related to the lens design. Both have HID low beams and both have good low beam illumination.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    I just picked up my Silver Avalon LTD today. I honestly didn't know it was so big. The car barley can fit into my garage. Love to drive so far. I've had the privilege to own many luxury cars in my life time. This car so far seems like one of the best. More later. :shades:
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Since I've own many luxury cars in my life time, I think I can give a true honest opinion of this car later on. So far, I'm really impressed. I owned a 1996 Impala SS and this car would give that car a run for it''s money. Comparing the two cars is impossible, Impala SS was rear wheel drive, this of course is front wheel. So far love the car, MORE LATER! Any impute for us please jump in.
  • nceencee Member Posts: 419
    Wow, talk about apples and oranges.

    1996 Impala … not sure these 2 cars are in the same class.

    Now if you want to compare, my 1991 Park Avenue, was twice the car as my 2008 Avalon, sorry folks but it was.

    337,000 miles later, I wish I still had this car.

    My Avalon is a nice car, but the park Avenue, was a great car.

    3 other Park Avenues, a Cutlas Supreme, 3 Pontiac Catalina's and 2 dozen other cars later …

    1) 1966 Catalna 4 door
    2) Park Avenues
    3) Catalina 2 door coupe
    4) Cutlas Supreme
    5) Avalon
  • iamknottiamknott Member Posts: 82
    nan48

    impute is a verb = to attribute

    input is a noun = advice, opinion, comment

    Thanks. :)
  • tjc78tjc78 Member Posts: 15,895
    Ncee,

    Sounds like you are very much a GM guy. Surprised you wouldn't have replaced the Park Ave with a Lucerne. I test drove the 06 Lucerne before getting my 06 Avalon and felt the Avalon was the better vehicle.

    2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Ram 1500 Bighorn, Built to Serve

  • iamknottiamknott Member Posts: 82
    ncee,

    My wife had a Park Avenue of the 1990-1992 vintage. It rode and handled like the Queen Mary and had a horn of similar volume. That fact played a key role in one of my family's most-loved stories. One quiet Sunday morning, Dear Wife called me from a grocery store parking lot to tell me that her car alarm had gone off and she couldn't get it to quit. I told her to drive it home and then told the kids to come outside and watch the fun. We could hear and see her coming a mile away, lights flashing, horn honking, and cars pulling over to get out of her way. Naturally, the alarm reset as soon as she pulled in the garage and turned the key to Off. She was to embarrassed to leave the house the rest of the day.
  • twinbtwinb Member Posts: 140
    Bwahahahahahahahha. What a funny story.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    You are right, it's not apples to apples story. Completely different cars. I cannot put down the Park Ave. but I can certainly assume you owned the 3.8 engine which is a legendary engine. Good luck with the Chevy products! I still love the Avalon, for now! :blush:
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    I never want to put down someone's else's car down in anyway. Toyota really holds value. That I do know. Some better than others. Like I said we've owned and sold so many cars in our life time. It was our business so we had that privilege. Since I've been out of that business for some time I can't honestly say where the Buick's of today are assembled. I know my Avalon was assembled in Kentucky. The first vin number is how to find out. If it starts with a certain number or letter that is where it's assemble and that means A LOT to me. J for example is of course Japan. My Avalon has a 4 which means, US. Just call me a patriot. I will post all pro's and con's as time goes on. TC,
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Yes, I know it's basically a Japan product. :o) The 3.8 is an engine that has a good reputation.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    There is one LTD in this town that is black. Where are you located?
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    Did you have any problems out of your 2000 Avalon? How many miles did you have? Trade it in?
  • tome1tome1 Member Posts: 10
    I just purchased a 2011 Avalon. My Puddle Lamps seem to work intermittently. I can't find anything in Owners Man. In fact, when you look in index under "foot lamps" it sends you to a page that has absolutely nothing to do with Puddle Lamps. Apparently Toyota doesn't have anyone proofread their manuals---bad news!! Tom :confuse:
  • jwillinjwillin Member Posts: 16
    I posted about my puddle lamps not working in an earlier post. I thought they weren't working, but I've recently seen them twice! I just happened to be looking down and saw a lightly bluish-white light on the ground. They are not as bright as the ones that were on my 2009 model. I am not impressed with them. You're right, they may work intermittently. However, it's interesting, I've only seen them work outside, but not inside my garage as they did on the 2009 model.

    They don't mention the puddle lamps in the manual except to show you where they are located and if you want to make changes to them. I think the change area starts on page 530 of the manual. I thought they were off and I was going to ask the dealer to turn them on.

    The dealer makes changes to the vehicle by plugging a laptop into it. We can't make many changes to the vehicle which you will find out when going through the manual.
  • nan48nan48 Member Posts: 350
    I just bought my 2011 and have NO idea what puddle lamps are! Please explain! :confuse:
  • rotterdam6rotterdam6 Member Posts: 36
    Puddle lamps are only on the Limited. They are located at the bottom of the side mirrors. Their purpose is to light the ground close to the car. Hope this helps. There are no puddle lamps on the base Avalon.
  • gramzgramz Member Posts: 106
    Having recently bought my first Avalon I'm a concerned about how hot the cabin gets when the sun is hitting the windows. When the sun is hitting the side windows me or my wife feel the heat a lot worse than we have on other cars we have owned. Also when the sun is from the front both of us feel an awful lot of heat from the sun beating in.

    Does anyone else notice this? Does the windows have less tint than other cars?

    Has anyhone tried tint to fix this problem and did it work? I don't want my windows to be real dark but the sun is a real problem now.

    Thanks.
Sign In or Register to comment.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles