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Pat
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Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards
This dissatisfaction was reinforced recently when my wife bought a 98 Honda Accord with 28000 miles on it. The passenger seat in her Accord has no power adjustments, but in spite of that it is far more supportive and comfortable than the driver's seat of the XLS. with its lumbar adjustment and power adjustments. Is the Avalon becoming more "American?"
The JBL, though a good system, sounds "woofy" and artificial in comparison to the sound system of the Honda, which has a more realistic and natural sound.
I have not had a customer complaint on the paint. I did have a few on the Solara but this is the first I've heard on the Avalon.
We test drove the car, liked it and decided to buy it, but then our local dealer tells us MSRP is what the car sells for. Also since we live in MS we have to pay extra fo the Gulf States Toyota Dealers fee(??). I am originally from Birmingham, AL so I am wondering what happens if you buy a car from out of state when looking at sales tax, etc. I would not have to pay the GSTD fee in AL. Also will I have problems getting my car serviced from the dealer in Jackson if I buy it elsewhere?
Any answers are greatly appreciated...
If you purchase within the compacting region you pay the rate of the state (home or purchasing state) with the higher sales tax rate. I never understood how or if the two affected states share the collected tax.
For what it's worth, Oregon does not charge sales tax on auto purchases.
What is the "Gulf States Toyota Dealers fee" wjohnston1 referred to in his post?
While I'm mucking in the politics behind car sales, are Toyota dealers forbidden by Toyota to advertise Avalon pricing? This morning's LA Times auto section has zero pricing data on Avalons, and near zero references to Avalon vehicles in general.
Alabama will get you out of the GST region, but you fall right into SET. SET and GST are the two regions that are not run by Toyota and both have similar extra fees and equipment. The nearest state to you outside these regions is TN. I sell in VA and get a lot of people coming up from NC to avoid the garbage that goes on there.
The dealers obviously would rather sell me one of the cars they have in stock, and are doing their best to talk me into the Ivory (lighter) interior. These guys are telling me that the special order interior will not be installed at the factory, but instead at the port of entry. They make it sound like they're going to slap in some taupe seats and swap the fabric inserts in the doors and that's it. I have another Toyota with a Taupe interior, and everything in the interior is darker (dash, carpet, steering wheel, etc).
I'd like to talk with someone at Toyota directly - someone that doesn't have anything to gain by talking me out of the darker color. Does anyone have any ideas?
Thanks.
I've done several orders for customers including one for the taupe. It isn't that difficult but many customers loose patience by the third week and end up compromising on color and then we are stuck with an odd-ball configuration once it arrives.
Thanks
The taupe interior is not done at the port and it isn't a half baked job. The dash is darker than the rest of the interior but that is true of the ivory and stone as well. It does match well.
I'm not a huge fan of the taupe myself but that's a personal preference. I prefer the lighter interiors because they just feel bigger and richer. The only thing I don't like with the ivory is that the shift lever and steering wheel pick up dirt quickly. If I were buying one, I'd get the ivory and a bottle of leather cleaner.
All Avalon interiors are done at Georgetown, where the car is assembled for Toyota.
Dianne
Thanks for the replies, I'll give Cliff a call tomorrow.
1) Is it possible that Toyota will do a retest and that this could be a fluke?
2) Did Toyota make any drastic safety changes for year 2001 that wouldn't have been on the 2000s? The 2000s were not tested, but I was wondering if I should expect the 2000s to perform the same as the 2001s.
3) The 2000-2001 Avalon did extremely well in the offset crash test at 40 MPH. This test is probably more of a "real world" indicator as far as safety goes since it is unlikely that you will be driving into any flat walls. I believe it was the head injury level that caused the Avalon to only receive THREE stars in the frontal crash for the driver. The head injury criterion was in the 800s if I'm remembering correctly. However, at 40 MPH in the offset crash, the HI was only 377, which is quite good. That's where I'm baffled. How can it do so poorly in one and do so well in another test? Does anyone have any input. I would really appreciate it. Toyota's are safe cars. I think the only other low performer in the frontal crashes is the Tundra, maybe the Tacoma. Thanks for your help.
I have taken the car to two different dealers who have kept it a total of 4 days, but they have been unable to diagnose or fix either problem.
Anyone seen anything similar in their Avalon?
As an aside, I also experienced the "woo woo" sound in the steering column that has been mentioned in other posts. The dealer was able to solve the problem by lubricating something in the steering mechanism.
I have also experienced the stereo volume changes, but had a similar issue with an old Nissan Stanza that had the "FM diversity" antenna built into the windshield, so I am attributing it to that.
Beyond these issues, I love the cars quietness, ride, and creature comforts, although I have to agree with others that the seats are a little uncomfortable. The seats in my last car (a '98 Nissan Maxima GLE) were infinitely better.
Thanks for any help or advice!
Thanks for the response. The first dealer was utterly useless, but the second really did try. In their defense, over the three days they had the car, the service manager drove it home twice and could not get the airbag light to come on. They also tried several times at the dealer...no luck. Of course I drove it home last night and voila! As soon as I turned off the car the light came on. They also contacted Toyota Technical Service, but they had never heard of the problem either. I guess I'll just have to drive by the dealer periodically to see if I can make it happen for them!
Good luck. Let us know what happens.
Anyway, I'll keep you posted, and thanks for the advice!
I can't believe it myself, but the airbag light problem is caused by my cellular phone! I went out last night, and without even putting my key in the ignition, I plugged my phone into the charger and the airbag light went on. Unplugged the phone from the charger, and the light went off. I tried the same drill with my wife's phone, my daughter's phone, and even switched to my wife's charger, all with the same result. I keep the charger plugged in all the time, and it alone does not cause the light to go on. How bizarre is that?
Any idea why this might happen? Do you think its something that can be fixed, or do I just have to live with it?
Thanks again for the advice! At least now I have a cause!
The good news is, diagnosis is the hard part. Now, your dealer just has to figure out what electrical connection is causing this and that shouldn't be too big a chore. Things have been radically narrowed down. Bring it back to the dealer that took the time before and tell them what you discovered.
Good luck and thanks for keeping us updated.
I realize that my experience my not be indicative of all Fitzgerald Toyota customers. I assume that any dealership has dissatisfied customers. As you must know better than most, a customer's experience is dependent not only upon the general character of the dealership, but of the specific salesperson with whom one works. It is possible that informed INTERNET customers are treated differently than others. I can only speak from my experience and that of a friend of mine who purchased a car there shortly after I did. We both used INTERNET salesmen. However, my experience was totally satisfying. The INTERNET salesman with whom I dealt, Joe Graves, was, from my perspective, the perfect car salesman. He let me test drive a 2001 Avalon without any salesman in the car, provided me the complete "drive away" price on the INTERNET before I even made an appointment for the test drive, did not try to sell me lots of stuff I didn't want (e.g., extended warranty, leather), answered all my questions forthrightly, kept me informed of the status of my special order, and handled everything without a hitch.
I know of no other D.C. metro area dealership that routinely posts their entire inventory, with options and sales price, on the INTERNET. I welcomed the absence of sales games and the low sales price--lower than any price quoted by any other dealer contacted. Some dealers refused to quote any kind of price, even when I showed up in person. As regards the service department, I have only had the oil changed. Although everything went precisely as promised, I would hardly consider this indicative of the quality of the service department there. It is certainly possible that warranty problems or other service needs may not measure up to the sales experience.
In short, I am sure that there have been customers dissatisfied with Fitzgerald. My experience, however, was great.
You observation is a significant one with safety implications. It will certainly interest someone in Georgetown if they become aware of it.
I do like the fact that they post their prices on-line. You are correct that they are the only ones in the DC area to do this. They are not the only ones who will provide you an "out the door" quote in writing though. They are also not the only ones who recognize the new realities of car buying. This region is plagued by a few bad dealers who play showroom games. I could name three other stores in Northern Virginia who will answer e-mails quickly and completely and can handle everything on price and equipment before you enter the store. I could name them, but the hosts would delete it due to the "Terms of Use" so I wont.
No store is perfect. Some are better than others and it is important to remember what I have said before: The best price is not always the best deal.
Speaking of track records... the Avalon in Consumer Reports April 2001 issue got an AVERAGE for reliability! What's up with that?
John
keyless entry+power seats, noleather. If leather is
the only addition, I would not pay more than ~26 +
tax.
What the hell, too late ... enjoy the car.