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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Toyota Sequoia Prices Paid and Buying Experience
1286 messages, Last post on Jul 24, 2008 at 5:50 PM
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Replying to: kgary (Jan 20, 2008 2:41 pm) I essentially took the same approach but instead of faxing, I emailed using the addresses at this link. http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=217901 I sent a similar email to your fax to about 50 dealers without providing my contact information other than a return email address. If you use the emails from the dealer's website, you can't send your email until you've provided your contact info therefore the addresses in the link above is a better approach. I sent the emails BCC so that the dealer's didn't know which were included in my distribution. I then sat back and waited for replies. I used this approach during the Sequoia's launch week just prior to Christmas and was able to secure the "$1000 Over Factory invoice with no dealer add-ons" offer without ever leaving the House. I would think that "$500 Over" deals (and possibly better as time passes) should become the norm using this approach. Particularly if gas prices rise even higher. Of course, those buyer's using the traditional approach of visiting various dealers will likely have a more challenging time securing this type of pricing since they are essentially subsidizing those that make their deals through email and fax. Once again, nice job kgary. Others should definitely follow this "email/fax" approach if you know what you want and are looking to get a fair price on your new vehicle purchase. BTW, what dealership won your business?
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Replying to: hdfatboy (Jan 20, 2008 3:12 pm) I used the same process as hdfatboy and emailed 40 or so dealers, 20 of whom got back to me the same day. I meet with the dealer this weekend to make a deposit, pick colors, etc. Ken W.
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Replying to: hanoverken (Jan 21, 2008 4:02 pm) Just one small thing to check in your calculation. Is the MSRP figure you used for calculating the deal from the dealer or off the window sticker on the car? If its off the vehicle and the dealership doesn't hit you with exorbitant doc fees etc than you have an outstanding deal. Check the window sticker and get an estimate of the dealership's contract costs. Once you have that info in hand you'll know for sure how good the deal is. At invoice would definitely be an outstanding deal if the dealership's costs are reasonable. Great to hear the email approach I suggested worked for you. Other's should follow that approach, if getting a fair deal matters to them. |
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Replying to: hanoverken (Jan 21, 2008 4:02 pm) Great to see others saving money on their purchase of a new Sequoia. Just think of all the folks paying close to list instead of getting a fair deal. If others want to save thousands of $ just follow the steps I used, kgary, and hanoverken. You're sure to not only save alot of money you'll also save alot of wasted time running around to various dealerships only to have them waste more of your time trying to get a copy of your driver's license. If you know that you want a Sequoia there really is no better way to save alot of money than the email/fax approach we've described in this thread.
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Replying to: hdfatboy (Jan 21, 2008 4:37 pm) As far as dealer fees go there is a $279 doc fee, a $550 acquistion fee, and $86 registration fee. The doc is a little high, the acquisition actually lower than I had heard before, and the plate fee right on the money. I was sent a scan of the window sticker which is where I got the $55,034 MSRP. The person I spoke to was the sales manager at the dealership and he responded with exactly the info I wanted - not the case with many of the salepeople (some made you wonder how they ever sold anything!). I'm a couple months out, which gives me time to pick the colors that I want rather than choose from dealer inventory. I think as time goes on, if gas prices go up and the recession actually happens they may even go below invoice. The sales manager said as much and thought that Toyota may add some incentive (a la GM) if they don't sell as expected. Ken W.
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Replying to: hanoverken (Jan 21, 2008 6:58 pm) Not an issue to quibble but may be an example where the dealer sells a vehicle at invoice and gets their "over invoice" revenue out of their contract fees. I may be wrong if this is a required or "typical fee" for your area however it would certainly be better to know what an "acquisition fee" is, as I've never heard of it before. Its not even a contract line item on deals signed in NJ. Was the "acquisition fee" hand written into your contract or was it part of the pre-printed contract template from your dealer? Any insight from others on this additional charge?
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Replying to: hdfatboy (Jan 21, 2008 9:57 pm) The doc fee was a little high, but not out of line compared to other quotes.
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Replying to: hanoverken (Jan 22, 2008 4:10 am)
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Replying to: kgary (Jan 22, 2008 4:38 am) Doc fees include plates, title, runner to the registry, and the lawyer fee to do the docs. I'm sure they build a little something there, but there isn't much - all those things cost the dealer so if they are not there they bury them in the markup on the car. I guess the bottom line is to add the "closing costs" to the cost of the vehicle to get the "out the door" cost. The good news is that dealers are getting down to invoice, which is a move in the right direction. If this morning's stock market is any indicator they will go lower than invoice soon.
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Replying to: hanoverken (Jan 22, 2008 4:10 am) Please don't misinterpret my comments below to suggest you didn't get a good deal..... because you did. However I think its important for others to check with the dealer that's offerring an outstanding deal on a vehicle to know upfront what the fees are for purchasing a new vehicle from their dealership. I would recommend that this fee information be asked for in the first email communication. Here's the quote from the dealership's original email reply that sold me my new Sequoia with respect to fees: "You can purchase the Platinum Edition one for $53,418 plus tax and all other fees required by our Dealership and the State of New Jersey. The fees are as follows 1) Window Etch $199(optional), 2) 7%tax, 3)Online DMV fee of $8.30cents, 4)Tire Tax of $7.50cents, 5)Doc fee of $149, 6)Title/Reg $334" I elected not to take the window etching as that's a scam IMO. Therefore the only charge the dealership charged me above the vehicle price that was not a mandated fee by the state of NJ was the Doc fee of $149. Since dealer's may include other "fees" to make up for a low vehicle price when dealing with a knowledgeable buyer, I'm amending the formula for use on the original "Good Deal" scale: Start with only the vehicle selling price including the options posted on the window sticker from the factory (plus any dealer installed options but only if you know the MSRP for them). Add any fees that are NOT mandated by the local government to the vehicle selling price. Divide by the window sticker MSRP and use my original scale of deal "goodness". For example: here's my deal on a Platinum Sequoia with Rear entertainment, Cold Kit, DRL on/off, Preferred Accessories & Wheel Locks using this approach: Vehicle cost with options above: $53418 + Dealer fees (not mandated by NJ) $149 = $53567 / the vehicle's MSRP (window sticker) including all options: $58544. This will give my deal a factor of .9149. The scale again: Greater than 1.0...you got ripped off Equal to 1.0...you paid list price (poor deal) .98-1.0...marginal discount .95-.98...OK .93-.95...good deal .91-.93...excellent deal .89-.91...outstanding deal Since my deal was negotiated the first 3 days after the vehicle was launched I was satisfied with an "excellent" deal. Future deals should do better as time passes. Others may want to use this approach to see how "good" their deal was. Please keep in mind that this is all just my opinion but I think it can give you a general sense of how good your vehicle purchase price was.
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