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Prices Paid: Buying & Leasing Experiences Toyota Camry Prices Paid and Buying Experience
6688 messages, Last post on Sep 04, 2008 at 10:48 PM
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The following is a brief summary of my buying experience of a silver -- fully loaded -- Camry Hybrid. I had the opportunity to visit ten dealerships in three states (GA, AZ, and MD) plus have internet discussions with dealerships in MI, Il, and VA. The approaches, comments, and levels of service varied widely. I placed orders at three dealerships. Two required a deposit of $500 (and did not process) and one of $1000 (and did process). One order was placed in March and two in early April. My local dealership (Sandy Springs Toyota) in Atlanta (from whom I had purchased 4 Toyotas in the last 4 years) was not interested in talking. As I later learned, the four dealerships (Marietta, Atlanta, Toyota Mall of GA, and Sandy Springs) in Atlanta all had the similar approaches! "We will sell our cars for the maximum possible." A loaded TCH was offered at anywhere from $1000 - $5000 above MSRP --not to mentioned the extras (most of little to no value) that came from their distributor in Florida. In Phoenix, I visited Wright Toyota. Though polite, the offer --MSRP + $3,500. The "closer", who offered the deal, looked and acted like a "closer". The salesman must have been the good cop and the "closer" the bad cop. Later the I was told by the salesman, let him "the closer" talk -- but don't budge -- he'll become more reasonable in time. In MD I dealt with two dealerships. Darcars of Silver Spring offered a fully loaded TCH(in April) for MSRP + $100 + $19 (temp tags to get me back to Ga) Tax and title would be paid by me when I return to GA. When the car arrived, I would fly to BWI. They would pick me up, and I would drive home. Down payment $1000 (which they took and processed). Bottom line -- no car ever appeared. It was to come in and be delivered in early June. As I was about to depart for MD, they called and said something happened to the car -- would I like to re-order. I said, "No, please refund my money." The next day (after figuring how to get to MD again) I called about the car. I was told it had been sold and was gone. After repeated calls and almost two weeks -- my $1000 was returned!!!! In March (after reading about the dealership in this forum) I ordered (over the internet) a silver -- fully loaded TCH -- from Fitzmall in Gaithersburg. The agreed price (in March) was MSRP + $19. (Deposit of $500 - which was never processed). At the time of my order, I was told to expect the car in the July to August time frame (They already had a list of 23 people wanting a TCH). Further, if you find a better deal in the meantime or someone else can come up with a car sooner -- feel free to take it. Your deposit will be refunded. Shortly after the debacle at Darcars, I heard from Fitzmall. The car I wanted was "in bound" -- soon to arrive in New Jersey. We settled on a delivery date. On 16 June, the salesman (super guy) delivered my car at Reagan National Airport in DC. We spent 15 minutes in seats in front of the Delta ticket counter -- completed all paperwork. Then we walked out to the parking garage -- looked over the car for another 15 minutes (yes, my salesman covered everything that needed to be done). He handed me all the paperwork and the FOB for the car. Then he handed me the parking ticket and $5 to depart. I paid MSRP + $19. That was it. When I returned to GA, I paid the fees for GA sales tax and tags. Learnings: 1. Do your shopping! 2. There are good dealers and sales persons. (Fitzmall and a person at Sandy Springs who did try to get the right price for me) 3. Look at the "out the door price". 4. Refuse to pay huge mark -ups. If everyone refuses, dealers will have to keep the cars on their lots forever or lower the price. In the end the customer does have the final say. 5. FITZMALL of Gaithersburg is the "gold standard" for dealerships. If you can get there to buy a car -- Go. The internet process is refined and the service is excellent. Even if you can't go there --check out their prices. They are a good reference for anyone buying a Toyota. They will be a good reference for a deal you may be working on with your local dealer. Remember -- "it's the "out the door" price that counts. As for my TCH -- GREAT. Gas mileage in Atlanta (35-36) and on the highway (38 - 40). Fitzmall did a great job on prep. The ride from DC to Atlanta was a real pleasure. My TCH replaced a 2005 Lexus ES330 -- which I sold myself in 3 days. I could not be happier. The blue glow of excellence is tough to beat!!!!! |
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I neglected to mention one additional thing. Someone may ask, "Why buy a Toyota in the Southeast US?" One advantage of buying in the SE is that you can "special order" a car with features somewhat out of the norm -- within reason. Sandy Springs Toyota in Atlanta does a pretty good job of this and is quite helpful. Be prepared to wait 90 to 120 days -- particularly if the car comes from Japan. If the car is manufactured in the US times are much shorter (30 - 45 days -- depending on the features ordered)
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Replying to: consumer46 (Jul 23, 2006 1:24 pm) You did all that and end up paying MSRP for a TCH?... at one time they were at MSRP however now they are a bit lower.
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Replying to: jb_turner (Jul 23, 2006 1:40 pm)
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| I ordered my Camry Hybrid in Canada where I live. Is an extended warranty purchased in the USA valid or will Toyota refuse to honor it if I have a problem up here? The price of a 84 month/120,000km extended warrranty up here is $1,999. I see a lot better prices on this forum for Toyota extended warranties purchased in the USA. | |
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Replying to: jbollt (Jul 23, 2006 1:51 pm) |
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Good feedback. My "loaded" TCH has Nav, moonroof, leather, and the comfort and convenience package. As for price -- remember the time period is March through June. Additionally, a TCH with Nav (loaded) is still being sold (as indicated above) at MSRP and in some places with a premium price. In the March - June time frame no one sold a TCH with Nav under MSRP. Even today Fitzmall's price for a TCH with Nav is MSRP. They will drop the price slightly for a TCH (even with Nav) if it is on the lot for a few weeks (generally the less popular colors) as part of inventory management. In the Southeast (even today) you will have a difficult time finding a TCH with nav. And if you do -- you will notice a long list of add-ons raising the the price to $33k or above. There are some exceptions, but not many. The key points of my comments are found in the "lessons learned". |
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Replying to: alamocity (Jul 21, 2006 7:44 pm) they tried to get me to buy the extra warranty and maintenance program, but I didn't bite. The recommended stuff on the camry is oil change, lube chassis, and INSPECT a ton of stuff. Not worth the $800 they want. Best of luck buying. Remember to hit them up towards the end of the month. Weekdays are a bit better since they are not busy and want to sell cars. To get the best deal, do things that others won't do. All prices should included destination fees. Don't put up with any hidden cost, but ask youself if it's worth a few hundred buck to walk away from a deal. I do out of principle, but should change my attitude. anyhow, the car drives better than expected. My wife loves it and we put on 200+ miles on it over the past 2 days. It acts as our commuter car.
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Replying to: kiawah (Jun 03, 2006 10:47 am)
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Replying to: zhanghuyi (Jul 23, 2006 9:38 pm) |
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