New owner..almost..so close

[Rigged4Ride]

Hey everyone! I'm not only new to the forums, but I will very soon be a new car owner after a 9 year hiatus. My very first car was a used Pontiac Lemans purchased by my parents for college which has long ago expired.

This is going to be my 1st "new" car purchase and after checking out Ford, Chevy, and Nissan, I've decided on the Tacoma.

I'm in the market for a 4wd v6 5speed auto double cab in a TRD Sports package. I'm still undecided between the black and silver models??!!

I'm planning on purchasing the truck in Florida as I will be moving there shortly, and may cut down to a 2wd to save some cash.

The decision to purchase a vehicle for daily transportation use was a rather last minute surprise as living in NYC has kept me happy with public transportation. Hence, I have been reading as much as possible in the last 2 weeks about incentives, purchases, negotiating, etc etc...

All advice would be appreciated.... I need to have the vehicle by the beginning for the first week of Jan and the current situation is giving me very little time to find a great deal.

[Truck champion]

Do your Homework. Toyotas are often in high demand the Tacoma TRDs especially.The plant in Freemont CA is at full capacity and they still can not build enough to keep up with demand. This means there will be little room for negotiation but the most important item is not the price with Toyotas. They are a great deal even at full sticker. The important thing is the service you will receive at the dealer you choose. Pick one that is Truck savy that you feel you can trust. Go meet the guys at the dealer. If you get a bad feeling, leave and go to the next one. If there are not alot of dealers in your area then ask to talk to a different sales person and dont stop untill you find one you trust. A good sales person is like a good mechanic. You stick with them. Face to face is the best way to see if you can trust some one.
You could go to better business beureau but most Toyota dealers are pretty good. It will still boil down to face to face and who you trust. If you do not trust some one, don't your time or theirs and move on. Hope this helps. If I was in Florida and I could help you but Washington is a long way away.

[LovinMyTaco07]

Welcome to TW!
My Taco is my first new car purchase, my first Toyota and first truck too... (we replaced my wife's '96 Chevy Silverado 3/4 ton pickup truck...) And I'm glad we got it!
On October 31 we purchased a 07 doublecab long bed v6 5 speed auto prerunner (2wd) TRD Sport, Dark Indigo Pearl (beautiful dark blue)
It is a great truck all around! I drive it every chance I get!
We got it for 500 over invoice with a 3500 trade in on my wifes truck, but we had to wait for it to get made and shipped our here (couple weeks).
Here is a thread with good advice on purchasing a Taco... New Tacoma Purchase
As for advice between 4X4 and 2wd... If money is a crunch then 2wd might be the road to take. But if money isn't that tight (what $3,000 difference) and you think you'll want it, go for it! If you think you'll want to take it off roading... then get the 4X4 so that you can!
There are lots of experts here on various topics... ask away and you'll get answers!
Good luck!

[Rigged4Ride]

I've been checking out sites like edmunds and cars.com and the msrp for the tacamo is about 29-30k... and the invoice 26-27k...This is for the truck described in my original post.

[LovinMyTaco07]

yup, those prices sound about right.
another good source would be kelly blue book.
What other advice/suggestions/comments are you looking for?

[TheMaster]

Welcome to TW. BTW, black looks nice when clean but is the hardest color to keep clean. Cheers.

[Jeff]

Welcome to TW, just bought a new 06, 6spd, V6, access cab, Think RED!!!
Don't know if your into towing at all (boats, jetski's) however, down in Fla., there is no need for 4 wheel drive, as there only is 352ft of varying elevation in the whole state.
There will be plenty of opportunity for you to get a decent dealer, if you close to a good sized town. Bargain hard !. BTW, Toyota just opened another engine plant in the US, bring it to three.

[Ldytaco05]

Originally Posted by Themaster

Welcome to TW. BTW, black looks nice when clean but is the hardest color to keep clean. Cheers.

oh btw welcome to TW i have to agree i have a black one, and yes it's a pain in the rear end to keep clean but i love my diva truck

[Rigged4Ride]

So, I've secured funds for the purchase, and narrowed down the actual Tacoma I want, with either black or silver..

After searching for days in the general area of where I will reside, I can't any dealer that has the truck I want on the lot. I did find one truck very similar to what I wanted, except for 2 options I could live without... Toyoguard Protection and V6 Towing Package... I could save 1200 if the dealer would remove those 2 options??

[Jeff]

Pick a good dealer and ask him to find the truck you want, they have the ability to scan all of the stock of other Toyota dealers statewide, find a salesman and tell him "if he wants the commission, make the effort to find the truck". No dealer will remove option items.

We here in MA. were not offered the Toyoguard protection package, however the V6 towing pkg comes with lots of goodies, larger battery,alternator, oil cooler etc. If you only plan on towing something less than 2000lbs, I would not worry, as a standard 3000lb hitch and draw bar would suffice, especially where Fla. is so flat.

Good luck and let us know how things progress.