Buy now or wait for the Texas Taco?

Hi guys, I've been wanting to purchase a Tacoma for almost a year now and have actually found a couple of 2010's I like. Unfortunately, there are no rebates available currently. I inquired about it at a local dealer and they seemed to think there won't be any rebates for a while because Toyota wants inventory to hold out until the new factory is retooled and producing Tacos. Whether that's true or not, I'm not interested in purchasing unless I can get at least $3k off with a rebate.

But really my question is this,
Would you rather buy a product from a soon-to-close factory whose employees are fully aware of the axe that is about to fall on them, or one from a brand new facility with fresh, eager talent (as well as all the growing pains that go along with training, retooling, etc.).

Or do I just have too much time on my hands, thinking about a non-issue?

 

I say get one now. It'll be a while before there are any incentives to buy. At least around Virginia there aren't. I looked for a long time and couldn't find any 09s that I wanted (my demands were non-negotiable) and finally found a 2010 right off the delivery truck in late August that fit my wants/needs. No special financing but I was looking to get the Costco pricing on it and they worked with me a little on that. It also didn't help that the cash for clunker thing had just ended and everyone's inventory was depleted. And I wouldn't worry about quality from either plant.

 

IMO I'd hold out for a bit until the new factory gets rolling along. Several years ago Rover announced they were closing their factory in England. Disgruntled workers were sabotaging the engines by loosening the oil pump bolts just enough as to cause them to back off fully when the Discoveries reached around 3-5k miles. I was filling in for a coworker at the time working on Rover warranty claims and was astonished at all the engines the techs were replacing.
Just goes to show how people can react when faced with the prospect of a job loss.

 

I bought one last week. I, too, had been kicking around the idea of a new Tacoma for the past year. My 2002 PreRunner 2.7L auto has been a good rig, but my needs have changed, and I really wanted to get back to a manual transmission and 4x4.

The dealer and I wrote up a purchase agreement on a 2010 DC but didn’t have a 6 Speed in stock, so had to get one in for me. He called to say it had arrived, but was a little surprised and embarrassed that it was a 2009 instead of a 2010.

We worked out a solution ($$), and I went home with the 2009. Since it was a new truck, it didn’t matter to me what year was on the title, and my insurance might be just a bit cheaper for last year’s model.

It all works out to what your needs are. The time was right for me to buy, even if there were no special offers or incentives.

 

Whew,
Your question about when to buy is a tricky one. I work for a very large airplane company. This company currently builds several models including the newest model here in Washington State. For the next several years we will build this newer model but the company is opening a factory at another location in the US. The newer model will eventually be built there. While the union knows this and there are hard feelings on the issue, the quality of this airplane will continue to be the best, due to the experience of the engineers, mechanics, and inspectors. The other factory will open in a year or two and will build at a significantly lower rate while we will continue to build and give the new employees time to become proficient in their jobs. Additionally, there may be tooling and even quality issues at the newer plant, but eventually it would be expected to produce all the planes at that location.
I also recently purchased and initially used Costco to save additional money over the MSRP. Using Costco pricing and also working with a couple of dealers, one indicated they would beat that price. I went to the other with this information. In the end the second dealer, the one at the location I preferred was able to cut pricing about 2500.00 from MSRP.
I know this is lengthy but you asked opinion between building at old -vs- new location. I think I answered that part of the question, but don't hesitate if you want more. Good luck on your decision. K

 

I thought so too. So at the Nummi plant, do they just assemble the parts or do they manufacture everything in house there? If the engines (trannies, etc.) are made in Japan and shipped over, that might make a difference in my mind.

As far as quality issues on a new assembly line, I would assume Toyota has all that ironed out of the process by now. Workforce would probably be the biggest variable.

Anyway, thanks for the replies, it is interesting if nothing else...

 

BTW, do you need to purchase a membership to do the Costco thing? I bought my last car through AAA, and honestly I don't think those guys would have gone to bat for me (not for $3k). They know all the dealers personally, hell they ARE a dealer technically. Luckily I did get a nice rebate on that one anyway so...

 

Once the new factory is up and moving, how will you know it was assembled in a different place? Besides Toyota will cover it under the warranty if something brakes, I think you are over thinking this...

 

I initially thought you were thinking about this too much, but now that I think about it I think that thinking may be a good thought.

Seriously, its a taco, how can you go wrong?

 

Just a note, the engines are built in japan.. installed wherever. Honestly it's hard to say. I went through a factory start up with my company, and we've been one of the leading factories in the company from the start. It really depends on the people... every case is going to be unique.

 

Not trying to rain on your parade but a $3k rebate on a Taco will likely never happen. When I was looking last spring when the recession was pounding hard Toyota had $1k on 09's and I believe $1500 or $2k on leftover 08's which there were none of, anywhere. Toyota had lots of inventory leftover too which I believe they are starting to get away from, building more for demand vs flooding lots and having to discount.

If you want to try and get a rebate, you will probably need to wait until at least spring or ealry summer.

I see your concern with the new vs old plant. Maybe option C, look around for a leftover 09' as there should be quiet a few still around.

 

If you are looking for a good deal on a Tacoma or any Toyota contact Nick Prather at Crown Toyota in Lawrence KS. His phone number is 785-291-9519 and his email is nickolijazz@yahoo.com.

I drove 8 hours on December 21st to purchase my 2010 DBL Cab 4x4 long box from Nick. He made it well worth my time. Between the discount off MSRP and the increased trade allowance I saved about $3K over what my local toyota dealer would do. He makes deals that bring in customers from all over the U.S.

 

I got in on a $1500 rebate in July of 09 for the 09 models.

 

Yes, you would need membership in Costco to utilize their pricing system. I would check with AAA though to see if they offer discounts on new vehicles as well. I also would play multiple dealers against each other. I also would do my research online and go in with any info in hand. It all helps. A few have mentioned that you might get a better break in the early months of 2010. That too might be true as sales typically slow until spring.
If you are still worried about buying new. Consider looking on Craigslist in your area and buy a used truck. You can get lots of extra's that someone else has installed and save yourself a wad of bucks and you can upgrade most warranties with Toyota for a pretty reasonable price.
good luck on your decision. K

 

You know you don't have to be so vague when Boeing is in the news telling people they are moving the 787 to South Carolina.

 

I wasn't trying to advertise for the company and as a 30+ year employee, Quality Assurance Inspector, and former Quality Manager I just wanted to get the point across that old factory was capable of doing a good job even when they knew a new factory would be taking over the job. The company chose to build in a location where they could get better incentives from the state and cheaper labor costs. The folks in South Carolina will have plenty of time to learn to build it right while the unions in Washington State continue to build the planes at production levels for the next several years.
Unfortunately, this is the way of many major US manufacturers. Profit is all important. K

 

Well the more money off the better. Got a quote many months ago for $2826 off the retail price of a regular cab with cash back, etc. But then cash for clunkers rolled in and everything vaporized. But you're right, it probably won't happen again.

Kind of got burned on the last Craigslist auto I bought so no thanks on that. I don't think the owner was trying to hide anything and the car looked to be in great shape, mechanic checked out etc, however after high lead readings in several OA's, it looked like the bearings weren't going to last. I was getting some scary knocking in cold weather about a year later, so I dumped it for a new one and lost money on it.

Plus, with the high resale values of Tacomas, I don't know how much would be saved with a used low mileage (less than 20k miles) truck.

Sooo, yes I am thinking about this too much. Been doing it for almost a year now. Taco's are so dang expensive though and I want to get a good one...

 

Well, money off MSRP and rebates are two totally different things. Rebates take no negotiations and either the dealer or the customer get reimbursed whatever amount. Money off MSRP takes a little (or lot) more effort depending on where you are.

Here is a good example of both when I bought my 09' Crewcab Frontier 4x4 with the extra value package (similar to SR5)

MSRP $27,340 (BS destination fees not included)
less $3k factory rebate = $24,340
less additional PITA negotiations $2,140 = $22,200 + taxes, title, etc $22,400 OTD.

I saved a total of $5,140 off MSRP and only $3k was rebate.

Not by any means trying to push a Frontier, its just an example. If I could have gotten a similar or slightly more expensive deal (max $2k) on a Taco I would have bought one. For me it was all about the bottom dollar.