Purchase question for all the Cali folk

If ur a Costco member go thru them. It's like $500 over invoice then tax and license comes out to sticker price but out the door.

 

I did Costco program through manhattan beach toyota. 36k before tax license etc. had it ordered to get quicksand long bed. No one had one.

 

Bought my 2017 TRD OR Double cab SB, 4WD, JBL, for 38.5k plus fees.
Came with the sidesteps already installed. Purchased back in December 2016.

 

I bought mine from a dealership in Yuma that deals in volume and they handled a lot of the registration stuff. I had to get the truck smogged, drive through the DMV to verify the VIN, and send the dealership the paperwork from those inspections. Got mine for right at $40,000 out the door (2017 TRD OR 4x4 w/ Tech).

 

Wow! With all the trouble I've had, I almost can't believe what everyones paid! I can't believe I almost got shafted by Toyota. I definitely have to put some solid time into researching some dealerships and prices..

All this has brought up some questions that I'm now curious about..
-So how many financed through Toyota? with a great credit score, would it be best to do something like a credit union or just stick to Toyota?
-Also.. Were you guys able to negotiate these prices before running your credit? a lot of times it seems like thats one of the first things they want to do with me, "well lets go inside, run your credit and see what we can do for you" which I don't necessarily mind but I also don't want to run my credit 10 times before I find the right price and end up ruining my credit from so many inquiries.

That costco program also sounds pretty sweet, unfortunately I don't have costco but my GF does.. maybe I can find a way through some loop hole lol.
I really appreciate all the advice, I was about to pay 43k. Hearing you guys not even hit 40 after the tax/reg/license is truly a blessing. We all work hard for our money!

 

Have you tried Consumer Reports Build A Car program? You spec out your vehicle and they respond back with 3 local dealers with the lowest price they are willing to sell it for. Does not guarantee they have that exact vehicle but it gives you a ballpark for price.

 

I have not but will definitely take a look at it thank you!
Is that similar to Truecar?

 

Running a credit check a bunch of times in a short period wont affect your credit score. We were worried about that when we were shopping around to re-finance our house and were told it's not an issue.

We went to a couple of credit unions and talked to USAA to get an idea about rates and the dealership ended up matching the lowest rate we were quoted (1.99%).

 

Don't walk into a dealership expecting any kind of a deal. Only two reasons to ever visit a dealership: To test drive a vehicle, and then to pick up a vehicle you have already made a deal on.

Floor salesman and floor managers will always tell you "these sell themselves" along with a host of all kinds of other bullshit. If possible never deal with them (unless you're some kind of master negotiator and really know their game). It's just a waste of time. You have to go through all the hassle of getting to the dealership, then negotiations, the back and forth, then the "walk out" and all this other crap.

I bought mine in SoCal for $500 under invoice a few weeks after I went in for a test drive and the salesman there laughed at me and told me "you'll never get anywhere close to invoice on these trucks (and offered to bet me $5k I couldn't do it)! In fact we're considering adding a market adjustment to all Tacomas they sell so good" (as we were looking at their PRO with a $10k markup).

If you're not in a hurry, buy the "fighting chance" package ($35 as I recall) for the Tacoma. A lot of good tips in there on how to work the "phone / email attack" and get a good deal.

When it is time to buy, deal only with internet sales managers or fleet managers via phone and email. Tell them you are getting bids on the vehicle in the configuration you want, and ask them if they'd like to participate. Almost all will. Send them an email with your specs showing invoice and msrp pricing. Get about 8-10 dealers who have the truck you want on their lot bidding against each other. When you have your best 3 or so bids nailed down, call back those dealers (or even all of them out of your 8 or 10) and tell them that you have several dealers in a dead heat, tell them your lowest price and that you want to give them one more opportunity to give you their "best and final" offer".

Do this the last week of the month when you have a good chance of finding a dealer or two trying to meet their end of month / quarter performance goals (means big incentive bucks from toyota corporate for them). Internet managers and fleet managers know where the dealership stands in relation to their goals and have the authority to make the deals to get the dealership to their goals. Very low BS way to negotiate on a vehicle.

Be ready to branch out. The LA area dealers wouldn't come down much more than about $1k over invoice (basically a costco or true car price). Dealers in Hemmit, Bakersfield and San Diego were more ready to deal. I live in Ventura County and work in Santa Monica, and I took a Saturday and about $20 in gas to drive down to San Diego to pick up my truck at $500 below invoice. Not the best deal ever had, but a pretty damn respectable one for SoCal. And well worth the "waste" of a half day and a few bucks in gas to make the trip. I was in and out of the dealership in under 2 hours. Wouldn't have taken that long, but it was the last Saturday of the month, and they were busier than a one legged midget in an ass kicking contest trying to make deals and sell cars. If I could have gotten down there on a weekday to take delivery, I'd of been in and out in under an hour.

I can highly recommend Patty Dean (Internet Sales Director) from Toyota of Escondido. This is who I ultimately bought from. Also try Simeon Okosun, Internet Sales Manager at Toyota of El Cajon. Both were at or below invoice pricing on their first bid, and both were fantastic to deal with. Patty is a rock star. Only person I dealt with who gave me what I asked for (detail), was sharp, returned calls and emails promptly, and very easy to deal with through the entire bidding and buying process.

I spec'd out and bought a 2017 DC 4x4 TRDOR SB AT in quicksand (no tech). That configuration is selling like hot cakes in SoCal, and I still got a decent deal.

BTW, I didn't play the "tell us your best price and we'll match it" game with anyone. Told them they give me their best price or I'd not deal with them. I was not going to give a dealer playing that game my business, even if it did mean saving a half day and a few bucks in gas.

I also did not play the financing game. I had it lined up and a blank check in hand through my credit union before I started looking. Told them I only wanted their best price on the truck...period. Once I had that, I offered to let them beat my credit union financing if they wanted. Financing, payments, etc., was not part of the pricing negotiations. And I never let anyone run my credit unless a deal has been reached and I am going to buy from them. They want to run my credit to make sure I'm "qualified" or before they'll get serious with negotiating, they can pound sand.

 

In most cases a credit union will have much better rates than the dealer. I was approved in about 10mins and didn't even talk to the dealer about financing.....they couldn't beat what I got anyway. That way you won't get jacked around with around rates and potentially turn a great deal into a bad one.

 

Yes similar to TrueCar. Worked great for me compared to the "deals" my local dealerships were offering.

 

I bought my 2016 Toyota Tacoma V6 TRD SPORT 4X4 with tech pkg. OEM tonneau cover and OEM all-weather floor covers for 37g's. Yuba City Toyota. 1.9% for 60 months.

 

I 2nd using Costco at Manhattan Beach. Order took a while but price was unbeatable in socal. I shopped my Costco price at numerous dealerships and no one even bothered to negotiate. They all said they can't come close to that price.

Also, you can finance through Toyota then refi with credit union. I have 800+ credit score but some rebates require Toyota financing. I used 'recent college grad' $500. Made one payment, then financed through CU. Had CU cut a check and I sent to Toyota. Just make sure the Toyota loan has no early payoff fees.
I did my deal with Victor Hernandez at MB Toyota.

 

I tried using Costco and although I got directed to a dealer via the process, they basically said we don't do anything on Tacoma's. The dealers in So Cal were tools. so I contacted a dealer in Phoenix that I was referred to and ordered exactly what I wanted and got the price completely in advance with all the options.

RZ Rob

 

Thanks again for the lead on getting the SR Decals, He will ship them to me in Canada, Need a favour can you post or send me a close up picture of you decal.

 

Best pic I have. I placed it an 1" from the bed rail. A little lower than factory in case I ever put a topper on, it won't cover up the top of the sticker.

 

awesome, thanks so much

 

I think you are going to find 38k-39k is going to be what the going price is. I drove from Boston and registered my truck in Orange County. If you purchase a truck out of state and bring it into California and register it in California you will be charged a sales tax for up to Twelve months after purchasing, even though you bought it in another state. You have to show proof that you paid sales tax in another state and they still pro rate you. There is a tax calculator on the CA DMV website to give you a good estimate. Also trucks in California are considered commercial vehicles. I had to pay to go to a certified weight station and you are charged according to your trucks weight. And you have to pay $40 for a smog check. I am retired so no bigs on time is money stuff but you can expect a full day of running around. It's also best to make an appointment with your local DMV you can do it on their website or you will spend 1/4 of your day standing in line.

 

I love and loathe this state I love in

 

Im up here in true NorCal and when I was shopping I found the prices to be almost the same up and down Cali. Couple hundred bucks difference at most. I got my 17 dbl cab long bed TRD offroad auto for bout $37k. I went with leasing it though so that does make a little difference.