Looking to buy new.. looking for advice

Hey fellas, looking for advice if you were in my shoes. I'm looking to buy new my 1st Tacoma (and 1st truck) ever... (so I'm a noob take it easy on me!) Also first post to the forum. Would appreciate any feedback on below

1. What would you do? Pull trigger on 2020 (if I can find what I'm looking for) or hold out for 2021? No huge changes on paper but for resale value should I wait a couple months to have the "newer" vehicle?
   
2. Do the all terrain tires get worse gas mileage and ride a lot "rougher/louder" than all weather tires? I'm not planning to go offroading but getting a truck I figure 4x4 is good for resale.. is it dumb to have all weather tires on 4x4?
   
3. Best discount I have gotten on 2020 after emailing multiple dealers is about $1800 off of MRSP ~$39k. Are Tacoma's just tough to get a deal on any time or is the current low inventory driving this? 4.6% off MSRP about average or should I be looking to do better? This would be why I am leaning towards waiting for 2021 because I can't get any kind of discount on 2020 models now.

Thanks in advance.
Charlie

 

Yeah the low inventory won’t do you any favors right now. When 21s come out they won’t be discounting those much at all. If you find a specific truck you want I’d make an offer around 8-10% below msrp on a 20. Be firm, tell them that’s what it is worth to you, and that’s what you will pay. Make sure they have a way to get in touch with you and leave it at that. Chances are a sales manager will give you a call in a week or two and try to make the deal.

 

Dealerships are a hotbed right now so prices are up. Perhaps wait for the 2021's and get a deal on a new 2020. I wouldn't say all All-Terrain tires ride rough and get worse MPG. They aren't as street oriented, but most are more road oriented than off road oriented. I've found the Goodyears on my Off Road to be great on road and even get 23 MPG at 70 on occasion. But they also have about the same amount of tread as a street tire and probably don't weigh much more either

I'm thinking, based on your description, you'll want an SR5 or TRD Sport. An SR would work, but if you're concerned about resale, the first two would do better. However if you want to keep it for a while or do some off road stuff at some point, I'd recommend the TRD Off Road. It has a few more off road bells and whistles that are good to have "just in case" than to need them and not have them. I've gone off road a time or two and haven't needed them yet though because it's still very capable.

 

Depends on the area. In California, if you offered 8-10% below MSRP, you will be waiting a while for a phone call back.

 

Yeah it’s a rough market. My dealer had like 15 various leftover 2019s when I bought mine last year. Still, they want to make sales, so if it’s on the lot and someone is ready to buy my experience has been they will try to get a deal done. I don’t think any will just call back and say “deal” but they’ll call and try to wheel and deal to make a sale. I’m surprised people are finding new ones at all honestly. I’m in Chicago burbs and haven’t seen a new taco on a lot at the dealers by me in months. Couple of used but that’s it.

 

Thanks man, that sounds like pretty solid advice. If they can't or won't do it then I can just wait them out or wait for the 2021s.. lucky for me I don't NEED to buy right now.

 

Yeah I've zero'd in on the 4x4 SR5.. but the one coming to the dealership in a few weeks has the predator package which I don't really need. I'm not personally a fan of the hood scoop on the Sport unfortunately.

 

I definitely agree with you about the hood scoop.

Don't be afraid to check out sites like Car Gurus or Cars.com and drive a little. If you're relying one dealership, your options will be fewer and you're less likely to get exactly what you want without paying a premium.

 

You need to go test drive the different models. They all ride different, even brake different. You might find out that you don’t like the truck at all. Don’t buy a truck because it’s a “truck” go buy a vehicle you like to drive and is a truck.

As others have stated, COVID is killing the vehicle market right now with low inventory and stingy pricing. Wait if you can because the vehicle market IMO is going to take a big hit over the next 6 months. The “real affects” are starting to settle in on the economy right now. I see many pleasure vehicles (boats, RV’s, motorcycles) starting to hit the market. It is always a tell tale of bad things to come and it will bleed over to the new market once inventory is increased. On the bright side, if you’re responsible with your money and are on solid ground so to speak, greats deals are coming!

 

Currently the price on a 4x4 TRD OR here that is well optioned ranges about MSRP to a $2000 markup. They usually sell within 2-5 days, sooner is its a hot color Cement.

I was at the dealership and witnessed a bidding war for a cement off road.

 

Oh great. Cement is the only ext color I am considering too.

It's probably prudent to play the long game here unless dealer just agrees to an 8% below MSRP offer (which is a long shot right now) and as troutspinner mentioned likely to be better deals to be had in the near future.. although it's hard to predict. Just tough because I've got the "bug" to get this truck and want it in the driveway now lol.

 

EXCELLENT ADVICE!! The POWER is in YOUR court! NOT NEEDING or DESPERATELY WANTING a vehicle is exactly the time to look for one. It keeps emotion out of the equation. The new car fever has been killing folks (talking financially - not literally killing) longer than has CCOVID 19.

 

I know where you can trade it for a regular hood and pocket $500-$600.

 

1. I'd wait until next year.

2. The stock tires are soft and quiet. You really don't see a change until you go with E rated or M/T

3. Back to the first question, I'd wait until next year.

 

I needed one when I bought, my 06 4Runner started the dreaded waterfall sound behind the dash, which according to 4runner forum is indicative of early head gasket failure. I didn’t want to sell that problem to someone (No problem trading it in, it was on them to do their DD), but luckily the dealer was wanting a sale more than I was wanting to purchase lol. I figured the 4Runner would be fine for awhile as it seemed many didn’t fail until months after the waterfall sound. I was and am happy with the purchase though. Love the truck.

 

First... Welcome to TW!

If you're looking for the best deal then I would hold out until the 21 come out and look for a new 20. Once the newer model comes out, dealers usually want to get the older stock out to make room for the new stuff. That being said Tacomas are the best selling midsize truck in America (by a wide margin) and dealers will only negotiate so much because of the "if you don't buy it the guy behind you will". It's been a few years now so take it for what it's worth, but when I bought mine the dealer had twelve Tacomas in stock on the previous Sunday. By Saturday there were four in stock (lucky for me one of them was the truck I was looking for).

Your right in the fact that a 4x4 is going to have better resale value. Most people who buy a truck are looking for something that is 4WD even if they don't plan on going off-road. Tacomas, in general, hold resale value well but if you're concerned about it then a Sport or Off-road would be your best option. That being said if you find a good deal on an SR5 and it has what you're looking for I would jump on it. If you're really concerned about resale then I would go with a 20. If you pull the trigger on a 21 in October, your truck is going to have 15K on the odometer before it's model year is over. On the other hand, a 20 bought in October will only have around 1,500 miles on it by the end of its model year.

There really is not a big difference in ride quality with the different models. The Off-road and Pro come with "all-terrain" tires, but they are more of a glorified street tire, and ride quality is fine. There is a difference in shocks and shock valving on the Off-road and especially the Pro that is a little more setup for off-road driving (ever so slightly stiffer), but Toyota knows that 90% of their trucks will be on pavement most of their lives and the suspension is set up to reflect that. Oh, and no it's not dumb to have all-season tires on a 4x4. I would strongly recommend having all-season tires on it.

 

Thanks for detailed response, @Lost In The Woods

Sounds like if truck I end up with comes with all-terrain I should be fine then. I only test drove SR5 and the Sport and they both had the all season tires.

Gah I keep going back and forth.. one of the dealers near me has 4x4 SR5 w/ predator package in Cement grey like I'm looking for. I guess I'll email them a hail mary 8% off MSRP offer. If it's a no go then I'll live if I have to wait.

 

Can’t hurt to send them an offer if you like the truck. Let them mull it over a bit and I’m sure they will contact you back with a counter offer. Just try to get close to your offer, I don’t worry about a few hundred over or whatever, not worth my time to haggle that much, but if too far apart on price you could always try negotiating something else into the deal like “free” platinum warranty etc. I would recommend a test drive though, just to make sure it is what you want, since it’s a big financial commitment regardless of the trim choice.

 

Worst time to buy ... wait till inventory goes up . Then u can negotiate a price . Dealers are not going to budge on price when there is low inventory.

 

All the dealers will use the $1000 cash back in their price, some will be up front, some not. They're really only giving you $800 off msrp. Ask them the price without any incentives. Until 8-31 you can get $1000 or 1.9% financing if you're not buying outright. I'd doubt the encentives will be any better in Sept because of low incentory.