What are you paying for your 2021 Tacoma? (price thread)

I dont think its bad... did they charge you a doc fee? did you pay it or told them to subtract it off the car?

 

I've done the same thing.. dealers in DC and in AZ that have the same truck with minor differences. They're trucks are on the lot, so I thought I'd take a chance and see if they could price match so I didn't have to wait. Both basically told me I was stealing the truck I have on order and that there was no way they could price match.

I put my deposit down in late September, but it seems like since then people have caught on to the Trail Editions. My dealer is still (reluctantly) honoring my original price, but now they're giving me a hard time about the add-ons I've requested.

 

there is still plenty of manual, but they are all spread across the country.... the automatic dominates the manual like 10-1 ratio!

 

This truck was on the lot in Malvern PA. I hopped around various dealer lots in Thorndale, Glen Mills, and Conshohocken before finding this Tacoma.

I quickly realized internet inventories are grossly inaccurate during my two month search and was happy to find this build sitting & waiting for me : )

As for the NJ DMV ... we will see. I’m happy to wait for the tags now that my search for the right Tacoma for me is over.

 

Yup I would take that first deal. Best I could do was another 500 off.

 

grossly inaccurate?? you mean to tell me they sold it and they still listed online??? man that would annoy me big time!

 

My truck was picked up from another dealer and brought to my dealer, all of which was arranged by my dealer. While the truck was in transit from the production plant, it wasn't it listed on that original dealer's website. Once they got the truck it was listed. I contacted my dealer who told me not to worry, he had already secured it for me. As soon as the truck was on its way to my dealer, I noticed it went off the original dealer's site. Maybe trucks being left on a dealer's site after it's been sold is a dealer specific issue.

 

No online inventories were accurate across the 4 Toyota visited lots. I know Tacoma’s are a quick sell right now but would hope with today’s technology they could do better to keep things updated.

The one I purchased I was told was sold (Deposit Placed) hours before my arrival which stung a bit as I parked right in front of it when I got to the dealer. Somehow, some way , the unit became available to me, just as I was leaving disappointed.

Dealer games or not I guess I’ll never know but it made for a little emotional roller coaster.

 

A bit of insight:

Dealer Lots Have Fewer Cars—and the Industry Likes It That Way
As they scramble to rebuild inventories, makers and retailers discover unforeseen benefit of having less supply on hand

The Covid-19 pandemic is changing an entrenched aspect of car shopping in America: finding your new ride on the lot and driving it home that day.

For months, dealer stocks have been running about 25% thinner than normal, a hangover effect from two months of pandemic-related factory closures last spring. The shortfall is requiring many buyers to order their cars and wait a few weeks, running counter to the American car shopper’s desire for instant gratification, and dealers’ impulse to send the customer home in a new car ...

(The above article seems to now be behind a pay wall) - it seems like the model will continue as it is for a while resembling the european model - Less inventory and the need to likely have to wait a bit for the prefferred vehicle... (pending market pressure to revert to the old US model of high 'expensive' inventory.)


https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/23/car...iday-deals-on-a-truck-likely-out-of-luck.html
Instead of offering the steep discounts to clear out older inventory, many automakers are having a hard time resupplying dealer lots with enough inventory after shutting down factories earlier the year to try to curb the outbreak this spring. That’s left a backlog of pent up demand, especially for hot-selling SUVs and pickup trucks

I read somewhere that the proportion of next year's (2020 vs 2021) vehicles is MUCH lower than it was last year at this time... (2019 vs 2020)

I interpret this as a case for the PRO

IF vehicles are tight and discounts hard to come by across the board, this has had the effect of inflating prices (Reducing discounts). Discounts n the PRO were traditionally difficult - so the inflation on the other trims has the effect of leveling the playing field a bit (in favor of the PRO)...

I found that the well equipped off-road was at the price point of the pro - with limited flexibility (due to high demand for the higher trims) - so the PRO made 'perfect' sense!

** PROVIDED however, that you can negotiate away the additional widgets, horrid added dealer mods, and the dreaded dealer 'market' premium ($$$ for nothing) often added to the PRO... to get to MSRP on the PRO.

 

It is a sales tactic to get people in... I saw many ads posted for Tacomas that did not exist... I was lied several times about particular models that were supposed to be on the lot... but oddly were nowhere to be found when I showed-up.

I was amazed at how may salesmen mistook an automatic gearbox for a Manual while I called to inquire... The amount of confusion between the two types is incredible!

I was traveling and used dealership visits as a break, so I was not too bothered... I was also not buying tacos in their inventory - but did want to test drive a Taco - preferably a manual.

I've only seen ONE 21 LR PRO manual in the flesh - so I know they exist!
But that dealer would not budge from their $15k (+many added widgets) price...

 

I had not bought a new vehicle in 12 years, so times have changed. While the internet was obviously present then, I did the traditional walk into the dealer, look at the stock there, test drive, then purchase from what they had. Now, with my wife's vehicle in May and mine last week, we started online, did most of the arrangements and work through either online or through texts and calls, then waited for a vehicle that suited our needs to be located and secured. For a person like me who is impulsive, this was difficult, but the overall buying experience was more pleasant and less stressful. In the future I imagine the dealers will have less vehicles on hand and go more with the online buying process.

 

yeah, buying a car is such a pain in the ass... whoever thought of having a dealer in order to purchase a vehicle needs a punch in the f-ing face! I think the only car brand that sells it is tesla! Anyway I would like to get a TRD Pro Manual but I think my wife would need car before i do. Our vehicles are paid off since like 2013... good payment is no car payments!!

 

My experience shopping these past few weeks has been that a dealership orders a truck and then puts it on their online inventory to generate attention. People shopping find the truck and call or show up and talk to someone only to discover it hasn't arrived yet, but they're offered the option to put a deposit down to secure the truck and basically get dibs on it when it does finally arrive. This deposit amount for me has ranged from $200 up to $1000, and has ranged from non-refundable to sure just ask for it back if you change your mind.

Dealerships are also searching for vehicles from other dealerships for customers (especially for MTs, it seems), so you have some dealers "locate" a specific vehicle for a customer that's actually not even arrived at another dealership, ask for a deposit on that vehicle, only to find out that that specific vehicle already has a deposit on it from the dealership it's actually going to be (but has not yet been) delivered to. So in this way, you can have one vehicle promised to multiple people and it really depends on the integrity of the dealership you're working with.

This scenario actually happened to me with my local dealership: They offered me the print off of a truck complete with the VIN and asked if I wanted it, and if so I would need to place a deposit and they would "begin their search." (Obvious red flag: I'm placing a deposit on an imaginary truck that might not exist). I asked them to elaborate on their process and was told they would contact a bunch of dealers and offer to trade a vehicle with them to get a close approximation of the truck I want, get it in, and then because of the deposit, it would be mine. So second red flag: They're looking for a similar truck and have the opportunity to find a "Similar one" that has extras that I don't actually want, marking up the price.

That left a sour taste in my mouth so I started spiraling out and talking to other dealers in the area. Oddly enough, I found an exact same model about 2 hours away, asked for a spec sheet, and they gave me the EXACT sheet that my local gave me: Same VIN. I confirmed that the vehicle is coming directly to them, it's not something they are going to have to acquire from another dealership, agreed to a price, and then put down a fully refundable deposit.

It's been an interesting ride, but hopefully I'll be driving around in my new Taco by next weekend!

 

My experience was somewhat like that. My dealer found another dealer (in another state actually) who had the kind of truck I wanted. My salesman did not ask for a deposit though. I have worked with him in the recent past and my daughter is dating a guy who works for the dealership, so maybe that's why. The truck had just come off the production line (Oct. 19th) and was in transit to the designated (original) dealer. My salesman worked hard to monitor the delivery to the other dealer, then went and picked it up and brought it back to my area. The market right now is tight. If you want a certain kind of Tacoma it seems you have to put your order in and wait.

 

Live in Brooklyn. Couldn't find a single dealer willing to go down more than $300 in the NY, NJ, CT areas.

Spoke to a few dealers in PA and was able to get a good deal.

MSRP: $39,632
Paid: $37,032
From Bennett Toyota

 

Unless your trading in, tax credit cap dosent count for open bed vehicles. It’s how I only paid about $400 in taxes on my 2020 back in Feb. And thats a solid deal, I paid $2.5k less for my similar 2020 precovid, but in this market that’s solid, you did good.

 

Doc fee is set by state here, max is $300.

 

I checked my paperwork. My doc fee was $389 (PA).

 

My experience lately as well that online inventory is not relevant to what is on the lot, but rather a reflection of what the dealers allocation is. I've been looking for a MT AC, and over the past 12 months I've seen exactly one show up in my immediate area, and one other within 150 miles. I don't have an issue traveling to get the build I want, but the way dealers are advertising their inventory has made it even more challenging.

Pretty much made up my mind to sit tight until January-February to see where the market is. I'm in no hurry.

 

Whenever I've been on the hunt for something I can never find it. Then when I'm not looking and just clearing my mind three or four options would pop up. The MT Tacomas are built in batches so it may be three months before there is another influx of them in your area. Probably won't be many but that's how it works.