I saw this posted on a site that I frequent: www.slickdeals.net, thought I'd share it...I'm not the one who actually took advantage of this offer, but just thought I'd share this post, b/c it looked interesting...Not sure of the validity of it or not...Can anyone from Toyota confirm this?

http://forums.slickdeals.net/t113479...&highlight=buy

(Mods - Please delete if I'm not allowed postings from another forum - Sorry!) - YMMV means Your Mileage May Vary

Employee Discount on Toyota! (Unadvertised & YMMV)

I was in the market for a new car and found out through a friend who works for Toyota that they are having an unadvertised promotion were you can buy a Toyota at employee discount rates. The way it works is they notify select customers via mail or phone and give them an eligibility code. They then track eligible customers in a national database that a dealer references to ensure eligibility. I think the offer is only given to existing Toyota owners, but I'm not sure on that.

Toyota Employee Discount = 1.25% over invoice on all models (not sure about Scion). There is also $500 customer cash back for my region. Some regions are $1000 while others are $0. Check Edmunds.com for details.

Anyway, I've never owned a Toyota before and wasn't contacted to participate, but when has that ever stopped a SDer? Here's what I did. I simply went to the dealership and test drove the one I was interested in. Afterwards I told the sales rep I liked it, but I wasn't sure if I liked it better than the Honda I drove earlier that day (actually did test drive a Honda). I told him the only thing making me lean towards the Toyota was the unadvertised employee discount rate. He had just found out about that incentive that morning so he didn't know how to respond. 2 minutes later I was talking to the GM who said, "Great, you're our first customer to take advantage of this offer." He asked if I had my "invite code". I told him "no", and that I was contacted on the phone about it (my friend told me about this on the phone ). He said

In a word, no.

Our local newspaper just did an article last week where they interviewed someone from Toyota and asked if they will be following suit with the Big 3. The rep stated that they will not be as Toyota does not have to. They have repeat customers and they are not just reducing prices to sell their vehicles. They stated that June sales were up 10%. I wouldn't bet on Toyota doing this. Imagine what you vehicle would be worth if they did, crap!!

Exactly! I hope they never do this, I don't want my resale value to decline. The big 3 are doing it, because their only way to gain/hold marketshare is through highly incentivised pricing.

Exactly.

thanks for the feedback...i didn't really believe it myself, but thought it was worth it to make a post...my fiance's P.O.S. '02 VW Golf is coming off a lease soon, and i'm trying to figure out what to replace it with...

If anything, Toyota will be raising their prices in the future. Why do you think that the Big 3 has to do this? There is a two word answer to this one: Toyota and Honda.

Toyota rebates are some of the cheapest in the auto business! $500-$1,500, take it or leave it. They don't have to give cars away. You probably won't see in your lifetime Toyota giving $5,000-$7000 rebates like GM or Ford, so you won't see Employer Discounts either.

GM and Ford are giving cars literally at cost just to get a few bucks back on the financing and aftermarket crap--they have to keep their garbage moving to keep the UAW union goons employed per contract regardless what junk they make and how long the cars sit on the lots. Where's the Pontiac G6 now? How are the Malibus selling? What's the sales figures fo those Envoys? Trailblazers??? Anyone standing in line for a Caprice?

GM has 89 models and can't compete with Toyota with 29 models.....

i received a discount.
The stealer gave me cost plus I got $1000 cash back from the company.
family rates are cost plus $500.(only one vehicle every 2 years)
only toyota vehicles

REcent article in paper confirms what most of us have already experienced...Toyota doesn't have a sales problem they have a customer srevice problem. They sell so many cars that they have a cavellier attitude about customer service. The article said they know it too and are trying correct the problem. They don't have enough service facilities at most dealerships. So they are always busy and have this take it or leave it attitude. They are trying to expand dealer sites to compensate. It also said they are still pushing sales but are paying more attention to customer issues.

I don't think they have to do the discount thing.....there sales are up every month.

I spent 20 yrs working with a Major Toyota distributor & dealers. there employee discount was dead cost + $500. There is no such official offer. Just another marketing idea!

I got the 4 Runner at invoice in Jan 05

Invoice is NOT dead cost. Invoices do not reflect the dealer holdback, monthly volume incentives, port installed accesory bonuses & wholesale finance reserves. A dealer can sell a 4runner at invioce & still clear $1200+. And if you finance, oh boy!

I spent 20 yrs working with a Major Toyota distributor & dealers. there employee discount was dead cost + $500. There is no such official offer. Just another marketing idea!

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There's ALOT of truth in that statement. Toyota came out with a program called 'Signature' which was geared toward more of a customer service aspect of problem solving; Toyota would then come in and 'certify' that department in accordance with what was their guidelines... Anyways, along with that program, once that dealership was certified as a whole, employees would be able to purchase new vehicles at dead nuts, plus any incentives. That was the only 'employee discount'. However, they just discontinued the program this year, two years after they instated it.

lol........ imagine throwing a bunch of money out of a car window on 95 south...

what you saw was their official invoice, and not their official, secret invoice that shows their 2-3% hold backs, or their double secret super official invoice that shows the monthly incentive plans, dealer promos from the factory, and I am sure they did not show you their super super secret super super official invoice that shows you what they get back on rebates if they hook you up to Toyota financing or their triple secret invoice that shows what they get back if they hook you up to any other financing plan plus their extended warranty program.......

"I'm selling this at cost and I'm not making any money on this...":FOS: