Am I getting a good Price? V6 4x2 SE

[robman]

Am I getting a good Price? We havent discussed trade-in yet, this is strictly a deal on the 4R. In Hawaii all new Toyota and Lexus vehicles are sold throuh SERVCO Pacific so no amount of negotiating will change the price by more than $150. Nevertheless, I dont want to pay more than I should for anything.

Here the spex:

I'm looking at a SportEdition V6 4x2 (cuz I dont go off-road or tow things)

Options:
JBL 10 Speaker Stereo
Sunroof
Spoiler

MSRP: $32,230

Their Price: 30,677.00 (includes dest charge before tax/tags)

Out the Door: 32,316.99 This seems a bit high for a V6 4x2, is it just me?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[daveman]

Even for Southern California, where imports, especially Toyota and Lexus, are the majority of the vehicles on the road, 32,000 for a v6 sport, especially a 2 wheel drive, is too high. I don't know about the market and taxes in Hawaii, but for S. California, that price is wrong.

 

[drice78]

I just checked carsdirect.com, which I have found is pretty close to fleet pricing. They show your 4runner being 29,394 + tax/lic based on 96818 zipcode. With a SoCal zipcode it comes up as 27,244 over 2k less obviously due to some charges for getting it in hawaii as daveman stated.

Looks like it still may be at least 1,500 over what you should be paying. Is SERVCO Pacific a dealer or ???

 

[robman]

I just checked carsdirect.com, which I have found is pretty close to fleet pricing. They show your 4runner being 29,394 + tax/lic based on 96818 zipcode. With a SoCal zipcode it comes up as 27,244 over 2k less obviously due to some charges for getting it in hawaii as daveman stated.

Looks like it still may be at least 1,500 over what you should be paying. Is SERVCO Pacific a dealer or ???

SERVCO is the Org that controls all the Hawaii dealerships...no matter where you go same price, even if you 'know' someone you only save like $150.

I'm not sure I understand the Carsdirect pricing. They list options for things that are standard options like the doulbe-decker shelf, sport bumper trim and other things not being broken out in the price at Edmunds.com. Even then the option prices are niether invoice or msrp but somewhere in between.

So with that, if I use carsdirect to option out the car with my Zip Code the price is $30,218

I guess what you guys are doing is comparing the price to other zip codes. I don't know what to do with that. Out here we are stuck with Servco or buy second hand.

Even for Southern California, where imports, especially Toyota and Lexus, are the majority of the vehicles on the road, 32,000 for a v6 sport, especially a 2 wheel drive, is too high. I don't know about the market and taxes in Hawaii, but for S. California, that price is wrong.

Yeah, this is Hawaii pricing. Toyota sells the most cars in Hawaii 2-1 over the second place finisher Nissan according to 2004 stats.

 

[tkr128]

If you were in the states, I would say you could do better.

Carsdirect.com is a great source. The prices they list on the website for options is they price they can get the option for you at, usually between invoice and msrp. Just load it up with the options you want and it'll give you the MSRP, invoice and price you should pay. The MSRP has matched very well when I've used it. The double decker cargo system and the sport bumper trim are options on the Sport Edition.

 

[robman]

If you were in the states, I would say you could do better.

Carsdirect.com is a great source. The prices they list on the website for options is they price they can get the option for you at, usually between invoice and msrp. Just load it up with the options you want and it'll give you the MSRP, invoice and price you should pay. The MSRP has matched very well when I've used it. The double decker cargo system and the sport bumper trim are options on the Sport Edition.

On the Servco Dealer stickers (I should take a picture) those options are included as well as the side-curtain airbags, and a few other things. If you goto edmunds.com and look up this model and its listed options its dead-on accurate to what the available options are locally.

 

[tkr128]

Okay, I decided to do some researching for you. 4Runners in Hawaii are equipped with groups of options, only 3 are available for the Sport V6 4x2 and this is the one that matches as close to the options you listed:

# Suffix 3 ($3,265):
* (RL) Daytime Running Lights
* (GY) Side and Curtain Airbags
* (PN) Anti-Theft Alarm System
* (NA) 115V AC Power Point
* (CM) Double Decker Cargo System
o Double Decker System
o Trunk & Deck Carpet
o Cargo Net
* (RF) Rear Spoiler w/ CHMSL
o w/ Center High-Mount Stop Lamp
* (SR) Power Tilt & Slide Sunroof
* (NJ) Homelink
* (EJ) JBL SYNTHESIS 3 IN 1 W/6 DISC, 10 SPKRS

Now, the base MSRP is $29,065, add the option package and the total is: $32,330. That's $100 off from the MSRP you listed, but Toyota sometimes does that. Add in the destination charge ($565) and the total comes to $32,895.

When I optioned one out with the above options on carsdirect.com, it gave me an MSRP of $32,895 (which is right from my calculation above), invoice of $29,653 and a target price of $30,653. I used a random Hawaii zip code. So, the price that you've negotiated is pretty darn close. Use the target price as a guide to how much you should be paying. I'd say it's a decent deal for the amount of equipment you're getting and your location

I hope that was helpful.

Just for kicks, I tried it with my zip code and the target price dropped down to $28,503.

 

[qs933]

SERVCO is the Org that controls all the Hawaii dealerships...no matter where you go same price, even if you 'know' someone you only save like $150.

Yup -- unfortunately for us in Hawaii, Servco is both the distributor AND the dominant* retailer in the state.

* Servco is the main Toyota retailer (and the only one on Oahu), but the dealerships on the islands of Maui and the Big Island are NOT owned by Servco. However, they still purchase their vehicles wholesale from Servco, so equipment configurations are the same.

The state's geography works out well for Servco. Buying Toyotas on the mainland and shipping them to Hawaii is expensive (though prior to a recent change in the tax law, many people did exactly that). The non-Servco dealerships in the state are on different islands, so cross-shopping is not easy (but not impossible).

The lack of competition means that many of the rebates and other promotions other distributors use on the mainland are not duplicated in Hawaii. After all, if your cars are selling well, and you have little retail competition, why discount?

On the plus side -- and it may be small consolation -- but the already strong resale value of used Toyotas is somewhat strengthened in Hawaii by the higher initial purchase prices of the new vehicles.

All that not-very-interesting-unless-you-live-here background about the Hawaii market aside, I have no problem paying the Toyota premium in Hawaii -- if I didn't think it was worth it, I would have bought something else (or moved elsewhere, I guess).

I picked up my '05 Sport V6 2WD from the non-Servco Toyota dealership on the Big Island with delivery on Oahu.

My configuration was the same you looked at minus the sunroof (didn't want it).

RL-Daytime Running lights,
GY-Curtain and side air bags,
PN-Anti-theft alarm system,
NA-115 volt ac power point,
CM-double decker cargo system and cargo net,
FR-rear spoiler,
NJ-Homelink,
EJ-JBL synthesis 3 in 1 w/6 disc changer,
CF-Carpet floor mats.

My out-the-door price including tax, title, etc. was $30,950. This price was not negotiated -- just like the Servco dealerships, that was the price, take it or leave it. There are no publicized rebates on any Toyota in Hawaii (even on any left over '04s).

When I worry that I overpaid, I just look at all those snow-covered 'Runners in the Gallery and read the stories about ice and sub-zero temperatures. Makes me feel much better.

Edited to add: I just remembered reading a press release about a recent price increase of about $300 on the '05 4Runner. I purchased my 4Runner before the price increase.

 

[robman]

Thanks so much for all the research, this really is a great board.

I went to the dealership yesterday to go ahead and give this thing a test drive and here is the sum of my experience.

I was driving on a mostly uneven road with several potholes and and sharp turns as well as a nice straightaway to test the acceleration. Just prior and after driving the 4R down that road I had driven my 210HP supercharged xTerra down the same path. The only preformance mod on the X is my Flowmaster 40series which made a noticable difference in the butt dyno.


Toyota build quality still excellent. Everything sounds solid and well made although I had some trouble getting the front seat adjusted just right. The ride is smooth but not too soft and the XREAS suspension really helps around those swooping turns even at speed.

Now the only thing I found wrong was the ride itself was quiet but the engine seemd a bit noisy and cluttery when I accelerated. Acceleration in the V6 was okay but compared to my supercharged X I wouldn't say it was that big a difference and considering the weight of my X is greater by 150lbs, I'm not overly impressed.

Edited to say, I actually thought the V6 was a bit sluggish. Sorry V6ers, just my honest opinion. Maybe I need to drive a different one.

I may try a V8 4R later or another V6 (maybe that one had a problem or underinflated tires or something) but that V8 gas mileage would be hard for me to swallow.

Thanks again,
Robert