Houston buyers

[historyteacher]

A question for any Houston buyers on the forum. How close to invoice were you able to get your 4Runner?
I plan on getting a 4x4 SR5 in a few months and when I priced it with the options I want on True Car, the sticker comes to $32,960. The graph is showing the Invoice as $30,814 and the Average Price as $31,860. I'm just curious as to how easy it'll be to get closer to $31k rather than $32k. I know it's only a thousand dollars, but every little bit helps.
I do plan on hitting up a couple of dealers in the area for price quotes through the internet first; but I'm hoping to get a good deal from a salesman at Sterling McCall as my wife and her family have bought 3 or 4 cars from him and have gotten good prices. But I know the 4Runners are selling pretty well too.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Ryan F.]

I'm not in Houston, but I have a few thoughts...I wouldn't think that it would be hard to get to the 32 figure. However, I think that it is important to show loyalty to a dealership. I know that some members will scoff at this, but I have purchased my vehicles from the same dealership and the same salesman for the last 15 years. Know what? When it comes time to buy, we all know how to play, and I am never left wanting. My trade ins are honored, and my people do everything they can to meet my purchasing goals. There is a key--Establish what you are willing to spend, and let them know that if it works out--they have the potential to welcome a life long customer. What you are willing to do needs to be reasonable, and it looks like you are doing research to understand what reasonable is--so good job there. My recommendation--Think big picture. The other rule I play by is--If I can't afford sticker, I'm out of my league. Make sure that you are at the right price point. Do not go into a dealership with hope. Hope is dangerous. That is when all of the weird financing games screw people.

 

[LongBallLarry]

I am amazed at the number of people who seem almost clueless about buying a car these days. Forget the vast amount of info on the internet, take a look at the info on the first two pages that have discussed this to death. Two hours of reading will save you thousands.

edmunds.com

carbuyingtips.com

My advice is not to ask others in this forum what they are buying them for since this is not a high volume truck and many here are not great car buyers to begin with given the posts I have read. My advice is to ask the internet guy this exact question, "how far back of invoice can you go?". Exact, word for word.

I really don't understand the we bought 3-4 cars from thsi dealer so I want to give them the biz desire. Give them a chance to match the price if you want.

Anyways, good luck.

 

[06HAOLE]

I recently bought a new SR5 V-6 4x4 from Don McGill Toyota for around 32k but that was totally stripped down. I then had them add everything I wanted like leather, blue tooth etc at their dealer cost so I got a pretty good deal.

There arent a lot of SR5 4x4s out there so they wont move very much on them. Good Luck

 

[historyteacher]

Well, I've looked at numerous car buying sites, but I was just looking to see what personal experiences were in this area specifically since I've seen availability has varied by region.
Mine will be relatively stripped down, except for the stero upgrade and a couple of other small things.

 

[Ryan F.]

I am amazed at the number of people who seem almost clueless about buying a car these days. Forget the vast amount of info on the internet, take a look at the info on the first two pages that have discussed this to death. Two hours of reading will save you thousands.

edmunds.com

carbuyingtips.com

My advice is not to ask others in this forum what they are buying them for since this is not a high volume truck and many here are not great car buyers to begin with given the posts I have read. My advice is to ask the internet guy this exact question, "how far back of invoice can you go?". Exact, word for word.

I really don't understand the we bought 3-4 cars from thsi dealer so I want to give them the biz desire. Give them a chance to match the price if you want.

Anyways, good luck.

....Larry, Larry, Larry. Quit being so pissy.:cry2:

 

[tx 4runner]

Don't listen to LongBallLarry, that guy must be having marital problems or something.

Here was my experience buying a 4Runner in Houston (Feb '10):

The Houston dealers all have their inventory online. So, I checked this out for a while, and made a few calls to the dealers and starting asking about the prices. After about 5 calls to different dealers on a few different trucks, they all wanted me to pay MSRP +- $1000. I wasn't happy about this. I even called an autobroker and got it down a little more, but that ended up falling through.

Fed up, I went online to, I think, Cars.com and Autotrader... and searched for 4runners with the features I wanted. I emailed maybe like 10 dealers across the country. Eventually, I found an out of state dealer that agreed to sell it to me for 1% over invoice, ship me the vehicle for a low price, and the state had a $1000 manufacturers rebate. So I ended up paying a little less than invoice for mine by buying out of state and having it shipped.

I recommend looking into this, it was so easy, didn't have to leave my chair or haggle with anyone and saved a ton of money.

Hope that helps.

 

[historyteacher]

That's great about your price.
I figure I'll check Houston dealers online first and if I have the same results as you, I'll start branching out. I'm hoping that since it'll have been out for a year and there will be 2010s and 2011s out there, it'll be easier to find what I'm looking for. I teach so, provided I can't get it shipped here, if I had to wait until my Thanksgiving or Christmas break to fly somewhere and drive back, it wouldn't be a big deal. (Woo hoo, road trip! arty: )

Don't listen to LongBallLarry, that guy must be having marital problems or something.

Here was my experience buying a 4Runner in Houston (Feb '10):

The Houston dealers all have their inventory online. So, I checked this out for a while, and made a few calls to the dealers and starting asking about the prices. After about 5 calls to different dealers on a few different trucks, they all wanted me to pay MSRP +- $1000. I wasn't happy about this. I even called an autobroker and got it down a little more, but that ended up falling through.

Fed up, I went online to, I think, Cars.com and Autotrader... and searched for 4runners with the features I wanted. I emailed maybe like 10 dealers across the country. Eventually, I found an out of state dealer that agreed to sell it to me for 1% over invoice, ship me the vehicle for a low price, and the state had a $1000 manufacturers rebate. So I ended up paying a little less than invoice for mine by buying out of state and having it shipped.

I recommend looking into this, it was so easy, didn't have to leave my chair or haggle with anyone and saved a ton of money.

Hope that helps.

 

[LongBallLarry]

Don't listen to LongBallLarry, that guy must be having marital problems or something.

Here was my experience buying a 4Runner in Houston (Feb '10):

The Houston dealers all have their inventory online. So, I checked this out for a while, and made a few calls to the dealers and starting asking about the prices. After about 5 calls to different dealers on a few different trucks, they all wanted me to pay MSRP +- $1000. I wasn't happy about this. I even called an autobroker and got it down a little more, but that ended up falling through.

Fed up, I went online to, I think, Cars.com and Autotrader... and searched for 4runners with the features I wanted. I emailed maybe like 10 dealers across the country. Eventually, I found an out of state dealer that agreed to sell it to me for 1% over invoice, ship me the vehicle for a low price, and the state had a $1000 manufacturers rebate. So I ended up paying a little less than invoice for mine by buying out of state and having it shipped.

I recommend looking into this, it was so easy, didn't have to leave my chair or haggle with anyone and saved a ton of money.

Hope that helps.

lol... sounds like you are no stranger to marital probs given that it was the first thing you wrote. Been a while since she made you "happy", has it?

Anyway, your method sounds like a PIA. And you took possession of a vehicle that you could not inspect. Wow.

Funny how people are scared to just ask for under invoice and spend all that time feeling out the dealers. If a dealer believes that you will come in that day to purchase, you get the best price. Be upfront and no need for games on either side. Just make sure they have the exact vehicle you want on the lot before you go in.

 

[LongBallLarry]

That's great about your price.
I figure I'll check Houston dealers online first and if I have the same results as you, I'll start branching out. I'm hoping that since it'll have been out for a year and there will be 2010s and 2011s out there, it'll be easier to find what I'm looking for. I teach so, provided I can't get it shipped here, if I had to wait until my Thanksgiving or Christmas break to fly somewhere and drive back, it wouldn't be a big deal. (Woo hoo, road trip! arty: )

Oh man, that's a scary thought. Flying out to a dealer? I would never trust a dealer to keep his word especially with so much invested on my part. They know you are over the barrel and will never see you again. Too many shady dealers out there.

Seriously, just call the dealers' internet dept in your area and tell them you are ready to come in and buy and simply ask outright how far under invoice they will go. Leave your contact info when asked, answer their call and let them beat your best offer when they call back. Heck, add a couple hundo to your best offer to see if they will go even further. Simple stuff.

 

[nashman69g]

Oh man, that's a scary thought. Flying out to a dealer? I would never trust a dealer to keep his word especially with so much invested on my part. They know you are over the barrel and will never see you again. Too many shady dealers out there.

Seriously, just call the dealers' internet dept in your area and tell them you are ready to come in and buy and simply ask outright how far under invoice they will go. Leave your contact info when asked, answer their call and let them beat your best offer when they call back. Heck, add a couple hundo to your best offer to see if they will go even further. Simple stuff.

I did just that...I flew to Boston 1600 miles from home in New Orleans. If you do something like this just get everything worked out over the phone and have a P.O. filled out with everything that's not standard and have it signed by the manager. They'll ask for a deposit--about $500. If you don't feel comfortable then move on.

 

[historyteacher]

Oh, I'll definitely be contacting all of the dealers in the area via the internet.
The going to another state thing would be a last resort and I'd get everything worked out ahead of time, including having them send me pics of the vehicle with everything I wanted, which isn't that much to begin with.

Oh man, that's a scary thought. Flying out to a dealer? I would never trust a dealer to keep his word especially with so much invested on my part. They know you are over the barrel and will never see you again. Too many shady dealers out there.

Seriously, just call the dealers' internet dept in your area and tell them you are ready to come in and buy and simply ask outright how far under invoice they will go. Leave your contact info when asked, answer their call and let them beat your best offer when they call back. Heck, add a couple hundo to your best offer to see if they will go even further. Simple stuff.

 

[LongBallLarry]

....Larry, Larry, Larry. Quit being so pissy.:cry2:

Awww, did you get hurt because I scoffed at your wanting to give a dealer more money for the same car over and over when potentially cheaper options exist? Look at who is so pissy. Think what you want, attack me, whatever, but at least admit I added value and real world tactics to car buying.

Flame on...

 

[LongBallLarry]

Oh, I'll definitely be contacting all of the dealers in the area via the internet.
The going to another state thing would be a last resort and I'd get everything worked out ahead of time, including having them send me pics of the vehicle with everything I wanted, which isn't that much to begin with.

I think you underestimate the depths of low that dealers will engage in. Personally, I have had great experiences buying cars from the internet/fleet guys. But I have had friends who did not heed my advice and have been worked over. The difference is that I make it clear by my actions and conversations that I am educated and confident about the process. At that point dealers save their energy and work someone else over.

Contacting via email is fine, to start. But include your phone number and expect a phone call. A serious buyer will always get the best deal. Utter the exact words I recommend and make sure they have what you want on the lot. Good luck.

 

[06HAOLE]

(Don McGill) Houston Sales Experience Nightmare

Sit Back. Your going to want to hear this.

I drove from Austin to Houston for a 2010 SR 4x4 with 8000k on it. It was the Tuesday after Memorial day to be exact. I spoke with the internet sales manager after seeing the used truck on their website.

I requested to put down a deposit over the phone by CC without even having seen the vehicle. The dealer declined (stating dealer policy) and said that the truck wasnt sold so drive on over. I left my house within 5 minutes of hanging up. I called when I was halfway to Houston and asked if the truck was still there. I was reassured that it was and that no one was test driving it.

I arrived in Houston within 3 hrs of initially speaking with the sales manager. The internet manager I spoke to came out with the sales manager to meet me with a strange look on their face.

THEY CLAIM TO HAVE SOLD THE 4-RUNNER MINUTES BEFORE I GOT THERE. :jaw drop:

They state that they have a policy that they cannot hold a vehicle for a customer even with a deposit. However, they had a new 2010 4-Runner SR5 4x4 in the back. I was very upset but I knew that there was nothing I could do so I kept my cool and checked out the truck. I liked it so I went back inside to talk numbers.

When we get back inside to negotiate I was expecting to have the red carpet rolled out for me. They replied that they would take $500 off the sticker price.

Thats when I turned up the volume and began to let everybody around me know how I felt about the entire sitiation. I never loose my cool in public but enough was enough. After an hour of negotiating/regional manager contact information/and my military service record I got the terms I wanted and the options added to the truck that I wanted.

I know that the dealer/salesman I contacted cheated me by not disclosing that the truck was sold but I realized that this was the only opportunity I would have to really take it to the dealer with a good bargaining chip.

The bottom line from the dealer was this.

The new 4-Runners are rare and the 4x4 SR5s are even more rare so they dont need to negotiate with anyone. I had my bank's pre-approval check in hand and they didn't even blink. They Houston area dealers know that the 4-Runners will sell at their asking price so they dont care about negotiating.

 

[historyteacher]

Well, I'll try to get what I want for the price, but if I don't get it, I don't get it. I'm still looking at a couple of other vehicles.

Sit Back. Your going to want to hear this.

I drove from Austin to Houston for a 2010 SR 4x4 with 8000k on it. It was the Tuesday after Memorial day to be exact. I spoke with the internet sales manager after seeing the used truck on their website.

I requested to put down a deposit over the phone by CC without even having seen the vehicle. The dealer declined (stating dealer policy) and said that the truck wasnt sold so drive on over. I left my house within 5 minutes of hanging up. I called when I was halfway to Houston and asked if the truck was still there. I was reassured that it was and that no one was test driving it.

I arrived in Houston within 3 hrs of initially speaking with the sales manager. The internet manager I spoke to came out with the sales manager to meet me with a strange look on their face.

THEY CLAIM TO HAVE SOLD THE 4-RUNNER MINUTES BEFORE I GOT THERE. :jaw drop:

They state that they have a policy that they cannot hold a vehicle for a customer even with a deposit. However, they had a new 2010 4-Runner SR5 4x4 in the back. I was very upset but I knew that there was nothing I could do so I kept my cool and checked out the truck. I liked it so I went back inside to talk numbers.

When we get back inside to negotiate I was expecting to have the red carpet rolled out for me. They replied that they would take $500 off the sticker price.

Thats when I turned up the volume and began to let everybody around me know how I felt about the entire sitiation. I never loose my cool in public but enough was enough. After an hour of negotiating/regional manager contact information/and my military service record I got the terms I wanted and the options added to the truck that I wanted.

I know that the dealer/salesman I contacted cheated me by not disclosing that the truck was sold but I realized that this was the only opportunity I would have to really take it to the dealer with a good bargaining chip.

The bottom line from the dealer was this.

The new 4-Runners are rare and the 4x4 SR5s are even more rare so they dont need to negotiate with anyone. I had my bank's pre-approval check in hand and they didn't even blink. They Houston area dealers know that the 4-Runners will sell at their asking price so they dont care about negotiating.