My ordered TCH due here on 6/15. I am paying $500 off MSRP with no doc or dealer prep fees. I was #1 on the list and my dealer (NW Arkansas) has yet to see any TCH come in. Strange, but the dealer tells me they have a second TCH coming in that they got in a dealer trade. Just goes to show how limited supply is here in the lower MIdWest.

 

The best thing to do is first search for dealerships in your area by going to the toyota website and entering your zip code. Then you pretty much call all of those dealers and ask if they have any TCH in stock. Most likely scenarios are 1) None available, you have to put down a deposit and wait on THE LIST.
2) They have 1-2 in stock but there is already a buyer for it. Ask the person to call you back if some how the deal falls through.
3) They have one available and no one has dibs on it yet, obviously you get your butt down to the dealer asap.

1 and 2 are the most likely.

If you can wait then put your deposit and wait 2 weeks to 2 months for the dealer to call when your car comes. OR if you're **** like me you'd pretty much locate dealers in which they have a internet sales or fleet department, you should deal the internet or fleet manager since they are the ones that know when their next allocations are coming in. A common theme is that they simply don't know or won't tell you what color or options the next allocation has. Usually I've been hearing about 1-2 cars every 2 weeks at most dealerships. But bigger dealers will get more than 4 cars a month.
Tell them your info and what your looking for. And be persistant but also courtious with them about when the next batch is coming in. Out of 48 dealers near me I found about 3 that either had it in stock. I paid 33K out the door for a loaded TCH White.

 

Just purchased ours last night from Toyota of Lake City here in Seattle. It's the basic TCH configuration being offered (heated mirrors, rear deck spoiler, cloth) in mag gray. It's the model I wanted *almost* for the price I wanted to pay. I expected to pay MSRP. The dealer insists on installing a "VIP" package with 3M ding protection (plus mats, etc.) for an additional $1,600 (!). They came down ~ $600 on this, so MSRP ($27,004) plust ~ $1,000.

Adding insult to injury? The car had just arrived and hadn't yet had all the optional junk installed! So they actually could have sold it to me without the stuff but wouldn't.

I'm not happy about this but I do acknowledge that the car is in high demand (we were high on the list; this was the 5th car the dealer received). Still, like I've posted on other TCH forums, while I did get the car I want, but I can't feel good about the process. Stuart Truckman (Sales Mgr), I can't recommend your shop. I'm sure there are worse dealers, but as a new customer I didn't see anything that indicated you were interested in building a long term customer relationship with my family.

If someone asks me where to buy I'll say "shop around". If the dealer had been satisfied with their healthy MSRP profit I would have said "go to Toyota of Lake City"

 

We just took delivery of a loaded Camry Hybrid last Wed and paid sticker which was $30,589 with Leather, DVD Nav and all the things that go with those...I believe they call it package CF at the dealership. We got pretty much exactly what our trade in was worth and no dealer was offering more for the trade or any move off of the sticker for the car.

 

Toyota does not want it's dealers to mark up over MSRP and the only way a dealer can navigate it's way around that is to add content.

If you choose to bite, that's your prerogative. I'm not saying it's wrong to pay over MSRP but I am saying that you chose to do that. Is the dealer right? They are a business and they do what they do to satisfy their shareholders and that is their responsibility. Are you wrong? No, it's your money and you choose to spend it as you see fit.

However, you knew what your deal was when you walked in and you had the opportunity to walk away from it. The dealer called your bluff, is all. I don't see how you can complain!

 

Yup, totally agree: I could've walked away, dealers are in business to make a buck, etc., etc.

All I'm saying is that if you're looking to build business (through future sales, through referrals, through the service dept, etc.), and not just make a single sale you need to bring more to the table. I know that as a buyer for this car my negotiating hand is weak and paying MSRP no questions asked is recognition of that. Meeting the buyer half way or accomodating their concerns builds trust that will reap the dealer benefits over the long term.

In essence the dealer chose to trade my referrals and possible future business for an extra $300 (I offered to split the difference on the optional package). I made a choice to buy the car, they made a choice, too.

 

THe dealer's attitude is a bird in the hand is worthtwo in the bush, especially the large volume dealers. There thought process is where else are you going to go?

One also has to be aware that when there is a domfort level established with a salesman/dealership, they then believe they have an edge and can get more out of you.

Always deal from invoice up if you can or the factory sticker down (on a hot car like the TCH, that's exactly what I had to do) and try not to allow dealer transfer, doc or prep fees. Those are pure money makers for a dealer.

My brother in law is a Ford dealer (not salesman). I'm buying a Toyota after 20 years of Fords. The tricks are all the same!

 

Well, I feel very lucky that I was able to purchase my Barcelona Red TCH 2 days ago after reading how long people are waiting for one on this and other forums! The wife and I made a decision last Friday that we wanted to get a TCH and started looking at a couple of dealers in our area. We quickly found out that some of the places had a 4+ month waiting list and the ones that had a couple in stock wanted too much for them because they came fully loaded (spoiler & alarm system) which we didn't want to pay for. So I jump on the internet and tried AutoNation along with a couple of other sites on Saturday. By Sunday evening I get an email from a dealer about 30 miles away that they have 2 Barcelona Red TCH in stock. I contact the salesperson and tell him that I can’t get there any sooner than Tuesday evening after work. No problem he says, just call Tuesday afternoon and see if he still has them available. Sure enough, Tuesday afternoon I call and he has one left. The other one sold on Monday. We get there and fall in love with it. The wife says ok, let’s do it. Done.



Now, when we saw the car, it had everything we wanted, the leather package (LA), the navigation system (NV), the moon roof (SR) and the carpet floor mats/trunk mat (Z1). Fine. It also came with the heated outside mirrors that I wanted, but that was in the “Comfort & Convenience Package” (CQ) which includes: Heated Front Seats and Heated Power Outside Mirrors. More than I wanted, but I know I can’t be too picky because who knows when I could get the exact model I want, 6- 8 months from now? The CQ option was $470 which wasn’t going to kill me, but what gave me a bit of heartache was that the salesman said that because it comes with the leather, navigation & moon roof, they all come with the Remote Start (V4) package at $595, which I didn’t want. He said that Toyota doesn’t offer the car without the Remote Start if I get leather, navigation & moon roof. Does anyone know that this is a true statement? Now don’t get me wrong, I love this car and I don’t regret getting it, I just want to make sure that I wasn’t taken advantaged of. I paid full retail, knowing that I was not in a place to try to bargain on these hot selling cars and that I was getting one NOW and not in 4+ months from now. Here is what I paid:



Base price: $25,900.00

Heated seats & outside mirrors (CQ): $470.00

Leather (LA): $1,300.00

Navigation/CD/Radio System (NV): $1,200.00

Moon Roof (SR): $940.00

Remote Start (V4): $595.00

Carpet Mats/Trunk Mat, Cargo Net, First Aid Kit (Z1): $277.00

Delivery, processing & Handling Fee: $580.00



Total Price before tax & license: $31,262.00



So, as I have said, I am very happy with this car so far (100 miles), but I was just wondering if I was taken for a ride on the Remote Start package to the tune of $595.00. Does anyone know the story on the Remote Start package and if they are required if you get leather, navigation & moon roof or some combination of these?



Rod

 

I'm in No. VA too, and two different dealers quoted me MSRP. There is a waiting list at both and the cars are trickling in. If you want to pay under MSRP, you MIGHT get lucky on July 1, because that's when it will be too late to register for the HOV exemption. Of course, you would probably not get to pick your favorite color.

Even as I type this, I think you'd have to be lucky indeed. Wait until much later this year, say right after Christmas, and who knows?

 

Is Remote Start something that lets you start the engine just by pressing a button on the fob? If so, that's likely not something the dealer installed themselves and they are not being dishonest with you.

But understand that Toyota offers different configurations to different regions of the country. Remote Start is only useful in cold regions where someone might want to warm up the engine ahead of time, and it's certainly not offered on any cars here in California, but evidently it is where you live. So for your region, Toyota is probably adding it to all loaded Camrys, like your dealer said.

The dealers don't have much say in this. For instance my base model came with floor mats (which literally every TCH I saw came with) and heated side mirrors. The side mirrors cost $30 so that's not something a dealer would add to make money... it's just how Toyota ships it.