Hi everyone,
I am currently zeroing in on the purchase of an '06 Camry SE. I'm down to the final step - ordering the vehicle and price negotiation. I'm hoping y'all can lend me some insight in doing this.
I have spec'ed out the exact vehicle I want - color, options, etc. None of my local dealerships have the car I want, so it must be ordered (which is fine with me).
Now, I have already put down a $500 deposit at one local dealership while they *attempt* to order me the car. I say "attempt" because they said that they have seen Toyota reject requests for special orders. Although my configuration is not at all exotic (all I'm asking for is the addition of the VSC & Side airbag package), they wanted to forewarn me that I have about a 50/50 chance at getting the car I want. They also told me that it would take about 7-10 business days to know whether or not Toyota will fulfill my request.
Although I did not sign a contract, we did agree on a price- $26K even. The sales manager told me that they would not be interested in selling the car "at invoice" because there is nothing in a special order for them. So we agreed on a price that is about $900 over Edmunds' invoice price and about $300 under Edmunds' "TMV" price.
So my first questions are these: Is this dealership feeding me a line concerning my chances on getting this vehicle to perhaps scare me into buying something off of their lot? Or is this legit?
Also, in hindsight I think this price is too high. Thoughts?
As I await word from that dealership, I received an email from a larger dealership offering me what seems to be a much better deal. They are offering me the car *AT* what they are calling "true invoice price". This dealership even faxed me a quote that broke out the costs like this:
True dealer invoice Base invoice price + option prices + destination + TDA + dealer holdback + wholesale financial reserve + tax, tags & title + $99 processing fee
This seems to be a more "honest" quote in that it breaks out all the fees. My questions here are this:
How many of these fees should I consider paying? If I am ordering the car and not buying one off of their lot, does that change which of these fees I have to pay?
I used to own a retail business myself, so I understand that a store needs to see some profit. I just want to be fair and educated.
Thanks in advance!!! James