Any TACOMA owners in DELCO?

**Egres** · April 25th, 2013, 10:33 PM

Hello, i just bought 2013 tacoma. Basic, single cab, 2X4,, manual. I would like to talk to some members from delco about their tacos, modification on the truck and problem spots.

Maybe someone interested how much new taco cost. MRSP is around 19K dealer offer was 18K. After calling around to "internet sales department" in different dealerships, I was able to get price to 17K plus TAX $1,020, plus doc fees $220 comes to 18240. Dealer has %1.9 financing if your credit score above 750. Consumer reports and "true car" show that dealer paid 16500 for a truck. So 16500 would be you start for negotiations.

I'm thinking about basic stuff like tail gate lock, alarm, disable switch. and maybe cap, full bed liner... and i want to make collapsible bed extender to 10 feet using hitch... Little truck can tow 3500 so probably i need small 4X8 trailer...

So any taco owners?

**BimmerJon** · April 25th, 2013, 11:00 PM

I bought a brand new 2011 double cab in 2011

Sold it a couple months ago since I didnt drive it much

As far as buying a new car, you have more to learn before signing

NEVER, EVER pay anything close to MSRP.

All my cars have been bought brand new from BMWs to Toyotas to Nissans.

I pay at invoice or UNDER

**Posit** · April 26th, 2013, 01:27 PM

Bought my 3rd Tacoma @ 5 weeks ago. I wouldn't worry much about "trouble spots" or problems... it is, after all, a Toyota (!). If any generic problems arise, you will be notified to take it to a dealer... many times, if you don't respond. Example was the floor mat-sliding-under-trhrottle-pedal issue 3-4 years ago.

I usually don't do a lot of add-ons, at least until a specific need arises. The truck bed is plastic/fiber - don't know why you would need a bed liner (?). Cap, extender, etc: Depends on your usage.

Rule of thumb on buying new vehicles is the dealer should make 3% - 5% on the deal. However, there are many variable... holdback, additional charges on the invoice, value of trade in (if any), the document fee (which eats my shorts off, personally; document prep is part of his business - I shouldn't have to pay extra for it), etc etc. Its difficult to assess - for example, if you have a decent trade in, what the dealer makes on it is variable; he knows his business, his market, etc... difficult for us commoners to know the value of a deal.

In your case, if you had no trade, appears you paid about 3% over his cost. IMO, a pretty good deal. Its rare for a dealer to lose money on a deal - its his ballgame, his business, and dealers are good at what they do (or else they are out of business).

BTW, after some discussion, my document prep fee was down to $130. That was the last step in the negotiation. Everything about a deal is negotiable, contrary to what a dealer will tell you. He can move money from one category to another - not an option for the buyer.

You bought a good vehicle - enjoy it.

**BimmerJon** · April 26th, 2013, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by Posit

Bought my 3rd Tacoma @ 5 weeks ago. I wouldn't worry much about "trouble spots" or problems... it is, after all, a Toyota (!). If any generic problems arise, you will be notified to take it to a dealer... many times, if you don't respond. Example was the floor mat-sliding-under-trhrottle-pedal issue 3-4 years ago.

I usually don't do a lot of add-ons, at least until a specific need arises. The truck bed is plastic/fiber - don't know why you would need a bed liner (?). Cap, extender, etc: Depends on your usage.

Rule of thumb on buying new vehicles is the dealer should make 3% - 5% on the deal. However, there are many variable... holdback, additional charges on the invoice, value of trade in (if any), the document fee (which eats my shorts off, personally; document prep is part of his business - I shouldn't have to pay extra for it), etc etc. Its difficult to assess - for example, if you have a decent trade in, what the dealer makes on it is variable; he knows his business, his market, etc... difficult for us commoners to know the value of a deal.

In your case, if you had no trade, appears you paid about 3% over his cost. IMO, a pretty good deal. Its rare for a dealer to lose money on a deal - its his ballgame, his business, and dealers are good at what they do (or else they are out of business).

BTW, after some discussion, my document prep fee was down to $130. That was the last step in the negotiation. Everything about a deal is negotiable, contrary to what a dealer will tell you. He can move money from one category to another - not an option for the buyer.

You bought a good vehicle - enjoy it.

That fact that you paid a "document prep fee" tells me about your car and negotiating approach

Spend 15 mins of research and you'll know exactly how much a dealer paid for a car, how much they are getting reimbursed by the manufacturer, how much holdback is in their pocket and what profit they are making.

I never look at MSRP or even invoice to determine what I should pay. As far as "fair" being a 3-5% profit for the dealer, what is that percentage based on? They can typically sell cars UNDER invoice all...day....long and make profits

**Mirlen** · April 26th, 2013, 02:25 PM

I have a 2008 4.7L V8 4x4 4Runner that I purchased new. It's my most favorite car of all the ones I've owned so far. Solid Japanese build, has been quite dependable with just the usual maintenance. Only had a couple small issues, one seems like a design issue in the drive train where the drive line 'thunks' at a stop/slowdown if it is not greased up religiously (Slip join suddenly jumps). Very common issue. Other was a fit/finish issue with a speaker grill in the back area that I just fixed with a little silicone sealant to keep it on, no biggie. 4Runners are based on the same base Toyota 120 platform. I believe the main differences are the frame where 4Runners have a fully boxed frame vs. a C-channel frame on Tacomas, but I could be wrong.

There are a few Toyota 120 based forums you'd probably be interested in:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/

http://www.toyota120.com/forum/index.php

Check those out, great resource on information on this platform and good communities! Enjoy! I love mine, 'cept for the gas mileage, if I had to do it again I'd probably do a V6...of course now I'd HAVE to do V6 since V8 isn't available...