Question for anyone who ordered a RAV4 Hybrid

7865 Views 45 Replies 20 Participants Last post by impetus19, 4 mo ago

impetus19

Discussion Starter · 7 mo ago (Edited)

I called the dealer that we bought our prius from a number of years back and he seemingly took an order for '23 RAV4 Hybrid LE + BSM. No deposit, MSRP pricing, and he said he would send a spec sheet when available. Also that is could take 9-12 months.
Question is, does Toyota take retail orders or is it mostly dealer stock?
From the sound of my "order" it sounds more as if they are putting me inline for dealer stock that matches what I am looking for.

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Dan Daniel

· #21 · 7 mo ago

skier6 said:
I was at the St Albans Toyota dealer for a service visit on my 2021 RAV 4 Hybrid just today.
Been looking for a Highlander Hybrid, which wouldn't take a year

That 'bonus fee' is what I would expect from Handy's. Something in the genes, I guess....

Think about talking to Della Toyota in Plattsburgh. I dealt with Jon Peacock. He was informed, helpful. And certainly struck me as honest. He never made claims that were wrong. He never assured me a vehicle would arrive shortly; he explained what he knew and what he had been experiencing. I dealt with them in May, and he said that Della wasn't going to charge extra because they didn't want to treat customers like that. After a couple of talks, we drew up a desired car, along with some alternatives, and I put $1000 down as a fully refundable deposit.

I think that they even had a new hybrid Highlander out front three or so months ago. Or maybe it was gas. Either way, I'm sure it's long gone. They are a smaller dealer, but that also means fewer customers clamoring in their face. And to be real, this side of the lake is much more Chevy and Nissan country. Ferry, or the loop through Rouses Point or Crown Point is a nice ride, especially if you only need to do it twice.

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skier6

· #22 · 7 mo ago

Dan Daniel,
I have bought a car from a Plattsburgh dealer before. Our used 2012 Subaru Tribecca from the Subaru dealer there, Bill McBride. Didn't mind the drive through Rouses Point.

zhan

· #23 · 7 mo ago

FDrobb17 said:
I put a deposit down in July for a 2022 SE, being in New England there are a ton of Toyota dealers but I found one in Maine that had the lowest Market Value adjustment, so you get put inline as their dealer stock. (Some dealers were up charging between $3000 to $5000 extra)
I wasn't allocated one until October that met my specs, build date was end of October and the SE was just delivered this past Wednesday. So all in all took about 4 months.

Hey, I'm in NE looking for a hybrid as well. Which dealership in Maine did you get yours from? Everyone I've reached out near me are charging $2k-$5k. Looking to find someone more reasonable.

skier6

· #24 · 7 mo ago (Edited)

zhan
Back in November 2021 , (a different century for car prices) I bought a 2021 Rav 4 Hybrid LE, from 802 Toyota in Barre Vermont. MSRP.
They had the car allocated to the dealership, so from my deposit it only took 5 weeks to get the car. I like the dealership. Ask for Jake..

PaulG

· #25 · 7 mo ago

impetus19 said:
Question is, does Toyota take retail orders or is it mostly dealer stock?
From the sound of my "order" it sounds more as if they are putting me inline for dealer stock that matches what I am looking for.

Since Toyota can sell every car they can make, there's just no return in fulfilling spec orders -- even if you abandon your place in line, the line is still a year deep and someone will happily take your place.
When I "ordered" mine I was told - "If you get the pano roof, you can get your RAV in 2 months instead of next year" Even so, I couldn't get auto-leveling headlights, and I didn't get the color I preferred. Didn't bug me too much, but "ordering" doesn't really happen.

khayes69

· #26 · 7 mo ago

We bought an 2022 XLE Premium Hybrid. Went to the dealer and built it out with Toyota's website, paid a $500 deposit and waited from May 1 to September 6 of this year. During that time they called us about a few that came in under allocation, but they never quite matched what we wanted. Finally got a call saying our car was coming in the September allocation...but it had some funky racing stripes on it, plus other options that we had not requested, all of which upped the price. I told them no, we would continue to wait. Within 5 minutes they called back and assured me that all the un-wanted issues would be deleted. So we took it. I had been warned from friends about dealers adding another $5000 dealer fee at the last minute but that did not happen with us.

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PaulG

· #27 · 7 mo ago

If you're willing to wait long enough you can get what you want. I buy all my cars from the same fleet buyer and save a lot of bullshit and money, but it isn't fast to get the car I want. Fortunately I got pretty cheap, pretty close, and pretty fast, without being a PITA for my friend.

plumber802

· #28 · 7 mo ago

skier6 said:
I was at the St Albans Toyota dealer for a service visit on my 2021 RAV 4 Hybrid just today.
As I left their lot, I noticed a RAV 4 Prime, parked on the grass. Called back later to a salesperson I know, about this Plug-in Prime. Turns out it's a 2021 SE model with 18,800 miles on it. Has the sunroof package with an original MSRP price with options and delivery charges, of $41,628 .

They are asking $52,000 for this used car. That's amost $11,000 above the original MSRP !

Our first RAV 4 Hybrid, bought in November 2021 only took 5 weeks from dealer allocation (when we put down a deposit) to delivery. That was from a Toyota dealership in central Vermont. Been looking for a Highlander Hybrid, which wouldn't take a year, but will probably give up, and just buy a gas Highlander, we need to tow our boat.

I live in St-Albans, Vermont and can attest to how shady that dealership is (huge markups over MSRP in addition to bogus addendum add ons). We have a deposit on a R4P at a dealership in central VT. The experience so far has been better than expected. We have made it to #4 on the waiting list for a R4P XSE with PP. They have been receiving allocation for approximately 2 XSE's a month. Hopefully we get ours around Christmas.

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skier6

· #29 · 7 mo ago (Edited)

I have been looking for a second Hybrid that can also tow our 17' Boston Whaler (2500 lb boat and trailer) since August. That's why I was interested in the RAV 4 Prime. Our RAV 4 Hybrid is limited to 1750 lbs towing capacity.
May have found an allocated base model, Highlander Hybrid, LE for MSRP. Just floor mats and door edge guards extra. Car is being built tomorrow in Princeton, Indiana.. Might see it by mid December.

scalpelandyardstick

· #30 · 7 mo ago

I requested a 2022 Rav4 XLE Premium Hybrid with full tech package in May, paid fully-refundable $500 for my place in line. I really wanted XSE Plug-in Hybrid, but they warned me about an 18-24mo wait and that it still might not happen. They added no market upcharge. I got the call in September for one they thought was close, it had darker interior and missing tech package. I took it. So, about 4 months. No markup. It was picking among dealer allocation, no true ordering. Also, it’s really sad they skimp on the rear view mirrors of the XLE/premiums (+/- hybrid) - no auto-dim standard, only available with the package. They took a really premium feel setup and threw a basic mirror in. My ten year old Tacoma has an auto-dim mirror with homelink…WTH Toyota!

The dealer was great to work with. There are Toyota dealers about an hour south making big promises on Rav4 Plug-ins with undisclosed markups. Mine didn’t pull any of that. So, that dealership likely gets less of the premium ones allocated.

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skier6

· #31 · 7 mo ago (Edited)

"It was picking among dealer allocation, no true ordering. "

This is what I have been trying to do. A lot of dealers "talk" , and want your deposit (so you don't keep looking) but your best bet to actually get a Hybrid, IMHO is find a dealer who has a car allocated, with a build date coming up.
That way you may find a base model, like I did, at MSRP, without paying for extra "stuff" . You can also tell the dealer you won't pay for, and don't want that special paint treatment, or undercoating normally done later at the dealership.
But the whole process is pretty frustrating for consumers, who just want a car..

FKHeath

· #32 · 7 mo ago

skier6 said:
This is what I have been trying to do. A lot of dealers "talk" , and want your deposit (so you don't keep looking) but your best bet to actually get a Hybrid, IMHO is find a dealer who has a car allocated, with a build date coming up.

Most dealers have a long waiting list for allocated cars. The deposit is to place you in line on the waiting list. If you don't get in line, you will never get a car.

My son got in line for a Prius several months ago at our local dealer who does not charge MSRP. There were 16 people ahead of use in line, so we were prepared for a long, long wait. Fortunately, my son only wanted an LE so we were only 3rd in line for that trim level. Still took two or three months before be got to the head of the line. Just took delivery of the new Prius last Monday.

FDrobb17

· #33 · 6 mo ago

zhan said:
Hey, I'm in NE looking for a hybrid as well. Which dealership in Maine did you get yours from? Everyone I've reached out near me are charging $2k-$5k. Looking to find someone more reasonable.

I ended up ordering the SE from Berlin City up in Portland ME, their adjustment was $2000 which is much lower then Toyota of Acton and $3k less then Toyota of Nashua and Dudley. I dealt with Eric Bshara. I did find a couple places in CT without any adjustment but the $2000 extra was worth more than my time then driving 8 hours down and back.

javadoo

· #34 · 6 mo ago

FDrobb17 said:
I ended up ordering the SE from Berlin City up in Portland ME, their adjustment was $2000 which is much lower then Toyota of Acton and $3k less then Toyota of Nashua and Dudley. I dealt with Eric Bshara. I did find a couple places in CT without any adjustment but the $2000 extra was worth more than my time then driving 8 hours down and back.

I purchased my fully loaded XSE hybrid from Acton Toyota in September 2021, no markup, actually paid under MSRP-times have changed quite a bit since then.
My daughter in law just purchased an XLE Premium on November 19 from Acton Toyota as well. Market adjustment started at $3000.......and ended at $0. I told them I refused to let her pay a market adjustment and they needed to remove it.
They did.
When she was looking we also called Toyota of Nashua as we have bought vehicles there as well. They told me it was a $1000 market adjustment, non-negotiable.

I highly recommend Acton Toyota-they were fantastic to work with.

FDrobb17

· #35 · 6 mo ago

javadoo said:
I purchased my fully loaded XSE hybrid from Acton Toyota in September 2021, no markup, actually paid under MSRP-times have changed quite a bit since then.
My daughter in law just purchased an XLE Premium on November 19 from Acton Toyota as well. Market adjustment started at $3000.......and ended at $0. I told them I refused to let her pay a market adjustment and they needed to remove it.
They did.
When she was looking we also called Toyota of Nashua as we have bought vehicles there as well. They told me it was a $1000 market adjustment, non-negotiable.

I highly recommend Acton Toyota-they were fantastic to work with.

Acton Toyota was a pleasure to work with, I was looking back in May/June so this is when the market was probably too hot and didn't have a chance to drop the market value adjustment. I will go there to have the car serviced.

bobcat_mt

· #36 · 6 mo ago

My experience so far:
Placed a deposit of $1,000 for a new RAV4 Hybrid Limited (MSRP, no markup) on July 7, 2022. We were told it could be 6-12 months to get what we want. Told them we weren’t picky on options. They allowed us to choose our top 3 exterior and top 2 interior colors. Wife is set on black or white exterior with nutmeg or black interior. About 3 months in, we were offered an XLE Premium Hybrid in white. We turned that down because we are set on the limited. About 4 months in we were offered a 2023 Hybrid limited in gray. We turned that down because my wife didn’t like the color. Each time we were “offered” the vehicle, they had just received notification that they were allocated the vehicle and they hadn’t even been built yet. So, if you’re willing to be flexible on trim and color, the wait time might be around 6 months total. Unfortunately we are not so we might be closer to the 12 month wait time.

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Bullwing

· #37 · 6 mo ago (Edited)

Originally, ordered a standard XLE barebones with just weather package (since LE's are hardly in production) on March 10, 2022. After 5.5 months, my place in line was #99, was told I would not see that car until 2023, but could jump forward in the line to #22 if I upgraded to an XLE Premium. I did so, and got the car end of October - 8 month wait. Dealer honored MSRP pricing, no BS add-ons, got weather package, blacked out emblems, and door ding guards, nothing else added - $36,600 MSRP (including destination). Dealers in the area are currently charging $5-$7K markups - SoCal LA/OC region. Got it for $39K and change out the door.

Toyota is preferentially allocating it's production line to XLE Premiums, not sure where SE and XSE is in the line.

impetus19

Discussion Starter · #38 · 6 mo ago

Bullwing said:
Originally, ordered a standard XLE barebones with just weather package (since LE's are hardly in production) on March 10, 2022. After 5.5 months, my place in line was #99, was told I would not see that car until 2023, but could jump forward in the line to #22 if I upgraded to an XLE Premium. I did so, and got the car end of October - 8 month wait. Dealer honored MSRP pricing, no BS add-ons, got weather package, blacked out emblems, and door ding guards, nothing else added - $36,600 MSRP (including destination). Dealers in the area are currently charging $5-$7K markups - SoCal LA/OC region. Got it for $39K and change out the door.

Toyota is preferentially allocating it's production line to XLE Premiums, not sure where SE and XSE is in the line.

Sounds correct to me.
I was offered a higher end XLE at 37k (msrp) a week ago. I turned it down as i have zero interest in any options other than safety and hybrid. I told them i would wait for a base XLE at 33k

impetus19

Discussion Starter · #39 · 5 mo ago (Edited)

Just as a follow up, our rav4 hybrid LE with BSM will be here in two weeks. Pretty impressed with the wait time. I think it helped that we had purchased our prius from them. 3 months overall, the only option we didnt necessarily want was the ruby flare pearl but it grew on me.

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skier6

· #40 · 5 mo ago (Edited)

Dan Daniel said:
Think about talking to Della Toyota in Plattsburgh. I dealt with Jon Peacock. He was informed, helpful. And certainly struck me as honest. He never made claims that were wrong. He never assured me a vehicle would arrive shortly; he explained what he knew and what he had been experiencing. I dealt with them in May, and he said that Della wasn't going to charge extra because they didn't want to treat customers like that. After a couple of talks, we drew up a desired car, along with some alternatives, and I put $1000 down as a fully refundable deposit.

I think that they even had a new hybrid Highlander out front three or so months ago...

Thanks, I followed your lead. Della Toyota in Plattsburgh, did have a Hybrid Highlander, but it was the "bronze" edition, very pricey. Just by chance, when I called, they had just had a Hybrid Highlander LE allocated to dealership in November. Put down a deposit, and car was delivered, 3 weeks later for MSRP plus mats. I drove home, to Vermont with a New York State transit Permit in back window.

Cash sale went through fine, Dec 9th, but the dealer insisted on handling the registration, paper work with Vermont DMV. Even though I had filled out all the paperwork (to register it myself) things got screwed up a bit.
Turns out sales tax was computed wrong, and a month later I still don't have VT registration or Title document for this Highlander. Still can't take car out of State or to Canada. Della say they will take care of this..

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