# Toyota 24 hour Red Tag Sale



## davext (Apr 11, 2010)

Hi everyone,

I'm car shoppoing and there is a 24 hour sale at Toyota. I was wondering, do they really give better deals at these types of promotions or am I better off just going in on any other day.

Thanks!


----------



## Sampson (Apr 3, 2009)

Isn't it still better to shop in the States?

My experience has been that deals are best had at month and quarter ends. Sales staff have in some instances (depending on the car model) upwards of 15-20% flexibility.

Go into the dealer at month/quarter end and find the sales guy that looks like he is about to get fired if he doesn't meet quota. That will be better than any advertised sale.


----------



## fraser (May 15, 2010)

The last Toyota that I bought was in 1997. I am still driving it-absolutely problem free. At that time the margin on the base car (Camry) was about 16 points according to a friend who was familiar with Toyota. We also bought a Honda two years ago. The margin on the add on packages was much higher, as high as 30 points I was told. There are sometime manufacturers rebates on top of all that-find out about these before you start negotiating.

The sales reps can often make more money on the back end...selling you bank financing, rust proofing, and extended warranty. 

Also, watch out for what I call the 'bogus' charges that appear after you have settled on price. Freight and dealer prep. Do the deal with that included otherwise they will add in on at then end. The other old chestnut is 'admin fees'. Some dealers like to charge you as much as $250. for admin, ie writing up the sales invoice. Make sure you include this in your final deal. Once all is said and done, you will ushered into the 'Business Manager' to complete the paperwork. He will try again to nab you for extended warranty, rustproofing, seat protection, what have you. Look him straight in the eye and say no thanks.

Good luck. And the only reason our second car was not a Toyota was because they had a shortage and could not provide what we wanted.


----------



## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

davext said:


> I was wondering, do they really give better deals at these types of promotions or am I better off just going in on any other day.


I doubt it, but can't hurt to try.


----------



## DanFo (Apr 9, 2011)

There is always a sale somewhere all year around......depends if your committed to a certain make/model I guess middle year end.pre season special...spring summer....christmas and new years... It never ends...best I'd say is find somewhere with 0% financing if your going with new. Half the new cars are all pretty much the same unless you want luxury or sports...which will always be at a premium....... knew a few pl who imported from the states and they all saved a few grand only catch is some models you can not import


----------



## rusty_shackleford (May 18, 2012)

somewhat related question since OPs has already been answered: why is it that seemingly 'frugal' people buy cars new? CPO offers factory backed warranty and great finance rates at thousands of $$ off.. just something i've always wondered


----------



## brad (May 22, 2009)

It's a good question. Personally I like to know my car's complete history and I am pretty religious about keeping my car well-maintained (just the mechanics; I ignore the outside and my car is pretty beat up and full of dents, rust, etc.; I don't care how it looks, I only care how it runs). I had a lot of bad luck with used cars all through my 20s and 30s, and eventually realized I had spent far more on repairs and roadside rescues/towing than I would have spent on a brand-new car. I bought my first new car in 1990 and it lasted me 10 years; I feel like I got my money's worth out of it, although I would have saved maybe $3,000 by buying used at the time.

As long as you're buying a compact or subcompact car I find that a new one doesn't cost all that much more than a used car that's 2-3 years old. These are cars that cost $15,000 to $20,000 new; the savings from buying lightly used are not as significant as if you're buying a car that would cost $40,000 new and you can save $10,000 by buying one that's a few years old. For me it's worth shelling out an extra $3K or $4K for the peace of mind that I get from knowing my car wasn't abused by a previous owner. But that's just me, and I know I'm rationalizing this decision.


----------



## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

DanFo said:


> There is always a sale somewhere all year around......depends if your committed to a certain make/model I guess middle year end.pre season special...spring summer....christmas and new years... It never ends...best I'd say is find somewhere with 0% financing if your going with new. Half the new cars are all pretty much the same unless you want luxury or sports...which will always be at a premium....... knew a few pl who imported from the states and they all saved a few grand only catch is some models you can not import


We have imported many cars (used and new from the US), and have saved alot more than a few grand, that's after all the shipping, travel, importing costs, etc. You really have to know what you are doing, and like you said, not all vehicles have large savings, its usually the higher end vehicles if they are new, and that's if you can get the dealer to sell to you. We saved just over $15k on our new vehicle. It was actually less expensive to import, than it was to buy a used 2 year old. We've also had good luck with used cars, we bought one on ebay (hard to find model) for under $10K (including all importing costs, inspections, etc), and then we were offered immediately $18k during the inspection. 

Back to the OP, it is no longer cheaper to buy a Toyota from the US, we have been looking for the same deal, and first Toyota wont sell to Canadians from the US, and though you can find a work around, it was only a couple of grand difference. However, if you want a Porche, I can get you one for about 40% off. :tongue-new:


----------

