Okay, I'm officially searching now... Update: Bought One!

I got the $ figure from my insurance... Feels kind of personal to discuss online, but it was (as expected) ridiculous HIGH ! However,, when the agent asked me how that sounded, I told her, "Well, I think I'd like to wait until I get a new one, whether that should take a few weeks, or a few months, and also, to see how much dealers are going to try to jack me, before I can say whether this was a good payout or not.

So, of course I'd like to find one somewhere in the Sacramento or SF Bay area. But the better the deal, the farther I will travel. Id travel to freaking Maine, if they had a 2022 LE, Ruby Red, for straight MSRP, sitting right there ready for me to buy, and drive home.

I am willing to pay a good chunk over MSRP, like maybe $5K ? But that's going to have to be available right now.... or within a few weeks, and the right color(s) I have three colors, ruby red, magnetic grey, or storm blue) this is worth about $3000+ to me, as if its anything other than these 3, it will have to be wrapped, or painted. I can't drive a car I don't want to look at.

There was a thread here somewhere, with a list of all the straight MSRP Toyota dealers in the country (broke down by states) but I'm not sure if those places will be helpful to me, as I'd expect all of those places to include LONG wait times. And I can't wait "months" + as I say, Im will to pay a good chunk over MSRP, if a dealer can make everything else all good...

Oh, and I have said in the past (after dealing with crooked @## dealers) I'll never buy direct from a dealer again (and here I am asking) and that my next car purchase would be through Internet sales. What are your opinions on that ? Would that benefit me on price, or quickness of purchase ?

 

So far as I know, their are only about 5 places I know that are selling at straight MSRP…. And those places have a ridiculously long waiting time. I mean like they are telling folks 6 to 12 months, but it really could be longer.
Besides all that, it’s not even a matter of telling them whether or not your willing to pay a markup. Each of the places I talked with when asked about markups, immediately said exactly what their markups were…
And they were anywhere from $5K to $12K, and we’re not negotiable.
I did talk to 2 of the places with zero markups, and one told me 6 to 12 months. The other told me, they had one on a ship, which should b3vhete in 6 to 8 weeks, and they wanted a $1000 non refundable deposit. I could totally see the writing on the wall..
8 weeks rolls by..
Then 10… then 12…. During which time I haven’t even been looking, and it’s still not here… so now what ? No thanks.
But in any case, I actually found one I liked, not too high of a markup, Impo, wrote them a check for it, and now it’s all mine

 

So I spent about 2 hrs surfing around, and not really finding anything that fit the bill. I was looking for a new 2022 LE, sitting on a lot which I could buy immediately, without a HUGE markup.
Out of the blue, I see one in Placerville, even the same color (electric storm blue) as the one I just lost (which I liked) but it was an XLE… instead of an LE, but I actually liked all upgrades that came with that. Oh and I like the Moonrock interior. This one had a sunroof too, which I really like, although I think that was just an optional thing that it happened to have, and not something that comes automatically with an XLE…
Anyway, when it was all said and done, I spent about $3K more than I wanted too, but then, I was expecting to buy an LE. The MSRP on the XLE is about $3K more, so…..

Long story short, I went from a 2019 LE which I loved, but which had 103K miles on it, to a brand spanking new 2022 XLE for about $10K out of my pocket (after the insurance payout for my stolen 2019) and best of all, it’s totally paid for, and sitting on my driveway

Now to get a full tint job, including the polarized windshield. And build back up the exact same stereo system I had in the last one, as it worked flawlessly. I’ve been designing and building stereo systems for almost 40 years, and that was the best sound quality daily driver I’ve ever put together.

I’ve owned about 9 brand new cars, and 8 or 10 used ones, but honestly I think my 2019 LE was the best, most suitable vehicle I’ve ever owned. And it was absolutely the best for car camping
Pretty stoked, and anxious for a 10K mile road trip next April and May

 

TY Sitting in it right now, and thrilled to find out this electric seat goes back, and tilts at least 100% as far as my old manual one did, but maybe 105%

But DAM it's bright in here Between no tint, plus the new Moon rock interior, holy $#@# !
Getting it fully tinted in 1 week. Guess I'll just be blinded until then