I think I got the deal of the year on a 2009 3dr LB. $11,500, 0 percent financing - Toyota Yaris Forums

nerp · 04-03-2009, 12:54 AM

I'm really excited!

The love of my life, a 2003 Golf, decided to abruptly die with the sudden, horrid metallic fapping of a dead lifter and a completley messed up valve. The engine is loaded with gunk, it needs new lifters, oil pressure is shot and my mechanic tells me that he doesn't want to go down "this road again." Apparently a lot of VWs from this era have this gunking up problem and you can rebuild the motor, spend $1000 in parts, 10 hours of labor and not be sure there aren't head/block issues, etc. New motor would be like $4,000. Checking the web, I see lots of owners with issues like mine, some preowned buyers finding they need a new motor after a few months. Egads.

So I'm thinking, WTF, what am I going to do? The last thing I was expecting was to have to buy a new car. I swing by the Toyota dealership near my house. It looks pretty quiet. LOTS of cars in the lot, a veritable harbor of Prius, stretching into the distance.

Turns out I qualified for a new promotion that started very recently, 0 percent financing and $500 down payment thrown on top of your down payment. I tell the saleswoman that I'm after something small, super economical, hatch, manual transmission, she finds me a Meteorite Metallic with the power package and 14 inch wheels. I test drive it, it's smooth. I like it. The display in the center is jarring, but hey, it's new. Visibility is awesome. It's more aquariumish than the Golf was and I loved driving in that glass cube. I like the styling. It fits me. It's sorta, the Toyota version of the silver hatchback. Sticker is $15,000 something, I'm kinda wondering if I should just look into a used civic for $1,000 and drive the bitch into the ground.

But I think about the fact that I'm qualified for the 0 percent financing. It was actually a surprise for me, since I had garbage credit for years and years and had to get my mother to co-sign for me on the Golf in 2003. I paid off all my debts, never missed a payment on that car, but I still had pretty lousy credit and only qualified for a couple credit cards, a discover card etc with like $300 credit limits. I used them all heavily all year, never carrying a balance and paying in full, but USING them, you know, funneling my money through them to raise my credit score.

Apparently it worked.

THe place is quiet and I can see in the saleslady's eyes that she's hungry to sell something. I was scanning this forum before I drove over there and saw the thread about March sales being WAY down. You could see the weariness of the slowdown in everyone's faces. It's rare to see a new nice car driving around with a proud happy new owner these days. People aren't even washing their cars right now (the steady drizzle this past couple of weeks hasn't helped).

I tell her I'll put $1,500 down, they're adding the $500 as part of the promotion, there's a new car buyer tax credit this year, i'll take a donation tax credit on the golf (an agency will tow away for free, too!). They cut the price down a little bit and agree to the 15 inch wheel upgrade (woohoo). Total price for the car ends up being $11,000. I pick it up on Saturday with 6 miles on the odometer. (2 of those six already belong to me from the test drive).

So, if you're on the fence and haven't been to a dealership in a few weeks, check out some of the deals going on right now.

Oh, and the dealership, Vallenti Toyota in Westerly, offers free oil changes and tire rotations for the life of the freakin car. How bout that? I gotta make sure that includes synthetic oil.

I'm really pumped. I'll miss my golf. Despite the quriky VW problems you encounter, it really was a total blast to drive. I was impressed with the Yaris, zippy, tight, fluid, quality. Simple is good. The bevy of nooks and crannies, pockets and pop-up doors (the passenger's glove box area reminds me of hungy, hungy hippos) is nifty to say the least. It's just cool, funky, well designed, and it's a freaking Toyota so maybe I won't have to deal with window motors going out and headlights that burn out every 5 months and radio reception that was awesome the day I drove off the lot and mysteriously went to hell and got just one station a few weeks later. NEVER could they figure out why that happened, the wiring was "fine" or whatever. ARGH.

So this is my introduction. I am going to take good care of this car, keep it spotless. I won't beat on it, go 80 mph for a 4 hour drive before the engine is broken in. . .go through a carwash immediatley behind some high school kid who just took his old Dodge Ram through the mudpuddle flats.

I do appreaciate the large community around this car. That's a sign to me I've just bought a good product. The information here is helpful, and, for someone committing to a new car purchase, reassuring.

Kaotic Lazagna · 04-03-2009, 12:56 AM

Hot dang, 11k out the door!? SWEET DEAL!

Kaotic Lazagna · 04-03-2009, 12:56 AM

Oh, welcome to the forums too.

nerp · 04-03-2009, 01:01 AM

Thanks man. I got this place bookmarked so I'm sure I'll become a lifer. Hell, maybe I'll show up for that New England meetup on April 26? :) I work with a fellah who picked up a new Yaris last weekend. I haven't seen him or it since he got it, so the next time he sees me, I'll be rollin in with my new car. MOahahaha. It's going to be hilarious because he didn't even know my Golf pooped the sleeping quarters.

Soner · 04-03-2009, 01:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaotic Lazagna

Hot dang, 11k out the door!? SWEET DEAL!

I think he means that after the down payment, tax credit and donation credit the car comes to $11K OTD. (He said "They cut the price down a little bit") Otherwise, if the car had $15K sticker price, that would be better then cutting the price down a LITTLE bit

Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy your brand new car! Congratz!!

nerp · 04-03-2009, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Soner

I think he means that after the down payment, tax credit and donation credit the car comes to $11K OTD. (He said "They cut the price down a little bit") Otherwise, if the car had $15K sticker price, that would be better then cutting the price down a LITTLE bit

Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy your brand new car! Congratz!!

Yeah that makes sense. Basically, I've got financing on about $11,000. Thing is, with the tax credits etc, plus I get a chunk for tuition credits, I could sink $4,000 into it a year from now.

*tomato* · 04-03-2009, 01:44 AM

" 2009 3dr LB. $11,500, 0 percent financing "

WOW!!! I need to move to Rockville!!

Well done and congratulations!

Pitt Yaris · 04-03-2009, 02:02 AM

That's awesome. I had little credit so I had my mom co-sign. I got a no power sedan with cold weather package for 14,500, but the apr is like 8% or 9%. Good thing is, after I make all payments I should have awesome credit seeing as how I have ONE credit card which I've never been late on a payment, and same will be with the yaris. Maybe in 4-5 years they will have even better specials on cars.

nerp · 04-03-2009, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitt Yaris

That's awesome. I had little credit so I had my mom co-sign. I got a no power sedan with cold weather package for 14,500, but the apr is like 8% or 9%. Good thing is, after I make all payments I should have awesome credit seeing as how I have ONE credit card which I've never been late on a payment, and same will be with the yaris. Maybe in 4-5 years they will have even better specials on cars.

Yeah, being on top of your payments means your credit score will be in a lot better shape once you're done. I also suggest getting a credit card in a few months, like a capital one card or something, put $10 on it every month and pay it off. Doing this makes a big difference for creidt scores, too.

33OH · 04-03-2009, 08:48 AM

Congrats and welcome!! Awesome deal.

SailDesign · 04-03-2009, 09:04 AM

nerp,
Which dealer did you get it from? I will probably be looking for a new one to replace my wrecked LB very soon.
Steve

33OH · 04-03-2009, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SailDesign

nerp,
Which dealer did you get it from? I will probably be looking for a new one to replace my wrecked LB very soon.
Steve

I'm not saying your car isn't totalled, but you'll be amazed at what they will want to fix.

I nailed a deer in mine doing about 60-65 mph and thought FOR SURE it was totalled, it had even cracked the radiator, intake manifold, and just about every engine component mounted up front. Ruined all of the tires, cracked the front bumper in half, etc.. But only came out to $5000 something worth of damage.

33OH · 04-03-2009, 09:12 AM

Oh, and sorry for the threadjack. =)

SailDesign · 04-03-2009, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryank

I'm not saying your car isn't totalled, but you'll be amazed at what they will want to fix.

I nailed a deer in mine doing about 60-65 mph and thought FOR SURE it was totalled, it had even cracked the radiator, intake manifold, and just about every engine component mounted up front. Ruined all of the tires, cracked the front bumper in half, etc.. But only came out to $5000 something worth of damage.

Time will tell, I guess. I always worry about suspension repairs, though. Will it drive right? Will it be as strong? All that BS....

33OH · 04-03-2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Time will tell, I guess. I always worry about suspension repairs, though. Will it drive right? Will it be as strong? All that BS....

Trust me, I wanted mine totalled. I wanted a new car. But you're right, only time will tell.

nerp · 04-03-2009, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SailDesign

nerp,
Which dealer did you get it from? I will probably be looking for a new one to replace my wrecked LB very soon.
Steve

Vallenti Toyota in Westerly. They're really nice people. They also offer free oil changes and tire rotations as part of the package. I need to double check whether that includes synthetic oil.

As a fellow owner, I'd be happy to meet up with you sometime and maybe on a nice weekend go for one of those meetups in New England. We might want to make sure our new engines are broken in properly before we hit the freeway.

SailDesign · 04-03-2009, 11:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nerp

Vallenti Toyota in Westerly. They're really nice people. They also offer free oil changes and tire rotations as part of the package. I need to double check whether that includes synthetic oil.

As a fellow owner, I'd be happy to meet up with you sometime and maybe on a nice weekend go for one of those meetups in New England. We might want to make sure our new engines are broken in properly before we hit the freeway.

Nerp,
Thanks. I'll check them out. I am hoping (hard) to get a new one before the New England meet, as I would love to go. It would actually be a great trip to do the breaking in on.

yaris-me · 04-03-2009, 11:56 AM

Great story with a happy ending.

04-03-2009, 12:54 AM	#1
nerp Drives: 2009 3dr LB Meteorite Metallic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Rockville, RI Posts: 69	I think I got the deal of the year on a 2009 3dr LB. $11,500, 0 percent financing I'm really excited! The love of my life, a 2003 Golf, decided to abruptly die with the sudden, horrid metallic fapping of a dead lifter and a completley messed up valve. The engine is loaded with gunk, it needs new lifters, oil pressure is shot and my mechanic tells me that he doesn't want to go down "this road again." Apparently a lot of VWs from this era have this gunking up problem and you can rebuild the motor, spend $1000 in parts, 10 hours of labor and not be sure there aren't head/block issues, etc. New motor would be like $4,000. Checking the web, I see lots of owners with issues like mine, some preowned buyers finding they need a new motor after a few months. Egads. So I'm thinking, WTF, what am I going to do? The last thing I was expecting was to have to buy a new car. I swing by the Toyota dealership near my house. It looks pretty quiet. LOTS of cars in the lot, a veritable harbor of Prius, stretching into the distance. Turns out I qualified for a new promotion that started very recently, 0 percent financing and $500 down payment thrown on top of your down payment. I tell the saleswoman that I'm after something small, super economical, hatch, manual transmission, she finds me a Meteorite Metallic with the power package and 14 inch wheels. I test drive it, it's smooth. I like it. The display in the center is jarring, but hey, it's new. Visibility is awesome. It's more aquariumish than the Golf was and I loved driving in that glass cube. I like the styling. It fits me. It's sorta, the Toyota version of the silver hatchback. Sticker is $15,000 something, I'm kinda wondering if I should just look into a used civic for $1,000 and drive the bitch into the ground. But I think about the fact that I'm qualified for the 0 percent financing. It was actually a surprise for me, since I had garbage credit for years and years and had to get my mother to co-sign for me on the Golf in 2003. I paid off all my debts, never missed a payment on that car, but I still had pretty lousy credit and only qualified for a couple credit cards, a discover card etc with like $300 credit limits. I used them all heavily all year, never carrying a balance and paying in full, but USING them, you know, funneling my money through them to raise my credit score. Apparently it worked. THe place is quiet and I can see in the saleslady's eyes that she's hungry to sell something. I was scanning this forum before I drove over there and saw the thread about March sales being WAY down. You could see the weariness of the slowdown in everyone's faces. It's rare to see a new nice car driving around with a proud happy new owner these days. People aren't even washing their cars right now (the steady drizzle this past couple of weeks hasn't helped). I tell her I'll put $1,500 down, they're adding the $500 as part of the promotion, there's a new car buyer tax credit this year, i'll take a donation tax credit on the golf (an agency will tow away for free, too!). They cut the price down a little bit and agree to the 15 inch wheel upgrade (woohoo). Total price for the car ends up being $11,000. I pick it up on Saturday with 6 miles on the odometer. (2 of those six already belong to me from the test drive). So, if you're on the fence and haven't been to a dealership in a few weeks, check out some of the deals going on right now. Oh, and the dealership, Vallenti Toyota in Westerly, offers free oil changes and tire rotations for the life of the freakin car. How bout that? I gotta make sure that includes synthetic oil. I'm really pumped. I'll miss my golf. Despite the quriky VW problems you encounter, it really was a total blast to drive. I was impressed with the Yaris, zippy, tight, fluid, quality. Simple is good. The bevy of nooks and crannies, pockets and pop-up doors (the passenger's glove box area reminds me of hungy, hungy hippos) is nifty to say the least. It's just cool, funky, well designed, and it's a freaking Toyota so maybe I won't have to deal with window motors going out and headlights that burn out every 5 months and radio reception that was awesome the day I drove off the lot and mysteriously went to hell and got just one station a few weeks later. NEVER could they figure out why that happened, the wiring was "fine" or whatever. ARGH. So this is my introduction. I am going to take good care of this car, keep it spotless. I won't beat on it, go 80 mph for a 4 hour drive before the engine is broken in. . .go through a carwash immediatley behind some high school kid who just took his old Dodge Ram through the mudpuddle flats. I do appreaciate the large community around this car. That's a sign to me I've just bought a good product. The information here is helpful, and, for someone committing to a new car purchase, reassuring.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
US Yaris Sales "stronger than expected"	GTSRacer	General Yaris / Vitz Discussion	16	09-16-2006 01:35 AM

04-03-2009, 12:56 AM	#2
Kaotic Lazagna View User's Garage Drives: '14 GT86, '08 Vitz Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Central Valley, CA Posts: 9,873	Hot dang, 11k out the door!? SWEET DEAL!

04-03-2009, 01:01 AM	#4
nerp Drives: 2009 3dr LB Meteorite Metallic Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Rockville, RI Posts: 69	Thanks man. I got this place bookmarked so I'm sure I'll become a lifer. Hell, maybe I'll show up for that New England meetup on April 26? :) I work with a fellah who picked up a new Yaris last weekend. I haven't seen him or it since he got it, so the next time he sees me, I'll be rollin in with my new car. MOahahaha. It's going to be hilarious because he didn't even know my Golf pooped the sleeping quarters.

04-03-2009, 01:44 AM	#7
tomato Super Moderator View User's Garage Drives: Yaris 2DR LB 07, MT, Abs. Red Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: San Francisco Bay Area Posts: 5,155	" 2009 3dr LB. $11,500, 0 percent financing " WOW!!! I need to move to Rockville!! Well done and congratulations!

04-03-2009, 02:02 AM	#8
Pitt Yaris Drives: Flint Mica Sedan Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pittsburgh Posts: 475	That's awesome. I had little credit so I had my mom co-sign. I got a no power sedan with cold weather package for 14,500, but the apr is like 8% or 9%. Good thing is, after I make all payments I should have awesome credit seeing as how I have ONE credit card which I've never been late on a payment, and same will be with the yaris. Maybe in 4-5 years they will have even better specials on cars.

04-03-2009, 08:48 AM	#10
33OH Drives: '08 Yaris Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dover, Ohio Posts: 7,606	Congrats and welcome!! Awesome deal.

04-03-2009, 09:04 AM	#11
SailDesign Drives: . Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: . Posts: 1,931	nerp, Which dealer did you get it from? I will probably be looking for a new one to replace my wrecked LB very soon. Steve

04-03-2009, 09:12 AM	#13
33OH Drives: '08 Yaris Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Dover, Ohio Posts: 7,606	Oh, and sorry for the threadjack. =)

04-03-2009, 11:56 AM	#18
yaris-me Learn to Relax Drives: 2007, Meteorite, LB Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Posts: 2,070	Great story with a happy ending.