Hello. New to the forum. Planning to buy a 2021 4Runner TRD Pro.

Hello.

I live in the Bay Area, CA. I'm planning to purchase a 2021 4Runner TRD Pro with the sliding cargo tray sometime in December. Not to picky on colors but if I can get the Lunar Rock, that's great. A white or gray is fine too. Usage for the truck will be my daily driver, road trip to surrounding states and occasional easy off-roading.

I'm dead set on the Pro with the sliding cargo tray. Not planning to mod. Maybe add some LED lights for off-roading. And I'm planning to keep the truck for 10-15 years or so. That's why I want the latest and greatest now.

My questions are:

How hard is it to purchase a Pro between now and December at MSRP?
Should I start contacting dealers now?
Do I need to pre-order?
What are the rules of purchasing out of state (fees, state tax, etc)?

Thank you.

 

Welcome to the forum!

I would shop around at multiple dealerships to see who will give you the best deal. The PRO seems to always sell at or above MSRP.

I'm not sure if you can pre-order a PRO. Someone can probably chime in on this..

If they would let you pre-order at MSRP, that would probably be your best bet. Again, make sure to contact multiple dealers, even out of state, to get the best price possible.

Good luck on your search!

 

Welcome. Definitely shop around!

 

Welcome from Phoenix

 

Welcome and good luck with the no mods thing

 

To bring a vehicle in to California you need:

-Smog (even if it's brand new)
-Weight (if it's a pickup, does not apply to the 4R)
-Title or bill of sale or loan docs showing you as the owner or person who carries the loan
-Pay sales tax
-Pay title / reg


Smog: must be done at a station approved for vehicles coming in from out of state. Not every smog shop is approved for this. Ask before you have the smog done because the DMV won't accept a smog test from a shop not approved to import vehicles.

Weight: not relevant to the 4R but I include it here in case someone else searches and finds this and wants to import a Tacoma or something. If you have a pickup, it has to be weighed at an approved / certified weight facility and you will have to have the certificate of weight before DMV will accept your registration request.

Title / bill of sale / loan docs: self explanatory

Sales tax: If the truck is brand new you will be paying full sales tax to California. Depending on where you buy the truck and how familiar they are with California sales, and if you finance, the dealer may cut you a check for the California taxes. For example, I bought my 4R from Grants Pass (Oregon) Toyota, who sells a lot of cars in norCal. We did the deal and they gave me a check made out to the DMV for my sales tax. When I later went to the DMV to title / register the truck, I paid the sales tax with that check. Obviously I was paying the tax on the front end as it was included in the amount financed. Oregon has no sales tax so there was no issue with me having to pay sales tax in both Oregon and California... but, depending on what state you buy from, you may be paying sales tax or partial sales tax to that state, so do your research in advance because this amount can make a good deal into a "meh" deal pretty fast.

Reg / title fees: vary based on location, amount paid, etc. DMV has a online portal to give you a pretty good estimation based on individual factors.

In summary, Calif DMV checks the VIN against the title, verifies you as owner / buyer, verifies the smog, you pay the sales tax, you pay your title and registration, and you're good.

 

My understanding of ordering a pro is a dealership can put in a request and it may be fulfilled it may not but they would know that pretty quickly. What they won’t tell you is when it will arrive. I bought a 20 about a month and a half ago and was thinking on ordering a 21 and this is what I was told when I asked the dealership. At that time they said they could order it and get it but it may not come for many months.

 

Any dealer in the Bay Area is gonna markup. Melody toyota in San Bruno marked their white pro up $17k and city toyota had a $5k markup on their white one. Also everytime I called a Bay Area dealer about a pro they had sold it within hours of me scheduling a test drive.
I recommend searching out of the bay for one. I found mine in Elko nevada and bought it via text for msrp. They wouldn’t go down on the price but they didn’t slap a markup. Also it had no dealer installed options so it was perfect as I knew I wanted to customize it.

 

Yeah... your gonna mod it.

also with out of state the taxes can be a big check but the dealer can wrap that into the price of the loan if needed. Mine taxes title fees fees fees came out to about $6k.

 

There was an immaculate used one for sale on this site for 40K........seems like a great deal. Probably already sold? It was Army green

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome fellas and for all the replies. Much appreciated.

 

I don't mind buying out of state for the right package and right price.

What do guys use to search for dealer inventories?

Did you have to pay both NV and CA taxes? What process did you have to do to bring it to CA (smog, etc)?

Thanks!

 

Check with Grants Pass Toyota, man. It is 8 hours north of SF but they are rock stars. I've bought 2 4Rs from them.

 

I actually just did a cars.com search. First place I called advertised a 2020 super white and actually had a 2019 voodoo blue pro which was tempting. The second had a pro but it was spoken for and the third one in Elko had barely had it on the lot 24 hours. My experience says that when you find one you want put the deposit on it then and there. But I wouldnt pay for any markups in my opinion.

You only pay taxes on the state you live in. The dealership should calculate that for you.
The only costs you really incure from buying out of state are the smog fee and vehicle use fee (which someone tell me if im wrong and you pay that if you buy in CA)


Once you get the vehicle you will need to register it which involves getting the vehicle smogged, Vin Verified which involves making an appointment with the CHP but its free, paying the taxes and fees and viola. For me this had to be done all by mail due to covid and its still not done yet cause the DMV is hella slow but I havent had to set foot in a dmv so for me its a win.

 

VIN verify can be done at the DMV at the same time you register; no need for a separate appointment at CHP.

 

oh thats cool. I didnt have that option since the DMV was closed.

 

Will do. I was looking at their web site. They have an AG Pro.

 

Alright thanks.

I’m assuming you picked up your car in NV and drove it home. Did you get insurance right away? Don’t want to be driving a thousand miles with no insurance.

 

My advice to you is to buy your 4runner at the closest to you Toyota dealership because you will get to know people there and you will be servicing etc. car there after purchase. What if there is a problem with smth, will you travel a thousand miles back or try to get it resolved somewhere else?
Configure it online and go talk to a dealer, tell them to custom order it for you or check incoming inventory, they can see what’s coming up weeks ahead of arrival.
Regarding insurance, you have few days/weeks to add your new car to your policy. If you don’t have a policy now, then you will have to call in and get it insured before driving it.

 

Welcome to the forum! Good luck on your quest. I can't speak for the whole state, but here in Wisconsin the dealerships I've seen are down on inventory, they say because of covid 19 related stuff. How will it affect the new models? who knows.

 

Aren't all new vehicles coming with 50 state emissions? I bought my 4 runner in New hampshire, had no problem getting an inspection sticker in Massachusetts......& what is a smog check? smog fee? I dont have those here

 

You don't have to service the same place you buy. If you have a warranty problem, you can go to any Toyota dealer.

 

Yes, the 4Runner is 50 state emission legal.

It's ridiculous that they make you get a smog check on a brand new vehicle, but it's like $70 and buying a car out of state can save thousands.......so definitely worth jumping through the hoops.

Smog check is an emissions test you have to complete every other year or so just to make sure your entire emissions system is working and you're not puking unnecessary pollutants into the air. The nice thing is it's the only kind of vehicle inspection required in CA to register your car. We don't have to do those full vehicle inspections that some states require.

 

Yep. The service guys don't care where you bought it from. They'll get to know you if you use them for service and warranty work on a regular basis, and they'll treat you well. There's no reason to pay a premium buying local in the hopes that it means you'll get better service. At most dealerships, sales and service are practically separate businesses.

 

Welcome from Canada!
My understanding of how Pros are distributed in Canada, is that certain dealers receive an allocation from Toyota Canada. Once the vehicle is delivered, it can be sold from dealer inventory. The dealer may put you on a list, or even make a verbal commitment to sell whatever they get to you, but you cannot “order” one. The dealers don’t control colour, or delivery times. This is Canada, where Pros are few, but they can be acquired with patience and money. If you have a relationship with a big dealer, they can get you one. Maybe even the colour you want. And they may hold it for you for a few days until you come in and pay for it. But after that, someone else will surely buy it. With such a system, forget about getting a good deal or negotiating a price. They’re doing you a favour.

 

I can tell you a bit about the order process. The 4Runner is made in Tahara, Aichi Japan. Pre-Covid, all that was required (ordered a 2019 4Runner) was a $500 deposit and it takes about two months to acquire the vehicle...again pre-Covid. I ordered it on 12/18/2018 and it was built on 1/22/2019, and shipped (Andromeda Leader was the cargo vessel) on 1/30/2019. It arrived at Portland processing center 2/10/2019 and was transported to Everett Washington on 2/14/2019. If you have the patience, that is the way to go. Now all that being said, not sure what the impact of Covid has been but I have to believe it's not having a serious impact on production. I am getting ready to order a 2021 TRD Pro in white (sold my 2019 Limited back in July) with no cargo tray. Test drove the TRD Pro yesterday at Magic Toyota...that cat back exhaust does make a nice contribution to low end torque as well as sounding nice as well. I have the cat back exhaust on my 2009 Tacoma Dbl Cab TRD Sport 4X4 as well. Good luck with ordering!

 

I talked to several dealers. They haven’t gotten their allocation yet for the PROs. So, they don’t know if they’re going to get any.

One dealer said they can get one for my specs but wants $3k on top.

I talked to a former Toyota manager he said Toyota closed down production for three weeks due to COVID. And they’re just coming back up.

 

Fun story: My 2020 ORP was built 4/20. Right at peak pandemic panic!