Did I get a good deal on my first car? 2025 XSE

Just bought my first car, still dealing with a little buyer’s remorse, but I think I’ll enjoy it once that fades.

2025 Toyota Camry XSE

  • Wind Chill Pearl with Midnight Black Metallic Roof
  • Premium Plus Package
  • Illuminated trunk sill
  • Illuminated door sill
  • Front accent lighting
  • Premium mat set with storage
  • Blackout package
  • Connectivity kit
  • Cargo net
  • Dash cam
  • Vehicle protection package (still wondering if they actually applied this or just removed the cost)
  • Rear bumper protector
  • Rear cargo organizer
  • Dealer-installed items: Apex GPS

Originally, they had car tint and clearshield listed, but those got removed during price negotiations.

Total out-the-door price, including taxes and fees, was $41,806. The dealership agreed to match my bank’s interest rate at first, but when we got to financing, they backtracked and said the salesperson wasn’t supposed to offer that. They pushed for a higher interest rate, and after going back and forth, I agreed to it. Then they tried selling me extra packages—ended up only getting GAP and the APEX Platinum service contract. The finance guy said he gave me all the rebates plus extra, making these two add-ons $600 total. But when I went to sign, the car price changed from $41,806 to $40,819, and GAP was $401 while the APEX contract jumped to $1,202.

Final OTD price: $42,422.

Not sure why they shifted $1,000 from the car price to the service contract. Does this sound like a good deal, or am I overthinking it? Just curious what you all think.

Edit: Interest rate is 4.99% for 60 months.

Lot of details, but you didn’t mention the interest rate :joy:

Ode said:
Lot of details, but you didn’t mention the interest rate :joy:

Lmao my bad. Didn’t sleep yet :laughing:. It’s 4.99% for 60 months. Definitely gonna put in some extra hours to pay it off faster.

@Vale
That’s not terrible compared to what others are getting. I’ve seen much higher. Their lowest is probably around 3.5%.

Ode said:
@Vale
That’s not terrible compared to what others are getting. I’ve seen much higher. Their lowest is probably around 3.5%.

Good to know! Appreciate you reading through my rambling lol.

@Vale
Had to. Felt important :joy:

Ode said:
@Vale
Had to. Felt important :joy:

:pray:

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Great car, sounds like a fair price for all the features. Congrats!

Leif said:
Great car, sounds like a fair price for all the features. Congrats!

Thanks :blush:

Nice car, should last you a long time.

silikmed said:
Nice car, should last you a long time.

That’s the plan! :crossed_fingers:

Toyota dealers are some of the worst when it comes to sales tactics.

Congrats! You should get a PPF protector for the front camera lens. Mine cracked already.

Reilly said:
Congrats! You should get a PPF protector for the front camera lens. Mine cracked already.

That sucks! I’ll definitely look into getting one.

Seems like a decent deal. I probably would’ve walked away from the financing part and just used my own bank’s offer, but I get how these dealers play games. Buyer’s remorse is real, especially at first, but once you start driving it, you’ll enjoy it. Just take care of it, and once it’s paid off, it’ll feel great.

@StarlightSpecter
Yeah, the finance guy brought in the manager, who said the only way they’d honor the deal was if I financed through them. Apparently, that’s how they get kickbacks from Toyota or the distributor. They also said they wouldn’t match my bank’s lower rate.

Wait until the rattles and weird noises start. Then real buyer’s remorse kicks in. Toyota paint and windshields are fragile too.

Briar said:
Wait until the rattles and weird noises start. Then real buyer’s remorse kicks in. Toyota paint and windshields are fragile too.

Congrats! I own a Tesla, and compared to that, Toyota paint seems like luxury lol. We’ve had our XSE for three weeks (700 miles in) and no rattles yet—knock on wood. Only thing that’s off is the MPG, which is lower than expected (40 instead of high 40s), but I’ve read that’s because of the cold.

@Oswin
Yeah, that’s likely just the cold weather affecting it.