[riscky_*]

I've been wanting to purchase a Prius for the last year and a half... I kept putting the purchase of a new car until my student loans where paid off... and they are.

So now I'm looking to buy... I have many many question, best answered by the 'community' instead of the dealer... and I have found answers to most of those questions already... however I have one big major question...

Does/do dealers give much wiggle room on the sticker price... or "throw" in the mats? Or is buy a Prius similar to buying a Saturan the price on window is the price take it or leave it.

 

[Emilyjohn]

It depends. If the dealer is really interested in selling the Prius, you may have limited wiggle room to negotiate. It seems as though some dealers want to make a fast buck and resist selling the Prius, because they're on backorder with that dealer: so you might wind up paying above MSRP. Walk away from any dealer who charges a premium for the Prius. You'll be able to find a dealer who is honest and wants to sell you a car, no matter how long you have to wait for it.

 

[jshore]

Well, when I bought my Prius, I knew the dealer who I was buying it from (a fellow ultimate frisbee player) so I told him, "You can get me a good deal, right?" His reply was, "When I am selling a car with a 6 month wait list, the only negotiations from the list price will be up!" Needless to say, I decided not to negotiate.

I agree with Emilyjohn though that you should at least go to a dealer who sells it at list rather than adding on lots of useless extras for a healthy price...take it or leave it.

 

[riscky_*]

That's what I thought... wait list == demand... so if very little if any wiggle room... just exactly what I expected just wanted to make sure...

 

[janets98]

When I bought my Prius I tried with the closest dealer to get book value for my Explorer in trade but he absolutely wouldn't go that high. So I went to another dealer and he gave me book value + $200. And he absorbed the $200 doc fees. I told him how much I was willing to pay on top of my trade and he accepted it.

I'm not a particularly skilled person when it comes to dickering on cars so I think this dealership was living up to advertising that they offer the best deals. So, if you can't get the deal you want, keep looking.

 

[OverTork]

I'm not sure why some people think the law of supply and demand should be suspended in the case of the Prius. I don't blame people for negotiating the best deal they can get, but if the car is worth more to some people than others, then why shouldn't they get them first? Isn't that the best way to encourage greater production and therefore do the most good for the ecology? Are the fuel and emission savings of someone who paid over MSRP any less than someone who paid less?

 

[riscky_*]

I'm not sure why some people think the law of supply and demand should be suspended in the case of the Prius. I don't blame people for negotiating the best deal they can get, but if the car is worth more to some people than others, then why shouldn't they get them first?

I fully expect the law of supply and demand to work... however on the other hand its nice to be reassure it works as expected. Would your really like to find out, a few days later, you paid full sticker price (and yes it is worth nearly every penny... I could do with out a few accessories the packages offer...) but a small, yet substantial, segment paid below the sticker wouldn't you like to at least know that before you sign on the dotted line?

 

[Isabelle]

Here is a Michigan someone who posts in the dealer section. I have absolutely no connection to him, but if you read the dealer threads, I think you'll find some commentary.

Many prius buyers are getting below MSRP, although not by much, but it is the time of the year (and 2006 portends many new things) that brings good deals. Especially if you are able to travel:

http://www.priusonline.com/viewtopic.php?t=5377

[this highlander ad is just a sample. I think he has posted on Prius]

 

[riscky_*]

Here is a Michigan someone who posts in the dealer section. I have absolutely no connection to him, but if you read the dealer threads, I think you'll find some commentary.

Many prius buyers are getting below MSRP, although not by much, but it is the time of the year (and 2006 portends many new things) that brings good deals. Especially if you are able to travel

Haha... that is a nice little drive... more like vacation... 9+ hour drive but I suppose one would get a good feel on how to drive a Prius and
"break" everything in... I will have to look at a few of his posts.

 

[Jean]

I fully expect the law of supply and demand to work... however on the other hand its nice to be reassure it works as expected. Would your really like to find out, a few days later, you paid full sticker price (and yes it is worth nearly every penny... I could do with out a few accessories the packages offer...) but a small, yet substantial, segment paid below the sticker wouldn't you like to at least know that before you sign on the dotted line?

Certainly would like to know that I hadn't paid more than the next 10 people because I didn't know what I was doing. I followed threads under the dealer section for over a year (with a few months here and there of not looking). I also emailed dealers from other states that I thought may fit into some traveling that I had to do. I became convinced that MSRP plus a very long wait was the best I could do locally and where I was traveling. I did buy from an out of state dealer listing in the Dealer's section here who had the lowest (actually none) additional charges other than the temp tags. It was supposed to be immediate, but it was 2 weeks. Otherwise it was just as posted (MSRP) and was a fully satisfactory experience. The individual at that dealership is no longer there so I'm not going to comment on the dealership to which my sister was referred by "my" dealership. I did not like the ambiguous emails about price.

I did negotiate (such as it was) for my sister with Tom Quinn at Koons who also is listing under the Dealer section (Northern VA). It was an excellent experience. Everything he said was not only true but the price ended up being even less than MSRP with some reductions he gave that he did not have to give since we already agreed on the price. I guess at the time we picked it up there was something special going on and he gave us that credit even though we didn't know about it. (And he knew we didn't know but gave it to us anyway.) So my sister's Prius actually ended up costing somewhat less than mine!

I know Northern VA may seem far, but if you can spend a day or so in Washington, DC (which is only a few miles away), it may add to the satisfaction of the trip. Also, the drive back will be enjoyable in your new Prius. I felt far more "welcomed" dealing with Mr. Quinn than I did with any dealers locally.

 

[JeffHart]

Looks like supply is easing up - DARCARS was advertising the Prius with Option Package #6 at 1K below MSRP in this weekend's Washington Post.

If you're current car is running and in good shape, you may want to hold out until 1-JAN-06 for the tax credit and to see if market rates in your area go down.

Cheers,
Jeff

 

[riscky_*]

I know Northern VA may seem far, but if you can spend a day or so in Washington, DC (which is only a few miles away), it may add to the satisfaction of the trip. Also, the drive back will be enjoyable in your new Prius. I felt far more "welcomed" dealing with Mr. Quinn than I did with any dealers locally.

Funny you say that... the dealer Isabelle point out, while still in state is something like a 9 hour drive... while washington d.c. is just a little over an extra hour and a half... I don't think I would have any issues traveling...

I do appreciate the comments... thanks.

 

[ratell]

not much wiggle room

I bought my Prius just a week ago. My experience talking to two different dealers in Portland was that there wasn't really any wiggle room on price. What you were negotiating for was how long you had to wait to get the car. We managed to get the car we wanted in two days, but it took pretty extensive negotiations.

There's also negotiating trade in and interest rate, but they were pretty clear that they would only consider MSRP.

 

[OverTork]

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely believe in getting the best deal possible. I would have been perfectly willing to drive a reasonable distance to get my car at or below MSRP if I could have been assured of getting the package I wanted, with out waiting until the end of summer. I personally hate negotiating and much prefer Saturn's business model of just telling people what the car costs, no haggling.

However I have in the past heard some people sound very hostile towards dealers who are just making a good business decision in markets where demand outstrips supply. Dealers do not have a moral obligation to put Prius' in the hands of the people at less than their fair market value.

 

[TJandGENESIS]

I just got mine, as some of you may know. I did not have to wait. I did not call ahead. I just walked into my dealer, last Wednesday, and four hours later, drove out in my PRIUS.

I paid LESS then the sticker price. I got a good trade on my SCION xB. All in all, I was happy.

Now, here is the kicker. Because I have bought (now three cars), from this one dealer in less then a year, I am sure they treated me right.

But since the other two were SCIONS (no hassle, no negotiations), thus, you pay what the sticker says, I did not even THINK to hassle with the price on this.

That was a first for me, at least with 'normal' car buying. It was when I got home, looked at the sticker, looked at what I paid for, that I noticed I got it cheaper then the sticker.

So, in one way, TOYOTA has succeeded in their campaign.

Their campaign, you ask? See, they want you to buy a SCION (if you are not a loyal TOYOTA fan, or are young, or both), then 'upgrade' to the TOYOTA line, then, 'upgrade' again, to the LEXUS.

So how long till I get a HYBRID LEXUS car??? NOT an SUV, BTW.
:lol:

 

[riscky_*]

I would have been perfectly willing to drive a reasonable distance to get my car at or below MSRP if I could have been assured of getting the package I wanted, with out waiting until the end of summer. I personally hate negotiating and much prefer Saturn's business model of just telling people what the car costs, no haggling.

I agree... I like the saturn business model better myself... I just want to make sure I'm not the "sucker" if you will...

Also I stopped by local-local dealer today on shock of shock found out Toyota changed the package options avaiable in my area and raised the price in the option line... something about the new `06 lines... now whats starting to tick me off is the base price is quoted at 21,000 but you have to pick package a, b or c (a starts around 800, I think) so the real base price is 21.800.. I wonder why they just don't drop the a options and just go with two packages (everything in a is in b and c).

 

[Jean]

I like the Saturn business model too, because it wouldn't make me feel like a dummy for not being able to negotiate like some people can. However, I don't like the Saturns. Having MSRP as the only "real" price at this point actually made me feel better about the purchase.