[Daniel]

Toyota has apparently decided that to get their new cutting-edge-technology car out onto the roads, and establish market share and reputation ahead of the competition, they will sell it well below what the market will bear. They're taking a long-term view. Right now there's a parts bottleneck with suppliers, thus creating a shortage, but once that problem is overcome they see more profit in volume than in mark-up.

Most dealers are satisfied with the mark-up that's built into MSRP, and recognize that they, too, will benefit in the long term from volume.

But a few dealers see an opportunity to put a few thousand extra dollars into their pocket for no extra work, and jack up the price on anyone who does not have a contractual price with them. Greed is not against the law, and in a free-market economy it's encouraged. If we're talking ethics, it's pretty hard to argue that profiteering on a luxury car is wrong, while children go to bed hungry and Vietnam vets sleep under bridges.

 

[Daniel]

There are honest dealers. I read more reports of positive buying experiences than negative ones on these boards. My dealer was very good. He promised me the car in 12 weeks and delivered it in 9. And he never tried to get more than MSRP from me.

But a dealer who decides to abuse the people on his list by taking them out of order, or bumping up those who are willing to pay extra, may not be breaking any law. I blame Toyota for not imposing strict customer-service standards on their dealers. Honda has a much better reputation in this respect. And a direct-order scheme would be much more fair for all concerned, eliminating regional differences and assuring that you'd get the car you want, with a reasonably-accurate delivery date at the time of the order.