[Dion]

I want to order a Prius. The saleman says I have to leave a $1000 deposit to order. I told him that was too much , because him dosen't know when the car will be delivered. I would like to know what other people have left as a deposit on their order.

 

[DAVID]

I was asked to put down a fully-refundable deposit of $500. Now I'm just waiting to get "the call."

 

[bttmama]

I would NOT put $1000 down. I called 30 dealers and $500 was the top amt asked as deposit (fully-refundable!) There is no reason to put that much down. I would call other dealers. I also got it in writing, that I could get my deposit back for any reason.

 

[Soyboy]

When I ordered my '04 Prius in September, my dealer asked for a fully refundable $100 deposit. $1000 is really excessive to me. Whatever you do, make sure you leave the deposit with a credit card.

 

[wfjw]

Wat is an acceptable amount to order a Prius?

Try $1500 (US$) last Sep 10 or take a hike! PS still waiting for my silver!
wfjw

 

[bttmama]

When I ordered my '04 Prius in September, my dealer asked for a fully refundable $100 deposit. $1000 is really excessive to me. Whatever you do, make sure you leave the deposit with a credit card.

What are the advantages of using a credit card? We used one but I noticed that everyone over on the Yahoo list used checks.

 

[gbergman]

Too much down?

I'm not a previous Toyota owner and was told by others that I didn't have a chance. But, I put down $2,500 and specified "BC in any color I could get". Maybe that's why I'm now driving my "Tideland Pearl"? I may never know but, I have friends with $80,000+ new Cadillacs, Mercedes, & Jaguars and who do you think is getting all the attention.

 

[Chuck]

I took a test drive from two local dealers last week. Little to choose from regarding knowledge and courtesy but one wanted a $1000 deposit and the other only $500. Since both were selling Prii at MSRP but could not promise delivery before next March I went with the dealer offering the $500 deposit and used a credit card. My $0.02

 

[bttmama]

Re: Too much down?

I'm not a previous Toyota owner and was told by others that I didn't have a chance. But, I put down $2,500 and specified "BC in any color I could get". Maybe that's why I'm now driving my "Tideland Pearl"? I may never know but, I have friends with $80,000+ new Cadillacs, Mercedes, & Jaguars and who do you think is getting all the attention.

I doubt that amt had anything to do with speed of delivery. If you were willing to pay over MSRP you might get a quicker delivery from a less than ethical salesperson. I put my $500 down and mine will be here in 2wks - I ordered last month. There are tons of examples of $500 deposits on Yahoo and some got there car within 1 week and others wil have to wait many months.

 

[TBangs]

HOW MUCH OF A DEPOSIT

We left $100.00 deposit and that was accepted, we also have a pre-approved loan which we brought with us and left with the dealer. The dealer can't use it without our approval, this was satisfactory as far as the dealer was concerned.

Tom

 

[Pebble Beach]

A credit card is preferable since you have more bargaining power in the event of a dispute. Credit Card issuers will work with you if you dispute a charge or have a problem with the company. If you give a check, and its cashed, there is little you can do. Thats why you should use a credit card for any large purchase.

 

[Soyboy]

What are the advantages of using a credit card? We used one but I noticed that everyone over on the Yahoo list used checks.

With a credit card you have recourse if you change your mind and you're doing business with an unethical dealer. If they try to pull a fast one on you and say they get to keep all or part of the deposit, you can dispute the charge with your credit card company. As long as you have paperwork showing a fully refundable deposit, they'll be on your side. If you pay by check, you'd likely have to jump through many more hoops to get your deposit back.

 

[Mabosa]

Ordered mine - NY

My dealer didn't require a deposit. I'm a long term (19 yr) customer who has purchased Toyotas from same sales manager. Demanding high $$ deposits is a rip. Better to work with a dealer who considers a long-term relationship more important than fast profit (if you can find such dealers . .)

 

[Soyboy]

Re: Ordered mine - NY

Better to work with a dealer who considers a long-term relationship more important than fast profit (if you can find such dealers . .)

Exaclty! When I leased my Corolla 3 years ago I walked out of 2 dealers before finding one who was honest and didn't try pulling any BS. When I called him in September and told him I wanted the Prius, the first question he asked was when my current lease expires. When I told him September 27th, the next thing he said was that the Prius won't be in before mid October, but he'd arrange to have a loaner ready for me when I drop off the Corolla. Sure enough it was ready, and I drove it until the Prius came in on October 25th. When I bought the Prius there was no markup from MSRP and no extra fees that so many other dealers try to tack on. And never any pressure for anything. There's no substitute for that kind of service.

If you're in the San Francisco bay area, I can't recommend Putnam Toyota in Burlingame highly enough. I have no affiliation with them other than being a highly satisfied customer.

 

[blubrid]

I shopped three dealers for my '04 Prius. Two (in Virginia) each wanted $500 (no mention of whether it was fully-refundable or not). The third (in Maryland) wanted $300 deposit (fully-refundable per state law) and had the lowest processing fee (the only variation in the price of the car between the three dealers).

As far as the processing fee went, the two Virginia dealers each wanted in the high $200s ($279 and $289 respectively). The Maryland dealer only charged $100 processing.

'04 Prius with AM package, floormats and cargo net for $23,805.97 out-the-door.