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2004-2009 Toyota Prius Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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Comments
I did not use carbargains.com. I used a method used by another buyer in the Honda odyssey forum which basically emailing a bunch of dealers in the Bay Area, all 24 of them. Some don't reply, some will give a high price, some will ask you to call or come in, some will not give you all the info you asked, you ignored them.
I only replied or negotiated with those who gave all the info I asked in the email. Three dealers came through, Palo Alto, Alameda and Walnut Creek. Palo alto did not have my color, Alameda was more difficult to get to, so I bought from Walnut Creek, a 40 minutes car ride for me.
I was in and out of the dealer in 1 hour, the only thing they tried to sell was pre-paid maintenance. I made a low offer to get out of it.
My overall experience was indifferent, they were neither excellent nor horrible. They just took the business calmly and quietly. I guess I cannot expect them to sell a car at pretty much bottom price and get excited it about it, especially when they cannot expect much more business from out of town customers.
Of those who asked me to call or come in, 'sleaseball' comes to mind, I ignored them.
Best wishes to all who are still trying to buy. If I can help anyone, just let me know.
Cheers
The prices in Nashville are about $1,000 higher than the west coast. Supply for some reason is limited here. Dealers can sell all they have at about MSRP. The range of prices, for 8 dealers, was only about $550 between the low & high bids, the high being MSRP + $299 doc fee. For those complaining on the west coast, be glad for the prices you seem to be getting there.
MSRP, package #2 = $23,759
base: MSRP $22,325 Invoice 20,558
mats: MSRP 199 Invoice 143
Delivery 660
advertising fee 391
markup above invoice 1,000
subtotal MSRP$23,759 Invoice 23,270
prices paid:
Package 2 + floor & cargo mats + delivery = $23,2700
dealer fees, taxes, etc = $2,179
total = $25,499 for a package 2
dealer doc fee was $299.50 plus $99 for a worthless glass etching scheme plus $71 for a business tax.
I came to pick up the car a week later and solidify the financing and it was another battle. I signed and then while messing with the car in the parking lot before I left, I checked with another Toyota dealer regarding a lower financing rate with which he kindly obliged. With tier 1 credit and repeat buying, I expected to be given a good rate by the dealer; not so. They would only match the online rates via third-party financing. I walked back in and calmly but with fire in my eyes, demanded a better rate from TFS. The finance guy got on the phone with TFS (probably calling time and temperature as he wouldn't put it on speaker) and I finally got a .10 reduction to 6.25.
You think you've finished negotiations at the sales table but then you realize they come at you from both the sales and financing angles. I figured the encore program would put me at 6.0(a supposed 1/4 point reduction on the best rates) on a 60 month which was mentioned during the sales process. In the end, a week later, there was no benefit really offered as the finance man claimed during his brief stop-off to the sales bargaining table a week before I took delivery. It really made me angry with all of the lying and telling me I had to use a third party finance to get a better rate than TFS. The whole process was mentally exhausting. I'll be waiting with baited breath for my swarovski crystal memorabilia you're supposed to receive with the encore program.
So far, I do love the car. I do see lock-pick in my future. It's really, really annoying not to be able to use the screen functionality of the phone or nav. while in motion. You wind up spending much more time dialing from your contact list on your mobile device than looking at what is in front of you.
According to Edmunds "what others are paying," I did ok. I know they have to make a profit to keep the lights on but to put you through that awful experience and then want high marks on a survey???? Someone please let me know if I'm being irrational.
At the end of the day, YOU control the sale, you decide if the deal is fair or not. If you are uncomfortable, LEAVE.. just get up and walk out. You don't have to buy anything you don't want. You for sure don't have to buy that day! Don't get in the mental mind-set that you have to buy a car THAT DAY.
Be happy with your purchase even if someone else gets the exact same car for $x less.. it's OK.
NSJ - why did you put up with this? I can't figure out why someone would buy a car and have it be such an awful experience. Say NO, and walk out next time.
sc
Negotiated $27,122 before calling this a lease
36 mon / 45,000mi / $1980 down (cap cost reduction)
Residual: $15,332
MF: I think was 0.00205
GAP: $600
Monthly: $454 incl tax
I think the residual is set by the mfg and will only vary on the length of the lease and expected mileage. $15,332 was quoted by a few dealers I went to.
Could I have gotten a better deal? The Touring package in my color was tough to find so I was a little hasty. But I'm pretty sure I could have leased a BMW 3-series for the same price. Oh well.. the price for being green.
I am in LOVE with this car. I was VERY happy with the price and dealership.
Thanks.
7 year/100K mile extended warranty
Prepaid every standard service up to 50K miles.
OTD price 31.5K (8.25% tax for the county that I live in).
I emailed a bunch of deals but this is the best I could find. I think it is a fair deal, not great but fair.
Good luck everyone, I hope this helps others.
I shopped around Saturday and yesterday and the best I could do other than this price was $25,900, which another dealer claimed was invoice. In the end, the dealer I bought from is 15 miles closer to home, so it was more convenient as well as a better price.
For the frosting on my Prius cake, the dealer offered me financing a quarter point below what I could get from my credit union.
All in all, a fairly painless and rewarding experience.
Prusa
sc
You can find them on the Toyota.com website and Locate Dealer.
I think you cannot disclose salesperson name on this forum but it is the Internet sales manager, a lady whose first name starts with a K.
I started by sending them an email and this lady answered.
Good luck.
sc
Good luck.
If you are interested, contact the Finance Officer at the "Toyota of Greenfield, MA" dealership and request the discounted Extended Warranty information.
Hope this helps.
Trying to help my parents out who are beginning to look for a Prius in the Westchester County, NY area. I would be interested to hear anyone who has bought from the local dealers and how they did on the deal.
Thanks
Cdost
I just got a 2008 black Prius Package 3 for 23.978.00. Since I live in Oregon there was no sales tax so that was just the price. Dealership said this was 200.00 dollars over there listed invoice price of 23,778.00. Does this sound like a fair deal to everyone or are people paying much less for there package 3's?
I am currently in the market, trying to buy a prius 08 with package 2. I just wanted to know if you remember what forms you signed at the dealership. Did you sign any credit application form. A dealership told me that they needed this form to get info about me, like social security number etc, to make sure I was authentic, but would not run a credit check. However, sounds fishy, so wanted to check with you. I am using my own credit.
Thanks.
Don't do it unless you are signing deal papers.
They did run a credit check without asking me but they disclosed it fully afterwards. I guess they needed this since I paid $3k on credit card and the rest by personal check.
sc
I was also thinking of buying from 355 toyota tomorrow or day after. Did you use ur own financing? Did they run a credit check or OSAC report on you? Did you have to give them your social security number, etc?
Thanks.
This was the third time I have bought a car. The previous experience, buying my '03 Chevy S10, was also good, although that was all in person. My first, buying my '92 Honda Accord was a nightmare of pushy salespeople who tried to sell me what I didn't want ("What part of manual transmission do you not understand?") Aside from that, my mother was married to a used car salesman, so I spent some of my childhood in that very shady milieu.
It seems to me that there has been a real change in dealer mentality over the last 20 years.
has anyone heard anything else?
I requested quotes for Prius package 5. One quote is for MSRP $26,531, internet selling price of $24,604, plus a $340 processing fee, and $660 destination charge/delivery fee, for a total of $25,604 before taxes, tags, etc. The other quote is for MSRP $26,694, with a special internet selling price of $24,925.73 for a 72-hr window (which has already passed); this would total $25,585.73 before taxes, tags, etc. My question is, for those who have bought in the Northern VA area, are these quotes reasonable for a package 5 or should I look for something lower?
Also, I've heard mixed reviews about the Prius navigation system. I haven't used any type of navi system in the past, so I'm not sure if the one in the Prius is worth the cost or if it would be better downgrade to a package 4 and just buy a portable GPS. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Also, this will be my first new car purchase and first time dealing with a dealership, and I guess it doesn't help that I'm a single female (in my late 20's, but I've often been told I look younger). Are there any "red flags" I should look out for when negotiating a price, signing the contract, etc? Also, are there any fees which are basically bogus and can be talked down or eliminated altogether? Thanks in advance for any feedback!
I also look3ed at the Prius, but decided to wait til the next model comes out. The Nav system is a problem for this reason.
Think back to 8 track tape players. Great addition to a car waaaaaaay back but just try and get an 8 track tape now. The current Nav systems are extremely expensive to upgrade. Just call up the toyota dealer and ask for a price to upgrade an older Nav system. Figure $600 easy. After 5 years it will be a worthless unit in your car. You can buy a nice portable GPS system for $300 or a great one for $600. I'd rather get a unit for less and if it's outdated ok well it's $300 or so and it's not mounted in the dash and easy to replace and take with you on trips if you use a rental car. In dash looks nice but you can have a pro shop mount it in your car and it will not have any visible wires either. My advice go to Best Buy or a place like that and check out the Nav systems they have on display. My wife wants one so it will either be a Garmin or a TomTom. I'm still checking them out but found the Garmin easier to use button wise. My wife likes the TomTom but she can't use the buttons easily either.
That's why my wife and I held off buying until next year and changes announced now would affect sales now so I don't expect to hear much accurate info for at least another 6 months. Unless you want to wait another year no reason not to buy now. My biggest gripe and my wifes was a non-adjustable drivers seat. For what they charge it ought to have a few more adjustments in the drivers seat. Height adjustment is what my wife really wanted as she is short and I wanted a bit more seat padding for long trips. Lumbar support would be great as well. These cars cost as much as a Camry so why can't they have an adjustable seat like a Camry? It doesn't have to be a power seat. No word on that and new battery technology is a tough call because lithium ion is probably not going to happen with the Prius. They will want a non Hazmat battery.
Check the local airlines to see the new laws on Li-Ion batteries as they are prone to catching on fire. They can keep them cold with refrigerant but no idea if that will happen by 2009.
But only Toyota knows for sure.
The Lithium batteries "aren't ready yet", according to Toyota spokes people. I think the Panasonic division of Matsushita is working on the batteries for Toyota.
1. Is the internet manager only able to deal with cars currently on the lot, or is he/she able to trade with other dealerships just like a floor salesperson can?
2. I have not yet taken a test drive. When I go to the dealership to take a test drive, is it possible to deal with the internet manager only or will I have to deal with a floor salesperson?
3. Is the internet price a "take it or leave it" price or can it be negotiable?
4. Do the internet managers tend to be more, less, or equally knowledgable, as compared to the floor salespeople, about the specifics of the Prius?
Out the door price - 22500, excluding tags, taxes and license fees. Used Capital One financing for entire amount. No trade ins. Maryland state. Fitzmall Toyota.
Used approximately donkey punch method, sending out internet requests for prices. Got prices that were cheaper at Beltway Toyota and 355 Toyota, but did not like the way they dealt with me, so finally went with Fitzmall Toyota. Price at Fitzmall was still about 700 dollars cheaper than North Carolina prices and Virginia prices.
Reasons for package 2 - contains basically all that I need. I have a portable navigation system, which is more than sufficient for all kinds of trips. Plus, you can take with you when you fly, and use it in your rental car. Leather looks nice, but can be really cold in the winter. Heated seats - I do not know about them. Premium speaker system, etc can be installed later if needed at much lower prices than charged by Toyota.
Experience with dealerships:
-Horrible experience with Sheehy Honda. This was when I was trying to buy an Odyssey. Numerous tricks. At Henderson Honda - decent dealership, no backhand dealings as far as I could make out. At Beltway toyota - we had corresponded through about 20 emails about forms, and they came up with yet another form when I went there. Their privacy policy is actually disclosure policy. Price was very aggressive though. Goldsboro Toyota and Hubert Vester Toyota had numerous forms to be filled and signed, including an arbitration policy, which is an absolute no-no. They also have clauses on their purchase order which state that they WILL run a credit check on you.
Fitzmall Toyota - dealt with a nice gentleman there. They were pretty decent. For the most part, were straightforward. Price was a little higher. They did try 'good cop-bad cop' trick, and I had to play the 'walkout' trick, but their forms are the best, and they are very open about the paperwork required. They will not run credit check unless you sign their form, which is OPTIONAL. Their privacy policy was also the best, and you can even opt out of that, although they did not tell me about it. There is a provision for that while they are entering your info on the computer. Ask about it specifically. They endorsed check immediately, and it was cashed within 72 hours.
Paperwork required for purchase of car
I am posting this also because I visited several dealers, and it was sometimes frustrating because various dealers had various forms. From what I could understand, came to the following conclusions:
1- If you are using an institution's financing, like Capital One or your local credit union for the entire purchase amount, you do NOT have to fill out ANY credit application forms at the dealership. They do NOT have to run a background check or terrorist check on you, as these have already been done by your finacing institution before giving you the check. You do NOT have to fill out a FIVE LINER, which is a partial credit application, as they CAN use this to run a credit check on you.
2- They do NOT need your social security number for a car purchase. I did not give mine during the purchase. They absolutely do NOT need it. They do NOT need to know any personal info about you, or who they are dealing with. I was told "Mr A.., our finance manager, would like to know who he is dealing with". Absolute nonsense. As long as you have a check from a financial institution, that is all that is needed. Just give them your name, address, license info, and car insurance info. That is all that they need.
3- Do NOT sign an arbitration policy under any circumstances. It means you cannot sue them later for any of their faults. Do NOT accept statements on purchase order such as " the purchaser has agreed to buy the vehicle in an AS IS condition ".
4- The only forms/paperwork required are - Purchase order, Odometer statement, Proof of insurance, Limited power of attorney so that they can do your tags/registration, and forms from DMV/MVA for registration. NO NEED for credit application form, arbitration policy form, background check form, etc, etc.
These are that I can think of right now. Any further thoughts shall be posted later.
The internet sales price is negotiable. See donkey punch method in Honda Odyssey forum.
Regarding paperwork and dealer tricks, read my post number 1230.
Regarding getting the best internet prices, use donkey punch method posted in honda odyssey buying forum. It is very useful. Dealer processing fee is absolute nonsense. They are charging that for about 30 minutes of work. Even doctors and lawyers are not paid that kind of fees, let alone a school drop out clerk. I think that Maryland state has a rule that doc fees/processing fees cannot be more than 100 dollars. I found prices in Maryland to be cheaper than VA or NC prices.
Ask for ALL paperwork, front and back, to be faxed to you, including forms from finance manager's office. They often hide the latter forms. Go through the fine print on the FRONT and BACK of these forms. Then make a decision.
Thanks for the info. Within the Honda Odyssey Buying Experience & Prices Paid thread, post #17261 gives a good step-by-step guide, and post #17334 gives a more concise summary.
On a slightly unrelated note: would the tags fees still apply (or be the full amount) if you plan to transfer your existing license plates to your new vehicle?
Am planing to buy one with PKG 6 ,but i got the range from $26.500 to $27000 + tax.
I got the dealer price listing from $26000 to $27200 for PKG #6 and $23200 for PKG#2.
I would like to know the best deal on these two cars....
Thanks,
Brian