livvie has a very good strategy.
Be strong, don't show them your belly and get ready to walk and shop from other dealerships.

If your company is giving you incentive to purchase a hybrid, you should not limit your option to Prius only. While Prius has been getting good rating, Honda Civic Hybird is also an excellent choice. Not just your company's incentive and you can also get Federal tax credit as well.

Again, if Prius is the "must have", then get ready to shop from other city's dealership. If you decide to buy one, local dealership is not willing to work with you, then take a road trip and go out of town for car shopping.

These days, you can call and just tell those dealerships out of town/state that your local dealership is not willing to work with you, you are willing to travel and buy from them, ask them to give you the best price they can offer and be done with.

Mr. Wilson also has a good point, the last Saturday of each month, all new car sales reps try to round up their number, and they usually get extra % for that last weekend sales, they are more willing to clear up the lot then saving for next month.

 

You guys are all missing the point here. The original poster is from CHICAGO - where prices have skyrocketed in the past month or two due to refinery problems and their special fuel. Did the same thing last spring and last summer. When I looked on Gas Buddy a week ago the highest prices in the country were in Chicago, even higher than San Francisco. They have since dropped some, but my guess is the demand there is extremely high and the normal bargaining tactics are not going to have much impact.

I would try CarsDirect.com, and email all local dealers once it gives you a price that is (hopefully) below MSRP - see if any of them bite. Otherwise I would seriously consider buying out of state or if you have to buy in-state - try the most rural areas where they usually don't sell as well.

 

not really. the point is that we have people who have bought into a hot market before and have successfully negotiated a lower price. it can be done regardless of what is going on in chicago. you just have to be willing to walk away from the deal. if your heart is set on 1 car an you have to have it... well you will get screwed.

 

I believe the original poster made it clear he did those things you recommend and didn't have any luck. Let's hope he can develop some strategies relevant to his market conditions and find a good deal on a great car.

 

I had great luck using the net. Walking into show rooms ment talking to commissioned sales staff. But, using the net, I communicated with the fleet manager/internet coordinator. Result? The dealerships offered a lower than sticker price! I was lucky to find a dealership which had exactly (OK, I had 3 color choices) one with what I wanted in shipping. It was delivered to the dealer within 5 days of my contact ... This was quite a contrast to the walk in to the dealership- sales staff story of 6 months of waiting. OK, I had to travel about 200 miles for delivery but for a significant $ saving and right away delivery, it was so worth it.

Added Thoughts: Get the "Vehicle Stability Control," no less than option 2 on the 2007 Prius. I like my "touring" model very much too. I have had mine since November and it is almost up to 5K miles. The mpg keeps improving and I keep developing my skills to wring out a few extra miles per gallon.

 

My deal was very simple. I NEVER went to a dealership - instead, I just asked for quotes via the Toyota website after configuring the car I wanted, and waited for email. I specifically said I did not want any phone calls, and in fact filled in a bogus (555-xxxx) number in the phone number field on the site.

The result was about 20 emails, 18 of which implored me to call or come in, and 2 of which actually put a quote in writing. Both quotes were very good (about $2500 below MSRP), but one guy had the color I wanted and other did not, and I got what I wanted.

As for the 18 clowns that ignored my request for a quote - I simply ignored them. I have no time to play "salesman" games. If any salespeople are reading this, it might be worth considering that simply telling someone the real and final price of a car when you are asked may get you a sale, and not doing so may cost you the sale.

 

The net doesn't work in chicago.

 

I also went the web method and got the best quote from a nearby dealer. Alot of dealers are trying to ramp up their Internet sales since they can sell more by volume and pay less commission to the salesmen I am guessing.

I just bought my '07 Prius last Wednesday [I LOVE IT!!!!]

At any rate, the quotes I got from two separate dealers in person were only $500 and $800 below MSRP. I got the best quote at $1300 below MSRP.

I also recommend going to www.CarsDirect.com and find out what the going rate is for the Prius in your area. Here it was about $800 below MSRP, so I know that $1200 below was a pretty good deal.

Good luck!