Great deal you got. Would you mind telling me what package/options it was you got? I am still confused from your story whether the 3995 was the dealer's own markup over MSRP or if the 3995 was the MSRP over invoice amount. Getting the Prius for 1000 under MSRP alone is impressive and a rarity. If you indeed got the car for truly 1000 under invoice you may just have gotten the best deal on a Prius in the history of the universe. Men will weep and women will cower from your presence. Would you mind filling in the financing information they roped you in with? This deal is such a poor decision on the dealer's part that I am struck to the point of thinking they must have gotten their money on financing or "underbody protection."

Me? The car is so great that I was happy as a clam paying straight MSRP for a package 8 Barcelona red.

 

I coulda swore I said that we got a little more than a 1000 under MSRP for our package3 with liquicell leather seat upgrade(24k or so, you can look up that price online I forgot). I make it a point to NEVER pay what normal(average) people do regardless of the car's demand.* I won't get on any list, that's stupid, sell me a car here and NOW or I walk. Plus, if I'm buying a car on a list, why should I buy from your dealership here if you won't give me a better deal than elsewhere(with a shorter list perhaps)? I found the list stuff was BS. I drove 20 minutes and found 2 new cars on the lot and no list. Bunch of PR spin or something. Even the list thing is helpful if you turn it around right. Here's what I said: "I'd be willing to go on the list instead of your car because it isn't exactly what I wanted anyway. Well we'll go home and think about it" See how that works?

Someone was talking about the extra dealer stuff and I know what they mean(like sitting on the lot fees). There's a million things they do like that. One of the majors is going with their financing. They'll always hope you're too lazy to go check with your banks and things. They told us we'd get 9.something or so for "good credit", I was like forget that, I can do better outside. I got it down around 7 or so with our bank and THEN, "miraculously" they can come up with 6.x! Big surprise right? Wrong! That's negotiating on MERIT.* In this case the merit is doing your own legwork on the financing issue, see who's the cheapest. They could have easily made up the 1000 "under" msrp by making me pay all those points in interest to put me back "over" in the long term. Don't hate em for it, just realize that's part of the game and well, you have to negotiate on merit. Part of that is coming in prepared to leave. You better have your own research and gameplan ready because you can bet they have one. Pretty much if the salesman isn't in danger of getting fired, I'm a little worried I missed something. I've had nearly all salesmen tell me they'd be fired for giving me x price with y options. I left and got another salesman to do exactly x and y at a different place.* Just telling them "I already went through the process of getting what I want figured out and so-in-so dealership wouldn't work with me, will you?" cuts out a lot of BS charges right there. Think about it, you can have cash in hand now, or not. Which would you choose?

*EVERYTHING is negotiable

 

LOL, I got the barcelona red too. That wasn't my first choice but I grew into it

My goal was always to pay under MSRP, without that plan in mind, I probably wouldn't have been able to. Mine is a pretty solid 1,000 under MSRP number though. I didn't get 3000 or whatever that one spectacular guy got. My financing was 6.7 points which at the time was under the 9 points Toyota originally tried to rope me in at. So they made some money off my points but under 7 beats everyone else I checked.

On my deal the car had sat on the lot quite a while (who knows why) and well I dunno, maybe someone made a mistake. I'm just going in there with what I want to pay and if they won't do it and give a bunch of bogus charges, I'm out. It could be that they planned on hitting me with the underbody protection/financing etc. later, but when I vetod all those they were stuck with our original agreed price. Sometimes I go back to a dealership and the guy I bought a car from isn't there anymore so maybe they really did get fired over it. I kinda doubt they'd fire a guy from making too much money off of a car sale.

I'm not that old or bought many cars I just can't afford to pay too much for a car. I have a buddy that uses the merit technique like I do. He just makes a list of what he wants in the car and basically shops it around with every possible state dealer on the phone. Look at it this way, you can enjoy the ride across the state in your new car I only had to drive 30 miles or so.

JV

 

2006, package 7. Paid MSRP but had to drive 300+ miles to get that price. Most dealers in SoCal charge $5000 over MSRP. A few do $1000 over. But Prius's are very hard to come by. Most dealers have waiting lists.

 

Ok, in your case, you do have it tough. I imagine the dealers being like vipers around there. CA is probably the only state where that kind of list hype is actually more real.

Around here, I bet they think it's some kind of experiment that won't take off. The occasional hybrid cars don't sit there long but still, I can imagine our availability being better. These types aren't exactly going to advertise to everyone "Hey we got Prius, come get em." All the focus is on the other crap.

We had idiot dealers with meaningless lists too. I think they were trying to pretend it was like CA but I'm not that stupid. The proof was I was driving one right off the lot the very next week after someone was giving me the list BS.

 

In response to why the Toyota dealer is willing to work things out.

I test drove the car, the car had 2 miles on it. After the test drive it had 6 miles on it. Some older man test drove the car while I was thinking about rather to make them an offer. and put 2 more miles on it.

When I agreed to purchase the car, the sales man went to the "tower (of babel)" and then informed me that the car had a $3995.00 mark up because is supply and demand (market adjustment they called it). This move is very illegal. The car was not marked with the 3995 mark up.

We bardered back and forth for awhile, and lowered the $3995.00 a little and then went to finance. I pretented that the finance guy pissed me off (which he did slightly) walked out to my car (not the prius)to drive away. The sales manager and finance manager followed me. We did some more bardering in my car, they left for some reason and then offered to remove the $3995.oo mark up totally and offered $500.00 off the car, and lowered the interest rate by 2%.

I then threw supply and demand in their face and got the other $500.00 off for a total of $1000.00 off invoice.

You see car dealers are not very nice nor smart people. I have learned that if you walk out a few times, the price will get lower and lower. Standing up and walking can save and has saved me hundreds and even a few thousand dollars the last several times that I purchased automobiles.

The secret to purchasing any car is to get the dealer to sell the car or truck at a loss. With the Prius, I knew that I might be able to break even, and I did a little better than that. I love talking car dealers down on cars that they normally will not reduce their price on. I like the challenge and the sport. Heck, that day I had a dealer $7000.00 under invoice for a corvett and dalers rarely if ever decrease the price of a corvett.

Now why did they settle on a lower price??? Here in phoenix it is hot. The lots during the week day are empty. If they want to move a car, they will have to deal. If not.... owning a prius is not the greatest thing I will have or will do in my life time. I can take it or leave it. I have seen that dealership with 07 camary and highlander hybrids on the lot (normally only for a couple days) and bardered prices down with them. I wasn't worried and I did not need that car. I made them need to sell it to me.

If you are willing to pay several thousands more than sticker for a car, give me the thousands and I will get you the car for under invoice.

P.S. we closed the deal a little after 10 PM. Over six hours of going back and forth. Saved myself $4995.00 plus tax.

I got the lower end of the prius. My ppackage is #6 with floor mats.

I use the car for work. I get a few hundered dollars plus $0.25 per mile. thats why I wanted the prius. 127 miles at work today 2.3 gallons = 55 mpg. Filling the car up and listening to the pump quite after a few gallons and $6.60 made me laugh out loud.

 

Tom,
One thing you have going for you in PHX is the sheer number of dealers and the size of their floorplans. I'm in amazement everytime I'm there and see the number dealers and choices you have Vs here back east in a small town. Heck if we want anything other then the basics we have to go 75 - 100 miles away. We have no Lexus, Acura, Infinity or any other high end dealers in our area. It's the big 3, Toyota Volvo and Nisson only here so they hold more of the 'chips' on their side Vs living in PHX. But like you, I know my information and am prepared to walk if they don't come around to a fair price. A 'market adjustment' on a car is like having to pay points to get a home mortage.... call it what it really is 'leagilized graft' and total BS.

 

Amen

 

We just paid MSRP for a Driftwood 2006 Prius here in upstate NY with package 3. Had 1 miles on it and we took it. So far I love this car. I just arrived home from the middle east and this is my response.

Lee

 

I paid sticker price on my '05 Prius with package 4. My trade in was an '04 Camry and I got an o.k. trade on it. Getting a Prius in Central Illinois involves a waiting list of a month or so but I've not heard of any dealer markups beyond sticker. Congrats to the buyer who walked out on a markup and got cut on top of that. Good job!