I'm new to buying a Prius, I live in the Bay Area and I am looking to buy a Prius 3. Does anyone know if the price or APR will generally go down by Thanksgiving and new years or if it won't be much different til new years?
I just got 2012 Prius Model 3 and got 2.9% APR for 60 months. The current APR deal is supposed to expire on 12/3/2012, so I am assuming Toyota will come up with a similar deal next month for new year / Xmas season. I traded my 2010 Highlander for Prius and my dealer had a lot of Prius in stock. I think I was able to negotiate a good price. It won't hurt to start looking now. Go to your Toyota dealer and see what they have in stock. Good luck!
It was 2 years ago on Nov 17 when I bought my 2010 Prius IV. The time was right for me and the dealer only had one Barcelona Red IV without the sunroof or tech package that I wanted, and plenty others in different colors. Shortly afterward, price of gas went up, then eventually the earthquake/tsunami in Japan hit and if you could find one, you paid list or more. I am so glad I didn't wait a few more months!. If the potential to save another $100 - $200 is important, then wait and see what happens. If you're thinking there is a potential $$1,000 or $2,000 on the table still, you will be disappointed to find out later there isn't. It really depends on your situation, if you have a trade-in, the amount of your down payment, etc. Your best price will depend on how well you can negotiate the final price. If the time is right for you have a new Prius than go out and make the best deal you can, buy it and don't look back. If it doesn't matter one way or the other, then you can probably wait - and that in and of itself is leverage because the now the dealer has to entice you or sweeten the deal to make it right for you.
From what I have read, the 2013 Prius will be arriving sometime in December. I think dealers will be more willing to deal in order to get rid of the 2012s when the 2013s arrive. If this is true, it's probably better if you wait a little bit longer to buy. I hope this helps.
Any particular reason you're limiting yourself to "Prius 3"? There are 3 other trim levels: 2012 Toyota Prius MPG | Prius Prices. However, I doubt financing and Toyota's incentives/rebates/discounts will be vary by trim level.
I went with 3 because it had everything I wanted. Leather in prius is not real leather and it looks and feels really cheap. Audio system in 3 is just meh. 4's JBL system might be better. I had Toyota basic audio system in my 2010 Highlander SE and it sounded much better than basic Toyota audio system in Prius.
I've thought about plugin but it's just too expensive, the 2500 rebate from federal gov just isn't enough.
is 24k a good price for a new 2012 prius 3? I found a dealership that is willing to do it for 24k if I pay in full.
There's also $1500 back from CA (CVRP Eligible Vehicles). BuyAToyota! for zip code 95136 also shows $1000 bonus cash with 0% financing. Then, you're also eligible for green HOV stickers (Eligible Vehicles - Single Occupant Carpool Lane Use Stickers).
PIP seems like a really good option. If I had rebates available in my state (IL), I would totally go for it. Without rebates PIP is just too expensive to make financial sense. Also Toyota is clearly failing at explaining rebates to its customer on its website. I went to Chevy's site and they have links with estimated rebates amount clearly listed. I think Volt with rebates is actually a better deal than PIP.
