Prius Prime - official prices paid thread

Refer to the map on this comment for Toyota regions.
Prius Prime - official prices paid thread | Page 183 | PriusChat

 

I live in the San Francisco Region with a sad $1000 rebate

New York Region is getting $3500 rebate.

Can I buy the Prius Prime from a dealer in New York region and just have them ship it to me?

I saw the shipment price and I can have a car delivered for $700-1000.

 

I got mine at Turnersville Toyota in NJ, and the salesperson, Stan, told me that he's had people fly out to purchase from them. They had quite a few primes in stock. NJ though, so $3000 rebate, not 3500

 

People have done it. You just need to connect with a dealer who is willing to help you with the transaction.

 

I just checked it, NY/NJ region rebate is still $3000 at least until 3/2 when current deal expires. If you want $3500 rebate, you have to talk to a New England dealers and close the deal before 2/17.

 

You also need to account the CVRP rebate of $1,000 (plus $2k for low income I believe). This only applies if you buy the car in CA. So it might end up the same.

 

Did a quick estimate that a flight to NY/MA, return trip gas, hotels, food, etc would be about $550-$600 from MN.
Distance of 1200 miles back (from MA) would be about 4 weeks of driving for me.
Worth it for incentives in MA vs. MN.

 

I would say it is not common to negotiate anything greater than a $2,500 dealer discount in Southern California, but I did find Northern California to be more amenable (I was shocked by my $3000+ discount, but really anything is possible considering how much these dealerships make on every car). Post your results, each day/shopper/dealership is different. Dealerships want your business and may match final price after discounts, and they sometimes match TrueCar quotes from outside of your region (this is what they did for my purchase).

Considering the $823 Million threatened to be withheld from Clean Energy spending, I honestly wish I had more seriously looked at leasing. I am not sure what the lease buyout numbers look like for Toyota, but as long as you negotiate a discounted cap cost as if you are financing I bet the price will not be horrible and you can still buy at the end if you want. This would have put Toyota on the hook for the $4,502 federal tax dollars for 12+ months (I'm sure their tax cycle is shorter but, depending on how you file, you would not see that refund for 13ish months this early in Tax Year 2020), and you are still eligible for $1,000 California and $1,000 utility.

Who knows what PHEV technology or future Prime battery configurations will look like at the end of the lease term. As much as I don't wish this to be the case, you might be glad to have an easy out (and always get the excess wear coverage, these cars can be easy to damage).

 

I thought it takes 4 weeks for you to drive from MA to MN... then realized that your usual monthly driving distance is about 1200 miles.

Not the best time of year to travel, but yeah for the saving you may want to try it. One thing to remember is that MA does not issue a temporally license and/or in-transit registrations, if you need to drive a brand new car and have it insured by your policy, it might be better to go to New Hampshire that issue temporally tag and registration. NH has added benefit of not having any sales tax, although you are very likely required to pay the sales tax in your state when you register in your local. I don't know how it works in other NE states or in NY/NJ though.

 

Usually you can get temp tags at your local DMV yourself. Terms and conditions vary.

 

AFAIK, that's not the case in Massachusetts. Additionally, strictly speaking MA does not recognize a temporally license or in-transit registrations issued by other states for MA residents either. Hypothetically, if someone from MA buys a car in NH (or any other states) and get a temporally license and in-transit registrations from the out of state dealer, and drive it on MA public road, he/she can get pulled over or in an accident and be cited for unregistered/uninsured, plates. And may have the vehicle impounded and be subject to court costs fines and surcharges.

However. I believe, if that person is not MA resident, and a temporally license or in-transit registration was issued by other states, I think it is OK to drive through MA with temp tags. Buyer be aware.

 

Not to steer off-topic, but how a car-less (and tag-less) MA resident buys a car from a private person, then?

Also, in my original post, I obviously meant getting a temp tag in own state DMV, to get a car in MA and drive to home state.

 

Read this.
How to Register a Privately Purchased Car in Massachusetts | MA Insurance Agency

 

You're missing the point. Imagine: you're selling a car, I'm buying it from you. We meet at a public place, $$ change hands, you take your tag off the car and leave. Car is tag-less. Now what?

My DMV allows to purchase a temp (3 days, iirc) registration beforehand.

 

You can't drive it on public road until it is registered, insured and tagged with a valid license plate. One exception is when you trade-in your vehicle for the purchase and use the old plate on the new car during 7 days grace period. It basically takes two trips to get any auto sales done. You close and finalize sales. Take all the sales documents to RMV to get the car registered and get a license plate. Go back to the seller's place or where ever the car is sitting. Put your license tag on, and drive back home free.

Here is additional reading material: Autotrader - A Temporary License Plate Would Be Nice in Massachusetts

 

Wow, how things changes since the tea party...

 

This may work, if you know for sure the sale is going to be final at the visit, and dealer is willing to work with your on this. I don't know what is required to get a temp tag, but I think you would need VIN. So, if you get to the dealer's place in MA from out of state, and the car you are suppose to buy is no longer on the lot but they sell you another car just like it obviously with a different VIN, then technically speaking, the temporary tag is no longer valid.

 

Well, that's why you negotiate first, put a deposit, then travel.

Here in VA the 3 day reg (called "trip permit") is $5 and done online, so not a biggy if you come for X but get Y.

 

A dealer from MA told me, if I trade in, they can have someone from the dealership to drive my new car with the dealer's tag, and I drive the old car, together pass the MA boarder, then switch the plate and car, then I can drive my new car back home. Not sure if there is any risk.

 

Yap, that is the 7 day transfer law and allowed for MA residents driving on MA roads. Transfer your registration to a vehicle or trailer purchased from a dealer | Mass.gov
I don't know if it is allowed for out of state residents. Even if allowed by the state he/she is from, other states on transit may not recognize it as a valid transfer. Besides, if you are flying in to buy a new car, you would not be trading in your old vehicle.