Can the MSRP be gouged?

I didn't say none of them could help. I simply mean they've helped as much as possible. I'd be a lot worse shape if not for some pre-tax cleverness.

 

Prius? I wish. It'll be at least another 5 weeks on the waiting list.

 

Bold added by me for emphasis. HOLY HELL!!! Condescend much? Just because the children's parents happen to be the ones working in your local Best Buy or even the auto mechanic repairing your Prius and only making $40-50K per year doesn't mean they're some sort of lepers that you should be afraid to have your children associate with. I grew up in a trailer park with my mother doing ad-hoc daycare out of our double-wide and I'm just as successful and productive contributor to society as you are.

For comparison, I know the article is three years old but I can't be bothered to find a more recent one - according to The Boston Globe Boston was the most expensive city in the nation in 2005.
In that environment, the median household income was about $40K. The average home cost $376,000. And many of our homes are older than your state.

All that is to say that there are many people across the country making due in areas that are just as expensive for a hell of a lot less (many of them on this forum) and it's not only pathetic to come on to a public internet forum and brag about what you make, but to then try to cry poor about an income that's 6 figures is in even greater bad taste. [/rant]

Had to get that off my chest.

 

Are you talking to accountants at tax time or financial planners/financial advisors? You need both, you need a long term wealth building and wealth management plan that includes an emphasis on reducing your tax liability.

I honestly want to help. Nothing saddens me more than seeing people work hard and earn a good living and wind up with nothing to show for it.

 

The problem is I live in the Bay Area and the cost of living is very high. If I lived in most other places in the country, $198K / year would put me smack in the middle of middle class.

I thought I'd already said that.

 

Getting back on this thread.....

Depends on the market. In the Portland, Oregon Metro area, it seems that "most" dealers are sticking with the MSRP but are adding various accessories such as the 3M scratch protection, $199 carpet mats (the $99 all weather mats are more practical)....The exception is Gladstone Toyota which is telling prospective buyers that there has been a $800 (or $400) increase in the MSRP (which is I suppose, true from their point of view as this is a SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE and they (Gladstone) has decided to go $800 to $400 higher). Expect to be "pressured" to buy the extended warranty. Remember you can elect to buy this just before the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty expires anyway. Just tell the sales agent, you will likely buy this later, unless they are prepared to give you a special deal to buy today (as in less than $1000 for the Premium 100K extended)

 

Hmm, making 40-50k a year will most likely not qualify your kids for a free lunch program, unless you have a large family. You should read the thread in its entirety, then maybe I was saying will make more sense to you. I was merely pointing out that if you have a household income of $198k and have professional careers you should not have to, and would not want to, live in an area where most of the kids in the local public schools are on a free lunch program. There's nothing wrong with being on a free lunch program per se, hell I was on a reduced program as a child, but a school with most of the kids on a free lunch program strongly indicates other problems beyond socioeconomic status. I don't know where you're from, but around here these schools not only have poor test scores and academic performance, but can be outright dangerous. Research the news, there was a huge brawl between Latino and African American students in a school in L.A. recently. It was going on for years and the police with riot gear had to be called in. Wanna bet that most of the kids in that school are on the free lunch program? In many of these inner city schools the race divide is so strong that if you merely walk onto the wrong turf you'll get your azz kicked, or stabbed or shot.

No one is bragging about how much one makes or crying poor. We're just trying to point out how ridiculous the cost of living is in these areas.

 

Somehow this thread turned into a cost of living debate...getting back to the title...I called 6 dealers last week (7-8-08) and found that only one was charging a premium for the Prius. Based on this information, I would say most dealers are not taking advantage of the customers. You will have to wait though. I bought my second Prius in April and I'm still waiting for it. It's due 7-22-08. I had no problem telling them to save their breath on the prepaid maintenance and extended warranty. They said "yes sir" and moved on with the closing. Don't be pressured into anything just because this is a high demand car. Be prepared for a great deal of smugness from the sales staff and over look it. They still want to sell you a "unit" which in the end is really all this thing is...just another unit. Yes, in two years they will be offering rebates on the Prius and anybody who financed $35000 on one of these will be SOOO upside down!

 

It would actually put you at the top of the middle class to the lower end of the upper class. $200k is the top 3% of all incomes in the country.

To put it in perspective for you, about $100,000 is top 10% of wage earners.

No need to get snippy, you're the one who decided to tell the whole forum how much money you make and then cry poor about it, which is pretty insulting to the vast majority of members here who make 5 figure incomes.

 

The vast majority of forum members don't live in where I live. It's all relative. In most places in the country an upper 5 digit income would afford me a better lifestyle and savings than my current income.

My original point was that I'll bet most of those paying a $30K markup on the new GT-R probably make a lot more than me.