dealer talking down the Prius

Maybe because your salesman's an idiot?

 

The dealer probably: 1) had more Camry's in stock than the Prius, and 2) would make more profit.

Remember, you are in the driver's seat. Buy what you want.

Keith

 

That's a little harsh and biased don't you think? My wife has a TCH and I plan on buying a new Prius - there is a place for both...

 

If they had some kind of special financing on the TCH it most likely means they want to sell it and think they might have (or have had) trouble doing so. The Gen3 Prius will get about 15 mpg more than the Camry and has a lot more class (IMHO). But the Camry is a nice comfortable dependable car, one of my friends has had one since they came out and I really like it. The fact they were not up front about it means you should consider seeing another dealer.

 

No, I might be biased but I didn't mean to question the intelligence of anybody who prefers a TCH! It just seems to me that a smart salesman would figure out which car the customer prefers and talk up THAT car.

So, southjerseycraig, did you end up buying either one?

 

The smart salesman will try to sell the product with higher margin than the lower margin Prius. The Camry likely have higher incentive than the 10 Prius, which may not even have one.

 

In case no one noticed, he said the Camry was a "non-hybrid" model.

 

That's right. It's a Camry, not TCH.

 

Well that explains it. The dealer has plenty of those, and makes a good profit.

Tom

 

I'd still like to hear back from the OP!

If I liked one thing and the salesman tried to talk me into something else, I'd walk out (or if it's something rare that I wanted, I'd tell the salesman he was an idiot for trying to sell me something else).

 

I highly recommend reading the "Confessions of..." series at Edmunds.com. It's very eye opening.

 

The Camry has more mark up than a prius. He was talking up the camry because a bird in the hand is better than two in the bush. We have PLENTY of those in stock. Generally, I will make a smaller commission on the camry because we discount it below the profit of a prius. But, I have a sale right then and there rather than 2 months down the road. Alot can happen in 2 months. Change your mind, another dealer gets one in before me, lose your job, just decide you don't want a new car right now...

 

I see what you mean but I'd be pretty upset if I liked the Prius but the salesman decided he was going to sell me a Camry. Okay, it's true I already have a bias -- not only do I really like the Prius but I have NEVER liked the Camry -- but even if I was seriously trying to decide between the two, if I had any preference at all I would want the salesman to support my preference, not the one that gives HIM the biggest commission.

 

Mark up, sales commission, the noises you made while driving.
A salesman can seem like the nicest person in the world and may well be but when he/she is showing you a car, paying a mortgage, rent, bank card bill, food, school fees, a holiday, car payment or anything else concerning how his commission will be spent is his/her main motivation. They don't really want to be your best friend except that it might lead to more car sales.

If you didn't make the noises about liking a Camry I don't know why he was using ink.

 

1 Camry's are available on the dealer lot...waiting and waiting and waiting to be sold.
2 Higher profit margin with Camry
3 They can sell a Prius to anyone...as soon as they get one. The car is hot...why have you wait for a Prius (or heaven forbid, order one) when they can get rid of a car on the lot that they already have?

Don't get me wrong...I have owned two Camry's in the past, a 2005 Prius and now a 2010 Prius. They have all been great cars with unbelievable reliability. But the Prius is hot right now and difficult to get. Why would your salesperson want you to be interested in THAT viehicle when he can unload a car that is readily available?

 

I'd say that patsparks is correct, I assume we are thinking the same way. The salesman was going with the assumptive close. He repaeted the things that you may have said you liked about the Camry. You agreed...Jabber is right in saying that the salesman preferred to sell you the Camry since it's in-stock and he assumed you'd agree to buy so he began writing the contract.

David Martin calls it assumptive close!

I do want to disagree with Pat. Car salespeople genuinely want to be pals with their customers. You're the people that we see every day!

 

You got me there, I assumed TCH as it seemed like the only viable alternative to a Prius at a Toyota dealer. I stand corrected...

 

We seemed to have lost the OP. I am interested in knowing what his reaction was and whether he actually bought a car from that dealer.

 

He probably decided to go with a Yukon or a Hummer, and did not want anyone to know!

But seriously, I am interested in the OP's final decision as well. I have to live through everyone elses experience, because I haven't got a clue when my 2010 will arrive

I agree with previous posters who point out the simple profit margin issue between the Camry and the Prius. I do believe it is as simple as that.