So I picked up my Prius V under invoice ($500 to be exact), but I believe I got ripped off by the dealer, as I was really pressured (w/ falsified information) to get their maintenance package... I pushed off all other offers like the GAP insurance and other unnecessary BS they tried to throw at me...however, they got me with maintenance! The rep typing up my lease agreement showed me the pricing sheet for their service plan and the oil change was listed at around $169.99!! The service included tire rotation and other minor stuff. His explanation for the insane price was "synthetic oil" and recommended I get it every 5k miles! Now, I've been on this forum for about a month and I recall someone mentioning that they changed the oil change interval to 10k miles, so wth? Anyway, I called Toyota customer service and explained the situation. The rep. apologized and advised me to call Toyota Financial Services to get it removed, as an option. All I have to say is that the car is fine (switched from an Acura TL Type-S '07), but the buying experience was just as bad as the current negative news surrounding them...I plan to file a complaint for their overly pressured sales tactics with misleading information, ha! The guy even had the audacity to ask me to provide the best possible positive feedback when Toyota calls...LOL! In his f'n dreams! Anyway, what are your thoughts, folks? Any of you Prius owners have gone through the same scenario? Btw, is GAP insurance really needed? I just needed to vent...it's 2am and I'm half asleep typing this, so if it doesn't make sense, I'm sorry... :/
For every car purchase I've found this web-site a valuable tool: CarBuyingTips.com new car buying guide, avoiding dealer scams, new cars, used car buying It has tips for every aspect of purchasing a car (new and used). FYI even synthetic oil change with tire rotation does not cost $169.99. Not sure what they showed you but that is ridiculous. You're accurate about the new guideline of 10K oil change interval for the Gen III if 0W 30 synthetic is used. Good luck,
I thought the sales reps are bad in Israel but after reading this forum... So far so good hear - only the brake recall which was done to my satisfaction and W/O to much of a wait. BTW How often do you guys rotate tires? Is it really that important? Thanks Danny
Danny, I've my tires rotated every 10K miles as recommended. So far my OEM tires lasted 50K kms and now 3 winters - it is almost time to buy replacements of course many others on this site would suggest it is way over due
you can cancel the maintenance package. there should be a number on the maintenance package paper work. otherwise, just go back to the dealer and tell them you want to cancel.
I have the same car, a month old, and you do need GAP insurance. The dealer, and I say this at age 62 after having purchased a dozen new cars in my life, is often a good or bad experience depending upon how much you let them manipulate you. I let them sell me the Prius with 166 miles on it, as if it were a new car. If you drive it home put 166 miles on it and want to take it back for a full refund they'll explain how its now a used car, and has depreciated by thousands of dollars. I needed a car, they had the one I wanted with 166 miles on it, so I took it. Was I cheated, you bet. Now I don't like the situation, but I immediately changed the oil, and installed the TRD filter to remove the already accumulated wear particles, water and dirt from the engine oil because I recognize the motor has been 'Broken In' by the minimum wage transport drivers, and test drivers the various (there were 3 dealers) dealers let drive my new car. So it could've had a dozen different drivers over that 166 miles. Actual new cars are delivered with less than 5 miles on them on a car carrier, they aren't driven on the highway by some minimum wage driver transporting the car at whatever abusive speeds and braking he feels inclined to subject it to enrorute to your dealer. Such cars used to be sold as , " Demonstrators" for BIG discounts. Has anyone ever test driven a new car they might buy and not floored the accelerator to see how it responds ? Yet the Owners Manual say not to do that for at least the first 600 miles. My car, and many of yours were used for such test drives before you ever got into it. That is why they are called, "Demonstrator" vehicles, and should all be sold at a discount. OK, go get some sleep, you probably need it.
To diversity83: Sorry about your poor dealer experience. I have had a few of those, but none at all since I started buying at a particular local dealer. I've now bought five Toyotas or Scions from this same dealership. They do try to push stuff like LoJack and protective film and extended maintenance. I just regard that as part of the sales process and when I say no, they've never pushed back. That said, I always take the GAP insurance. My wife is a collector for a local credit union. She is the one who convinced me of the need for this years ago. New cars are safer than ever, but it doesn't take much of an accident for a car's repair to cost more than its value. Not having to pay off the remaining loan or lease on a totaled car is worth a few bucks a month to me. You can usually decide to pay for GAP insurance as part of the financing (not the best way) or in cash up front. To New_Yorker: I share your concerns about a "new" car with 166 miles on it. I would have wanted something off the price for that. My Prius actually had the lowest miles ever on a car I've purchased: a mere 8.
Congrats on your new V. I love mine, and I'm sure you will, despite the unpleasant buying experience. I paid $85 for the 5K service (oil/filter, tire rotation, etc.). This included a $16 synthetic oil up-charge vs. their web special (this was before they changes the oil service interval to 10K). Regarding GAP insurance, my dealer wanted $595, and I ended up getting it from my auto insurance company (Allstate) for $25 every 6 months, or $150 total for the 36 month lease term. This is the first time I've leased a car and decided that $50/year was worth it for the GAP protection. Whether it's really needed (as with any insurance) is a personal decision. I'm generally in favor of self-insuring (I have a $1,000 collision deductible, for example), but this seemed worth it.
The financer representative at the dealership we bought from also tried to push us into a 5-year "extended warranty package" that included maintenance, gap insurance, lojack, etc. When we asked what the price of the entire package was he stated it was $9500! To pay another 33% on top of the price of the car was completely insane, in our opinion. So we said no to everything except the 5-year bumper to bumper and then talked them down from the $2350 they initially offered. Luckily, the guy was pretty new so he did not use high-pressure tactics.
Assuming you're talking about the 5 yr Toyota Warranty I bet the dealer didn't tell you that you can buy the warranty anytime before your 3yr/36000mi new car warranty expires. Check this thread for additional information: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...63976-extended-warranty-2010-pc-discount.html I understand you have a time window where you can cancel extended warranties for a full refund if you change your mind.
I've got you beat, depending on how you count it; I bought my Prius V a week ago, and it had 5 miles on the odometer when I test drove it. I put about 10 on during that drive, and it picked up another mile from them moving it around to get it detailed, etc. before I picked it up.
I hate to brag, but my Prius had 2 miles on the ODO when I picked her up. Diversity, welcome to PriusChat! You got a great price on your car. I hope you love it! The DVD that comes with it is pretty good. At least now I know how to unlock the doors.
Sorry, but i think that whether you have 2 mi. or 166 mi. on the car at delivery, it is all negligible after a brief period of ownership.
Carnutt, In one of the posts the writer was concerned with how the car was driven for the 166 miles. Other than that I agree with you
"So I picked up my Prius V under invoice ($500 to be exact)" What's the invoice price on the Prius V?
I am a huge fan of GAP insurance as well. As others have stated, it takes very little to "total" out a vehicle and, during the first part of ownership you are significantly "upside-down".
I have a different view on this. Those 166 miles were likely test drive miles, which are usually not the most loving miles a car sees. It seems every time I test drive a car, the salesman encourages me to push the car to "see what it has." Contrast that with the fact you're supposed to baby the car during the break in period, and it's not a good situation.
You can go here: New Cars, Used Cars, Car Reviews and Pricing - Edmunds.com Prius V w/NAV and Destination invoice = $29003 I usually also get the consumers reports price report which tells you what the dealer concessions are. Currently they say there is a $550 holdback but there are usually others as well. I doubt the dealer lost any money on this deal, but $500 under invoice is pretty good! (sans the extended warranty...).
