Good dealers in central fl?

I have personally called every dealer in Central Florida myself too. I'm in the same situation, trying to order one for January '06. So far, the most informed person I've dealt with is down at Courtesy Toyota. Jeff Turner knew about the '06 rebate, and is a Prius owner himself. He did not encourage me to put down a deposit until Toyota has released all the details of the new allotments for '06. The only downside to this dealership is that they charge a dealer fee, which to me is excessive, since they already get msrp. However, there is NO dealer in Central Florida that does not charge this fee.

I talked to the Toyota guys in North Palm Beach, because they are the only dealer that does not have a Dealer Fee and they provide tires and batteries for life. They were nice, but not very knowledgeable. They collect a $1000 deposit to place your '06 on hold now. I'm considering going down there to save the $600 dealer fee.

Good Luck!!!

 

I just bought a 2005 from Precision Toyota in Tampa (I think it's actually called Kuhn Toyota now). I was very happy with them.

I had emailed about 8 dealers online to see what everyone charged and if they all had fees over MSRP. I got in writing from at least 2 dealers would not charge any fees, one of which was Precision Toyota. (It's a different story if you just show up at the dealer, they have a $2K to $3K additional sticker on the car.) I waited about 6 weeks for my 2005, but I'm told the list is pretty long now. But you could get on it and I bet you wouldn't get called until January anyway.

I know it stinks to have to go to Tampa, but it's not too far.

 

By fees I mean a premium over MSRP, btw. Not the dealer "documentation fee" of like $500. Sorry, I'm not good with the car buying lingo

 

I don't know about any in Central Florida, but I can tell you all about the ones in Tampa.

Courtesy Toyota is pretty good. We bought an Avalon from them years ago. Neither exceptional nor bad.

Stadium Toyota is horrible. Avoid at all costs. THey want you to leave a $500 deposit for simply walking on the dealership's lot. We were in the market for an SUV/minivan. They did not have any AWD Sienna's in stock, but said they would order one for us to test drive, IF WE LEFT A DEPOSIT. They wanted $500 just to test drive it. I went there again a short while ago. The guy walked up and asked how I was and how he could help me. I asked how long the wait for a Prius was and he replied, "About 2 months, why do't you give us a $500 deposit." No kidding. Just like that. Avoid Stadium Toyota.

Kuhn-Morgan Toyota is "new" in that new owners bought an old dealership. THey have a brand new dealership they just built. Very nice. Also they were as helpful as they could be considering they did not have any info on the '06. THey ended up getting my deposit.

 

I was about to go to Courtesy Toyota until I called to see if they had an Prius' to test drive (a few months back) and the lady on the phone would NOT let me get off the phone. She kept asking me all sorts of personal questions like "How old are you? You sound young" and "Do you have any kids", "Where do you live".....but all in a real creepy way. Made me very uncomfortable. I ended up driving down to Sarasota for a test drive. Germain Toyota - very nice but would NOT budge on the $3K over MSRP.

 

You don't have to pay a premium. A few of the dealerships are charging over MSRP, but there are a few that won't. The Auto Advisor from my Credit Union recommended Daytona Toyota, who doesn't charge over sticker. However, their waitlist is full, and they're not taking anymore names/deposits. Also, check out Central Florida Toyota - I talked to Nadi there. She's really nice, follows up, and they don't charge over msrp. They do however have a $699 dealer fee. I HATE those dealer fees!!!

 

I just bought a Prius from Courtesy Toyota in Winter Park. It was MSRP and no extra charges except for that ToyoGuard ripoff that the Southeast Toyota distributor adds on. Pretty happy with the process. It took about 4 weeks from order to delivery but I understand that the wait is back up to 2 months now. We didn't ask about the 2006 model after the salesman said he could get the 2005 in 4 to 5 weeks. We did not test drive a Prius but they did let us sit in one just before the buyer came by to pick it up. Nothing stays on the lot at this dealer and they move as many as all of the other Orlando dealers combined.

george

 

Toyoguard is a paint/upholstery protection package that a lot of dealers use as a "pack."

It's very expensive and, imho, is an absolute waste of money. Southeast Toyota puts it on just about all their cars and you get stuck with it, like it or not. If you protest loud enough, they might "do you a favor" and knock a few bucks off. Even then, it's still a ripoff.

If you are interested in an extended warranty, be sure to check out the one offered on Priuschat. It's the genuine Toyota extended warranty and you can't beat the price.

I advise anyone that will listen to get out of the Southeastern district to buy their Prius. I'm not current on prices and availability, but dealers in Virginia (a different Toyota district) were easier to do business with than the ones in NC when I bought my Prius last March.

 

It's an aoutrageous $500-600.

I specifically told them NO Toyogaurd.

 

I recently purchased a 2005 Prius from Courtesy Toyota in Tampa/Brandon. I dealt with the Internet guy - Henry Brown. Easy transaction - paid MSRP - no markups or dealer add-ons - no hassles - had the car in 2 weeks in the color and with the options I wanted. Rceommend them.

Tom

 

I talked to both Stewart Toyota in Lake Park (just north of West Palm), and Toyota of Stuart in Martin County. Both promised me MSRP. Both have deposits from me. Neither knew anything about the 2006 cars, or the tax credit.
The one in Stuart tried to push the $619 Toyoguard on me, but I told him NO dealer installed options! :angry:
Jeff O.
Hobe Sound, FL

 

We use central florida toyota for servicing the camry and echo. Their service department isn't anything spectacular, but the reps are nice. I test drove a used prius there and the salesguy was nice, but knew NOTHING about the car. If you want a really good dealer, go to Cramer toyota of venice, they know alot and won't hesitate to knock off some fees. They are far away so it would be wise to call them before you visit.

 

Good for you!!! I think I'm going to have to end up driving the 2 1/2 hours to Stewart Toyota myself. If they agreed to no Toyoguard, and they have no dealer fee, it's probably the best deal for me. Also, if you actually live near them, you can take advantage of the fact that they cover your batteries and tires for life!

 

I dealt with Dana at Daytona Toyota last weekend and was fifth on the list for an 06 with January delivery. We test drove a package #1 basically as far as we wanted to. The car is a "loaner" that they use as a customer perk so it should be there most of the time. They do have a $599 "consumer services" fee and I was able to specify on the buy rder no dealer installed options with no problem. I gave my credit card number as the $500 fully refundable deposit.

Come on January!

Regards,
Steve

 

Mark Schryver at Phillips Toyota in Leesburg, FL was completely helpful and knowledgeable in the purchase of our 05 Prius. Paid only MSRP.

Just tell 'im that Rich, Jennie & Boston sent ya!

But only talk to Mark - the rest are idiots.