Nobody is psychic but sales are because the seller needs to give incentives or they wouldn't sell in the allotted time frame. They are selling, and are waitlisted. So why would they?
I don't think so; especially based upon what's being reported in available dealer inventory, and what's happening in Japan with Toyota production. It'll get better but not quick enough to have a Prius clearance sale. However, you might see a clearance sale of Tundra, Sequoia, Land Cruiser, etc. Maybe in Hawaii, you'll get a great deal on one of those.
Priuses probably aren't going to be going on sale for a while. Maybe a loooooooong while!!! The good news is that more and more car manufacturers are starting to trade BHP and 0-60 acceleration figures for MPG stats and drag coefficient numbers in their brochures. This will be a win-win for the eco-chic, since there will be more ecoboxes out there from which to choose. The bad news for Prius devotees is there will be much more demand for our little car for the next year or two at least. Supply and demand. You want one. They (may or may not) have one. Why put them on sale?
lol!! with used cars selling for 20% over previous market value, i seriously doubt you will find and clearance sales of new cars
OP - Right now there are 2 issues going into the pricing of the Prius - higher demand because of the spike in gas prices and lower supply because of the earthquake/tsunami. Clearance sales are typically held in the December/January timeframe - 6 months from now. Toyota has said that they should be back up and running at 100% by the end of summer so the supply side should be in better shape by the end of the year. As for demand - that is really going to be driven by gas prices and at least in the last couple of weeks things have eased up a bit. So as far as I see it your question will all come down to where gas prices are this fall and winter - if they are lower than now there very well could be clearance deals on the Prius. I bought my 2009 towards the end of the gas price bubble of 2008 - demand had started to lessen and I had to wait about 4 weeks for my car. Not long after I picked mine up supplies started and you started to see them on lots and prices fell a bit. Just my gut feeling, but the economy the past decade or so has been a series of bubbles and I think that is the case here as well.
As of today, regular gasoline here in Indiana has dropped from a high of 4.19 down to 3.78...........
No deals. I feel lucky to have paid MSRP last week. Now the lots are priusless. No deals until the end of the 2012 model year!
I just checked with our Toyota Dealer, LUMS, Warrenton Oregon. He said they have only 2 Prius 2011 in stock. I believe they can be had at sticker but probably not lower. A while back before the gas increase they had 12 or so. alfon
There is a disconnect. I can tell you the price I got on an Altima last week was exceptional. I only bought my Prius new because I stole it from the dealership and I did the same last week with Nissan, so there are still deals to be had. A few brands are still incentivizing. You're absolutely right--used car prices are up a lot, but there are still some great new. For whatever reason (recession, credit, etc.) a lot of people don't want a new car now. Regarding Priuses, you can forget any sales for the foreseeable future. High gas + tsunami shortages = high prius prices. I think this is temporary. I'd recommend nobody buy a Prius now if they are paying the going market rate. You'll regret it in the coming future when availability is up and you're no longer paying $25k for a used Prius. My local dealerships normally would have 8-15 or so Priuses, now they have 1 or so each of the three I checked. Why people waited until gas hit $4 to really buy these things I don't know. Even without the tsunami these should have been sold out. Early in the year they were going for absurdly low prices.
I have a friend who wanted a Prius 3 months ago, but he dragged his feet. Last weekend, he went to one of the biggest Toyota dealers in Phoenix to get one and was told to come back in September, whatever that means. Maybe Toyota has assured dealerships there will be stock by then. Just a note to anyone who can't remember late 1970...there was a UAW strike at GM plants that went on for months. My dad ordered a new Buick and was "wait-listed". When the strike was over and the first cars rolled out, they were POS from the get-go! Lesson here is never buy a car just after a strike is settled. You're thinking how does that apply to Prius? Even the best auto workers in Japan making Toyotas are going to be psychologically affected by what they've seen on their humanitarian efforts in the tsunami zone. They are human beings and may not be as focused before all this happened. Just saying...be wary of the first Prii off the line when work resumes full force.
$3.43 for regular here in Houston TX...i think that by year's end, there will be Prius for sale below MSRP....