OOooooh...these car salesmen BOIL MY BLOOD!

Have to admit that I found using TruCar quite useful in the purchase process. In 2011 I bought a Camry SE and a Prius2 and had a haggle free experience. Full disclosure: I have absolutely no connection with TruCar. Just suggest it for an additional buying/research tool.

 

I agree with the others here who suggested email. I bought my last two cars via email negotiation with dealers, and both worked out very well for me. It's a much more pleasant experience. But you need to do your homework first. You should email with the specifics of what you want, and what you are willing to pay for it. And starting the last week of the month when those quotas are staring them in the face doesn't hurt.

Also, you should treat the new car, any trade in you have, and any financing, as totally separate deals. Do not let the salesperson muddy them together. That's one more way they can screw you because you start losing track of how much you are paying and for what.

 

Amen on Laurel Toyota/Carmax! Bought my Prius from them. $9000 on my Baja 2003 trade (Koons Tyson's Toyota was only offering $5000 initially ).

 

Truecar gets another vote from me. I started there, even though my local dealer wasn't on it. It was nice to know I had 3 dealers within 150 miles that I could use if I had to. Luckily I didn't as the local dealer (1.5miles from my house) was lower than the best offer from the 3 on Truecar. Very low pressure and friendly (must be on salary like someone else mentioned) to go along with the fair price.

 

I had more than one local Northwest dealer tell me that I had to choose from the cars that were "on the ground" and that it wasn't even possible to order one the way I wanted it. I'm now buying from a dealer 1000 miles away but it was an easy email negotiation and I had my car picked out on the boat in less than 15 minutes and never left my chair! Price was still less than local even after my "road trip" to bring it home

 

Hey No Idle! Where did you end up buying your Prius?

 

Honest salesmen don't make money. I have a friend who answers his customers questions truthfully about everything. He only sold 10 cars a month. Other lying bastards on the lot sold 50+ cars. They all took advantage of the "No cooling off period". There are hardly any Prius expert salesmen on the lot. They go by what they read on the internet and will use any and all sales pitch, gimmick, and tricks to get you to sign the paper and hope you drive off the lot without looking back. If you go into the lot unprepared, you'll get screwed.

 

Supply and demand. The cost of anything is what the market ( customer )will bear. I had friends pay 2 thousand over msrp when the pt cruisers came out. Yes a freeking pt cruiser. I looked at the new Hyundai Elantra last year same thing a 2 thousand market adjustment over msrp and they were flying off the lot.

 

I will not pay msrp for any vehicle when they have a dozen on the lot but if they are in short supply the most i will pay is msrp. Visit a couple dealerships and never discuss what was offered at other places. I have bought cars throught their internet sales people takes less time and you know what the price is if different when i arrive i leave. I have walked away in the middle of negoations. You owe them nothing, you are the customer they owe you.

 

It's totally my personal opinion that the whole Salesman, Dealership model is antiquated and broken.

For most people, their vehicle is the second biggest purchase they make, and in some cases the largest purchase they make. But for some reason we are tied to a 1950's 60's sales model of barter and deal. Which can (not always) but can and often is exploited into unfair manipulation of the purchaser.

My Dad, the last few car purchases he has made, has gone through a broker. Objectively? I would say he doesn't get the absolutely best possible deal. BUT more importantly? He doesn't get ripped off, or taken advantage of either, and the convience of simply getting exactly what he wants, with the price established and no games? Is for him well worth the potential sacrifice.

The good news, is the internet offers a lot of potential background and information for buyers. Add to it, buying programs and services as well as Brokers...and people have options.

And I respect that some salespeople, and some dealerships run as ethically as possible. But there are too many horror stories for me to conclude that the whole model works well for most people in general.

Part of the reason I drag my feet and procrastinate as long as I do about buying a vehicle is my hatred of dealing with the whole buying process.

 

Agreed, I hope my next car buying experience will be similar to buying something on amazon.com. Haggle and trade tactics are only still commonplace in underdeveloped countries. Toyota knows how much they cost to make and should set nation-wide prices, fire all sales people, and just let us come pick up the car we want, with the options we configure.

 

I can't see what "lie" the OP was told, either.

A buyer may not like a dealer who says, "We're able to sell every Prius we get so we're holding to MSRP." But that doesn't mean the statement is untrue. To the contrary, it may be brutally honest.

Now if a dealer quoted MSRP but then added some other BS like window etching and paint protectant, that would be dishonest.

 

I like to think I am, to the best of my ability, a logic driven guy.

You tried to pre-negotiate a concession in price before you became a 'serious' potential buyer, even though you know these are high demand cars. Lo and behold, the sales rep gave you ambiguous promises. To wit

Be happy the price was not above MSRP.

On what day ? Which trim ? Which options ? Move ten thousand dollars, or a penny ?

Here is the basic formula: Prius pricing follows fuel prices. You pick when you want to buy. Your attempts to buy low when fuel prices are high are predictably leaving you frustrated.

 

Amen! I've only been actively shopping for a Prius for about a month, and the constant parroting of, "due to the rising gas prices..blah, blah, blah"is out of control. :cheer2:

 

This has been going on with hybrids since they first came out. As others have stated, Supply and Demand always works that way. We pay $8.00 a gallon for bottled tap water but get pissed at a car dealer making single digit gross profit on a high ticket item. The average profit at Costco is 15% across the board. Every Sunday paper has advertised specials on cars that most people don't like. I can buy a 2012 V6 Mustang at any Ford dealer in San Diego for $17,999 and still get 20+ mpg but I don't want one.

Your only "screwed" or "taken advantage of" if you sign the contract and drive away. For the easy deal just look at the right car at the right time or pay what the market will bear on the one you really want.

 

In 2005, many people were waiting weeks, and sometimes months, for a Prius. And at the end of the wait, they took any Prius they could get, regardless of color, options, etc. And most were paying as much as $3000 above MSRP.

I sent an email to every local-ish Toyota dealer. I said I wanted a particular car, in a particular color, with a particular options package, and I would pay MSRP but no more. I ended by saying, "First one to get me this car wins. No substitutions accepted."

A couple of the dealers either couldn't or wouldn't meet my price. A couple of them couldn't get the color I wanted (Tideland Pearl). One actually laughed at me and called me names. Some of them played all kinds of games trying to get me to budge. Two dealers (out of 6 or 8) took me seriously.

I had the exact car I wanted in 5 days.