This will be my 4th Prius. We bought a 2006 (silver), and traded it in for a 2009 (dark blue). Exactly a year ago we purchased a 2011 (gold), and now a 2012 (light blue) PIP. When we purchased the 2011 our plan was to hold it for a PIP. With the $5,000 incentive, and the trade in, we almost walked away stealing it. There was a lot of negotiating, and we had no problem not buying it yet, but they finally came up to my trade-in price, and we left happy!
welcome! If you dont mind do share your details of transaction. I'm sure it will help those who are looking to trade in their Gen 3 for PiP
The dealer (Braintree, MA) is very good, and where I purchased my 2011 & 2006 Prius. At first they offered $21,500 for my top of the line 2011. It has 19,000+ miles, solar sun roof, Navi, leather... Although that package did not include fog lights, my husband insisted, so it also had fog lights. We have no young children, or pet, so the inside is really clean. The outside has never been washed with a brush, so the paint had no swirls. We also had custom painted pinstripes on it. I told the that their offer was an insult. They asked what I was looking for, and I said HIGH 20s. When they came back with $25,000, I told them that it was not HIGH 20s. The manager then asked what I would like for it, and again I said high 20s. It then came down to the homework I had done. I had checked their inventory online, and reminded them that that had a ... for $..., and a ... for $... Since my car is a much better car than those, with lower mileage, I expect to get more. In addition, I do realize that they are a business and should make money on my car, but they also make money on incentives when they sell cars. I also had facts that they car I was interested in was on their lot since April, and they have their 2013 cars arriving in early 2013. Since I was not in a hurry, I reminded them that I could wait until the end of the month, or even next year. We usually pay cash, but we financed due to the $5,000 incentive. So for a PIP Advance, we owe less than $9,000. That includes the fees, inspection sticker, auto start with alarm, registration, and taxes. The bottom line is DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!
When I took it for a test drive, I was playing with the display. The first month listed with data, was April. The salesperson & manager agreed with me when I made that comment.
Don't know about other states but in Texas the dealership must have the car pass a cursory state inspection with a dated windshield sticker installed before it can be test driven on public roadways. You can also check the build date on the VIN plate. That doesn't necessarily say how long the dealer has had it on the lot but it's a good estimation (add a month or two).
woah, you managed to get a car that had the correct date set? every car i've seen so far might have the correct time, but date? that's amazing. (what baffles me is how these cars start out with clocks whose t=0 is prior to when they were ever even built. 2011? lol)
