looking for buying advice

Try Googling "dealer cost." I did and landed on carcostcanada.com. There should be an equivalent American site. You enter your desired model and options and it gives you a dealer cost, then says "add a fair markup of 3 to 6 %."
I went in the middle at 4.5% and the salesperson looked it over and said, "We use 5%," which added a couple of hundred dollars. It was a painless process.

 

Hi Lisa,

I used Truecar.com but didn't buy from the dealers they do business with. I figured that I could get the same deal from a non-participating dealer. My thought was that if the non-participating dealer would not agree to the Truecar price, I could go to the Truecar dealer and have them get the specific car via a dealer to dealer trade. It worked fine. My dealer honored the Truecar price and actually worked hard to find me V-2 in Blue Ribbon from another dealer (who was a Truecar participating dealer).

So, take your deal to the one you like instead.

BTW, if I remember correctly, the only difference between a V-2 and a V-3 is the Nav. For less than the difference, we had leather added to our V-2 and I just used a Garmin GPS. Something to think about.... Would you rather have a leather interior or Nav?

 

Hi Lisa,

I live in Seattle, WA and used TrueCar.com. Truecar, gives you a price certficate, and then I called up multiple dealers to see what price they are ready to offer (Get an email quote from them so that it is official). Then I went to the closest dealership to my home with print outs of all emails and they matched the best offer. To summarize, I visited only one dealership, got the car for TrueCar.com price - $500, and the whole process took just one day.

Hope this helps,
Saurin

 

I bought a V Five 3 weeks ago. It was a 2012 so I knew the dealers were anxious to sell. I got it a few hundred below invoice. Don't forget the dealer holdback is 2% so they still make a good profit at the invoice price.

I've found you get the best price if you go to the dealer, tell them you are buying a car today and plan to look at a few more dealerships.

 

For about $15.00 I did the CONSUMER REPORTS Truth In Buyers Index. CR gives you the dealer cost for whatever model and options you want. Then 3 dealers in your area contact you with their best price. It worked out quite well for me. I test drove a car in my home town and felt confident about what model I wanted. I contacted every dealer in a 50-75 mile radius and told each dealer the best offer I received, and gave them all a chance to beat it. I did this all in front of my computer via email, since most dealers have an internet/email sales rep. It also gives you time to talk it over with your partner or a friend. No histrionics in the dealership, no haggling. The entire experience took about one week and the only time I left my home was to pick up the car. It gives you a chance to research the dealer as well regarding their sales practices and service. You will love your Prius, I do. Best of luck.

 

At times, the Northern CA dealers can't compete with me, but sometimes they do.
I drive to Los Gatos a lot to see my family so Milpitas doesn't seem to far to me.
If I am able to help, I hav e a few 2012's at some great blowout pricing. And, some nice deals on 2013's as well.
I have shipped lot of Prii out of the state so being only a 5 hour drive's not bad. I've spent that much time on the 405 and 5 trying to get to closer places anyway LOL!!!

 

Consider the arm rests on the door and center console are also cloth. I just couldn't see getting into the car with suntan lotion or just sweat on my arms and that fabric absorbing the odors. I didn't go up to the 5 for the SofTec but elected to have a dealer installed upholstery set that Toyota furnishes the dealers in a 3. No heated seats that way. I figured my bum could warm em up. Toyota part number and Toyota warranty.

 

Lisa, yes to all. When negotiating don't be the first to throw out a price. Ask for their lower price. Ask if they will match the AAA or Costco or whatever price. If still "too high" point out that you'd rather buy locally but will travel to save money. If you are close the Sales Manager can make the difference go away because they really don't want a paying customer to go away.

You can test drive the car at any dealer.