Dealer Jerk-Around or Honest Mistake?

I do not know... it could be a dealer mistake but if it was (and after having you wait that long) I think $600 of MSRP is not a good deal. I would ask for more (at least 1000) or a swap.

You also need to remember why you went for a package #3. Do you really want the stuff from a package #7? It is quite a bit of extra money

 

Sounds like a load of hooey to me (from the salesman, I mean...).

In the end, though, it depends on how much you want the Prius now vs. how much of a hit your budget can take...

 

I think you will be happy with the #7.

Here is the deal. The dealers get what they get. There are no real "orders" per se. They take a look at what is coming and look at the list and try to match as closely as they can. So while it might have been a mistake of sloppy handwriting and they thought you wanted a 7 and not a 3, but they would have gotten the #7 either way. They can not say "Toyota order center, Tom Smith is next on the list send an 06 Driftwood #3 for him".

 

It'd depend on how I felt a few days after getting the car. And if I had a copy of the order form they 'misread'. And if another dealer was close enough where I could live without the one I was about to report to the Better Business Bureau and anyone else I could think of.

But again, it'd depend on how I felt...

 

As allocations are drying up I would grab the car. I know you have allot of goodies that you didn't ask for or want but you will definitely enjoy the car. When I picked up mine in Oct 2004, you didn't have a choice of package. The dealer got allocated cars and you took what was closest to the package you wanted or passed until the dealer received more cars. Have fun if you decide to take it!!!!

 

I think the $600 off is a good deal. They don't have to sell it to you at all. They can sell it to the next guy who will pay it. And I'm sure there are many. I love my #7 and would not be happy with less. I like the gadgets though.

They will eventually get the package you want, but do you want to wait that long? What is the wait worth to you?

I think it is an honest mistake. It is not like they could not sell it if you didn't want it. I'm sure you are not last on the list. And even if you are it will be gone in days of it being on the lot.

 

I'm pretty sure they were scamming you. As someone above ^^^ said, the dealers just get to pick from regional allocations.

#7 is the only other package I'd get besides #8 - it's nice to konw that the goodies will help resale value a lot too, as there isn't much once can do with aftermarket stuff on this car to get the same features (Bluetooth, voice, nav, mp3!)

If you can, you might want to haggle with the finance guy and see what kind of rate he can give you compared to other financing - this is where I did really well with my purchase, coming down .65 percent from the loan I'd already lined up...

Good luck with the choice!

Dave

 

You only have to take a look at Kiloran's spreadsheet to fingure out how much "Wiggle Room" the dealer has. http://priuschat.com/2005-Model-Year-Prius...tor-t12132.html

If it's an real mistake the dealer should give you more than $600 off.
How about the dealar tradeing with another Toyota dealer that has package #3 in Driftwood.

 

You only have to take a look at Kiloran's spreadsheet to fingure out how much "Wiggle Room" the dealer has. http://priuschat.com/200

 

it's a dealer issue, not a toyota issue.

the dealer is trying to sell you a higher option package, and it's already been mentioned that there are no real "orders" for the prius. the dealer gets some cars every couple of weeks and matches them as closely to their customers' demands as possible. they just severely mismatched in your case. this may be because they want more profit or because that's just what they got. it's hard to tell.

 

You could always try and call other dealers to see if they have any canceled orders / unclaimed cars coming in that are more in line with what you want. I found a package 5, which is what I wanted, in my first and second choice colors in 30 minutes and 6 calls. One was an order cancelation, the other an unclaimed car. Got a call back a week later with a 3rd package 5 in another color as well. Found a number of package 1s unclaimed as well as package 9s. Depending on where you live, there out there. I see no need to spend thousands more on stuff you don't want to spend money on. Unless of course, you want to The extras are cool, though. Some add safety, like VSC and HID. Good luck!

 

I would suggest you see if he can swap with another dealer to get you a pkg. 5. It has VSC and meets your $2k below the MSRP of what the 7 costs. Then try to keep the $600 off MSRP.

 

thats right.. once they get thier allocation they only then know how many of the expected allotment or "allocation" they really get. Before it hits port , they will get thier allotment and then can tell what color, options etc.. they get a sheet on whats coming.
Not till it actually hits port are VIN #'s released so don't freak out if they say they have this coming in but can't produce the VIN #... they should be able to tell you the exact date it is expected to hit port. Then the dealer typically gets it 7 - 10 days after it hits port. They can prep it for pickup in about 45 mins once they get it.

Many times your car could have just not arrived and they really don't honestly know when or "if" they will "ever" get the exact car you ordered. Like I said, once they get thier allocation, then they can tell whats up.
If you get too picky, it could be quite a wait till your particular dealer actually gets what you ordered.

So if they see you are getting antsy and about to flip out, they could construe a story to try and get you to go ahead and get what they have.
The fact is.. in most states, they cannot "hold" your money and not give it back. Especially if they never delivered your order.
Its actually easier to get the exact car you want when you are free to call around to various dealers till you find one that can see on thier allocation what you have.

It is also possible for your dealer to locate your car on another dealers allocation and make an offer to trade them for it. If the car is not spoken for, the dealers will usually assist each other as it pays back in the long run to help each other and maintain good relations. However if the car is spoken for, the dealer will not release it and often it is even "hidden" from view so other dealers cannot see the car at all.

My advice is to ask them to locate the car from another dealers allocation... at the same time you can call around yourself. If you find one, you will have to get your deposit back..... it will be easier if you wrote a check.. to stop pmt if you have to.
Always give a check as a deposit.

Once they see you are asking around, they will be motivated to find something for you.

Happy hunting!... but if you can afford package 7, I recommend grabbing it!.. you won't regret it later I promise!