Sorry for posting so much but all of my questions do not relate to other threads. On one of the cars we're looking at, the "pre sale" report shows a P2 option which lists "Vehicle Shield Package, Lusterizing Sealant, Sealant cleaner, fabric guard." What is the vehicle shield package? 3M clear shield on front of car and side mirrors? Lusterizing Sealant = Simonizing? Sealant cleaner??? Fabric Guard?? Sounds like Scotch Guard but why on SoftTex seats. How much would this package cost? I wouldn't order a car with any of this but the "Shield Package" if it is the 3M clear shield stuff, might be worth something. However, I'm sure I could get that as a stand alone item at the dealer or elsewhere. Thanks!
There is practically nothing, zero, that a dealer adds that's worth the money. In fact, you usually get things like window tint and pinstripes from the same guy much cheaper, if you happen to find that guy who may work out of a van for many dealers. Often you don't have a choice with a car that's already on the lot....they have already done it....but you don't have to buy it. As far as the 3m shield, I thought about it but then some body guys say it is a near disaster to work with once it's on there IF something happens. Clear coat that comes with the car is just fine, nothing more needed. I would wait for the 14's and order what you want unless you can find a dealer's invoice price on a 13.
RJ, my dealer only has one v on the lot and it is a v3 with charcoal interior. We're not interested. So, my sales guy, who we know socially, is trying to find us a car in the Texas network. He's very upfront about saying that some of the options (the snake oil type of options) are totally not worth it but they are already on the cars he is finding at other dealers. Other things, like the floor mats, are the same price as shown on Toyotas own website. I'll be doing my best to negotiate down some more if we end up choosing a car with add-ons we have no use for.. Right now he's coming in about $500 over invoice. If we go with a '14 we'll get just what we want and go elsewhere for window tint, etc.
Just assume any add-ons are 100% markup and don't pay for them. A $400 tint job cost them $200, maybe and they did not even use their own people or facilities. Same is likely for anything else they add. Even Toyota extended warranties can be bought for almost 50% of what the typical dealer's finance guy wants. Don't forget that these dealers are often guaranteed business by your states laws that say a manufacturer can't sell direct (see Telsa's effort to do that). Plus the dealer makes really good money on any service or warranty it does for years to come.
Any idea how much a dealer can still make on a car that is sold at dealer invoice? Considering dealer holdbacks or whatever they call it?
Define "invoice". True invoice is what the dealer PAID for the car, IOW wholesale price. Factory incentives and/or holdbacks are something that change frequently, but they can add up to $1K or more. Additional incentives can exist for financing.
He is showing me his 'invoice' price, which is anywhere from around $1500 to $2300 under the sticker price then adding, I think, 5% to give me his offer price. TT&L (Texas:$2100 more or less) is putting the OTD price about $1000 over the sticker price. I'd really like to buy from the guy AND this dealer. Nice, small town (no pressure!) bunch with a good service department. I'd like to know if I can make a better deal from a big city firm in Houston who has the car on their lot vs my small dealer who will have to bring the car in from another dealer. The zero % financing for 2013s ends today and we're not quite ready to buy. Our sales guy said the new incentives will be made known to the as soon as the old ones expire. He doesn't know what, if anything, that will be. The Camry has zero% AND $1500 rebate! I'd love to see something like that!
Well he's showing you what he wants you to see. They may be a decent dealership, but that doesn't mean they turn all their cards up. Make a fair price and be prepared to stick with it. 5% off retail is the standard internet price being quoted almost universally.
Look up truecar.com for your area. Where I live it shows about 12.5% off msrp, which is below whatever "invoice" price you're being shown.
One of you says 5% off, one says 12.5% off. That's a big difference. True car figures work out to sale price 95.9% of MSPR, or 4.1% discount. My sales guy is giving better than that.
Some web sites report "questionable" prices. That said, 10% under retail is generally a fair assumption for a true dealer invoice, but there are so many incentives and variables - even location specific incentives - that there's no certainty. The only thing that really matters is that you leave the dealer feeling like you got what you wanted at a fair price. 5% is what nearly every dealer offers to anyone going online and requesting a quote.
This thread is a perfect example of why experts in the car biz always tell you to haggle the price before you go to the dealership, and with Priuses it's pretty easy since there are only a few packages and a color choice to worry about. Ignore all of the crap on the sticker, and in fact.....ignore the sticker. Write down the BASE MSRP of the car plus the destination fee. No. Not the MSRP on the sticker. The one on the web site. The only option that you can't really tell them to take off is the up-optioned colors, otherwise? Tell them to keep the mats. Then start calling and emailing. Ask three separate dealers what incentives are available for Priusses, and see if the answers are the same. If you sell your usta-car instead of trading it in and get pre-approved at a credit union then you'll probably get a decent price. My last vehicle was bought three states away, and all I had to do was come in, INSPECT THE VEHICLE, sign a few papers and drive away. Otherwise? The dealer can hardly lose. If you insist on trading the usta-car in then get a firm trade-in quote that you're satisfied with BEFORE you start thunking tires in your next car. Two cars. Two separate transactions!!! Ever wonder why there's a four-figure difference between the retail and trade-in price in KBB? If you trade in your car, then they're going to make at least 500 bucks on that car even if they kick it to the curb and let it get auctioned off. The reason that dealerships will usually insist on seeing your old car before negotiating on the new one is that it's waaaaaaaaaay easier obfuscating the transaction that way. Just Say NO to: Warranty Credit-Life GAP .....and anything else they foist on you in the credit manager's office. Good Luck! Ultimate List of Car Buying Scams
I wish I could sell our 'trade in' car outright but we live way out in the country. I don't want to park it in town every morning and have to drive back and forth to show it to tire kickers. I also don't expect people to drive way out here to look at it. And, most importantly, my wife had a very scary experience with someone who came to our house years ago when we had our son's car for sale. She refuses to do that again and I don't blame her. I travel for work and can't be home all the time. There are no consignment lots nearby or I might try that. Basically, we're stuck with trading it in and taking a beating on an excellent Lexus. I won't be taking extended warranty. I've told my sales guy to find a car in our colors without a lot of dealer add ons. We may end up ordering a 2014 to make this easier. Not financing so we don't have to worry about credit life, gap, etc. And I'm very good at saying no to dealer add ons. Maybe I'll let the dealer do the body side moldings. I'll have a local guy do the tinting. Can you order 'official' mats elsewhere cheaper than the dealer? Thanks for all the input.
It might be worth your time to make a trip to another state for a better price. Also, try listing your trade on Craigslist, Autotrader, Ebay, or other online car listing service. It's a waste of time parking it on the corner somewhere, hoping someone driving by will see it.
I have purchased 2 Toyota's from Fitzmall Toyota in Gaithersburg, MD. They were consistently lower in the final price than any local dealer, well worth the 400 mile flight from WNY- and the salesman picked us up at Baltimore Washington Airport... Go to the Fitzmall Toyota page and do a search for the Prius v. They include the Freight & Delivery charges in the cost shown. Nothing but good things to say about Fitzmall... I do not work there or have any interest in the dealership.
ETC(SS), from all the wacky advice above, wins the prize as the best anecdotal advice, and easiest customer to ripoff (people who think they know something are the easiest to sell to, no offense!). As a holder of a state sellers license I am your worst nightmare, and your best friend...Pay $15 to Consumer Reports and get the dealer's cost including the options you are interested in. Get the current financial incentives and compare them to your best available financing. Get the car as close to net invoice/net incentives/net holdback as you can and negotiate down from there. PM me for my address so you can send me enough $ for a hamburger dinner at In-N-Out for my family of 4. I just saved you at least $2-3K.
None taken. After all....I might be some zit-faced 15 year old punk kid who has never purchased a car before.
You are in the area of the South West Toyota distributor which means he takes a stock Toyota and adds options he wants and all the cars in a multi-state area will have the same overpriced options. Same situation I ran into with South East Toyota and why I couldn't get a decent price from 6 nearby dealers. And why I went to CarMax in Laurel Md several states away to buy at a no haggle no surprises no up-sell no options price. Local dealer is happy to do the service. You might look at the CarMax (authorized Toyota dealer, BTW) prices and see how they compare to what you are being offered. It is lots easier to see what kind of a deal is happening if you decouple the selling of a car from the buying. I used craigslist and have sold several cars within hours of a simple posting. Honest description, good shape car and an honest price each time. And people came from 60 miles away each time to buy. Just post and remove post when you are home. Either accept cash or get copies of ID and picture and go to the bank the check is drawn on with him/her.
I have been looking at Koons dealers in the Md,Va area. Great prices listed on their websites. If nothing else, it's good ammo for talking to another dealer.
