We bought a Gen 2 in 2005. Nine years later it's time to buy a second car. The Prius Plug in has some appeal to us and it looks like an Advanced Tech would best fit the bill. The local (CA) dealer tells me that model is in extremely limited supply and I'll be paying MSRP if I want one. Is that the case? Thanks. PS: He seemed surprised that I wanted the Tech package, saying, "Are you sure you want the following for $2610??? I can get it for you if you really do." Is there something bad about the Tech package I should know?
I can't answer re: the Tech package features. I ended up getting the Advanced, without Tech, and I remember the dealer downplaying the features in the Advanced model, too, primarily because they had so many of the Base model to sell. My guess is they make roughly the same on each model and the vast majority are the Base model.
The tech package includes the radar cruise control, pre-collision system (which uses the radar), LED headlights with auto-leveler and auto on/off, and fog lights. Whether this is worth $2610 is a personal decision. In the 2012 that I have, these were part of the Advanced model, but I think I would have bought them even if they were an option like they are now. When a salesman "recommends" that you not buy something, you really have to dig and see exactly why that is in their interest. I suspect that the low margins on the Plug-In bias the salesman toward the base model
Check with Dianne: Dianne's SoCal July/August Prius PlugIn deals - updated frequently as incentives change! | PriusChat
Sometimes it's good advice. When I was in sales years ago, I always tried to recommend what was in the customer's best interest. Of course there are always plenty of the "other" type of salesmen, who really doesn't care what's best for you, and will always try to take advantage of the situation.
Tech isn't bad, but it's rare. Still, Toyota's had some really great deals on PIPs recently. 2014 Prius Plug In, $4000 Rebate in NorCA + $1500 CA Rebate + 2500 Fed Tax Credit + 0% APR 05-15-2014 - Slickdeals.net My wife and I got our Advanced for ~$7000 off of MSRP with 0% financing through TFS, and similar could be had with the Base. I'm on the fence about whether the Advanced was worth it, but I like the extras (softex, JBL stereo, HUD, homelink mirror, and 8-way power adjustable driver's seat).
Most likely they are trying to sell what they have on the lot and not do an order or dealer trade. You don't have to pay MSRP. You should get the discounted pricing no matter if they do dealer trader or if you do an order. The dealer is no behaving ethically, take your business elsewhere. After buying vehicles recently, both personally and for work, I am finding that if you take the truecar.com price and add legitimate cost (tax, title, registration) you are near what you should pay. All the dealers extra fees should be included in the truecar.com price. I will use Dianne's zip code for a reference since I don't have yours. I come up with a MSRP of $35,554 and a truecar.com price of $30,757 on a 14 Prius Five with Tech Package. Using carmax.com tax, title, tags, and fees calculator it shows that you may have legitimate cost up to about $4,500 in CA which would put you out the door near MSRP. How to buy a car | PriusChat
Nothing wrong with a sales person/sales manager "selling" what they have available. Most car lots have plenty of choices available and those cars have to move. You go to a dealer wanting a Prius, chances are good, you'll leave with a Prius. No doubt most dealers have less Plug In Advance models without ATP, than the base models. At one point, Dianne had only one Plug In Advance models w/ATP in stock, and then none. Hard to negotiate a deal on a model the dealer doesn't have or has small quantities. A consumer wanting a Prius that get's 50 mpg with the most options, could probably be easily "sold" a Prius model that gets the same 50 mpg, with less options at a lower cost. Makes sense to me. Nothing unethical about that. Smart, informed, consumers know what they want and won't compromise. When I was l looking for a new Prius, I found this site and got educated. I wanted a Prius 5 w/ATP. I visited a local dealer and found a just delivered Prius 5 in my favorite color without ATP. Dealer gave me a good out the door price. I stated I had to have ATP. They found the car else where and I placed a deposit for delivery in about two weeks. In the interim, more PriusChat reading and I found out about the great deals on 2012 Plug In closeout models. With a little research, I found a 2012 Plug In Advance two hours away. Called the dealer, four available, placed a deposit and picked it up the next day. None of the local area dealers had any plug ins. I did compromise on color, getting my second choice. A easy decision, being a plug in at a reduced price with other Toyota incentives.. I'm a tech guy and I wanted the ATP options at a higher cost. The 2013-2014 plug in advance had all the options of the Prius 5 w/ATP minus two items, lane keep assist and parking assist. I would have preferred these two items as well, but that wasn't available. My budget for a new car was greater than my Prius Plug In Advance price, again a easy choice. Many could easily live without the ATP options. My favorites are the softex seats, electric adjustable drivers seat, the LED headlights, HUD, and radar cruise control. I can assure you, the world's greatest sales person will never sell me something I don't want.
Not really, I negotiated a price with the only stipulations being 2013 Prius Two any color except Sea Glass Pearl. After we firmed up the price they asked what color, I chose one they didn't have and they just did a dealer trade for it. It was the most painless dealership I have ever worked with. There are so many dealer of the same make and so many makes available that dealerships should bend over backwards for you to win your business. The ones that don't, don't give them your business. How to buy a car | PriusChat
Sage advice I was once given; you can't tell the customer what to do, even if it's the best advice in the world. When they ask you for advice however, it's a different thing. In my case, when I ask for advice, I can usually tell if it's genuine or motivated by self-interest.
I can't dispute your success. Instead of saying "hard to negotiate", I should have said "harder". Not sure where the Prius Gen 3, model 2 ranks in production numbers, availability, desirability, and sales. A across town vehicle swap between two agreeable dealers is a no brainer. Most dealers have a mileage range they won't exceed when swapping vehicles due to cost. I've had good luck negotiating with some dealer and no luck with others. I've walked away and refused to deal with some as a remedy.
I bought a PIP advanced from South Coast Toyota well below MSRP. Now if you are looking for an Advanced with the Tech pkg then I could not find one of those. Start with Truecar.com and go from there. I know the dealers right now are all over the board. One wanted to charge me a $3,500 premium for green stickers while the one I bought from did not. Do your homework. I bought mine this past weekend.
In my experience, MSRP was always only a sales tool. In one case it was presented to me as a "code" for figuring out actual cost, where you divided it by 4 to get the actual cost. In nearly every case I'm aware of, no one is ever expected to pay MSRP, and every sale is expected to look like a discount to the customer. In one case, I visited a Ford dealer who actually marked up the MSRP on a part and expected me to pay it. No chance of that, and I made my exit.
