jerked around on delivery time?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ Apr 4 2006, 09:53 PM) [snapback]235169[/snapback]</div>

If you can read the toyofuji website, e.e., you must be able to read Japanese. Very impressive. Unfortunately I can't help other than to offer my sympathies. You've had a long wait and many broken promises. I couldn't be as patient as you.

 

If you are getting jerked around you are not the only one. I ordered in early october and was told jan-march... I got a call about 2 weeks ago stating my car would be here the first week of april, here we are still no followup call. If the next boat is on its way in a few weeks I will have to guess I am not getting my car for a bit longer. <sigh>

 

The dealers know (or can check) which cars are on which ship. Your getting jerked around. The are dealers around with cars in stock. Just get on the computer and check the dealers web sites and inventory lists. When I got my silver 05 the dealer knew he had a white one coming on the ship that was to dock in 2 weeks. He said there was alot of silver ones on the ship and he could trade with another dealer. Bottom line was he was no b/s I had the car I wanted 2 days before he said.

 

I don't think the dealer knows what cars he's getting in until they've actually been shipped, at the earliest. I was told when my car had reached port.

However, people who've taken the time and effort to call around have found cars much sooner than those who just waited for their local dealer. And people who've been willing to travel to pick up a car have sometimes fared even better.

Your dealer might really be doing his best, and really not know. Or he might be selling those cars to people who quietly offer a premium price, and making the MSRP buyers wait.

I was lucky. Folks in Fargo are honest. I was told the wait would be 3 months, and I drove away in my car after only a bit over 2 months. That was 2 years ago, just before the really long waiting lists developed.

 

Dealers are not out of the loop when it comes to finding specific package and color combinations or adjusting their allocation through trades with other dealers before the vehicles hit their lot.

A good dealer can go into the production listing and find the cars that are going to be made, the cars that have been made and are awaiting shipment. They can also see what is onboard the ship and also what is at port. A dealer can make a trade with another dealer at nearly any one of these points. A dealer can also trade a vehicle which is on their lot.

Toyota dealers have a lot of flexibility to fufill customer needs, the difference is if the dealer is willing to go the extra mile.

 

I got jerked around by a salesman, until I happened by the dealership when he wasn't in and spoke to the sales manager. He sat down at a computer, looked up a shipment that was about 10 days from docking, found me the package I wanted in Barcelona Red , and promised to have someone call with the VIN. He was as good as his word. A few days after they gave me the VIN, the car arrived and I picked it up.

You may want to drop by the dealership, ask if they would mind looking up what they will be getting in the next shipment, and if you see what you want, try to get a firm commitment.

Jeff

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ Apr 5 2006, 12:53 AM) [snapback]235169[/snapback]</div>

Sounds lilke a jerk around to me...if you don't mind driving, get yours from Carson City Toyota (NV)--where I got mine. The drive is about the same as mine (to L.A.) and they were great to deal with. I paid MSRP, btw.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ Apr 5 2006, 12:53 AM) [snapback]235169[/snapback]</div>

That sounds *exactly* like my situation... you wouldn't be going through Fremont Toyota, would you?

I ordered my car back on December 27th (seaside pearl, package 7) and was told last week that I would get it in the shipment after last week's shipment. I got a funny phone call on Sunday wanting my email address so they could email me an "emergency update" from Toyota.

A friend of mine who went down to Concord and bought a white Prius said Fremont told him that he could jump to the head of the line if he paid an extra $1500. They never told me anything about this.

All in all, I have been pretty disgusted. They tried to tell me I needed a $1200 security system for the glass breakage system. Then they offered to sell me a used Prius with 15,000 miles on it for more than MSRP.

The delays keep jumping all over the place. One week they tell me I'm 31 on the list, then the next week, 41.

-Aaron

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ Apr 5 2006, 12:53 AM) [snapback]235169[/snapback]</div>

When I when to purchase my 06 package 8, the second dealer I called quoted me a better price than the first dealer I talked to so I put $500.00 down and go on the list. The next day I got on the phone and called every dealer in a 75 mile radius and found 3 cars. The closest one had a buyer but there financing fell thru and I got the car.

If you give a dealer a deposit and they are not willing to dealer trade to get you the car go fined one at another dealer. As soon as you tell dealer B that you have a refundable deposit at dealer A they know you are serious about buying the car and will try to fined you one.

 

I ordered an '06 in late February in the Trenton, NJ area and was told 4 to 6 months. After a few weeks (and getting the financial situation sorted out), I decided to search around a little online. Within minutes I found 9 Prius in stock at a dealer 12 miles away in Pennsylvania using their online inventory search. The same day I drove home with one, and it was exactly the color/option package that I wanted. The explanation I got from the PA dealer was that they were in a different sales district than NJ.

So, if you haven't already, it might pay to do a quick search at nearby dealers (depending on how far you are willing to go). The original dealer cancelled my order, and was surprised to learn of so many units available so close by.

- Doug

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(paprius4030 @ Apr 5 2006, 05:01 AM) [snapback]235199[/snapback]</div>

I ordered in November of last year, took delivery 3 weeks ago. In the meantime I had been calling the dealer weekly to find out when the car would be coming...he did not know. It would seem to me that something is wrong with their delivery system.

 

wow. that's pretty uncool.

i'd suggest heading over there in person every few weeks. i had an excuse, i used to bring my husband lunch at the shop every couple of days so it was no sweat to stop in the showroom for a minute afterward. we made it to the top of the wait list, happened to stop by when they had just printed off their allocation sheet, and got my first choice off the next allocation. black 05 package 5, just over a year ago. we waited 4 months, they told me it would be maybe 6.

maybe you'll just happen by there at the right time.

 

You're not alone. I finally gave up after waiting over four months.

I visited my dealer almost every week for the last two months, but was told each time that I'd need to be patient. Four months is patient enough.

I took advantage of Ford's zero percent financing in California on Ford Escape Hybrids. Mileage is not as good, but the seat's are more comfortable and it's better suited for use on our Sierra camping trips.

I had my heart set on a Prius, but the zero percent financing did me in.

 

Don't waste yuour time with dealers like that. Bet you lunch you can find what you want within 48-72 hr., if you're willing to travel a bit. Have you tried the dealer in Yakima everyone raves about?

In Feb I got tired of waiting on my seemingly low-energy dealer and, using the internet and phone, called about 50 dealers in 5 states over 3 days. Found what I wanted 200 mi. away, jumped on an Amtrak the next morning and VOILA! $300 off MSRP, dealer picked me up at station, no sweat.

I'm not Superman; lots of us have done it when sufficiently motivated.

 

Call all the dealer or just drop by to check who has car and take it. Get your deposit refund later.

Also, do NOT deal with big dealers. They have enough customers and do not really care. They always lie to you and keep you waiting for no reason. Try to find some medium size dealership or small dealers, I found they always very honest and helpful, because your business means a lot to them. Actually, small dealers do get lots of Prius coming all the time, but the waiting list usually is very short compared with big dealers.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(samkusnetz @ Apr 5 2006, 12:53 AM) [snapback]235169[/snapback]</div>

Call toyota of olyimpia they took care of me quite well

 

Has anyone put a "refundable" deposit down at more than one dealership just to be on the wait lists? I want to be on the lists but I have a hard time believing anything they tell me about refundability and wait time.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(greenteaprius @ Apr 6 2006, 05:07 PM) [snapback]236052[/snapback]</div>

Yes, I put down 3 deposits and later got refunded on 2 of them. In Colorado, by law, all auto deposits at dealers are refundable. I believe you need to check to see if your state mandates a refundable deposit since not all states do so.