Side airbags

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjflowers @ Apr 26 2006, 08:06 AM) [snapback]245465[/snapback]</div>

MarJflowers...
I have read your entire previous post...I sympathize with you. Most car dealers are greedy pigs. They thrive on situations such as this. If you love the fight, keep calling Toyota HQs or regional office and keep leaving messages for the owner. Let him know your willingness to work with him on a solution agreeable to both parties. You must be persistent. On the other hand here is a link to the NHTSA site that tested the 2006 Prius . If you noticed test results were based on a Prius with the standard airbags as they note that the others were optional. When compared to the Civic Hybrid, the Civic tested out better than the Prius but it was tested with all the airbags due to them being standard. The Prius ratings were **** . Very Respectable. Please check this out and keep on fighting. Don't let the dealership steal your car from you.
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/3588.html

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Goofa @ Apr 26 2006, 09:50 AM) [snapback]245520[/snapback]</div>

Marjflowers...
By the way, let Toyota's HQ know that all you want is a chance to talk to the owner, not the General Mgr. or Sales Mgr. The owner and no one else. I had a similar situation years ago with Honda that lasted 3 months and the owner is the only one that can/will do anything to rectify the situation. Afterall, It's his name/and or business.
Good luck.

 

I know you didn't like this advice before. But if you want to win on this I think you need to hire a lawyer to write a letter. It shows that you aren't afraid to push your demands and you aren't going away. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. You won't be treated seriously until you have council.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jbarnhart @ Apr 26 2006, 12:29 PM) [snapback]245541[/snapback]</div>

I guess I'm reading this differently from everyone else. While I really sympathize with OP, I think if you bring lawyers into this, it's going to be a he said/ she said situation. From the toyota website for OP's region, it is clear that side/curtain airbags are not included in Option #2. I know she asked the sales rep and he gave her false info but, unless that can be proved, the best recourse it to negotiate with the dealer. I don't think anyone can win 100% in this deal.

Best of luck and I hope you can a speedy, fair resolution.

 

I sympathize too, but I think this is a situation of education and knowledge. Before I buy a car I read up on everything it has. If it doesn't list side air bags and they are available I'm not taking any salesman's word that they're there when they are NOT listed.

You can pursue this to headquarters and try to make them put pressure on the manager to at least keep his promise of the $3,000.

Or you can sell your car yourself as an individual and with today's gas prices and shortages, you'd probably not only make what he'd give you but you might even make the original sticker you paid.

Then you take the money and buy another Prius with side air bags....from another dealer.

They lied to you once. They lied to you twice. Why do you want to continue to deal with these people? You bought five cars from them? They probably lied five times.

 

I see both sides of this.

However, what you really need to know is the law. Does what a salesman tells you supercede the readily available information about the features for each package? I do not know the answer to that one.

Yes, you can retain an attorney...but at what cost...and if you lose, you are going to have to pay those fees too!

The time frame is also a concern...since time went by between when you first complained, and then stopped pursuing the issue and then returned once you heard the crash test reports.

Also, as suggested, selling your car and then buying a new one could work...but there are taxes and fees involved with that too (you have to pay sales tax again...that is the big one).

Sounds like the best case scenario is to do what you are doing...try the personal approach...and at the same time try to find an attorney who specializes in automobile contracts/issues that will hopefully take the case pro bono.

Good luck, let us know what happens!

 

What Godiva said.

I am new here and have been following your posts, mainly because I have the package #2 and it doesn't bother me. The LOML has a '06 Honda Accord with side airbags and the Accord is the first car for us that has side airbags, and we have owned a lot of cars. I can understand you wanting them but it wasn't a deal breaker for me.

Have you tried going to another Toyota dealer and seeing what kind of a deal they might make you? If you have bought 5 cars at this dealership and the owner won't return your calls, and they have either misled or lied to you, why do you want to give them more of your money? I don't know how much your fed taxes are, but since you bought your Prius in January you will be able to get $3150 back in fed tax money, and if you buy another one maybe another $3150 for it. I have no idea if any tax credit can carry over to the next year or how the IRS will handle that or multiple buys. I do think that the dealer has to look at the tax credit situation because anyone buying your Prius from the dealer wouldn't qualify for the credit and therefore would buy new over used. The package#2 only adds $825 to the base MSRP of $ 21,725, so after tax credit that is $19,400. Plus shipping and any extras added on. Minus wear & tear, mileage put on, etc. So the dealer will have to find someone unfamilar with the tax credit to be willing to buy used unless a new Prius can't be had in your area. Maybe selling it privately would be the best for you, money wise.

If you do decide to trade or sell outright, I would check with Toyota (not the dealer) and see what you can get back if you cancel the extended warranty, and then cancel if the refund is good. Then buy the extended warranty on the new one through this site. Only 90 plus days old you should get a lot the warranty costs back. The dealer doesn't want you to do this because they make a lot of money from the warranty. They will probably cancel the warranty after you turn the Prius in and get the money. Screw the dealer.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mssmith95 @ Apr 26 2006, 04:30 PM) [snapback]245703[/snapback]</div>

Why shouldn't the attorney get paid???


You don't want this in court. Even the threat of court hurts you because you have no (legal) case. You signed a contract that spelled out what you were getting. You probably got the big sticker from the car that indicated what was included. The three month wait kills you. It appears (and I understand this isn't the case) like you saw the report on side airbags, then decided you wanted them.

It seems like they are trying to work with you, even though they have no obligation to do so. Keep trying the personal approach, i.e. telling the manager "I'm not making this up, just like I'm not making up your offer to resolve this for $3,000. This is twice I've been misled".

 

I am sorry to hear that you did not get what you wanted. You can never assume a sales person really knows what they are talking about. They just want to close the deal. You have to make sure the car has all the options you want and that they are listed on the Sales contract.

So if I understand your post you purchased a Prius with no side air bags and paid what you would expect to pay for a car with no side air bags. What I mean is the sales person implied the car had them but the paper work you signed and the price you paid is for a Prius with no air bags. In other words you got what you paid for but not what you wanted. In most states you have 3 days to change your mined about a car purchase.

Unless you can produce a sales contract that says your Prius is equipped with side air bags a layer is not going to help you.


I personally think you should drive the care until the new Prius comes out and sell it or trade it in. You won’t make the same mistake twice.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Amyshubby @ Apr 26 2006, 02:53 PM) [snapback]245748[/snapback]</div>

I meant that some of them will not require payment unless you win (especially if they know it is a slam dunk case).

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Amyshubby @ Apr 26 2006, 02:53 PM) [snapback]245748[/snapback]</div>

This seems highly unusual...maybe they do have an obligation to do so...and that is why they haven't just said "No".

We are all just speculating...until you talk to someone in the know.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjflowers @ Apr 26 2006, 08:21 PM) [snapback]245850[/snapback]</div>

Sorry this happened to you...I think we've all had the feeling of being screwed by our car dealer at some point in our lives.

The bigger question is why doesn't Toyota just make side airbags standard for all packages? Why all packages except package #2?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(marjflowers @ Apr 26 2006, 09:21 PM) [snapback]245850[/snapback]</div>

Don't be surprised if they sweeten the deal when you tell them you are cancelling the extended warranty. Those things are pure profit for the dealership, and you paid a lot for it.

 

I'm not sure what to say about the original fiasco. The salesman lied to you, and I don't know what legal rights that gives you, since information about the actual features was readily available. In my opinion, that puts a moral, but not a legal obligation on the dealership. I have no way of knowing if:

1. The salesman is a scumbag who lied intentionally to make a sale, knowing that he would not be bound by his word; or

2. The salesman really was a moron who did not know what was included in the cars he sells.

However, when Don made his offer of $3,000, that was a verbal contract and he is legally bound by that. However, it is vitally important for you to know whether the reasonable-sounding monthly payments were achieved by extending the finance period.

I'm sorry to say this, but I would have (and did, in my own case) looked very carefully at the included options, and only bought a car that included all available safety features. Car salesmen are notoriously ignorant of the cars they sell.

On the other hand, maybe you'll never have an accident. Plus, it's only the special case of the side-impact accident where the Prius does worse than other similar-size cars.

 

Considering you paid $2300 for a $990 warranty...yeah, I'd cancel it.

You want the warranty? Buy it here through Troy.

I still think if you are adamant about the airbags you can sell your car as an individual, get your money back and then buy a car from a different dealer.

Now I considered, briefly, selling my car and buying the new 2006 because of the new tax breaks. But in the end I decided against it. My loan rate wouldn't have been as low plus I've already "moved in" to my car. I've added decals, the BT brace, etc. I'm settled.