Southern CA Dealer Experiences

I picked up my Seaside Pearl #3 yesterday from Eddie in the Internet Sales department at Longo. I placed my order on May 12th. He told me, at that time, 4-6 weeks. It had two miles on it and Sirius pre-installed. He was awesome to deal with, MSRP, no pressure from anyone, even the finance guy. Very satisifed!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brighamwj @ Jun 11 2006, 05:29 PM) [snapback]269666[/snapback]</div>

Your story makes me shudder as I have allready gotten the floor mat treatment from my internet salesman . Other than that he seems to be a great guy and I have heard only good about Anderson Toyota in Kingman, AZ. So I hope to post only good news once my car gets here in about 4 weeks...

 

we bought our prius at longo too, very nice, n free first oil change too, duno if they do that at all dealership
ordered, 2 week later, its here

 

Its probably good you didn't get down to Mossy ... we'd all be bailing you out of jail after you attacked that salesman!

I had a similar issue with Toyota of Puente Hills. They confirmed three times that they had a Prius I wanted, and that they didn't mark up the MSRP. They lied. After driving 100 miles through LA traffic, they showed me a Prius with aftermarket leather seats and chrome wheels, and over $4,000 added to the MSRP. I asked the salesman why he said he didn't mark up the MSRP, only to drive down and find he did. He smiled slightly and said "We don't MARK UP the MSRP, but we do charge you for things we add."

I wrote a letter to the Attorney General. While they really won't do anything with a single complaint, if they get enough of them, they will start an investigation.

The only difference between these guys and bank robbers in the movies are the masks. I simply won't deal with a dealer or a salesman from places like these, and I appreciate your taking the time to let people know Mossy is among the crooks like Puente Hills.

The good dealers I worked with were Toyota of Ventura, Toyota of Oxnard, Toyota of Simi Valley and Toyota of Santa Barbara. I actually bought my car from Ventura, but all of them were good to work with (even then, I had some issues with Ventura that were mainly due to communication issues, but they worked with me to get them resolved.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Jun 11 2006, 04:58 PM) [snapback]269712[/snapback]</div>

I got mine from Santa monica Toyota. They did not mark up the car (black #8) but they did add lojack (which I hate and did not need) and that special paint coating (which camw with five free deetails) all in all a pleasant experience.

 

I had a great experience at Kearny Mesa Toyota with Howard Sheehey the internet sales manager there. They are straight forward.

As for Mossy....I think I would have called Mossy and asked for the General Manager before I even stepped one foot on the train. I want the deal set by the man in charge, not an underling. And that "no credit cards" would have set of big, red flags with me.

Thanks for sharing. Good to know I can steer people clear of Mossy when the opportunity arises. Interesting that some businesses still haven't wised up to the fact that 'word of mouth' these days covers a lot more people than it used to due to the internet.

 

your mossy story is unsettling, particularly since i'm scheduled to make the trek to pacific beach from la tomorrow evening to pick up a prius. the salesman i'm working with did accept a credit card deposit, something your villain refused to do... makes the deal feel more legit. i requested and received an out the door cost which is in line with what i would expect - tax, reg, title, doc fees. of course, i suppose they could pull the extended warranty sales pitch once i'm there.

interestingly enough, i asked to speak to brian kennedy, the gm, and the receptionist mentioned he wasn't there. i asked when she expected him to be back, and she was rather vague, essentially telling me she had no idea. i wonder if he got the boot for what happened to you?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(brighamwj @ Jun 11 2006, 08:21 PM) [snapback]269811[/snapback]</div>

gracias. i didn't work with xochitl... my salesperson was victor gonzalez. nice guy, very respectful, not pushy at all. got the expected warranty and extras sales pitch from the finance folks, but the deal went down without a hitch. got out of there with a magnetic gray #3 at msrp after a week and a half of looking. the only bad thing about my mossy experience was the 2hr drive each way.

now i have to get the hov stickers...

 

Quality Toyota, Corona.....
$700 UNDER MSRP on Easter Sunday, 2005 all the negotiating and talk was done via email and phone....
I simply drove down on Easter Sunday and signed the papers and gave them a check! The salesman owned his own 04 Prius so he was very knowlegable!

I called every dealer in OC and they all either lied or couldn't deliver.

The Ugly for me was
COSTA MESA......who said they could beat the $700 under. When I got to them ready to deal....they recanted! booooooo.

Also any dealer who offers a free oil change is simply trying to get you "hooked" on their service departement where they make tremendous markups by bending most folks over so all their kids can attend USC.

 

As stated in other thread, I bought from Crown in Ontario's Internet department. The only pushiness I got was that they needed deposits and papers signed very quickly, since I think all the sales staff are competing for the cars to sell.

Other dealers to try who are not marking up are Power (Irvine), I-10 (Indio), and Hi-Desert (Victorville). Power and I-10 instilled some confidence, but didn't get a car in time. Hi-Desert sold for MSRP, but did try to get me up there to look at a red package #1 (on the lot UNSOLD (!) )by erroneously telling me "they all have the smart key system now"... which will be true for 07, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that it was an honest mistake, but you never know.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Jun 11 2006, 04:58 PM) [snapback]269712[/snapback]</div>

I can still remember a guy who drove all over La Mesa and SD with a big banner in the back window of his truck : Dissatisfied Mossy Customer. That was enough for me. Hate Bob Baker, friend also hates Bob Baker, Heard good stuff about Frank in Chula Vista and Kearney Mesa. I bought from Carlsbad and loved it. Best car buying experience that I ever had.

 

We bought our '06 magnetic grey package 8 at Toyota of Redlands. Jamie (Hi-mae) in FLEET is the man to talk to. Sold for MSRP with no hassles. Had the car in the garage exactly 4 weeks after requesting it. Very easy to work with . Call him at (909) 793-0300.

 

Thanks to all for prepping me so well for my purchase. Excellent and easy experience with Edwin Fuentes of the Internet Department of Miller Toyota in Culver City ([email protected]). I emailed Miller Toyota last Friday. Three hassle-free days later, a new Prius is sitting in my driveway. MSRP with no mark ups or add ons. I may have just gotten lucky, but the lesson seems to be that by emailing a half dozen respected dealers, you can get yourself off the waiting lists and into a car. P.S. Shaun of Crown Toyota in Ontario ([email protected]) replied to me equally swiftly to offer the same deal.

 

After getting a poor response to my calls to local Orange County dealers (MSRP+ or no stock), I called Kearny Mesa Toyota (858-279-8151) last Thursday based on this board's recommendation . They didn't have the Pkg#3 I wanted in stock, but told me it would me in on Monday. Today is Tuesday, I drove the car to work this morning.

I drove down to San Diego from Orange County, it was a good experience, paid MSRP, no BS. The price I was quoted on the phone was the price I paid. I would highly recommend their internet sales, specifically Crystal B. and Eric Majors.

Thanks for the referral PriusChat!

Hope this post also helps someone else avoid the bad dealers.

Gilbert

 

Grab your cutlass, eyepatch and wooden leg! Thar' be pirates in Tustin!</span>

<span style="color:#FF0000">The posts about Tustin Toyota are absolutely right on the money. I live in Tustin, and have tried to use their Internet Sales Department for a number of potential purchases. They were consistently the highest price, but Tom Zikoor takes the cake. Without hesitation, he quoted $26,695 for a #1 optioned Prius. He followed it up with a lecture aboute the basics of supply and demand, and how with the tax credit and gas mileage it would pay for itself. This is from an Internet/Fleet manager no less. I can't begin to imagine what the pirates in the lobby are asking.

When I responded back to the Internet satisfaction survey with "Poor" on the pricing, he called me almost immediately. I got another lecture about inventory and the crisis in the Middle East. When I told him I had MSRP pricing, he stated that dealers quoting that were 4-8 weeks out, or I would have to travel a very long ways to find one.

I bought my #6 optioned Prius, in Barcelona Red at Power Toyota for MSRP plus a couple goodies in Irvine. Say Tom, you're right, I reeeeealy had to travel far to find it. 4.2 miles!

To help anyone else out there, here are few things that may help. I searched OC, LA and Phoenix:

-Most Phoenix area dealers appear to be charging $1,000.00 over MSRP. Scott Toyota was the only dealership I spoke with that had live inventory. Lloyd Stites was very honest and open. They have several very nice vehicles, in a couple of colors.
-Camelback Toyota is wait list only.
-Rancho Santa Margarita is wait list
-Power Irvine has another #6, but with some expensive wheels. Michael Bari was quick with pricing and played NO games.
-Elmore Toyota did not respond to inquiries.
-The larger dealers such as Longo do have inventory.
-You should be able to get MSRP, period. Don't settle for anything less.

I enjoyed Tustin Toyota so much, that I won't reward them with service either. I see no reason to reward greed. Arrrrgh! Shiver me timbers! Walk the plank Tom!

 

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