dealers in Portland Oregon

I could not be of much help in getting your Prius quicker as I ordered my Prius in January of 2004 (took delivery in July of 2004), but I was (and continue to be) very impressed by the service I've gotten at Ron Tonkin Toyota.

Back then, wait times were VERY long (are they still?) and many Portland area dealerships were charging premiums to whoever was lucky enough to be at the dealership while there were available vehicles. I also heard of a number of local dealerships claiming that customer deposits were non-refundable even if they were unable to deliver an acceptable vehicle. While it did take me quite some time to take delivery, I did feel as though the fleet manager was quite up front with what was coming in, how long it would take and ways to cut down on delivery time (such as being flexible about color and package levels).

While I've always detested visiting car dealerships, the professionalism they demonstrated during the purchase process has also held true for their service center. I have always taken my Prius back to Tonkin for whatever little service it has needed (mostly oil changes and recalls) and probably always will continue to do so.

P.S. I've also heard from good reports from many about Broadway Toyota.

Good Luck.

 

I was on the waiting list at Broadway Toyota for two months with no word at all of what may happen. I then called the Yakima Toyota and talked to the fleet manager who told me very specifically that NW dealers don't get to pick the cars they get and Toyota assigns them to the various dealerships based on volume and previous sales. So, although you may be on the list at number 9, you may get your car before all ahead of you if your package/color comes in first. Lame.

After realizing this was the case I contacted Bob Lee (use the search function) and he was able to track my specific trim and color down in 9 days. His fee was partially absorbed by the salesman so I paid $50 over straight MSRP to have the car in hand and have him handle all of the paperwork.

Good luck.

 

This is not specific to NW dealers, every dealer in the US has to deal with this. I had a great experience at Broadway Toyota. I got mine in 2004 when the waiting list was still long. It took me about 6 months to get my car, but I called the fleet manager every month to ask for an update and he was very helpful in giving me information. In the end, he really went out of his way to get me a car, since my old car had broken down. He did his best to trade a car with another dealer to get me the color and features that I wanted. And I paid MSRP.

Before going to Broadway Toyota I went to Beaverton Toyota, but I must have gone there on a bad day, because all the sales staff was out and I took a test drive around the block with a mechanic who had no idea what the Prius was all about. But I do go to Beaverton Toyota for service, because they have an outstanding service department and now they are very knowledgeable about the Prius. hope this helps

 

I suggest you join the Portland Area Toyota Prius Meetup Group: http://www.meetup.com/

I posted the same question there a month or so ago and got several replies.

Next scheduled meeting is July 15 11:00 AM at the Old Market Pub and brewery in Portland. You can meet Bill Merchant in person and I'll be there to.

 

I bought both of mine out at the dealer in milwaukee.. Had excellent results.

 

We bought our Pkg 1 car in February from Beaverton [Russ Toyota], simply because they had cars on the ground at the time, and no one else did. No hassles, no markups, nothing but a pleasant transaction.

Ours has only 3600 miles at this point, so I haven't got any service experience; in fact, I expect to use either Beaverton or Tonkin, based on the recommendations above.

We had an extremely unpleasant experience with the service dept at Vancouver Toyota, so even though they are the closest to us, I plan to avoid them like the plague. Our car needed some followup work while it was in a local body shop, and the dorks there managed to damage the car in two different places [scratched the bumper, and dented the driver's door], and moreover, behaved as if they were clueless about the car. They paid for repairing the damage, but it was inexcusable, and I plan to go nowhere near them.

 

Yesterday, after shopping for the fourth Prius (since March 2004), I can say I've never had good luck in the Portland/Vancouver area. I called 13 Toyota dealers in Washington and Oregon starting with the closest, and working my way outward, looking for Magnetic Gray #4.

Most dealers close to the PDX metro area, when you say "Prius", automatically say 30 to 90 day wait. If you give them specifics on color and pkg, or ask about the Prius advertised on their web site, then they'll usually check on availability, or check if a sale has been cancelled, and call you back. The dealers 50+ miles out are the most courteous, helpful, and return my calls.

I called (not in this order) Moses Lake, Vancouver, Chehalis, Kelso, Yakima, Gresham, Beaverton, two in Portland, McMinnville, Springfield, The Dalles, Gladstone.

As has been said before, it's as much a "right call at the right time" kind of thing. Out of 13 dealers, there were 6 Prius they say they had, and 2 "I think I have...", but not my color or package. One was a cancelled sale on a #7 so they were willing to go $1000 off MSRP, but still too much money & wrong color. In 2004 it was hard to find a dealer willing to sell at or below MSRP. Now they seem surprised anyone would charge more than MSRP.

Three dealers told me there was one Magnetic Gray #4 in the PNW, that they would have to trade for the one I wanted. At 4:45PM I guess found the dealer with THE ONE I was looking for in Yakima, and I placed my deposit for pickup in 5 to 10 days. This purchase experience will hopefully be as smooth as the others!

I learned one thing this time around: in Washington State the sales tax is on the net sale after the trade-in is deducted! It saves me about $1700 in tax opposed to if I sold my old car privately!

 

Here's another plug for The Portland Area Prius Meetup Group. We'll be meeting this Saturday, July 15th. If you're in the Portland/Vancouver area, please consider joining us! Everyone is welcome, all Prius owners and would-be owners, all models, all years!

See you there!

 

Gladstone Toyota was very good. I got mine just before the big spike in gas so I could negoitate. They had the typically car sales tactics but if your stubborn then they eventually give up.

PM me if you want the name of the sales guy I worked with.

Also they charge $29.99 for oil changes and $10.00 for tire rotation. Not bad considering some of the Dealer maintenance stories you see on this board.
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My daughter just (7-15-06) received her 06 white with package 4 from Gresham Toyota. It only took 2 weeks. I also bought mine from them in May. It took 7 weeks. They charged MSRP.

 

I put a deposit down for an '06 Black/Grey #7 the last week of December '06 with John and Phils Toyota in Corvallis. They found me an '06 Black/Ivory 10 days after I put down the deposit, but I held out for a Black/Grey. 3.5 weeks later, I took deliver of my '06 Black/Grey #7. I did all this over emails and ONE voice conversation. I went into the dealer and about 1 hour later I was on the road. Car was bought at MSRP.

All other dealers in Western WA, wanted above MSRP and/or at least 3 months wait.

John and Phils will get my repeat business when I upgrade to the latest and greatest hybrid.