Hoping to buy 2021 Prius Prime as my first car today! What do you think of this quote?

Looks good to me that you got a little over $4K rebate from Toyota in California. The only thing I would object to is the $85. "document fee". I am sure you already know that to get the $4502. back from the IRS when you fill your taxes in 2022 that you will have to have a tax liability of at least that amount. Other than that it looks good - not a lot of useless add-ons like paint protection, etc. What color is it?

 

Looks like they have already included the California clean energy reward $900.11 in the toyota cash back $4900.11? So may be the actual toyota cash back is just $4000 instead?

 

that looks amazing. i wish hawaii could get corporate discounts but we're monopolized by one dealer here.

 

I noticed the same thing. I have not seen a Toyota rebate for $4900.11. It is currently $4000 in CA, I believe.

 

MSRP stands for the Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price — also known as “sticker” price.

MY source (the Googles)...say the MSRP is $ 29,175
(The 2021 Toyota Prius Prime has a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting at $28,220, plus a $955 destination charge, for the LE model....)

First thing I'd find out is why your MSRP is higher....
$300 is not a large number of sawbucks for somebody living in zip codes starting with 94, but if a dealer will lie about the little things.....

As others have said the $85 doc fee is also balloon juice.


If you REALLY want to see if they've cut down to the bone in the pricing - take the quote to two other dealerships.....
YOUR dealership is betting at least $375 that you won't.

 

You will not find a PP LE with MSRP of $29,175 at most of the dealers. MRSP on the Monroney sticker or window sticker includes the factory installed options. I have not seen any PriusPrius that did not have at least 50 State Emissions, and most also with a floor mat package. The car often also includes other items like bumper applique, door edge guards, etc.

$29474 MSRP includes following package:
Packages

• 50 State Emissions
• All-Weather Floor Liners
• Cargo Liner

 

The others make good points, and...

You're financing the whole thing? That's a big bite. Do you know about gap insurance? Buy it from the insurance company that you get the car insurance from, not the expensive gap insurance the dealer will offer you. "Gap insurance is a type of auto insurance that car owners can purchase to protect themselves against losses that can arise when the amount of compensation received from a total loss does not fully cover the amount the insured owes on the vehicle's financing or lease agreement. This situation arises when the balance owed on a car loan is greater than the book value of the vehicle." What Is Gap Insurance?

Every new car takes a big depreciation hit as soon as it is bought. Your car the day following the purchase is worth less than the purchase price. If you have a big wreck and the car is totaled your insurance will pay about the value to buy a similar used car. This might be less than you owe on that big loan. The loan needs to be paid off, and if you don't buy gap insurance, you'll pay the balance out of pocket. The longer the term of the loan...5 years, 6 years, 7 years...the more you'll owe on the car and the less its value will be for several years. It'll take a long time to build any equity in the car (the amount you own of the car vs. the amount you owe). Discuss this with a loan officer at your credit union.

Shop around for car insurance for this car. Try the insurers you currently deal with, and check on line for better deals. Be sure you compare the same coverages from each company. Include gap coverage in your quest. By the way, there is no standard definition for "full coverage." Full coverage means whatever the agent puts into your policy. Here's a good list of definitions of car insurance terms: Key Terms for Understanding Car Insurance - NerdWallet You can discuss with an agent which coverages fit your circumstances. Have the insurance ready. As soon as you make the car deal, call the insurance agent, give them the VIN on the car, and activate the policy before you drive off the lot.

Even though you have a price sheet for the car, you'll have to sit with the so-called finance manager to do paperwork. This is likely the sleaziest person in the dealership. They'll try to sell you extra stuff that is either overpriced and/or unneeded. Buy NOTHING extra here. Trust nothing they say. If there's anything you really want, you can find it better and cheaper elsewhere. These guys are so sleazy that you also need to check their addition...expect to be cheated and catch them before they catch you. Examine every line on the contract. Do not pay for more than you see on the price sheet you have. The finance guy is paid on commission. If he doesn't sell expensive unneeded stuff or cheat the customer, he doesn't get a paycheck. That's not your problem.

 

And in the handwritten portion below, it looks like that same $900.11 is subtracted out a second time, in what looks like is a calculation of an "effective" price after all incentives.

If so, that part is probably a salescritter fib, unless California is generous enough to be giving double rebates.


As for the unfortunate practice of "Doc fees", a once shady practice that has since been mainstreamed and even recognized in many state laws, just be aware that the only difference between "documentation fee" and "additional dealer markup" is the spelling. It is done this way to mislead some customers to think of it as a nonnegotiable mandatory government tax or fee, when it is really just more money in the seller's pocket. The documentation step is an inherent cost of business that is already included the MSRP. So it really should be rolled into the "Sale price" above it, but is placed this way so they can claim a larger "Discount".

When I first bought cars, this fee didn't exist in my area. Now it seems to be hardwired into everyone's system. My state's law puts a cap on it, some other states don't. So when talking price with a seller, I just make crystal clear that all prices we are negotiating must be inclusive of this fee. I have zero interest in seeing any quote without this fee already included, and if such a non-inclusive figure appears, I will hide it from view and banish it from the discussion.

 

That's a great deal.. I'm in the process of purchasing a 2018 Prime Premium for $18500

 

I’m not sure about that $1,000 California rebate on the bottom. I think it’s already included in the $4,900.11 discount ($3,000 from Toyota and $1,000 bonus cash for California residents, plus $900.11 clean fuel instant rebate).

Update: you might be ok. The $1,000 could be the California CVRP not the Toyota bonus cash for CA buyers.

 

Looks like he counted the Clean Fuel reward twice, once as Toyota rebate money and then again at the bottom.

 

When I bought my Prime in 2018, nothing was ever mentioned about government rebates. It made the negotiations with the dealer less
confusing. I assumed that they didn't want to feature the US tax credit, in the event that my income wasn't sufficient to take advantage of it.
Also the MA program is a rebate check, but it was subject to available funding by the state. I was able to take advantage of both.

BTY, the documentation fee around here is usually $495.00 and doesn't appear to be negotiable, so the deal you get is +$495.00.

 

Don't forget: $750 Uber Incentive

Don't need to be an Uber driver, just "approved" to be (aka Active status). $30 remote vehicle inspection and easy $720 net discount.

 

Great price! My only comment would be that get the Limited if you can afford it—it's a much better car than the lower trims!

 

One of the many reasons why I'm a Toyota driver instead of an owner....

MSRP stands for "Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price" so it's already a malleable term....BUT...if the manufacturer is going to allow large dealership networks to force them to print "special stickers" for their markets, then the "MSRP" value that they advertise to the rest of the nation becomes less useful in an apples-to-apples comparison on-line - where truth always prevails.

I find it particularly ironic that they have the chitterlings to list 50-state-emmissions in an "options" package, as if any North American-spec Toyota would not be.....but hey.
California, right?
I have an email en-route to a relative that lives behind the curtain to see if any of the other manufacturers do this, or it's just a Toyota thing....or a CARB thing amounting to a hidden tax for additional coverage on emission items in CALY that go beyond the federal warranty.

I know two things pretty much for sure:

1. The last vehicle I bought (GM) had a sticker whose MSRP was the same as the value that they list in the interwebs....and it was also advertised to be 50-state emissions legal, although most assuredly NOT as an option.
Being retired military I reflexively check for such things because I remember a long ago time when 50-state emissions REALLY WAS an option that involved adding junk to a car, and I've registered cars in probably a dozen states.

2. "Doc" fees are not written into a law in any of my states (home, adopted, or adjacent) and I generally eschew shopping at dealers that charge them. I would probably respect them a little more if they just placed a sticker on the car that said "additional dealer markup" - something I HAVE seen.
Since I buy new cars somewhat regularly (8-10 years) all of this this might change before my CFO buys our next new car - probably in 2028. My dealer had a few dealer add-on items, but since we started negotiating at MSRP minus $3,000 I pretty much ignored them.


If I owned a company that prided itself for being "green" I would NOT ALLOW the fact that my vehicle merely "met" pollution standards to appear anywhere on the vehicles sticker as an "option."

 

For us, the only thing my wife really wants is BSM - $6k more for BSM, though? Nah.
The same battery, engine, chassis, 95% of safety features are available on the LE. Oh and for $6k you LOSE Android Auto.