Hey guys! Based on your prior and recent experiences, what would be the best path to get the 2023 Prius? This will be my first Toyota. - Do dealers accept down payments before they get any on the lot? - Do they accept down payments before they can put any orders into their system? - Will they take any custom orders at all or are we at a point of allocations only? - Will "every" dealer add a markup? - What markup do you guys expect? - Any chance to get one by summer? - What's a good dealer with high number of allocations in Florida?
most are taking deposits for whatever they are allocated by toyota. no custom orders from what i've read. some mark up, some don't. mark up varies by dealer. you should easily get one by summer, as they are already arriving. call around to every dealer you're willing to work with.
I ordered mine just the way I wanted it ! now if I ever get it dealer says there are 8 ahead of me orded about the first day I could
this! just expand the search and call bunch of dealerships. Thats what I did to lock one down. Also the dealer I worked with was able to remove any port installed accessories, so even if you feel like expensive wont hurt to ask
Just for the record, I wasn't willing to wait and got a new 2023 Corolla Hybrid LE with convenience package at MSRP and free options. Safety sense 3.0 and 50 MPG is all I need. Saved me at least 10 grand.
Thanks for the push to talk to the dealer. I happened to talk to mine and he thinks it will be no problem to swap the all-weather floor liners to the carpet floor mats I prefer. That means the only truly unwanted option on mine will be the body side moldings, and I'm not even sure about those. I'll need to see the car in person to decide if it looks better with or without(I think red and blue might look better with, and silver might look better without). I had been planning on silver, but I decided to change to red at the last minute when one became available nearby at MSRP(stupid no yellow in the US - grrr).
Wow! MSRP and saved $10,000 people can learn a lot from your shopping experience. Gosh what can you do with $10K? buy gas for 8 years? Take a vacation? get it in cash and roll around on the floor in it? Options are endless!
And I went the opposite route; paid an extra ~$10K to get a Tesla Model 3 RWD lol $50K OTD less $7,500 tax credit and $2,000 local utilities; about $40.5K net... If I was willing to wait and hope to get a Prius AWD LE or XLE at MSRP, it would have costed me around $34K-$38K is my guess.
I considered that but then decided against it since charging the car was the thing that stood against it. But much better buying experience compared to the dealership models.
I'm putting 3k miles on it every month, and plan to get 400k miles out of it. Once the hybrid battery shows issues, I can replace and balance cells on my own and with little money. Doing so on a Tesla is another story altogether. Once I factor in 2 complete battery replacements, I could have bought my next Corolla. That being said, I love rolling around in EV mode. I don't miss hearing the ICE anymore. In a perfect world there would be 30 x 600 watt solar panels on my roof, a massive self-build LifePo4 battery bank in my garage, and a Tesla worth 30k, with only 200 horses but a range of 400 miles. Zero gas or power expenses.
I use the Corolla for business. 10k savings compared to the new Prius with markups. I arrived at a stage where I don't need anything anymore. I spent so much money in the past, I own all I could ask for. Nice new house on the water, all the tools, several vehicles, and all the stuff for half a dozen hobbies. At this point I just keep parking money in bank and broker accounts. Once the real-estate market comes down again, I'll by some land and go off grid.
Charging can be issue for those without home charging. Definitely the buying experience is much better than the dealership model. I was in and out within 30 minute, including dropping off my trade-in vehicle. Everyone's use case is different and some batteries can last long, just doesn't get as much range as brand new though.
Given the low availability and high dealer markups now, waiting a while appears to be the best strategy. 2024 Prius anyone
I checked with my local dealership yesterday. Would have to put down a non refundable down payment, wait 8 to 12 months, and pay $10,000 over list price for a Prius Prime. I mean ... who would not jump at that?
Back in 2004 when there were long waiting lists with some people waiting many months. I found exactly what I wanted in little over a week Silver 2004 Prius Option package #9 by contacting Internet Sales Managers working out in increasing circles of coverage from my home. I had a credit union loan and extra cash for all other costs. I found one in the same state not to far away. Drove there picked it up in record time and minimal time with paperwork. I think I had to use some website to figure zip codes to put into the Toyota site at that time.Probably an easier way now. I might wait a year on the 2023 as I lucked out getting the 2004 Prius which is one the best years. Mine is still going strong and got all sorts of recalls and extended warranties they saved many thousands of dollars like the instrument cluster (forgot the whole name), (brake actuator many years later past 2010).
Same crap is going on with Rolex sports watches like the GMT Pepsi. MSRP is around 10k, but dealers sell through the backdoor with a 15k markup. Not once in my life did I pay over MSRP, and I won't break that habit. The idea of a Prius is to save money. What's the point when you get a bad start with a 10k markup? It takes many years to break even. Even though its a new model and looks much better than the old ones, its not a super car that makes people's jaw drop. A Prius won't drop any panties either. If that's your goal, grow a set and buys this:
