Another "gotcha"

You are absolutely right. And it may mean talking to more than one dealer in your area. And certainly checking all the chat boards to find out other people's experiences help.

I think we should help by developing a list of questions for folks going in to buy a new hybrid (and I think it'd work for those ordering the Lexus and Highlander, or really any in-demand car). Something that folks can print out and use as a guide when

Things like: (and please add to this)

-->Is this deposit refundable - under what conditions? (Are they taking a check and not cashing it, do they take credit cards for the deposit?)

-->What is the price of the car? (Since many people don't know what car they're getting, just getting it in writing that the car will be at MSRP should be sufficient or X% or amount above or below.)

-->Will extras be added - leather, toyoguard, racing strips, etc. Can you specify now that you will not accept those?

-->How many cars have they been allotted in the past 6 months? Do they expect this number to change?

-->How many people are already on the waiting list with deposits? How many requesting a car similar to yours?

-->When should you call back? When will they call you back?

-->When is the next allotment? How soon after an allotment do the cars hit the dealership (in LA, it's a day or two after it hits Long Beach, but someplace like St. Louis has a much longer lag from reaching US shores to when it's on the lot).

-->What happens if the car cannot be delivered in the 2004 model year? When will they know about the 2005 model and the price and delivery on that?

Anyone have any other thoughts? The idea is not to be confrontational or hostile when dealing with the dealership, but to go in and make it as easy as possible on both parties because everyone will have a clear understanding up front.

 

question for Prius-on-order customers in the South Bay Area of CA....

i ordered from Stevens Creek Toyota, and you can read around this site of my experience with them... mostly waiting and no proactive communication from them.

do you know of or have you had any better experiences with any other Toyota dealers near here?

thanks!

 

We're in Gilroy, and shopped around Gilroy, San Jose, Salinas area and found all the Toyota dealership are about the same around here. That's why we went back to Dianne in SoCal. We're still waiting on her list but I'd rather be on her list then a list around here. Gilroy dealership delivered a salsa red to an aquaintence of mine after he walked in. His wait time, 2 days. I guess they forgot about their list for this high profile person. Integrity = Dianne. jaa

 

I ordered a Silver # 7 from Santa Cruz Toyota in October, gave them a check for $500. I received a Silver # 7 in January for MSRP. They still had the deposit check, which they gave back to me. No hype whatsoever.

 

Well, believe it or not, it doesn't work exactly that way. I purchased my car from the #1 dealer in North America at the time I placed my order. This included the 2003 and 2004 sales through Oct, 2003. I placed my order in November. Then my dealer got almost NO CARS for 2 months even though they were taking orders in at the rate of 4-5 per day. I did finally get my car last week. In the process of all of this, I learned that the whole Motortrend Car of the Year thing was a real kink in the deployment plan. I am not saying it is a valid excuse for not being able to provide "fair" service, but I have talked to enough people at Toyota Corporate to realize that this really caught them offguard and I don't know if they will recover before te 2005 model comes out.

 

I got my car from Freeman Toyota in Santa Rosa. During the wait period I was very frustrated. I even called corporate Toyota thinking my dealer was not being proactive. The problem with communication is really not at the dealer level. My dealer was telling the truth when they had no idea how many cars were coming. They sell at MSRP and will put you on a list but will not take a deposit because they can't guarantee delivery. They told me that their policy is to not take deposits ever on any vehicle because of the way the Toyota allocation system works. Although I was very frustrated at the time, and I still think they could have communicated the bad news proactively to me anyway, I do think they are overall a good dealership and they are really honest. You just have to keep inquiring and asking when the next allocation day is so you can call and find out where you are on the newly revised list.

 

There's only one true Bay Area, and that's the SF Bay Area. :tongue:

 

We also contacted Santa Cruz Toyota in October, by email, before we ordered with Dianne. They did not respond until late December. Thought that time frame was very unresponsive. jaa

 

When I did an inquiry online through edmunds back in early October Tracy Toyota was the only one who responded positively. The other dealers in my area just said "the car is not available...dont waste my time"

That is why I stayed loyal to them, and they treated me very well.

shona

 

:lol:
Thank you all !

i'll be pinging my dealer by email for a while, but being part of this group has helped me get a bit of catharsis, and i'm over the frustration and anger now, and just in "wait mode."

i still am thinking of asking the dealer if i can put a deposit on an '05 NOW, if he'd take it, though... just so i could be further up front in line...

does anyone have any info on what WILL change in '05? as i've said, it might be worth the EXTRA wait for leather, power seats! assuming no options go away.... i really love the options in package 9!

bytheway, htmlspinnr
.... there IS more than ONE South Bay?! I didn't know that!


but remember one thing: up here, we don't call 'em "The 101" or "The 280"... those are Southernisms, and we can spot you immediately when you say that!