I called 15 dealerships today

Yeah, we tried Santa Maria - what a ripoff - he said the best he could do was $700 over invoice. So if you paid MSRP you made that salesman's week!

Go to North CA - the deals are great. Check our Concord Toyota and Walnut Creek Toyota. If you go to Walnut Creek, ask for Katie in the Internet Dept. We paid almost $3,000 UNDER msrp. Don't get ripped off!

North CA has hundreds of Prius on the lots - don't sit around waiting to be on a list and pay more to boot!

MSRP on my car was $28,249 - I paid $25,471. Package #6, non-touring. (All prices are +TT&L)

Another poster had the same experience as I did with Katie:

Toyota Walnut Creek:
[SIZE=-1]2100 N Broadway
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
(925) 933-7440
Ask for Katie - she gives the lowest quote, up front.
[/SIZE]

 

I agree 100% with you...bought my first one used, and swore I'd never buy a brand new car again.

But now you can get a new one cheaper than used. I've seen a 2008 pkg 2 w/ 8K miles in Tampa with an asking price of $32,900! Our brand new pkg 2 (Spectra Blue) was less than $25K. We had to pay MSRP and wait about 4 weeks. I've also noticed a lot of the Prii on eBay seem to have salvage titles. That me not be as big a deal as I think it is, but I'd avoid those.

I'm sure there are deals to be had (both new and used) for someone who is willing to take the time to keep after it.

 

I have posted my trials, tribulations, and finally my success at purchasing a new Prius on April 30th in more than one place on this forum. I believe, had I waited another week, I would be on a list right now. I easily called over 30 dealerships and had 3 Prius sold before I could put the money down......I could explain but its very complicated..
I can only advise you (at this point) to go to a Toyota dealership you purchased from in the past and get your name on a list for a 2009 Prius. I would also advise you to be open about package #, Touring or base model and/or color.
Give them your preference for a Prius but buy whatever one that becomes available...if at all possible, get your name on multiple dealerships.... ask about purchasing a demo that might be released soon from their inventory for sale...sometimes they offer special discounts...ask about purchasing late model pre-owned Prius
I am amazed that some of the long time Prius owners don't truly understand the shortage of Prius, the demand for a Prius and the trickery of some less than reputable dealerships like marking up prices well above MSRP. God bless these owners, they saw the light about the many benefits of this car, but what is going on right now, and even last April, is cut-throat tactics by some Toyota dealerships. ..
Another strategy...Car Max...for pre-owned Prius. Ebay...yes... E-Bay. Bay My salesman called me a week after he sold me the Prius to see how I liked the new car and told me New York dealers were buying up Prius from around the country and tacking on 3-5 K to the MSRP...It might be even more now. That salesman told my salesman the dealership got the idea from seeing a Prius owner sell a base package 1 Prius for 5K above MSRP on E-Bay.
The last strategy I would recommend is calling dealerships in other parts of the country...if one is available, and the dealership agrees to hold it for you...fly there and drive your new car back. In mid April I was in Tucson Az. I was renting a Prius while there and calling dealerships in my town. Noone seemed to have them in stock..At the Tucson dealership there were 'three 'on the lot'.
Good luck..hope this advice helps you find your Prius..

 

Wow... this seems so odd, because up in Northern CA, Prius are a dime a dozen on every lot, on every corner, and in every configurable way possible. I can't believe people are still on waiting lists for them!!

 

That might have been the case a month or so back but they are nowhere to be found on any dealer's lot now.

Wow, interesting to know Concord is charging $3k above MSRP now. What package is that for and is the mark up the same or different for the different packages? I purchased mine almost 2 months ago at Concord and at the time paid almost $3k below MSRP. Even back then, however, they had to do a dealer trade to get the spectra blue touring 6, and they did not not have any tourings in stock.

 

Well I never actually dealt with Concord (I read a post about Concord, that's why I mentioned it), but I did get my car from Walnut Creek, as did another member on the forum from my recommendation. Call Katie @ Walnut Creek at the number I listed a few posts up. I doubt she's gone to MSRP (let alone over MSRP) since March. If she quotes you anything near the other 15 places you've tried, please tell me, because I'll have a bone to pick with her!

Have you called Walnut Creek and talked to Katie?

 

Yesterday I got a call from the dealer that sold me my Prius in January.
He asked me if I knew anybody that was interested in buying a Prius because he had ordered one and the guy who ordered it had something tragic happen to him and could'nt go through with the deal.
I thought that it was really odd that he would be calling me and asking me that but his name is Bruce and he is at Bud Eyre dealership in Ridgecrest Cal. 760-375-4401 (ask for Bruce Shaver).
Ridgecrest is north of Lancaster about 90 miles.
Anyway, good luck.
BTW, he will try and nail you on the extended warranty unless you know about the price through PC.

 

I know in AZ they are extremely difficult to come by, most dealerships dont have them and if they do they are all at a market premium. However, with gas prices going up they are unlikely to get any cheaper and the bigger, less efficient cars are worth less and less every day. I work for the #1 volume Toyota Dealer in AZ. We have three on the ground as of 6/10, but they will probably be gone by the end of the day. If you need info on incoming allocations send me a message.

 

I know it's difficult to pay over MSRP but its what the market has done in many areas. I definitiely can't quote any unrealistic prices to lure people in, but if you are having a tough time even locating a prius in AZ, call Gabriel at Right Toyota 480-778-2200.

 

Prius is a dime a dozen in Northern California and on every lot? I think you might want to check the lots again...or maybe northern California is not experiencing the gas crisis like the rest o the nation... I'm sure the supply side is greater there because Prius sold well there for years however this is a new day and every time the news people belabor the increase in gas prices that little dime a dozen Prius car becomes more and more valuable

The good news is that Toyota is increasing from 280k units to 400k from 2008 to 2009. While that's a worldwide number its still a huge increase in production

 

Unfortunately that is no longer the case in NorCal, last i checked Concord is asking 1k over msrp for a Touring 6, non-touring at msrp, Touring accounts for < 5% of all Prius delivered I believe

I got my back in April for 25700, Touring with pack 6 from Concord

 

For those of you that eloquently insist with great authority that Prius are in abundance and you can get them under MSRP....have you really checked your facts lately? I know there is a tremendous difference searching and finding a new Prius from April to June alone. Dealers in my area just place customers on waiting lists. My salesman told me each sales person has their own list of 10 or more customers. He said that there is a Prius shortage nationwide and reputable dealers are not stringing people along telling them they can get one any time soon, but people insist to be placed on a waiting list. It just seems so strange that there is a few places where a customer can purchase a new Prius under MSRP while the rest of the country's Toyota dealerships have lists but no Prius'.

 

HEMI4PRIUS - thanks for the info, i just spoke to katie today and she sounds like a wonderful person to work with. for all, i will keep you all posted here about how it is going - i placed an order with her today.

Katie says that her dealership is family owned, sounds great to me. maybe we can all get the proper respect and business astute when this is all said and done.

as i said, i'll keep you all posted. ohhhhhhh, the three minor additions katie quoted me: #1) 5-piece carpet #2) rear bumper guard #3) wheel locks. i think this all added to be 300-400 above MSRP. sounds OK to me.

 

I'm on a waiting list for a Touring. WL and Z1 accessory for $27,984. Estimated time is 3 to 6 month. :-( Will update if delivery ever happen.

By the way, I also called Toyota in Santa Monica. Hey had one but was 10K over MSRP. Woldries in Alhambra wanted 5K also with a (supposedly) shorter list.

 

Hi guys,
I'm sorry that I "spoke with great authority" re: under msrp and availability up in Nor CA. I was unaware that the market had changed that much since March 2008 when I bought my car. It makes sense though, with gas the way it is right now. So again, I apologize for giving the wrong info!

Genoz World: I'm glad you are happy w/Katie, she really is a nice person to deal with. Keep us posted! Tell her that the girl from Morro Bay still loves her Prius and I will still recommend Katie and Walnut Creek!

 

Well times HAVE changed. In '04 the wait list for new was simply because Toyota was't making that many Gen II's, because they hadn't yet grasped demand. Now that it's '08, they're building full bore, and yet they can't meet demand. Back in '04 our fully loaded used '04 w/ 10K miles on it, from ebay, cost us under $20K including tax & license. So to me, that $32,900 sounds a tad pricy. Check craigs list etc, & be ready to pounce on the bargains. You gota look all the time, act fast, AND have good luck to save that extra $3K-$4K.

.

 

I just talked with Magic Toyota in the Seattle area and was told that their price is $3K over MSRP for package 3. I'm on the list at Toyota of Puyallup and was quoted $25,508 last month and was recently told that they will honor the price quoted to me. I kept the voicemail they left me stating that they will honor the quoted price.

 

I'm paying sticker and not complaining...
if it ever gets here anyway!