I'm impatient; any suggestions on how to get my deposit refunded?

Dealer A told me that unless the paperwork from dealer B has a VIN number on it, the deposit is refundable. In fact dealer A told me HE would refund the deposit if dealer B would not do so. I bought a car from dealer A, told dealer B I was no longer interested in the deal & got a refund check in the mail 3 days later. (this was in Wisconsin)

 

I would say you are trying to make it harder to get the deposit back, you need to just ask for it back now, if you really aren't happy with that dealer, trying to force him to make a decision is not going to work in your favor, he has to give you your deposit back, but you aren't giving him much incentive to do it quickly.

You being on the list really means nothing, he gets the cars he gets, especially Prius, he can put the order in, but it all depends on what the port gets in, what cars are requested by each dealer in their region, how much pull the dealer has with the port, and IF they get a vehicle matching or close to matching your wishes, that is not scheduled for another dealer's regular inventory. Ordered or requested cars take precedent over just inventory cars, but not always, not many inventory Prius these days also.

So its kind of a whatever list, if one comes in, and its close to your wishes, and anyone in front of you wants it, then you will be given option, if they get one exactly like you want at the port and dealer is given first choice and you are next in line, or no one in front of you wants that color or options, then you might be given that option or VIN, if its an exact match. It could be a week or two, or months currently.

 

Ok I'll admit it, I sold cars in a past life.

Rest assured the dealer is playing you like a fiddle. They will not reply becasue they are not willing to give you the truthfull answer. I know they are shady becuase they are telling you the deposit is non-refundable. I'd walk from this dealer (with your deposit of course) becasue they have already proven they are dishonest. The truth is they have no idea where you are on the list. They have no idea when the cars are coming in. No dealer does for sure. It's all guess work on any dealers part. They are hoping that you will believe that the deposit is non-refundable and that you will stay with them until they sell you a car or, if you go elsewhere, you are so gulable you will let them keep the deposit and they have made $500 for doing nothing. They do this everyday to dozens of people and they are good at it. That is the ugly truth of the matter. You are better off not emailing them but rather using the phone and taking notes on their statements. It's easyier to catch them off guard on the phone. Make sure you can identify who said what...take names.

On the bright side...according to Toyota.com there are nearly 900 Prius' available to the US in the next three weeks. Several hundred going to Southeast Toyota dealers. Go to Toyota.com and "build" a Prius. Then you will see a page that lists all the new cars coming in. If you have your dealer select a car prior to it reaching the Port of Jacksonville, you can have them delete all the stuff you don't want (Toyoguard, special wheels, overpriced window tint etc.). I chose mine as is from the factory. I figure if it didn't come that way out of the factory I don't need it.

 

Most of those cars have already been reserved by people on waiting lists according to the salesman that I have been working with. Watch how quickly the count comes down as dealers start removing cars as they match their waiting lists. The count was 937 yesterday, this morning it's down to 684.

 

Where is this dealer? Here in NC-Florida, it seems like there are no Priuses to be had...

My concern is that this dealer might also be exaggerating how quickly she can get a car in stock for you. One week to get in the exact car that you want is very different from the experiences of many current posters here on PC.

 

No doubt, she'll have to act quickly.

 

The best way to avoid trouble is to avoid trouble. You would have avoided this trouble by being less impulsive and more patient.

 

Park in the shade and head for the beach. Plenty of nice beaches in your area.:car:

 

I don't knw what dealer you're working with, but I bought our 08 from Central Florida Toyota in Orlando. It's about an hours drive, but they got me exactly what I wanted in one month for MSRP. I dealt with the internet sales department.

The market in Tampa is screwy. Every dealer I talked to here was selling for over MSRP, qouted waits of 3-6 months, and treated me like I was wasting their time in the first place.

 

Forget about it... If u can't find what is comfortable for u in pricing don't do anything crazy... It is just a car.. patience is the key...

 

You'll get your deposit back from Dealer A because he knows it's illegal to keep it. Don't worry. Congrats on your purchase.

 

Super White in #2!
Superb color choice.

How many miles are on it thus far?

I asked a dealer that question about new cars, he looked at me like I was crazy. He deserved that title when some cars have 1-2 miles and others have over 100 miles from all the test driving. Problem is, the test drive ones are a bit beaten up, possible rock chip, greasy floor mats, scuffed plastic interior, etc...

Hope yours has low to no mileage.

ZC1