DO NOT buy from Tustin Toyota or North Hollywood Toyota

Thanks for the hope...I'm on week seven awaiting a package #2 at Longo--anyone know how much longer I might be waiting? Is it worth the wait?

 

i was on a four week waitlist for a package 2 from longo back in may

i email the dealer mid june for a heads up

he said it will be another 6-8 weeks for a 2 in the color i wanted

suggested i switch the color or package

luckily i was able to find the package and color i wanted at another dealerand was able to pick it up same day

longo refunded the 500 deposit back to my credit card

no problems with longo

if you have the time to wait, then go with them.....they are legit

just that i needed mine.......IMMEDIATELY!!!!!

pronto

 

I too had a tough time finding a dealer in So Cal that was willing to sell for MSRP. If its any help, Carlsbad Toyota is selling for MSRP. I am waiting , as are many other folks, but hope to have something this week or there abouts. Bakersfield Toyota also is going for MSRP and as others have posted I had heard that Longo as well in Long Beach. You all can add San Juan to your list of inflated prices, $4995. I had multiple calls about cars that were available at that price but can't do it.
Good luck to all and here's to hoping I get a call this week.

 

Tustin Toyota had a Spectra Blue Package 5 on the lot last night- it may still be there. Mario (the manager) and Moin (the salesperson) offered it to me for $1000 over MSRP, for a total of $27,094. Not too bad, but I have one coming from another dealer for MSRP within the next 2-3 weeks. I can wait 2-3 weeks if it means saving $1000. If you are interested, call and ask for Mario- don't waste your time with Moin; he is nonresponsive, rude, pushy, and treats customers like they are interchangeable.

Also, I still dislike Tustin Toyota after my bad experiences with them earlier this summer (which is what prompted me to start posting in this thread). I told Mario to check out this thread so that he could see what everyone is saying about Tustin Toyota. Maybe that will make them more conscientious about being polite and honest with customers. I understand that dealers are charging mark-ups, but the way that Tustin Toyota does business is NOT something that I EVER want to be involved with or support. My problem is not that they wanted $1000 over- it's that they simply refused to answer my questions or be straightforward with me when I was at their dealership, ready to buy. The manager tried to tell me that their dealership has won an award for customer satisfaction. I can see that maybe they treat non-Prius buyers well, which is probably how they got the award, but they treat Prius-buyers like CRAP. And they accuse other dealers of lying- dealers that have received consistently good reviews ON THIS VERY WEBSITE. Tustin Toyota should not assume that all dealers lie just because that's how the Tustin dealers operate- by lying.

Mario, if you're reading this, PLEASE tell your salespeople that they need to treat Prius buyers with the same respect that they give buyers of FJ Cruisers and Tundras. There may be a lot of Prius buyers, but that doesn't mean that you can treat them like crap. Some day demand for the Prius will go down and once the dust settles you will realize that your disingenuous tactics cost you a lot of really good, paying potential customers. Good luck to Tustin Toyota- you guys will need it.

 

also, if indeed i do get the car in 2-3 weeks as promised by longo, my total time on the waiting list will add up to about 6 weeks. DEFINITELY worth it. and, a 6 week wait is not too shabby for a prius in spectra blue, which is (according to most of the dealers) not that common. good luck, everyone!

 

Don't tell us to buy their car for $1k over MSRP if you don't want to support them!!

 

Yeah, I know- but, I figure that there are some people out there who can't wait out the wait lists and need to find a car immediately. Thankfully that is not my current circumstance (knocks on wood)!

 

I'm going on week nine awaiting my package #2 at Longo--originally, they said it'd be 4-6 weeks, now he is telling me he has no idea how much longer.

Sigh...I'm thinking of opting out and will go with a used Camry or the like, as it sounds like the more I read, it appears the Hybrid scene is going to explode within the next 12-24 months..with hybrids getting even more fuel efficient and costs coming down with more choices..

Anyone else re-considering, given this new explosion of Hybrids that are due out?

 

I was just told by Longo that my number has not changed for two weeks!?

Okay...I was patient till now, but now I'm worried they are doing deals under the table. (Selling above MSRP to willing folks...). Of course, I'll never know.

I'm told it will likely be another 4 weeks, that most folks are waiting 12 weeks now. I asked if it could take even longer and the reply was "Yes".

So I'm really not sure what to do. I may go for an Elantra or something like that until the Hybrid scene evens out with even more choices...

Thanks everyone for all your support...

 

Money is the name of the game, and whoever has more or is willing to spend more eventually always wins

u can have a prius now for anywhere from $2K-$7K above sticker, that is the going price because some people want them and are willing to pay, if you guys are not then you have to wait...sorry to say but thats how it is, with any car that is IN DEMAND or very LIMITED production

i just got lucky with mine...no mark up, no wait

 

I'm absolutely not willing to play that 'game'.

And I certainly don't call that "winning" to pay OVER MSRP, when we know most people can get good cars below MSRP. Maybe some folks are proud they did this, or think nothing of it, or just don't give a darn.

I'm not one of them.

I call paying over MSRP buying into the panic, impulsive, and I think it contributes to a greedy, a-moral and un-ethical feeding frenzy.

Asking over MSRP is highly un-ethical and folks agreeing to pay for it don't help, because it encourages this wrongful behavior to continue and undermines fair play.

This is the sort of behavior that colludes and contributes to the decay of everyday ethics and ultimately demeans us all in my view.

But most folks want they want and they want it now and they don't see the larger picture of how this effects all of us.

There are plenty enough good alternatives 'till things calm down. The Hybrid market is going to explode in the next few years, and we'll see then who gets the last laugh.

I have my limits and I'm proud to have them. If more people took a stand against these abuses, we wouldn't have this problem.

 

Confused: I agree with your post. I currently have a refundable deposit down on a future incoming Prius for $500 under MSRP. I was told by the other local Toyota dealers that when the car comes in, there will be add-ons and/or a price premium over MSRP.

My salesperson assures me that this will not be the case, that they are different. I told him the same thing I told the others: if you try the bait and switch or try to sell it to me over MSRP, I simply won't buy it. Pick another (sucker) who will pay your price because it will NOT be me, nor will I ever do business with you.

 

i totally agree with you, but fact of the matter it, its happening and if people are paying it, nothing will change

im just saying if people dont want to wait then they have to pay the "premium"

and lastly there is NO better alternative to a Prius, if there were the price wouldnt go thru the roof on them at all

 

Got my Spectra Blue Package #5 from Longo last Wednesday. I love it, and almost more importantly, I LOVE LONGO TOYOTA!!

I was on the wait list for 6.5 weeks. The salesman assigned to my case is David Liu. He is nice, not pushy, very accommodating, and most importantly, HONEST! From the very first moment that we parked on the Longo lot to pick up my Prius, our experience was 200% wonderful.

First, we were greeted by a very helpful salesman. I asked for David, and instead of saying "he's not available, let me help you"-- which is exactly what happened every other time we went to a dealership, because the salesmen are like vultures-- he walked me over to David immediately.

The very first thing that David did was let me test drive the car. He did not assume, just because I was on the wait list, that I was going to automatically buy the car with no questions asked. The test drive route was very comprehensive- it included a residential area, a commercial area, and the freeway! (Not like other dealers that expect you to only drive around the block...like Miller Toyota of Culver City). David demonstrated the car's features without being pushy.

When we got back, we went into the showroom. It was beautiful. No ugly cubicles where they sequester you and then push until they have a deal (like at Tustin Toyota)- at Longo, everything is open. So it is cafeteria-style seating- tables lined up in rows with relaxed happy people lounging and talking with salespeople. It was a stress-free, pressure-free atmosphere. No one had raised voices, no one was pointing and gesticulating- in other words it was NOTHING like the other Toyota dealers we visited!

Then David came out with my price quote. It was a neat, clear, computerized spreadsheet of what everything cost. AND THE PRICE WAS AT MSRP, just as promised! (At Tustin, they wrote quotes on scratch paper, crossed them out as we negotiated, circled them, un-crossed them out, scrawled numbers over other numbers, and then asked if we had a deal- a deal on what?? I couldn't even tell which numbers we were discussing anymore!) David went over every single figure, explained the fees, explained the tax, etc. He even pointed to each number as he read them- and the numbers were precise- down to the cent! Not at all like Tustin. I was VERY impressed.

David also did not hover to see if I signed the contract. Instead, he said he was going to give my fiance and I time to look over it and he would be back shortly with a financing offer, and would be happy to answer any questions I had about the price contract. I am a lawyer and read everything very closely and I hate it when the dealers hover over me and expect me to sign without reading. David gave us all the space we needed. I really appreciated that.

When he came back with the financing offer, we spent 5 minutes negotiating. Their starting offer was 8.35% APR; I said that Tustin gave me an offer for 6% and that I would feel more comfortable paying 6.5%. After briefly discussing with his manager, he came back with an offer of 6.8% which I gladly accepted. I was so impressed that his manager did not look put out or stressed that we were negotiating. At Tustin, the salesman was like "oh. HMMMM. I don't know if my manager will go for that. Can you give me anything higher?" and then he went to the manager and made this big huge production about how he wanted to be accommodating and do us a "favor" by giving us a better financing offer. There was none of that acting or drama with Longo. David literally walked up to his manager, showed him my financing information, his manager approved 6.8%, all the while smiling and relaxed, David came back, and gave me the new offer- it took less than 90 seconds.

Once we signed the contract it was time to do the license and registration paperwork. Again, a breeze. Derek Nguyen helped us- he walked us through the options WITHOUT BEING PUSHY. In fact, he even told us that we did not need some of the options because the Package 5 came with comparable features already. He totally could have pushed for us to get additional features but he did not! AND, when it came time to discuss the warranty, we told him, "we know you are offering it for $2395. but we looked online and the MSRP is $1600. and we know we can buy it after-market for $1000, but we don't want to, because we like Longo and would like to get the warranty from you guys." He immediately said, "You guys did your research- I can give it to you for $1595." We gladly accepted that too. There was no haggling AT ALL! It was very very respectful and HONEST and open. So refreshing!

We also discussed car insurance. Derek gave us the name of the AAA insurance person who typically works at the dealership. And he said, "yes, AAA has someone sitting in our dealership ready to give you an insurance quote. if you like the quote, talk to her. if not, you are 100% welcome to get other quotes, no pressure, we happen to like AAA and that is why we let her sit here. but we do not care who you have your insurance through as long as you have full coverage because your financing requires full coverage." When we talked to the insurance person- Shakiba Rustamzada- who CAME BACK TO WORK AT 10pm to give us a quote- she was super helpful and not pushy either! The quote was competitive, so we decided to go with AAA- but we felt absolutely no pressure to do so.

Our experience ended with David giving us a final tour of the Prius. He stayed late just so that he would make sure that all of our questions were answered. By this time it was 10:30pm- we came an hour before they closed because we had to drive quite a ways to get there- no one was mad that we came so late! He patiently and clearly explained the touch screen, the doors, locks, trunk, roadside kit, windows, etc. And he answered all of our questions (although, we did not have many questions because his orientation was so thorough). We left the dealership refreshed, even though we'd been there for 2.5 hours (that's how long it takes to buy the car, and they certainly went at a good, quick, appropriate pace). And all the way home we both said to each other, "WOW, WHAT A GREAT EXPERIENCE! What can't all dealers be like Longo Toyota??"

I am so happy with my car. The fact that I have good memories of Longo Toyota makes it that much better. Every time I think about my car, I think of Longo and smile, and it just adds to my overall happiness about the car. I think that being on Longo's wait list is totally worth it. I just can't believe how great Longo is.

Good luck to everyone out there! I cannot recommend Longo Toyota highly enough.

Now I just need to get my other two deposits back...I hope it's easy!

 

Just called to take my name off the list for Toyota of Anaheim. Spoke with Jay. He was VERY nice and congratulated me on getting the car (even though I told him I got it from Longo, and I know that Longo is his main competition). If you are looking to get on the waitlist for multiple dealers, I'd recommend going to this dealership as well as Longo. Jay really is a nice guy!

 

ald2006, thanks for your post and it gives me hope. i've been on the list for about 5 weeks now. i got anxious a couple weeks ago so we went to longo and there were no prius to test drive or buy off the lot (because they were are under someone's names probably under a similar wait list!!).

i'm really looking forward to a similar, positive car buying experience and I will continue to wait for longo to get my car in!

few questions for you:
did he throw in any freebies for you? are you enjoying the car? what was jay/anaheim's price?

thanks!

edwin

 

Longo PWNS most SOCAL dealers, noone can beat them!!!

 

Congrats, A!

 

Do NOT buy from the Toyota dealership in Anaheim. They were one of the "tell them it's at MSRP to get them in the door, THEN tell them the truth" dealerships. We "ordered" a car from them - put ourselves on the wait list over the phone. Was told it was at MSRP. When it came in, suddenly it was $3000 over, didn't we tell you?

We bought it elsewhere (Mossy Toyota). At MSRP.

Glad you had a great experience at Longo! I heard great things about them as well.

 

HELLO ALL. i've been keeping up on these threads and comments and i would like to pass on some very nice people to do business with.

Jordan and Devora at SANTA MONICA TOYOTA.

I purchased two cars from them, the second one for my kid.

good luck