List Dealers Charging Over MSRP

On the Prius I passed on over at Buena Park, there was a family on the table behind me that wanted the car if I didn't. They got it!

It's like a slot machine at an Indian-owned casino out here in the Southwest... there are literally people lined up behind you to give the house their money.

 

Carson Toyota, Carson CA
They will tell you $6,000.00 over MSRP
but.....

I have two stories
one; I bought my 05 sals red on february 2nd
Nugget of Knowledge 1-Don't negotiate after 4 sea breezes
I paid $5,000.00 over but lowered my interest rate by 4%
I looked at the overall numbers and this actually saved my $4,000
over the life of the loan, it seemed like a good deal then since I don't
have what you might call stellar credit.

Overall I paid $34,000 counting ttl but will only pay a total of $38,000 over the life of the loan. plus Zero days waiting. I had visited the lot the week before and said I was interested but I was also looking at an Acura TL. one week later , out of the blue, the sales guy calls me in the afternoon and says "hey I've got one, do you want it!" and of course I bought it that night.

Second story,
A friend of mine was looking for a Prius after getting a killer new job. She called me up since she knew I had one. I let her drive it around so she was comfortable with the car prior to test driving any. Needless to say we spent an entire day driving from one dealer to another in the greater LA area. We heard stories of No mark-up (but no cars for weeks) to $10,000 mark-up (and still no cars for weeks). The only two Prius on the lots were i Santa Monica. Both white. She was not pleased. I had resisted taking her to Carson since I did kinda of fell like I got the big scrugie on price, but oh well really my fault.

By 8:00 pm we were both tired and NO Prius, so I called Carson, of course they have one, a salsa red just like mine. So we go down there and they tell her $6,000. She's like NO, then we start playing with months and percentages and monthly payments. Before you know it she has them down to $1800 Mark-up (this was a package 6 just like mine) and no money down. Boom, drive home that night in a new Prius.

While it is still a rather steep mark-up. These things fly off the lots here faster than poop through a goose! So she basically paid the $1800 for zero wait time for the color she wanted (her actual first choice was Black, but Salsa was an equivalent second). We left the lot at 11:30 PM two 05 Salsa Red Prius caravan! She needed the car to since she moved to Nor cal this morning.

Long story but here are the basics
Carson Toyota gets in a butt load of these cars and while they will tell you $6,00 mark-up they are very negotiable.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Devil's Advocate\";p=\"87384)</div>

Wth?!

In the future, I suggest finding your financing BEFORE you deal. If you belong to a credit union you might want to go through them.

That way, the dealer can't confuse you and combine the two deals into one deal.

Negociate the price, then secure the financing. Or the other way around. NOT both!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jfh3\";p=\"85494)</div>

Toyota of Colorado Springs - same ownership as Liberty Toyota - tried to charge us $28,000 (including tax, but not including title) in November for a package, I think, three - side air bags and smart entry - which then had an MSRP of about $22,000. We'd waited five months, but they didn't inform us of the price increase until five days before the car was to be delivered. "Do you want it or not?" asked the salesman; "I have 63 people on the waiting list."

We went to Pueblo Toyota, where we got a #4 for a lot less than the CS dealer wanted for a #3. If you're looking for a Prius, you might check with them - I think they currently have unspoken-for Priuses on order.

 

Also, you can bypass the sales process by dealing with car buyers. Many credit unions as well as AAA have people that will locate cars for you and tell you the bottom-line price up front. NO HAGGLING!

Also, I have bought two cars through the Internet sales departments now offered by a lot of the larger dealerships. Simply find your dealer's website and see if they sell through the Internet.

I got $500 off MSRP on my Prius and and $750 off my wife's HCH last year.

Again, no haggling. They will tell you the price over the phone.

 

All of you people in the LA area who can't find a decent dealer should try Bill Wright Toyota in Bakersfield. Only a 1-2 hour drive, depending where in the vast LA area you live, and they sell at MSRP. There is NO way I would pay over MSRP! To the dealer's credit, I didn't even have to haggle for the MSRP...it was just a given. The only place I suggest you pass is on the extended warranty. They quoted me 1600...must be where they make all their money on the Prius.

(Another benefit is you will get to try out your new Prius on the Grapevine on the way home) :mrgreen:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(vprius\";p=\"87502)</div>

While it is substantially more than is charged by Troy, that is approximately the MSRP for for the extended protection plan for the Prius (7/100).

 

true,
I got boned on the 5g's over msrp
but toyota was able to get me better financing than anyplace else (did I mention the not so good credit)

I always look at the total cost to borrow money and given the interest rates I was quoted before going to Carson, their rate ended up costing $4,000.00 less overall. Still you're right to say :Wth: that is why I was reluctant to take my friend their. But she got a much better deal, it could have also been me sitting there the whole time going you can do better since I didn't want her to get hosed.

So basically Carson took their money up front and F'd over the finance company. Plus Zero wait for a salsa red package 6, not bad.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Devil's Advocate\";p=\"87588)</div>

Instant gratification can be very expensive.

Toyota financed my car at 4.19% for a five years loan with zero down. The total cost of my financing is less than the $4.000 which you saved on the loan at Carson Toyota and just about half of what you paid for the so called "market adjustment."

 

My Story in Southern CA, Jan 2005

Pasadena Syme Toyota quoted me $3000 over MSRP.

I went to Longo Toyota in El Monte, CA. They sell at MSRP. Extended warranty is also MSRP... which you can get it cheaper here. I was put on a "9 month" waiting list for 3 months, then I got my prius, salsa red.

I say "Expose those bastards who takes advantage of consumers."

I was also shopping for Acura TL at the same time, then Costco program gave me a great quote, well below MSRP. I also recommend Costco.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kazu88\";p=\"87599)</div>

Costco referred me to Toyota of North Hollywood, in November 2003, to buy my Prius. When they finally offered me a car on April Fools day of 2004, they asked for $5,000 over MSRP. I told the salesman what he could do with himself and the car. My complaint to Costco fell on deaf ears.

P.S. I am an avid Costco shopper.

 

The difference with going through the Internet (fleet sales), your credit union, or AAA is that they will do the dirty work for you.

My credit union told me flat out that they only deal with Toyota dealers that sell the Prius for MSRP. I would have gone through them but I got a deal with Norwalk Toyota and with a shorter wait time.

:mrgreen:

 

For future reference I do recommend the 'avoid the dealer to the last possible minute option', you will generally be able to get a much better price. But when you want instant gratification, you gotta pay. Plus my friend was moving to No Cal and starting a new job within days that would absolutely not allow her time to wait for the car she wanted, so sometimes the piece of mind is worth more than the dollars in the wallet.

 

Maybe we were just lucky. Two weeks ago tomorrow we were shopping for a Prius in the San Diego area. The first dealer I called didn't even have a demonstrator. The second, Kearny Mesa Toyota had a demo and also a new red 2005 Prius available for sale at MSRP. Three hours later we drove it home. That's the good news.

The bad news is that we paid $2295 for the 7/100,000 Platinum Plan -- maybe a record price? Imagine my surprise when I learned a week later that the SRP was $1650 and shortly after that found this list and much lower pricing. It looks as if I will be cancelling that $2295 tomorrow and saving a very considerable bundle. Thanks, Priuschat.
-Roland

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Devil's Advocate\";p=\"87674)</div>

Devil's Advocate, I don't know you, but trading your money, time and life for instant gratification without long term considerations could be a contributing factor to your poor credit rating.

Q: How do you make a person with a lack of fiscal responsibility a millionaire?
A: Give them two million dollars.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coloradospringsprius\";p=\"87400)</div>

Not sure if I called them or not - I have one on order from a Denver dealer that should be here end of the month, but it can't hurt to check.

The Colorado Springs dealers have already lost another sale though - I have a friend down there that wanted a Prius and is now ordering from my dealer instead.

There's already a good profit built into the car - charging over MSRP is just greedy.

 

Gilroy Toyota of Gilroy California robbed me blind. Do not do business with these people. :cussing:

We agreed and shook hands on an out the door price of $26,335 for a 05' with package #4. That was suppose to be approximate after tax and license. When we did the paperwork, I misread the amount which was $28,511. I had added Gap insurance and thought that the prices said $26,511 so I was ok with it.

Later when I got home and reviewed the paperwork, I was shocked to see that it was 2G more than I thought and had shook hands on. They added $1923 to the MSRP but never told me that and had no sticker stating that (I have the sticker). When I called to complain, they never returned my calls. I talked to the customer service rep 3 times, and each time she said she would get back to me in an hour or two but never did.

STAY FAR AWAY FROM THEM! :guns:

I was only willing to pay MSRP and would have gone to another dealer if needed. In fact, a dealer an hour away near where I work had 8 in stock and was advertising MSRP.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScubaX\";p=\"87810)</div>

Wow, that's rough.

But I just signed one of those things last week. They make you sign and initial about ten different places.

Since a car purchase is the most expensive thing you will buy short of a house, why didn't you check what you were signing ten times?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(majordude\";p=\"87811)</div>

Wow, that's rough.

But I just signed one of those things last week. They make you sign and initial about ten different places.

Since a car purchase is the most expensive thing you will buy short of a house, why didn't you check what you were signing ten times?
[/b][/quote]

I initialed in several places that were to deny or accept things such as gap insurance. I also initialed the agreement when we shook hands at $26,335. They made all the offers and counter offers on blank sheets of printer paper which we both initialed when agreed to. In the finance office, it was a serious mistake to read into the document the incorrect amount. I had only been there about 5 hours at that point. Never the less, they were dishonest. My mistake was I should have read the sales document closer. But that does not excuse them for the lie. If there is an added dealer markup, it must be displayed on the window of a new car along with the original sticker. There was no such display. They did not negotiate with me at a markup and we shook hands and agreed a MSRP plus Tax and License.

 

Several places that I called didn't have what I wanted. So I broke down and called the dealer that I bought my Camry at 9 years ago (it was an awful experience and I said I'd never go back)...Thousand Oaks Toyota. They said they were getting the Silver #6 in next week. Fine, I want it. I asked how much. He said that they would certainly work with us since we were going to be driving all the way out there (Red Flag #1). I guess I was rusty and should have known better. They call us when they get it in and we go out and test drive it. Then they start us out at 31,000+!!! We say no, MSRP. Well, 4 hours later, every cliché car sales technique, 2 other "bosses", lots of scribbled and hilighted paper later and us tired of repeating "MSRP" over and over, we finally were willing to go 500 over and they were still at 1000 over. We walked out. As we started to drive out of the lot, the sales guy ran out (in the rain!!!!) and tried to get us to come back in. So we talked about the trade in. They wanted to give us 700 bucks! We laughed and told them MSPR and 2000 for the trade. More of their highliters...pink, yellow, purple AND red...them trying to confuse us with their numbers game. We told them...what is the final price and what will you give us for the trade in. Bottom line. Well, we FINALLY left. We should have left 3 hours earlier, but you live and learn. We called about 6 other valley dealers and they were all at MSRP, just not the right style and package. Except for North Hollywood Toyota...they would not give us a price. We have now put a deposit at Santa Monica Toyota. We asked them the price, they told us...and we told them not to put their Lo-Jack in or ANYTHING and to just call us and we would be there to pick it up. We are waiting. I hope they live up to their word. If not, I will go somewhere else. Maybe Bakersfield since they are getting good reviews here.
The next day (Friday), the guy calls me and asks if there was just one reason that we didn't buy the car yesterday. I was flabbergasted because I'm wondering which part of the day he missed! I said..."Uhhhhhhh...that you wouldn't sell us the car for MSRP?" cause if he didn't realize that, then he's a friggin' moron....(wow, I'm getting all worked up just recalling the incident!). So he tried to get us to go back in. So much for their confidence to sell it over the weekend! LOL!!! I told him we already bought one. I was tempted to tell him 1000 under and 2000 for the trade and he had a deal...but I just don't want to do business with them, even if they did give us a deal. Hope SM is better.

THOUSAND OAKS TOYOTA - 5000 over and a horrible experience.
NORTH HOLLYWOOD - OVER