Question: Dealer Shown Car

0w-20 synthetic required in Prius. Costs like 25 bucks just for the oil.

G

 

They do use 0W20 synthetic oil. Typically if you go to a Toyota dealership they rotate the tires as well in that price.

Even the "Jiffy" and "Quick" lube places are close to $30 and that's just the oil service.

My dealer used to have tires for life if you serviced there so I got used to going there. Now it's Engines for life as well as free state inspections (even a massage on "womens day") if you service there. Not sure of the value, but I do like to rotate my tires and it makes it easy.

 

Ok, ok, sorry for derailing the thread. Back to Brittany. Ask for free oil changes. OOooh and get them to throw in wheel locks too.

 

10 years ago, I bought a new BMW that was a "Dealer Car" with 4,000 miles on it. I had no problems with it, and no regrets.

The first question you must ask is "Was this Car Registered?", if so then you are buying a used car and should negotiate a reduced price. If the car has not been previously registered, then it is still legally a new car.

The second question you must ask is "Has This Car been in an Accident?" If so, then negotiate a lower price or walk away if significant damage.

Dealers that have "Dealers Cars" with some mileage (up to a couple of thousand miles) have an incentive to maintain their cars as they want to sell them at or near the price of a "zero mileage" car.

As I have said many times before on this forum -- You Never Get The Deal You Deserve, You Get The Deal You Negotiate....

Good Luck,

Keith

 

I'm not one of those that jump on the bandwagon and say hire a lawyer, but I would ask to see the manager and if I wanted out of the deal I would at least threaten to see a laywer (save your emails) unless they gave me back my deposit. There is absolutely no reason for a nonrefundable deposit on a car that they can sell every one they get. You're not trying to buy a pink Cadillac.
I did buy a Sequoia one time with 5000 miles on it that was the car driven by the owners wife. The deal was right.

 

Brittany, it appears that dealer has not been honest to you and that changes the whole story. Given the situation, you should be able to get your deposit back, if not, maybe take a more aggressive attitude against them. 1K deposit is a lot to begin with, and why the heck the information they have been given to you is so inconsistent? Plus, what about this pressure for you to buy this “show†car? I had a awful dealer experience with my first attempt to buy the car, and they decided to refund my deposit quickly before I create more damage to their reputation. Customers are always right. I'm getting nervous here...

 

1,100 is about a month of full-time driving for a local commuter. (13,200 a yr). In other words, the car was in full-time use for a month. I'd ask for at least $1,000 off (i'd ask for more if it wasn't that it is a high-demand vehicle). I"d then ask the dealer if he is selling it as "new" or "used". If he is selling as used (meaning it had its title assigned previously) I'd ask for another $1,000 off.

 

what did you "buy" with the non-refundable deposit? The illusory promise of a future car? I don't think that is enforceable. Is there a contract?

Oh and minimum 1,000 off on top of ther discount on the security system

 

$1,000 discount sounds too low, given that some people are getting $500 discounts on brand new ones. As others have said, 1,100 miles is a lot of miles. And the fact that they lied to you, as well as telling you that your $1,000 deposit is nonrefundable, would make me quite nervous. I'd say, check the car out very carefully. If it's in perfect condition, ask them to take off $2,000 for the usage. If it has some very minor flaws such as scratches, they will need to fix them, too. I would turn it down if there is any more serious problems (inside or outside) or anything about it that makes you uncomfortable. Of course they won't give you $2000 off, but they might go for $1,500.

What was your second choice color?

 

Brittany,
Your story sure brought the helpers out.

As WVaguy, I bought a car in the 90s; a Ford Taurus top of the line model. It was 6 months old and the owner's wife's car. 5,000 miles, verified the use, and they extended the warranty 6 months. $1K off, which I thought was a good deal. It was one of the best cars we've ever had.

My big concern in your case is the history of who drove it those many miles under what conditions. And the changed stories by the sales rep. And the poor deal offered. Too bad you have that non ref deposit with them. Can't turn the clock back, but...

As many of the posters mentioned - go into a potential deal with a firm attitude. Set a goal for what you are willing to deal for and stick to it. Don't tell THEM, they will try to weaken you both. Sure hope this works out well for you.

 

+1

And Jabber is actually in chciago suburb. I did a quick google map. And it would take you probably just over an hour to get to Jabber in Crystal Lake. At least PM him first, ans see what he can do to help.

 

And check the fine print on the deposit contract. It should not be totally one sided and I'm sure they did not leave themselves with an "out".

 

I would walk away from these sleazeballs and this car, because you will never know the truth about it. They have already admitted to you lying about it and I'm sure there is more to the story. Take your business elsewhere just out of principle. tell them they misrepresented the car and you want your money back, end of story-- and you will get it. In fact if you paid with a credit card tell them you will contact the credit card company and open a dispute, or if you paid with a check tell them you will put a stop on the check. I hate dealing with sleazebags like this...

 

I would show this sales guy what an aggressive attitude is all about, but OK, I see you’re not up to any of that.

Now here's what I would do given the current circumstances: If you really don't feel comfortable dumping the sales guy and demanding a refund for the deposit, July 22 is less than 2 weeks away, I would just wait for the brand new car. Who knows what else can have happened to the "show" car? It sounds too risky to me. 1K discount is the least they could do.

 

GAH. I delurked just to respond to this thread. Here I am, halfway across the country, sitting in my chair and *seething* on your behalf. The folks at this dealership are so trying to take you for a ride. C'mon now, you don't have "Welcome" written on your forehead!

Pass on the "new" Prius. They've lied to you about how it got 1,100 miles and are dicking around about the price. And it already has cosmetic issues. Even if they did offer you a whopping big discount ($1k isn't even close), like others have said, who's to know what else they're lying about?

Either wait on a brand new car that's *exactly* what you want, or politely demand your deposit back. They've already lied to you. I think if you were to express your disappointment and frustration firmly and mention something about a lawyer and your local investigative TV reporter, you might find your deposit materializes pretty quickly.

No one can take advantage of you unless you let them. So don't! It sounds like there is another dealer in your general area (Jabber?) who would be willing to work with you. Give your money to the good guys. Don't pay the bad guys for their bad behavior!

(Now I had best go introduce myself on the Newb forum.)

 

I wouldn't consider any car with 500 miles, let alone 1000+ miles, a "new" car.
Miles are miles. It doesn't matter if an 80 year old woman drove it at 25 mph for those 1100 miles... IT'S USED.
Like someone else already said... you have no idea how that thing was driven/treated up until now. Tell them you're looking to buy a NEW and UNUSED car.
If they gave you an extended warranty for free AND discounted it quite a bit, THEN I'd recommend considering it... but until then, WAIT FOR SOMETHING THAT IS ACTUALLY NEW!

 

I see you've already told them you'd consider it if they off $1000. Did they say they'd fix the bumper? It could cost you several hundred just to get rid of the dings! If they do call you should insist that they fix it before going back again. I'd recommend you take someone else with you -- someone isn't as nice as you and hubby and who doesn't have a vested interest in getting the car.

 

Two cents

Folks, do you recall my having a factory car here for Memorial Day Weekend? Those of you who popped in to drive it, it was a blizzard pearl III with NAV, misty gray interior. I had it for 2 days and then it went back to the factory rep who lent it to us.

She drives the car from dealership to dealership. She takes the car to meetings. Many of you drove the car while it was here as well. At some point, she has to switch cars and go to another one. They call dealerships who are open to factory cars and offer the car to each dealer, one by one. Most anyone would not turn down a Prius. Since it's a factory car, it's sold as a new car and financed as a new car. It's new, aka never registered. That's the legal view.

Sometimes, it's about miles, and sometimes, it's that they want their reps in different cars constantly. They want to send the car to a dealership at a VERY small loss - meaning they aren't likely to allow her to put 8,000 miles on a car because I as a dealer would expect a HUGE discount on the car to take it off their hands... because my customer would feel the same and for me to discount it a lot, I have to GET a lot of discount from factory.

I bet this is the same sort of car and deal as to how they got it ... it's got very low miles. Low enough to make sense of them taking it. And, they probably didn't negotiate a large discount because V package cars are scarce.