Anybody getting 1000 or more off MSRP?

doubtful. Especially since that would put you under invoice on the II and III models..

 

Hey Jabber, you are the 3rd person to say that the difference is less than $1k.

I thought invoice on the III was $20,721 + $750 = $21,471

This way it looks as if there is a $1,500 difference to the $23,000 MSRP. Are dealers getting any other fees that we don't know about?

 

Depends on your location. Every region is different when it comes down to advertising fees. And technically, in the chicago region, our mark up on a III is $1,158. But a II is under $800.

 

According to KBB.COM, the invoice for II is $21650 and the III is $22161 for the basic without packages. For a next year model, anything less than MSRP is good, less than $1k is great. If you have a package, you can get more discount. If supply is less than demand, like now, I don't think anyone can get below MSRP. I was lucky before this shortage and with solar/Nav package on III, I got $1800 off MSRP. According to KBB, I was about $500 over invoice plus I got $4500 addition for my clunker trade in. After my deal (first wave C4C), the following week, before the additional $2 Billion for the C4C program, my dealer don't have anymore Prius in stock.

 

As I posted earlier last week. A dealer in Brooklyn was getting $2k ABOVE MSRP.

 

Edmunds may show one thing, but they are notoriously off from what the real invoice is.

 

And Cash for Clunkers seems to have driven prices up markedly again, as increased demand will always. All the new car dealers around where I live are stunningly low on inventory, so dealers are in a much better bargaining position today. If you want a great deal, I think that ship has sailed for now. The $64,000 question is;

1. Has this chased a lot of past and future demand into a small time window after which showroom traffic will be even slower than before CfC? If so, the buyer will be rewarded.
2. Or will this spark consumer confidence and overall sales will be less than during CfC but better than before it? If so, the seller will be rewarded (at least vs before).

I am betting on the former, but not that I wish anything bad for dealers, just the macroeconomics that make sense to me. We will find out in the months ahead.

And I am hearing that dealers are not getting their $3500-$4500 from the govt promptly at all, and they may stop doing CfC deals very soon if the money doesn't start to flow from Wash DC. Things could reverse pretty quickly.

 

after C4C

I have a list of folks seeking specific Prius after this C4C thing is over. More folks seeking cars than this region will support volume for ... for a while. There is going to be a short supply of this car for a while. Contrary to popular belief, this is not a "clunkers car" -- many of my Prius buyers since July 24th were not C4C'ers.

Many of those folks were robbed of the ability to negotiate a deal because there were SO MANY new Prius buyers that dropped from the sky like rain after July 24th -- folks sitting back on their haunches waiting for the $4500 bonus to kick in.

I don't see the light at that tunnel's end, frankly. Not for a few months. The demand is creating a fair market - MSRP - and in many stores, they are getting over the MSRP in a variety of ways. Added extras, forced lojacks and paint protection packs and door edge guards and alarms and window etchings... everything they can to add profit. Let's face it... we're not a non profit organization at dealerships. We are all free to do as we please with all of the cars. You can vote with your wallet. Buy or not buy... it's your prerogative.

The dealers who put "market adjustment" on their cars with a specific markup are telling you what they want for the car over and above what the MSRP holds. You know what? I find that a lot more "honest" than some dealership adding upgrade wheels and charging the sticker for $1995 (they probably paid $750) or adding lojack to the sticker at $995 when it's probaly a bulk add at $350 an item. I have seen it both ways and had to DO it both ways too.

If you don't think the car's worth what the MSRP says, remember to vote with your wallet. Pay over MSRP if you think it's worth over MSRP to you.

Frankly, in this market with gas rising again, I agree -- it's become NOT worth MSRP -- it's been worth more! It can go both ways and I see it edging upwards. When I have more deposits and buyers than I have cars to match, your opinion of the car not being worth MSRP might be right... it may be worth more.

PS: no tongue in cheek here. Just a different side.

 

I agree with Dianne it's a classic case of supply and demand. Currently, for MANY reasons, there is a large demand and a very limited supply. We all know that means discounts are few and far between at this time.
All this in a world wide recession.
If you know how this all will work itself out you could make a bundle in the financial markets.
Along with many people I'm hoping to locate the desired Prius before the C4C money is exhausted.

Re. MSRP.
I've no idea how this number is created, in this case by Toyota. I'm always "happy" to negotiate a price that seems fair to me. If I'm unable to get my idea of a "fair price" I don't buy the car. It IS their car they can demand what they please. I don't take it personally it's just a business decision.

Carl

 

Just my opinion --

C4C has created an artificial market and a sponge against future sales. When it ends car pricing will collapse.

 

can't really argue with that. I personally would have bought a used priusi or even if a used one had it not been for C4C. I also delayed my purchase for almost a year waiting for all the talk to turn into an actual program.

 

I'm one who bought a genIII prius IV with nav for $1k below msrp on top of my $4500 clunker. This happened after I walked out of one dealership who wouldn't do anything below msrp. I even asked about the costco discount price and I was told it's not applicable to the prius. This was from the same salesperson who sold my dad a Scion xB a few months back at msrp too. I was determined to get below sticker because no way in hell I would go back to that dealership since that salesperson stated "I will be back because they all do". cocky bast*ard!

 

Another prime example of the rude and arrogant attitude that some Toyota dealerships have been displaying lately...

Bryan

 

Now that the C4C is over I hope the insanity of non discounts is past us. Certainly supply is still short due to the battery bottleneck from the Japanese supplier but with the package option price increases and a new base model coming out some equilibrium will be the outcome.