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City Toyota - Great Falls, MT

Discussion in 'Dealers & Pricing' started by rcanate6, Apr 22, 2004.

  1. rcanate6

    rcanate6 New Member

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    This is my first post, but Ive been browsing the chatroom obsessively for the past few weeks and have really appreciated all the valuable information. Especially the person who let me know about City Motors in Great Falls, MT.

    I emailed them two days ago checking on an '04 Prius with #7 or #9 in any color but silver. Today I got the call saying they have a white #9 in port thats gonna have my name on it!! And its at MSRP for $26,300. Now just have to figure out how to get there. Denis in Sales at City Toyota has been great, give him a call at (406) 455-8281. The people at Bitterroot Motors in MT also were helpful but all are $1500 over MSRP, so if you are desperate check them out.

    People are right, if you really want the Prius and are willing to sacrifice some time and money to find it, its out there. Thanks a lot for all the advice and help!

    Rebecca
     
    #1 rcanate6, Apr 22, 2004
  2. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Woo hoo, congrats Rebecca!

    Keep us updated on your journey to MT or if you have it shipped down to you in CA.
     
    #2 Danny, Apr 23, 2004
  3. rcanate6

    rcanate6 New Member

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    This may sound like a silly question, but its worth asking just to be sure. Ok, so how do I make sure the car Im supposed to be getting is the one they are sending me? I wont be going up there to check it out and it is getting shipped straight to California. Should I receive paperwork before I send a check (which just seems to make logical sense, although the finance dept seemed to suggest otherwise)? Any help in the logistics of the long distance buying process would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    Rebecca
     
    #3 rcanate6, Apr 27, 2004
  4. hedwig

    hedwig New Member

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    Finally, a thread where I can be useful!! I bought mine from A Land Far Far Away, and had it shipped. Get the VIN number from your dealer now (just to ensure they really do have a car and it's on the way). I actually had a nightmare where they rolled off a used Volkswagen Golf and handed it to me. You'll have to sign the sales contract - and something that says you inspected the odometer, which of course, you can't. I had him send me the checksheet from when they received the car, which had all the odometer info and stuff on it. If you're dealing with finances through the dealership, they'll handle all that and send you the paperwork, otherwise you'll have to get a draft from your financing company and send it on to the dealership.

    I can tell you where you're most likely to have problems if you're buying from one state and shipping to another (didn't check, are you in CA?): tax/tag/title. You have to pay taxes in the state you're registering, and if it's like my state, that's cash only. The $2,000 cash in addition to the deposit was something I hadn't thought about. I had two days of trouble getting all the title paperwork straightened out, but the person at the tag agency worked really well with my salesman and they got it all handled with minimal trouble on my part.

    The shipping co. will check the car over with the dealership to ensure everything's kosher, and then you'll check it when you get it for the same purpose. If anything's wrong with it that the truck isn't responsible for, you'll have to take it up with the dealer.

    Mine went very smoothly, overall - just be prepared for a little bit of fun with the paperwork, but it's worth it!
     
    #4 hedwig, Apr 28, 2004
  5. hedwig

    hedwig New Member

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    Okay, now that I read it again. Yeah, Montana's where I got mine too. They may not know how to go about the title and tag stuff, so be sure you're prepared. They also didn't send mine with a temp tag (no access to Florida ones and couldn't, for some reason, put an MT one on) so be sure you discuss that before they put it on the truck - otherwise, you'll have to drive it illegally to get to the tag agency, and that's not a chance you really want to take - no license plate is a big red flag for cops.
     
    #5 hedwig, Apr 28, 2004
  6. rcanate6

    rcanate6 New Member

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    So I just finished driving 10 hrs up to Great Falls, MT from Salt Lake and driving my new Prius back those same 10 hrs. Tomorrow I will finish the journey, ending up in Southern California.

    I absolutely love this car. I have a very short attention span, which may be a bad thing when driving. So having the ability to look at both a map, my mileage updates or the engine energy levels is about the worst thing ever. My sister (who drove up with me) was scared to death I was going to hit something. (Missed a truck by a couple of feet). Anyway, I also got to sit in Friday traffic in a construction zone for about an hour or so. At the end of it, I was estatic because Id managed to get consistently above 50 mpg for over 30 mins. My sister was once again worried, saying I was the only person on the freeway who was excited about the traffic. I defended myself by saying I knew a bunch of people online who would probably be just as happy.

    The space is fantastic. Im 6'2 and I fit pretty well in the backseat, although its a little close on the head room. The driver seat remained pretty comfortable for the 10hrs, although sticking my sweatshirt behind me for back support around hour 8 definitely helped. The ride was smooth and got decent mileage even driving in continous mountains (40 mpg). I used to be a speed demon, having grown up in Calfornia, where speed limits are suggestions, but I found myself calmly doing about 65-75, which is so unlike me. I just needed those bars to go up. I just hope I dont kill myself trying to get that line to move.

    Anyway, I named my car Georgia. If any of you are John Mayer fans, it will make sense. Otherwise, its just going to be called "car". Thanks for all the help in finding the car, and Montana is a great and beautiful drive. A great excuse to see a state I never thought Id visit. Me and Georgia will enjoy ourselves now through the desert country. California, here I come.

    Rebecca
    -------------------
    White #9 - Ivory (Great Falls, MT to Fontana, CA)
     
    #6 rcanate6, May 7, 2004
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