Getting dealers to junk accessories

Have you ever driven a car with the night vision mirror with cars behind you at night? It's incredible. I'm all for not getting accessories you don't want...but try that one out. It's one of two parts of my mother's Camry that I like....the other is the heated seats.

And as far as negotiating with the dealer, hold your ground, and look around for another dealer with the same car, minus the extraneous accessories. If nothing else, use the other dealer as a bargaining chip.

 

My opinion is that if these options are already installed on the car... you will not get the dealer to remove them. This is expecially true for the mirror and the mudflaps.

Very few people have successfully gotten the dealer to take out the carpets since they are put on at the port... and usually part of the "offical toyota sticker".

The Vehicle Shield Pkg doesn't cost them anything... and often they put it on just to make you feel that you have "won" in a negotiation when they "throw it in for free". In any case... it is worth exactly zero.

If you do not want these options... I think you should tell the dealer, and expect to be told that you will be put on a waiting list for a car that doesn't have them. If you really want to get this car... you might be able to negotiate one or two items off the bottom line... but I would not expect more than that.

/Jim

 

If you check the web site for the mirror's manufacturer (I don't recall who it is.) you'd find that $250 probably comes closest to the retail price than any other dealer add-on.

I agree with HokieHybrid, you've got to see how well it works in the real world.

 

After driving for years with a regular day/night mirror, and suffering from either blinding glare or an image so dim that I might as well not use the mirror (Toyota mirrors seem especially bad for this- I remember Ford and Honda mirrors having much better night modes), I desperately wanted an electrochromic one, but the $200+ pricetag put me off..

The solution I discovered from a replacement LCD mirror (basically a rearview mirror with an LCD hidden behind the mirror, which I used for an aftermarket Nav; I currently use a combination of the Estima camera box and the CANview to display the nav on my MFD) is that a partially reflecting film actually makes a mirror that works extremely well in both day and night modes.. What I ended up doing, that IMO works *better* than electrochromic and is dirt cheap/free is to get a piece of 35% silver metallic window tint- many tinting shops will give you a strip if you go in and ask for a sample (make sure you get the silver stuff and not just the dark tint film) and apply it to the rear view mirror.. During the day, the image is a tiny bit dimmer, but not significantly different than bare mirror because of the silvered surface. During the night, the image is still bright enough to see, but due to the reduced reflectivity of the film, glare is cut *dramatically*- I've had big trucks right behind me with their high beams on and with the film on the mirror, it doesn't bother me one bit, yet I can still see the reflection of my surroundings just fine.. The only slight downside is that depending on the film you get, at night, the reflection may show a bit of haze, I tried a couple of different films and am currently using one made by Gila that has a clear reflection at night, but even with the slight haze, I consider that an acceptable tradeoff especially considering the price..

 

Start looking for another car or at least another dealer. It will be unlikely that they will remove items once they are on the car. The only thing that I would actually try to get off the price is the "Vehicle Sheild Package". What a joke, a coat of wax that will wear off in a couple of months, a couple of cans of Scotch Guard, and a few cans of spray on tar, all of which you do not need. The seats clean up with a clean rag and water, the car is already pretty quite and the area that is noisy they don't spray (the insides of the doors), rental car assistance; most dealers you buy from offer a loaner cars if they need your car for more than 24hrs and just get the car washed and waxed every few months. Save your self $349.00. That's just my two cents.

 

Some items are part of a package from the factory. Depending on the sales region, the auto-dimming mirror is factory only, and in some regions it is placed on the vehicle in port as a way of creating margins for the dealer. GST and SE are the two regions that are notorious for port options and Toyoguard junk. To avoid port options on vehicles purchased in those regions you have to get the dealer to snag the car in transit from Toyota before it hits port and has a bunch of stuff done to it before it gets to the dealer, and you cannot buy anything that is on the lot.

More utilitarian floor mats can be had from many third-partys. I have Weathertech mats in my vehicle and they are much better than the carpeted ones that Toyota frequently bundles with the vehicle, and cheaper, too. The auto-dimming Homelink mirror is a godsend. I will not own a car again without one. Since I have garage door openers the Homelink remote control is a huge plus and has a very long range compared to the remote you get with the opener. That is one option that I think you will really enjoy.

The mudgards might be useful for keeping dirt and rock dings down on the side of the vehicle. And they can look good if they are the Toyota guards specifically for the Prius.

The coatings and protectants that are listed are pointless and just profit centers for the dealer. Avoid at all costs. If you want a good wax job, buy top of the line waxes, such as folks here suggest and apply yourself or find a detail shop you like and let them wax your car. It will cost much less and last about the same amount of time as anything the dealer will offer a many times the price.

I appreciate the fact that you are trying to get this car for a specific price. I'm very budget concious myself. However, buying a car, like any other major purchase is something where a little flexibility in your budget will help make the process move along a bit better and give you the flexibility to take a vehicle that has additional equipment that you had not intended on purchasing, but would be of good utility.

Good luck. Keep looking around.