I really wish the dealer told/showed me...(post your wishes)

Guess I'm the oddball around here... I actually LIKE that beeping sound when the car's in reverse.

 

I find this a really interesting question. So you buy a newspaper. does the guy have to tell you what he paid for it ir is that commercial in confidence because in a free country he is allowed to earn a living and make a profit?
The profit margin on a cup of coffee is hundreds of percent. If you buy one at Starbucks you are being ripped off but people do every day.
Insisting like some sort of communist that a "stealership" as so many here like to say shouldn't make a fair profit is UN-American. It's also why you get bozo salespeople. if the dealership is selling everything with a tiny profit just for the privilege of dealing with you they than can't pay staff well. And if the pay is bad, good staff go to other industries.
The very idea that someone has to disclose their cost is so close to communism that I find it frightening.
What happened to the home of the free?

 

I guess I'm one of the few lucky ones, that gets the car cheaper than the Stealership. Did so for 4 vehicles now, 2 are Prius, a liftback and a C.

 

Hi Ernst, I found your post interesting, but must point out that there are differences between buying newspapers or coffee vs. cars. The first difference that stands out, (aside from the obvious difference of spending a dollar or two vs. five figures), is that everybody who buys a cup of coffee or a newspaper pays the same price for that particular brand/type of coffee or newspaper, and there is no upselling of "add ons" or financing schemes. There's nothing wrong with making a profit... everyone in the sales industry has to do so in order to survive. The problem is with the gouging, or, shall we say, taking advantage of the unfortunate who may not know any better. None of that happens when one buys a newspaper or a cup of coffee. Now don't get me wrong, in my own case I liked the salesperson who sold me my awesome vehicle very much, and was glad to pay enough for it so that he and his dealership could make a reasonable profit. The real deal closer, however, was that my research uncovered the fact that my salesperson was being honest and not trying to take advantage of any perceived ignorance on my part.

Hope that helps.

 

Ernst & Elaine,

About a year before I got on this forum I was over at PriusOnLine & somebody posted the invoice price ($17,000 & change if I remember correctly) for the base 2004 Prius which listed at $19,995 (window sticker), so there was a profit of at least $2,000 to $3,000 (or more, depending on which option pkg you got). Dealers in the Boston are were asking $2,000 to $3,000 over window sticker & at Hartford's Toyota Superstore I was asked to pay $5,000 over window sticker (I didn't---I took off faster than a carrier jet being launched by a catapult). The most shocking thing I learned is that some dealers in Florida were asking $10,000 to $12,000 above window sticker. A lot of those old posts are gone now since the takeover by Auto Guide (unless the author of one of those posts still has a post count of less than 500---that's all Auto Guide keeps, your most recent 500 posts), so it may not do any good to try to search for any of those old posts.

The same kind of gouging was going on with the extended warranties (which costs the dealer about $600 from Toyota). I got my 7yr/100,000 mile one from Troy for $990 (almost $400 profit built in), but some dealers were asking between $2,000 & $3,000 for the same exact warranty, so that's why we call them "stealerships". It's easy to tell if the dealer/salesman is making a fair profit or not, if you know the actual "INVOICE" price from the manufacturer/factory to the dealer. Even then there are "kickbacks" (not commonly known to most car buyers) that the factory extends to the dealer to boost their profit even higher.If you're just buying outright with no trade, it's easier to decide if your deal gives a fair profit for the dealer/salesman, but heaven help you if you try to factor in a trade-in vehicle---that's their last chance to rape you & many will, if you're not savvy enough.

Then some dealers (especially ones in the southeast & along the gulf states) load up their cars with "port installed' or "dealer installed"options that aren't part of any factory options & then they tell you that that's "the way the car comes, nothing can be removed, take it or leave it, but you're paying for it". I bought from a great dealer in West Springfield, Mass whose goal was nothing more than to completely satisfy me without adding any other financial burden on me.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

We actually taught one of our sales guys how to check the 12v battery on the screen. He was amazed! And this was a Toyota dealer that specialized in Prius's.

 

The Cargo Cover was neatly stored away under the mat in the rear of the car!


iPhone ? - now Free

 

Picked up my 2013 Prius Two today.

Only down sides were:

1. I paid for the paint protection film and they put it everywhere except the front of the car. I was almost livid until I checked Toyota's main page and saw the price was double what I paid. Dealer said most people don't want the film on the front, so they put it on the doors and back (trim parts mostly where scratches are common over time). When I said I wanted the paint protection film, it was intended to be the whole thing, not part of it. Had they told me before I picked it up, I would have asked for it to be added. Now I have to see about adding it after the fact or getting a hood deflector.

2. I noticed (after I was home...2.5 hours later) the pin-striping on the front driver's side has a blemish. It's a minor issue, but as it's new....if it gets worse, I will insist on it being fixed.

3. The seat seemed really uncomfortable after about an hour of driving. It could be several things including that if a seat holds you in place too well, you develop pressure points where your bones are (it's why flat, wide padded seats tend to be more comfortable for the long haul). If it doesn't get better with different seat adjustments, I might need to get a pad for my bottom.

 

I wish the salesman told me more about the alarm / immobilizer. I still don't know if it does.

 

Great thread I'm looking to buy my first Prius and this is very informative!

 

I wish they would have showed me how to start the car. I never drove a car with a key fob and push start and every car I test drove they had running and ready for me to drive.

 

When I had a breakdown on a trip, I had to rent a Dodge pickup. The "key" opened the door, but the ignition had a fake key slot. So, I put the key in and turn and turn and nothing happens. Turned out the fob had a funky end that went into the ignition and was the real "key." I think the rental company told me about this, but in all the rush to get the truck and get going, I forgot.

 

Holy cow, that's bad. Almost unbelievable. My salesman showed me pretty much everything, starting with how to start the darn thing at least twice.

 

Maybe you've got the answer to this already, but I thought something was wrong with my Prius too, till I read somewhere that the light only comes on when approached with the key fob if the doors are locked. I tried it with the doors locked and it works.

 

Thank you for sharing information

 

If you lock your car and and by chance unlock with your FOB or grab your door handle but don't open the door and toss your purse in a open window. The car will relock after 3 min by its self with your key fob in the car. On my 2008 Pri. and my wifes 20012 Camry.
GUESS THE SMART KEY SYSTEM IS NOT SO SMART !!!
I know your going to try it !

 

Wish dealer would have told me the optional custom features ther is .. Reverse beep
Seat belt buzz , changing times lights stay on etc ..... Learned this AFTER they
Got the money ...

 

I believe "fod"="fob", as in the key fob. Just a typo, most likely.

 

Fod, that's the space between your eyebrows and your hair line, everybody knows that.

 

I still have my 2006 package 2 Prius, so when we went shopping I had a lot of questions to ask. Now that we have a 2014 package 2, I see that I could have gotten Lane-Assist. The salesman never told me the rdal differences between packages, and I asked. He said that package 3 had navigation, which we didnt need.
He also told me the traction battery was Li-ion, and it isn't.
He didnt even have a spec sheet.