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Portland / NW Oregon dealer experiences?

Discussion in 'Dealers & Pricing' started by Rickster, Aug 30, 2004.

  1. Rickster

    Rickster Junior Member

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    Thanks to this site, a couple others, and phone conversations with a couple of Seattle-area dealers, I was under the impression that getting in line for a Prius typically works something like this:
    - you tell the dealer what package(s) and color(s) you're interested in
    - you make a $500 refundable deposit (no other financial/credit/etc commitment)
    - dealer calls you when a car matching your specs happens to come in on the boat and be allocated to them (so casting a wider net increases your chances of waiting only a couple months instead of close to a year).

    I'd prefer to buy in Oregon -- besides the lack of sales tax, my wife's paying income tax there so we'd want to get Oregon's hybrid credit in addition to the federal. So we went to Beaverton Toyota (the most geographically convenient) yesterday to get on the list.

    Except they told us something completely not in line with what I'm hearing from elsewhere... They say you're ordering a specific car from the factory (one package/color), not getting in line for the first car to arrive from a list of preferred options/colors; they consider the $500 a (non-refundable) down-payment against the price of the car; they want you to apply for financing right then; and they give a fixed time-estimate of 11 months. What's going on?

    Anyone here know of better dealers to try in the Portland area? (Or anywhere else in Oregon? I don't mind driving a few hours if it gets my Prius here in the next few months.)
     
    #1 Rickster, Aug 30, 2004
  2. kjb516

    kjb516 New Member

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    It sounds to me as if Beaverton Toyota is attempting to force you commit to what could be a VERY long and disappointing wait. From what I’ve experienced, I would seriously doubt that you are “ordering a specific car from the factory (one package/color)â€.

    I ordered a package 1 (RW) in either red or silver from Ron Tonkin back in January and took delivery of a Black package 7 (AM) at the end of June (the gory details can be found at Salsa Red, #1 RW, ordered 01/25/2004, Portland, OR). Once I expressed my willingness to be flexible with respect to package and color, the fleet manager went above and beyond to match me with a Prius.

    Unlike your experience, my $500 deposit was stated to be refundable should I cancel my order and they would not even discuss financing until I had accepted a car and it arrived on their lot. While I have no idea as what they are quoting for wait time (was around 8 months for new orders in June), their initial estimate of 4-5 months for me in January was fairly accurate.

    From what I’ve read here and on PriusOnline.com, Broadway Toyota has been dealing with orders in much the same way as Ron Tonkin (“flexible†order, MSRP). I’ve also heard that Thomason Toyota is charging above MSRP and selling first-come, first-serve.

    I had not heard about Oregon also offering a hybrid tax credit. Do you have any other details?

    Good Luck!
     
    #2 kjb516, Aug 31, 2004
  3. Rickster

    Rickster Junior Member

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    Thanks for the info... guess I'll check Ron Tonkin and/or Broadway next time I'm in town. (My wife and I are living in both Seattle and Portland for awhile during a job transition.)

    Ironically, we found out about the OR tax credit from the guys at Beaverton Toyota. Here's the info: http://www.energy.state.or.us/trans/hybridcr.htm
     
    #3 Rickster, Aug 31, 2004
  4. RWood

    RWood New Member

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    Rickster --

    Time for a new Dealer.

    Try Lithia Toyota - Klamath Falls/Scott Matheny

    Down Payment $ 500 uncashed Check.

    Pricing very good.

    Has availability. Been offered 2 2004 (1 White, 1 Silver) in last three weeks. Turned both down...

    Financing begins @ delivery. No Interstate hassles. No Sales Tax!

    Top People

    Good Luck
     
    #4 RWood, Aug 31, 2004
  5. mycroft

    mycroft New Member

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    fyi...

    I'm a reasonably satisfied customer of Beaverton Toyota. I put in an order at the beginning of May; picked up my Prius August 6.

    At least in early May...
    There was a $500 deposit (and they did cash the check); but I was assured that it was refundable.

    They did start a credit application, but it was left unfinished. It was left in the file untouched until a car was available. At that time it could be completed, or torn up if you could pay cash.

    Re your other questions... I gave them a list of option packages/colors I'd accept.. The time estimate at the beginning of May was 8-12 months. (And then it arrived in 3 months, 3 days... )
     
    #5 mycroft, Sep 1, 2004
  6. mycroft

    mycroft New Member

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    To be complete, I'll add a few more comments...

    The deal happened exactly as promised (at msrp); no "late" additions to bring it up over msrp.

    There was the typical push for a service contract and a chemical spray; you can accept or reject either or both.

    Their service contract is the standard Toyota one, with a couple additions...
    as long as you have the dealer do the services, oil changes (specifically the "A" level service, the "B" and "C" services get a credit corresponding to the current "A" service cost) is free for the life of the car
    there's a wrapper insurance policy that lets you get a 100% refund at any time on the service contract (assuming you haven't used it) instead of the standard Toyota pro-rated refund.

    The service department will also push for a 3750 mile service interval, instead of the US Prius standard 5000 mile interval.

    My Prius was delivered with 42/40 tire pressures.
     
    #6 mycroft, Sep 1, 2004
  7. eklabbers

    eklabbers New Member

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    When I started looking for a Prius, I went to Beaverton Toyota because that's where my boss bought his Classic. I happened to get there on a bad day, because there was no sales person present to give me a test ride. Instead I went on a 5 minute tour around the block with a guy who had no clue how to start the car or sell it to me. So I went online and asked for people's opinions and was recommended Broadway Toyota. And that's where I got my Bruce.

    They've handled the situation really well. I ordered on January 25th and told them I wanted a Seaside #7. I kept in touch over the phone with fleet manager Jerry Rouselle every month, and when it was clear that the estimated wait of 3 months could not be met I expanded my options to more colors and packages. He was always very willing to give information about where I was on the waiting list, how many cars they were getting in and how things worked. When I finally picked up my car, a Tideland #9, it went smooth as well. Jerry even tried to trade with other dealers to get me a #7 so I wouldn't have to upgrade to a more expensive car, but after a 6 month wait, I felt I deserved the extra goodies. They stuck with their straight MSRP. Of course they tried to sell me the extended warranty, but that was to be expected. I am a very happy customer and would recommend them to anyone.

    Esther
     
    #7 eklabbers, Sep 1, 2004
  8. bruceha_2000

    bruceha_2000 Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Unless you register it in OR, WA will likely tax you on the out of state purchase.

    Different dealers do things differently :) I am on 4 lists (and they know it)- 2 got $500 checks (cashed) for a refundable deposit. 2 got refundable $500 CC. The first has NOT charged the card. The other was just yesterday so I don't know if it will be charged or not. 3 asked precisely what I wanted - package and color. One didn't care what I wanted. They have a wait list of 75 (a month ago) and they call down their list whenever cars come in (3-5 a month) until they are sold. 2 have a wait list of 25 and get 1-3 a month. One doesn't keep a list. He 'orders' from regional when he gets a deposit and figures he gets a car every couple of months. We'll see how they work out.
     
    #8 bruceha_2000, Sep 2, 2004
  9. mvp1961

    mvp1961 New Member

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    I have purchased cars from both Tonkin and Broadway. I purchased my 03 Highlander Limited from Tonkin using fighting chance's fax attack. I went back there to test drive the prius, but the three times I went (twice after they told me they'd have one available), they did not have a car to test drive. SO i test drove the Prius at Broadway and put up the 500 deposit which was applied to purchase at MSRP. Ordered it in March. Got it in August (they estimated December--fates were smiling on us!)

    Anyways, both dealerships were fine, but the actual Highlander purchase experience at Tonkin was better than the Prius purchase in terms of respecting my time. Tonkin (ever though we bought the car at about $300 under invoice) was very professional. We were in and out in less than an hour, even using Toyota Credit. They have a very nice dog and pony show that introduces you to the car, the features, the Service department, while they are getting everything ready in finance. In finance there was no BS.

    Broadway was fine, but they kept us waiting for the finance person about an hour and fifteen minutes. They didn't explain anything really about the Priius--a car needing more explanation than a Highlander, that's for sure. The finance person made a number of mistakes and had to start over twice. We were there almost 2 1/2 hours. No intro to service etc.

    Jerry Roussell at Broadway did a great job keeping us up to date, but the backend of the purchase was a real drag, FWIW. In any case we love both cars--they are our 5th and 6th Toyota cars--had one Subaru--never again. But neither dealer fed us any BS! Both solid citizens IMHO.

    Mario
     
    #9 mvp1961, Sep 14, 2004
  10. philv

    philv New Member

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    Lithia Toyota in Klamath Falls has a Black AI on the lot and ready to go, and a white base model that should be here any day. Also we have only one more person on our waiting list. 1-541-885-8000 ask for Phil
     
    #10 philv, Oct 1, 2004
  11. Rickster

    Rickster Junior Member

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    Finally got on a list. (Ended up delaying a bit while dealing with other aspects of the big move.) Not quite what I expected, though:

    Went to Ron Tonkin Toyota yesterday, and the reps there had to do a bit of conferring among themselves to figure out how to handle a Prius order. Apparently there was a (regional?) Toyota meeting last week that resulted in Tonkin changing their waiting-list policy. They no longer guarantee MSRP, and they no longer take a deposit. You fill out the same form that they use when you're making a normal order for a normal car, but can indicate multiple acceptable option packages and colors, and they say they'll call when a car matching your interests comes in.

    I'm a little suspicious as to whether this will net me a Prius at a good price anytime soon, but hey, at least there's no cost and commitment to getting on the list. I'm not ready to buy right now anyways (more moving expenses to handle first), so maybe I'll wait a month or two and start looking at Lithia and other rural places as a backup.
     
    #11 Rickster, Oct 4, 2004
  12. kjb516

    kjb516 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rickster\";p=\"43339)</div>
    I find this very disappointing as my purchase experience from Tonkin was quite satisfactory (MSRP in writing and a $500 deposit). Perhaps they are succumbing to the dark side with a few local dealers charging a nice premium on the Prius.

    From my purchase experience, my only complaint of Tonkin was conflicting or a lack of knowledge of some of the salespeople in getting updates on the state of my “orderâ€. I found that I was able to get more accurate and consistent information by bypassing the sales folk and speaking directly to the fleet manager (Mansour Gdarah).
     
    #12 kjb516, Oct 4, 2004
  13. mycroft

    mycroft New Member

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    When I was looking for my Prius, I did have an email conversation with Lithia Toyota in Medford. After a message where I said I might pay a few hundred over msrp, but not thousands, I never got another reply. Given the demand, they may have decided it wasn't talking any further, or they may want thousands over msrp; I don't know.
     
    #13 mycroft, Oct 11, 2004
  14. 1prius001

    1prius001 New Member

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    It's incredible how some dealers are treating customers, as a dealer since 1946 our customers come first. I do have some Prius's availabe, reserved only for Prius Chat Members. Let me know how I may assist you, as it would be a pleasure to assist you in a professional manner.

    Regards,

    Kent Cochran
    Internet Sales Manager
    Ehrlich Toyota
    970-302-8711
    [email protected]
    www.ehrlichtoyota.com
     
    #14 1prius001, Dec 3, 2004
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