What Price Are you being quoted by the Dealer?

Personally you couldn't sell me a new 2010 at invoice. I won't touch a new model until the second year, I don't want to be the damn ghenney pig working out the manufacturing kinks. Besides, you might get Li next year.

 

Don't always believe what you see on TV. It was a dealership FAR outside chicago, and they didn't have 62 09's in stock. What they had was 62 TOTAL hybrids available... Available in print ads means that they can get you what you want in the package you want, but it isn't necessarily on the lot right now.

I would wait until at least the 5th of May if you are planning on financing an 09 anyway. Maybe Toyota will come out with 0% for 60 months or something crzy like that.

 

??

Sorry, but that sounds a bit odd. You wouldn't go for the 2010 because it is a new model (though it is a proven concept with a highly-tested and long-developed HSD and has been improved upon every year), but you'd be interested in going with a 2011 with an unproven, never commercially-used lithium battery?

I'm not picking fights here, but I'd be much more concerned about getting one of the first lithium battery cars than getting the very first 2010 off the production line.

 

I figure buying a 2010 Prius is like buying a new computer. If you wait for the price on a particular computer that you are looking at to stabalize, yeah it may keep dropping fpr 12 months, and you can get it cheaper, but you will have been without that computer for 12 months. I want to enjoy this new puppy as soon as I can get one. :nod:

 

Randall, I wish one could count on the cost of the Prius going down. I'm not so sure. As we've all seen, gas prices have a huge impact on demand. Some economists believe we'll see $100/barrell for oil by year. If so, watch out. I have no idea if that will happen. But, while demand is down of fuel sippers and pricing is reasonable, I'm with you, I'm going to enjoy driving a new Prius. And if pricing happens to go down in the next few months, so be it.

 

FWIW, Toyota and Honda are amongst the only two brands that I'd be willing to risk buying a first model year of a new design/generation.

As for your last statement, that sounds extremely unlikely. Watch the first few minutes of the 2nd video at http://priuschat.com/forums/2010-toyota-prius/60002-prius-technology-video.html.

 

I was expecting that. We have property out of state, so we're locked in there. But they're looking to ad on 'advertising' and what ever else they call it ... for an additional $1,300. I'm going to try & negotiate before I decide. The dealer can likely get it from another if we walk ... so you can't blame 'em for trying. No one feels sorry for the poor slob dealer when they're stuck with inventory that they can't unload ... where it's THEM taking it in the shorts, so it's simply the other swing of the see/saw. It all equals out ... not that you have to like it. They don't HAVE to put 'good-will" above all else. unfortunately.

 

What's a ghenney pig?
One that causes swine 'flu? If so, it is that that you might get next year, not Li!

 

My salesman picked me up at the airport for my 2nd 2004 Prius. No joke. I bought it at a Gulf States dealership and drove it home because all the SET dealers in my area were selling above sticker.

-outoftown

 

I work in the auto industry. If you want another margin of safety, nitrogen is the way to go. Besides slower leaks or stopping tiny leaks, nitrogen runs cooler, so your tires maintain same pressure year round. Also, without oxygen, no rust to rims or deterioration to rubber. As a cheapskate, I wouldn't pay for it, but Costco provides it with new tires and refills when checked at no charge. Back on topic...I put $500 down 18 months ago. I'm still #5 on the waiting list, but I may switch to the dealer in Vienna, VA that mentioned on priuschat $500 under sticker. I will probably go for a Prius IV with moonroof, since wife had wanted one on gen 1 and gen 2.

-outoftown

 

Back when I was in charge of Ebay sales, I used to pick up customers at the airport all the time.

As far a nitrogen, it is fine if you get it for free, and it is free to fill it. The vast majority of dealers will not do that though.

 

I've got to say that this one really confuses me. In the strictest sense only, we cannot say that all gases behave identically. Still, since the air we breathe is 78% nitrogen (when free of water vapor), it will not expand or contract that differently from 100% nitrogen in the range of temperatures and pressures we'd expect to find inside the tires of our cars.

This isn't to say that atmospheric air isn't different in meaningful ways. The greatest two issues are oxygen and water, because both will allow "rusting" (oxidation) to occur.

If Costco could show how they purge each tire and fill it with pure, dry nitrogen, I'd be interested. I haven't visited a Costco garage, so I don't know their source of nitrogen, but I'm skeptical that all nitrogen they use is purchased from a supplier of 99.999% purity nitrogen. I'd guess they have either their own machines or suppliers who provide nitrogen generated directly from atmospheric air. Such nitrogen is going to contain many other gasses -- even in small quantities. These gases are bound to contain oxygen and water vapor. I just can't see the value gained.

To me, I'm much more interested in keeping the pressure in my tires consistent -- this is the biggest safety issue most people face (and ignore). If I rely on nitrogen to protect me, then I'd better not even check the tire pressure, much less add anything to it. I'll either drop the pressure too low, or I'll add contaminants. The only thing to do then is to empty each tire, purge it, and refill with pure nitrogen.

Blah humbug.:blabla:

That would be great. Show me a place that allows free fill of any pressurized air! For about $18 I bought a portable pump with a digital readout and automatic fill control. I can carry it with me, check pressures and fill tires, and offer assistance to anyone on the road. It beats going to a gas station to use a broken-down meter on a pump that will charge me too much money for too little time to accomplish anything.

 

That is why I am on the O2 side of the Nitrogen vs. Oxygen. To have and maintain a pure Nitrogen filling station is so cost prohibitive, that dealers and others have to charge for it. And since a dealer is going to charge for it, they may as well make it seem that it is the greatest invention since bumpers and headlights.

Personally, fill my tires with fresh pine scent. That way I will know when they are leaking.

 

I am getting quoted at $1500 over MSRP in So Cal . Cheese whiz... at a certain point it may be worth it for me to try Arizona or Nevada. For $1500 I could fly somewhere, pick up the car, then pay for the gas to get back home... the car would even be broken in by the time I got home!

 

1500 over? Hell, for that kind of profit, I would pay for the plane ticket.

 

I haven't purchased a new car in 11 years because the whole sales process is intimidating to me. I'm always afraid I'll get taken advantage of. When I'm ready to buy my Prius, what can I do to make sure that I'm getting the best deal and not paying for things I shouldn't be? Are there any web sites anyone recommends that give good advice for dealing with sales people, and Prius purchases in particular? Any help would be appreciated and make me less nervous about the purchase. Thanks!

 

You've actually come to the right place. There is none better for getting to know all about the Prius. I've been lurking on this site for several months, and just recently started posting. I've found many folks to be quite friendly and very willing to help. There are other sites such as edmunds.com that I find also to be a good source of information. However, this is THE site for getting indepth and first hand knowledge from Prius owners, Toyota salespersons, and, last and certainly not least, the Prius Product Management team.

I was talking to the sales manager today at a local store, and he said "You guys at PriusChat know about the Prius than we do." and laughed in good humor. By the way, I was putting a deposit down on a car he has coming in next month.

 

Heck, you could fly me first class if you worked at Dublin Toyota outside of San Francisco. They quoted me 33K on a Prius V with nav, that includes a thinly-disguised $3000 markup. Apparently I've found the greediest dealer in the nation? I haven't seen a worse price quoted here. That price doesn't include sky-high California sales tax and registration, either.

 

Thanks! I had to tell the dealer about the heated seats. He thought they had to be installed after-market. They also didn't know that the Solar Panel wasn't available on the Prius V. I'll keep reading the posts and check out Edmunds as well. Will the dealership show you the invoice price, or do they keep it a secret from you that you have to find someplace else?