Texas dealers

DWrath · 12-08-2004, 09:49 AM

I thought I would start a new topic. If everyone listed the dealers they have information about categorized by state, we would have a pretty good idea of which dealers deserve our business. For dealers outside of Texas, please post a new topic, i.e. Florida dealers. Don't only post the bad dealers, but please share the good ones too.

This reminds me of a situation when I was attempting to purchase my Mini Cooper a couple of years ago. The market was the same. Waiting lists and unscrupulous dealers were charging extreme mark-ups or forcing you to buy their dealer installed options. Well guess what? We got organized on a national level. The internet is a wonderful thing for consumers. We created a list of dealerships across the US and rated them and gave insight into how much they were charging and the wait. People were willing to travel to other states if they were given a fair deal. Well, pretty soon most of the dealers started charging sticker and artificial waits disappeared. I purchased mine locally at sticker with a 3 month wait.

I say we do the same with the Toyota Prius. We are being done over by the dealerships. Yes, they can get you a Prius and yes they can get it for sticker and yes it can be done in a timely fashion. The problem is, people are willing to pay over sticker which places them ahead on "the lists" and makes the waits seem longer. Lets level the playing field. We need to refuse to pay over sticker, not be forced to have dealer installed option, and be guaranteed a wait not to exceed 3-6 months.

Dealerships in North Texas I've dealt with:

Toyota of Grapevine, Texas. Internet sales manager: Mark Smith. No longer putting people on a traditional waiting list, instead puts you on a contact/call list: when a Prius (any Prius) comes to their lot, they contact you and it goes to the first person to come and purchase it. Manager would not comment on how much charging over MSRP, but did state there is a "market adjustment". My estimate from their previous email offers is about $4000 over MSRP.

Vandergriff Toyota in Arlington, TX: internet manager is Mike Mercer. When I put my deposit down in Dec '03 (and told 3 month wait), not charging over MSRP to be placed on a "list", but long wait probably with people paying extra getting theirs sooner. $500 deposit. Manager will not comment on how long the wait (indefinite). My wait has been 1 year. Update: reportedly now not putting people on waiting lists, charging $4-5000 over MSRP and instead using "call lists" like Toyota of Grapevine.

Toyota of Lewisville, TX. Internet manager: Kevin Cleveland. Charging $5000 over MSRP with a nonrefundable $1000 deposit. Estimated wait 4-8 months.

Toyota of Irving. Internet sales director: John Groves (972-258-1200 x2010). Reportedly 8 month wait on their list. There is not a "market adjustment". It is MSRP + TT&L. The $1,000 deposit is refundable if the vehicle is not equipped as ordered, or if it takes longer than 8-months to arrive.

Toyota of Dallas. Director of internet sales: Steve Lumbley. Placing people on a "call list" for the Prius like many other DFW dealers. Charging $5000 over MSRP.

bigbaldcuban · 12-08-2004, 02:59 PM

Durnat Toyota in Weatherford (Tom Hammond?) Nice guy, before Dianne saved my hairy a&&, Tom was honest with me when I visited him in late June/July when I was dealing with Satan (Vandergriff). Was charging 1K over, 3/4 month wait.

betshsu · 12-08-2004, 04:10 PM

Charles Maund Toyota in Austin

I originally placed an order with them, through their internet sales manager, who told me 3-4 months. But I kept getting conflicting stories about the dealership--newspaper article that said they had stopped taking orders in Oct (I ordered mine the next May) and when I'd talk to different salesman, they would tell me they weren't taking any more orders until the 2005 was released. Plus folks here said they were doing the "if you pay $3k more than MSRP you'll get your car faster". I have no idea if any of this is true or not though. I was offered cars from my salesman in the 3-4 month timeframe, but never a color/package I wanted and always with $3k of extra options (leather, Extra Mileage Package B, etc)--I was never pressued to pay more than MSRP to get a car faster. I don't know if I got offered cars faster because I went through the internet salesman (who claimed he handled all the Prius orders, which I think was definitely not true based on later calls to the dealership). I do know that my name was never put in the official Toyota database through Maund. I ultimately got the exact car I wanted through an order I placed with a dealer in TN and took my name off the Maund list.

tombx · 12-08-2004, 09:07 PM

Try Don Davis in Arlington as they are selling at MRSP. I put my name on a waiting list in October and they told me June. But the sales person I am dealing with keeps you informed. Not sure if can list the salesperson if I can I will give you her name. I was 14 on list and they have sold 8 in the last two months. So it looks like it will be sooner than June next year.

tombx · 12-08-2004, 09:09 PM

The salesperson at Don Davis is Ouphany Boussarath that I have been dealing with and she has called me each month with me having to call her.

DWrath · 12-09-2004, 06:22 PM

OK guys, well I went out of state: Colorado. Within 24 hours of contacting Kent Cochran he had the car I was looking for ('05 black Prius with #6 package, floor mats and nothing else) due to arrive by the end of the month. He charges MSPR with a $299 dealer prep charge. Shipping to Dallas (not driven to Dallas) is $450. So this comes out to $750 above, but with the $700 certificate sent by Toyota (I've been on a wait since Dec '03), it becomes a pretty good deal. Here's his contact info:

Kent Cochran
Internet Sales Manager
Ehrlich Toyota
1-800-368-2619
970-302-8711
www.ehrlichtoyota.com
kcochran@ehrlichmotors.com

To think, I've been waiting a year on the Vandergriff "waiting list" and I could have gotten my Prius so much earlier. Good luck to all and I'll keep you updated with any new info. Oh by the way, I was contacted by Toyota of Grapevine today with a Prius #6 package coming in, only $32,500 if anybody is looking :wink: .

metamatic · 12-31-2004, 04:14 PM

I don't know what it's like buying a Prius in Austin, but I've been singularly unimpressed with the Toyota dealers here.

Some $%&^ backed into my Prius and cracked a tail light, so I had to get it repaired at the body shop. Didn't leave any insurance details, so the insurance treated it as a hit-and-run and I ended up out $250 (plus the misery of having to drive a Chevy for two days).

Anyway... I'd heard so many horror stories about Charles Maund that I skipped them and went to Champion Toyota. Champion did a fine job on the actual repair, but getting to speak to the right person and making sure the parts were in stock required far too many phone calls. They don't seem to call back, and the initial point of contact did a poor job of saying who I needed to talk to and what I needed to tell them. They also deny outright that there's an LSC for a DVD navigation system upgrade.

I got so frustrated with Champion's non-communicative nature that I tried calling Classic Toyota in Round Rock. They said that they'd do the repair work, but since it was a Prius they'd need me to pay for the parts in advance before they'd order them. So, I went back to Champion...

I get the feeling someone like Autofair Toyota could set up shop in Austin and wipe the floor with the local guys.

Oh, saw a gold Prius just now outside Central Market. Hi to whoever that was...

pjm877 · 12-31-2004, 05:05 PM

Quote:

I got so frustrated with Champion's non-communicative nature that I tried calling Classic Toyota in Round Rock. They said that they'd do the repair work, but since it was a Prius they'd need me to pay for the parts in advance before they'd order them. So, I went back to Champion...

I have been using Champion... they had NEVER pull this on me...

later

inkydoo · 01-01-2005, 10:10 AM

We ended up getting our Prius at Ron Carter, in Alvin (May 2004). Compared to some others' stories, I'd say our experience was fair. We got a #9 for MSRP, but with all the extras loaded on (leather seats, extra mile, etc.), which we really didn't get a choice about, we still paid more than I would have liked. On the other hand, it was pretty much one month from deposit (which they didn't really deposit) to delivery, so I can't complain too much. The worst part of the experience was once we were actually at the dealer for delivery, where their trade-in guy low-balled (by about 50%) our old car, their financing guy bitched about how he couldn't compete with USAA's loan rates, and the salesman clearly knew very little about the vehicle. Let's just say we were happy once we got off the lot (well, not my wife, 'cause she had to drive the old car back to Austin).

As for Austin dealers and their service departments, I agree completely with metamatic. While I haven't been to Champion (I live up near Parmer/I35), my experience with Classic has been mixed. I've taken my car in three times in the last six weeks, each time with an appointment.

The first was the 5K mile service, which took about an hour longer than it should have, but all things considered wasn't too bad. They at least got the oil level right, though I'm not sure they checked the tire pressure after rotating them (I didn't check until a few weeks later, at which point the front tires were, suspiciously, about 2 psi lower than than the rear tires. Next time I'll check before I leave the lot).

The second was just before Xmas, when I had scheduled the brake switch recall and Nav update. Turns out they hadn't ordered the DVD (and one guy kept saying that they couldn't till they'd seen the car, which is just dumb, even if it is Toyota's policy), and the tech I was scheduled with was on vacation. So, they bump me to a new guy who's been there all of a week. I've been told it will take about an hour, so I go run some errands and come back maybe 90 minutes later (figuring it always takes longer than they estimate). I get back, and no one has even looked at my car (which took twenty minutes to determine). Since I've got to come back for the Nav update (grrr), I explain that I'd just as soon take my car as-is and return some other day. But they haven't even looked at it, so they can't order the DVD until they do. Finally, as they're trying to determine what they need to know to order the DVD, a tech says he'll do the brake switch right now. Three hours after my original appt, I finally get my car back. To be fair, they "new guy" (Charles) was actually really nice and very apologetic, even though none of this was really his fault. Still not a very good experience, though.

Then, just a few days ago, I brought it in to switch out the Nav DVD and they were fast and nice and a few of the guys chatted with me about the Prius and how much everyone who had one seemed to like them. Given my past experience, it was surprisingly pleasant.

pjm877 · 01-01-2005, 10:48 AM

inkydoo:
I know what you mean... I was told that the best of the best of all the Prius Techs in the austin area worked on my car... he complained that the fuel level tsb took him 6 hours and the "Toyota rate book" alotted 2 hours... Fine.. pick up my car and everything seams find... they broke the spare tire tray (did not notice it was heavy and just pulled up... bang) come on you can see the sears tool box there...

Well day before the X-Mas trip, part is in... great.. go to get it ... and notice NAV is not working correctly. I show them.. as no Prius Tech is around I can't get my part..

... after finding out what the error code means (from the PriusChat) I call Sally back with the finding... Tech out will pass the error code on...

I get ichy and decide to take the dash apart... find that the NAV ant. cable is in at least two parts and the they had come apart... reconnect until I hear "click" to be sure they are locked into the connector... called Sally back to say I found and fixed the problem.. told that the "Prius Tech" was very sure that all connections had been made correctly... yea right...

Now I do not know how much time it takes to drop the gas tank, but I do know I installed my PriusXM in less than 4 hours ( I even passed the ant wire though the roof hole) ... and I even worked in the area that the new board would be replaced is...he just took way too much apart to get to that area... the nav ant cable should have not been touched...

I will keep the group informed to other "doings" at this dealership.... but South Austin is just too much out of the way to use... I have co-workers that go home by Classic so pickup is easy..

Oh and to the Nav DVD replacement... they can't send it to me ... They have to make sure some code is checked.. give me a break.... I am going to hammer them on this one.... will show up with my 3.1 in hand and demand my 4.2... what does it take to slip in a dvd and watch a screen to make sure the newer dvd is being read... and that there is no trash on the data side...

Later

12-08-2004, 09:49 AM	#1
DWrath Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 30 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Texas dealers I thought I would start a new topic. If everyone listed the dealers they have information about categorized by state, we would have a pretty good idea of which dealers deserve our business. For dealers outside of Texas, please post a new topic, i.e. Florida dealers. Don't only post the bad dealers, but please share the good ones too. This reminds me of a situation when I was attempting to purchase my Mini Cooper a couple of years ago. The market was the same. Waiting lists and unscrupulous dealers were charging extreme mark-ups or forcing you to buy their dealer installed options. Well guess what? We got organized on a national level. The internet is a wonderful thing for consumers. We created a list of dealerships across the US and rated them and gave insight into how much they were charging and the wait. People were willing to travel to other states if they were given a fair deal. Well, pretty soon most of the dealers started charging sticker and artificial waits disappeared. I purchased mine locally at sticker with a 3 month wait. I say we do the same with the Toyota Prius. We are being done over by the dealerships. Yes, they can get you a Prius and yes they can get it for sticker and yes it can be done in a timely fashion. The problem is, people are willing to pay over sticker which places them ahead on "the lists" and makes the waits seem longer. Lets level the playing field. We need to refuse to pay over sticker, not be forced to have dealer installed option, and be guaranteed a wait not to exceed 3-6 months. Dealerships in North Texas I've dealt with: Toyota of Grapevine, Texas. Internet sales manager: Mark Smith. No longer putting people on a traditional waiting list, instead puts you on a contact/call list: when a Prius (any Prius) comes to their lot, they contact you and it goes to the first person to come and purchase it. Manager would not comment on how much charging over MSRP, but did state there is a "market adjustment". My estimate from their previous email offers is about $4000 over MSRP. Vandergriff Toyota in Arlington, TX: internet manager is Mike Mercer. When I put my deposit down in Dec '03 (and told 3 month wait), not charging over MSRP to be placed on a "list", but long wait probably with people paying extra getting theirs sooner. $500 deposit. Manager will not comment on how long the wait (indefinite). My wait has been 1 year. Update: reportedly now not putting people on waiting lists, charging $4-5000 over MSRP and instead using "call lists" like Toyota of Grapevine. Toyota of Lewisville, TX. Internet manager: Kevin Cleveland. Charging $5000 over MSRP with a nonrefundable $1000 deposit. Estimated wait 4-8 months. Toyota of Irving. Internet sales director: John Groves (972-258-1200 x2010). Reportedly 8 month wait on their list. There is not a "market adjustment". It is MSRP + TT&L. The $1,000 deposit is refundable if the vehicle is not equipped as ordered, or if it takes longer than 8-months to arrive. Toyota of Dallas. Director of internet sales: Steve Lumbley. Placing people on a "call list" for the Prius like many other DFW dealers. Charging $5000 over MSRP.

12-08-2004, 04:10 PM	#3
betshsu Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 299 My Car: 2006 Prius Model: Package: #7 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Texas dealers Charles Maund Toyota in Austin I originally placed an order with them, through their internet sales manager, who told me 3-4 months. But I kept getting conflicting stories about the dealership--newspaper article that said they had stopped taking orders in Oct (I ordered mine the next May) and when I'd talk to different salesman, they would tell me they weren't taking any more orders until the 2005 was released. Plus folks here said they were doing the "if you pay $3k more than MSRP you'll get your car faster". I have no idea if any of this is true or not though. I was offered cars from my salesman in the 3-4 month timeframe, but never a color/package I wanted and always with $3k of extra options (leather, Extra Mileage Package B, etc)--I was never pressued to pay more than MSRP to get a car faster. I don't know if I got offered cars faster because I went through the internet salesman (who claimed he handled all the Prius orders, which I think was definitely not true based on later calls to the dealership). I do know that my name was never put in the official Toyota database through Maund. I ultimately got the exact car I wanted through an order I placed with a dealer in TN and took my name off the Maund list. __________________ Tideland 2005 BC/#6 as of 15 Oct 2004; Costal Tech EV CC switch and Nav override (given up for adoption to the in-laws on 25 Sept 2005) Silver Pine Mica 2006 NL/#7 as of 13 August 2006; this one was unplanned! Buying a Prius is like having a baby... you wait and wait and never know exactly when it is going to arrive or what it will look like.

12-08-2004, 09:07 PM	#4
tombx Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 3 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Texas dealers Try Don Davis in Arlington as they are selling at MRSP. I put my name on a waiting list in October and they told me June. But the sales person I am dealing with keeps you informed. Not sure if can list the salesperson if I can I will give you her name. I was 14 on list and they have sold 8 in the last two months. So it looks like it will be sooner than June next year.

12-08-2004, 09:09 PM	#5
tombx Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 3 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Texas dealers The salesperson at Don Davis is Ouphany Boussarath that I have been dealing with and she has called me each month with me having to call her.

12-31-2004, 04:14 PM	#7
metamatic Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 104 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Texas dealers I don't know what it's like buying a Prius in Austin, but I've been singularly unimpressed with the Toyota dealers here. Some $%&^ backed into my Prius and cracked a tail light, so I had to get it repaired at the body shop. Didn't leave any insurance details, so the insurance treated it as a hit-and-run and I ended up out $250 (plus the misery of having to drive a Chevy for two days). Anyway... I'd heard so many horror stories about Charles Maund that I skipped them and went to Champion Toyota. Champion did a fine job on the actual repair, but getting to speak to the right person and making sure the parts were in stock required far too many phone calls. They don't seem to call back, and the initial point of contact did a poor job of saying who I needed to talk to and what I needed to tell them. They also deny outright that there's an LSC for a DVD navigation system upgrade. I got so frustrated with Champion's non-communicative nature that I tried calling Classic Toyota in Round Rock. They said that they'd do the repair work, but since it was a Prius they'd need me to pay for the parts in advance before they'd order them. So, I went back to Champion... I get the feeling someone like Autofair Toyota could set up shop in Austin and wipe the floor with the local guys. Oh, saw a gold Prius just now outside Central Market. Hi to whoever that was...

12-08-2004, 02:59 PM	#2
bigbaldcuban Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Mansfield, TX Posts: 599 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Durnat Toyota in Weatherford (Tom Hammond?) Nice guy, before Dianne saved my hairy a&&, Tom was honest with me when I visited him in late June/July when I was dealing with Satan (Vandergriff). Was charging 1K over, 3/4 month wait.

12-09-2004, 06:22 PM	#6
DWrath Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 30 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Texas dealers OK guys, well I went out of state: Colorado. Within 24 hours of contacting Kent Cochran he had the car I was looking for ('05 black Prius with #6 package, floor mats and nothing else) due to arrive by the end of the month. He charges MSPR with a $299 dealer prep charge. Shipping to Dallas (not driven to Dallas) is $450. So this comes out to $750 above, but with the $700 certificate sent by Toyota (I've been on a wait since Dec '03), it becomes a pretty good deal. Here's his contact info: Kent Cochran Internet Sales Manager Ehrlich Toyota 1-800-368-2619 970-302-8711 www.ehrlichtoyota.com kcochran@ehrlichmotors.com To think, I've been waiting a year on the Vandergriff "waiting list" and I could have gotten my Prius so much earlier. Good luck to all and I'll keep you updated with any new info. Oh by the way, I was contacted by Toyota of Grapevine today with a Prius #6 package coming in, only $32,500 if anybody is looking :wink: .

01-01-2005, 10:10 AM	#9
inkydoo Join Date: May 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 38 My Car: Model: Package: Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Texas dealers We ended up getting our Prius at Ron Carter, in Alvin (May 2004). Compared to some others' stories, I'd say our experience was fair. We got a #9 for MSRP, but with all the extras loaded on (leather seats, extra mile, etc.), which we really didn't get a choice about, we still paid more than I would have liked. On the other hand, it was pretty much one month from deposit (which they didn't really deposit) to delivery, so I can't complain too much. The worst part of the experience was once we were actually at the dealer for delivery, where their trade-in guy low-balled (by about 50%) our old car, their financing guy bitched about how he couldn't compete with USAA's loan rates, and the salesman clearly knew very little about the vehicle. Let's just say we were happy once we got off the lot (well, not my wife, 'cause she had to drive the old car back to Austin). As for Austin dealers and their service departments, I agree completely with metamatic. While I haven't been to Champion (I live up near Parmer/I35), my experience with Classic has been mixed. I've taken my car in three times in the last six weeks, each time with an appointment. The first was the 5K mile service, which took about an hour longer than it should have, but all things considered wasn't too bad. They at least got the oil level right, though I'm not sure they checked the tire pressure after rotating them (I didn't check until a few weeks later, at which point the front tires were, suspiciously, about 2 psi lower than than the rear tires. Next time I'll check before I leave the lot). The second was just before Xmas, when I had scheduled the brake switch recall and Nav update. Turns out they hadn't ordered the DVD (and one guy kept saying that they couldn't till they'd seen the car, which is just dumb, even if it is Toyota's policy), and the tech I was scheduled with was on vacation. So, they bump me to a new guy who's been there all of a week. I've been told it will take about an hour, so I go run some errands and come back maybe 90 minutes later (figuring it always takes longer than they estimate). I get back, and no one has even looked at my car (which took twenty minutes to determine). Since I've got to come back for the Nav update (grrr), I explain that I'd just as soon take my car as-is and return some other day. But they haven't even looked at it, so they can't order the DVD until they do. Finally, as they're trying to determine what they need to know to order the DVD, a tech says he'll do the brake switch right now. Three hours after my original appt, I finally get my car back. To be fair, they "new guy" (Charles) was actually really nice and very apologetic, even though none of this was really his fault. Still not a very good experience, though. Then, just a few days ago, I brought it in to switch out the Nav DVD and they were fast and nice and a few of the guys chatted with me about the Prius and how much everyone who had one seemed to like them. Given my past experience, it was surprisingly pleasant.

01-01-2005, 10:48 AM	#10
pjm877 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: austin, tx Posts: 246 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: Package: Pioneer #3 Thanks: 12 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 1	inkydoo: I know what you mean... I was told that the best of the best of all the Prius Techs in the austin area worked on my car... he complained that the fuel level tsb took him 6 hours and the "Toyota rate book" alotted 2 hours... Fine.. pick up my car and everything seams find... they broke the spare tire tray (did not notice it was heavy and just pulled up... bang) come on you can see the sears tool box there... Well day before the X-Mas trip, part is in... great.. go to get it ... and notice NAV is not working correctly. I show them.. as no Prius Tech is around I can't get my part.. ... after finding out what the error code means (from the PriusChat) I call Sally back with the finding... Tech out will pass the error code on... I get ichy and decide to take the dash apart... find that the NAV ant. cable is in at least two parts and the they had come apart... reconnect until I hear "click" to be sure they are locked into the connector... called Sally back to say I found and fixed the problem.. told that the "Prius Tech" was very sure that all connections had been made correctly... yea right... Now I do not know how much time it takes to drop the gas tank, but I do know I installed my PriusXM in less than 4 hours ( I even passed the ant wire though the roof hole) ... and I even worked in the area that the new board would be replaced is...he just took way too much apart to get to that area... the nav ant cable should have not been touched... I will keep the group informed to other "doings" at this dealership.... but South Austin is just too much out of the way to use... I have co-workers that go home by Classic so pickup is easy.. Oh and to the Nav DVD replacement... they can't send it to me ... They have to make sure some code is checked.. give me a break.... I am going to hammer them on this one.... will show up with my 3.1 in hand and demand my 4.2... what does it take to slip in a dvd and watch a screen to make sure the newer dvd is being read... and that there is no trash on the data side... Later __________________ Perry (austin, tx..Just Drive it)

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