Just got the loan, Which Prius to get?

SLO Cat Wrangler · 01-30-2008, 06:12 PM

Hello everyone,

We are in the market for a new car and have settled on a Prius. We are in central California on the coast and are torn between a couple of packages. I wanted to know if some of you could give us your opinion. We are going to be getting a 2008.

We can chose between package #2 and #5. The main things that we like about the package #5 is that it has the NAV system that my wife likes, and it has the HID head lights that I think in principle are cool.

Can the voice activated NAV system be added to a package #2 by me or later?

Do the HID lights produce more light or use less energy than the standard headlights?

Last question is about wheeling and dealing. Once you have decided on a model how do you start the negotiation process? Do you just say, "I'll pay you $24,000 for this car!" Anyone got good opening lines or smooth ways of negotiating price? I feel like I am asking for pick up lines.

Thanks,

Steve and Kira

Rae Vynn · 01-30-2008, 06:25 PM

Pick up lines! I love that!

Generally, the best idea is to talk to more than one dealership. Contact Costco, maybe, and get a bid on a 2008 pkg 5 of your color choice. Email the Internet agent of various dealers, and ask what colors they have of your chosen pkg, and what their best price is. Don't hesitate to let them know that you are shopping around for colors/prices. Be polite, cheerful, and upbeat about it.

Then, you go BACK to the one that has the color you want, with the lowest price you found in your hand, and you ask them if they can match [name of dealer]'s price.

Expect this to take a few days. Be cheerful. Go ahead and let them know that you won't be financing the car through them, anyway.

billarb · 01-30-2008, 07:31 PM

The negotiating advice given you by RaeVynn is spot on. Don't hesitate to go back and forth. Play one dealer against the other. On the east coast, I got my package #5 for $1,000 less than the nearest "bid" by 3 other dealers.

As for preference, I opted for Package #5. I did not feel that I needed the NAV, but a buddy pointed out that, in the near future, they'll just about be standard and do increase re-sale value.

I especially like the HID headlights. As I'm getting older, my night vision capability has diminished. The HID's seem to throw a wider swath of light (especially good for seeing all those suicidal Bambi's, who try to run into vehicles' paths) and the light just seems more intense. I'm not technically inclined, but you could buy a Garmin GPS system and avoid the package #5, but was told that retrofitting the HID's is very difficult/expensive to do.

Happy hunting. You'll love the car. Over the past few days, I've seen 4-5 new Prii in the parking lot outside my office.

patsparks · 01-30-2008, 07:42 PM

I am going to play you off against every other dealer in town. Here are the rules.
1. I will buy from the cheapest quote.
2. Quote me only on road price including all charges.
3. I will pay cash/bank cheque.
4. You get one shot, I will go to each dealer once only and give each dealer one chance to quote.
5. I will not reveal a prior quote to another dealer.
6. I want this model, colour and trim only.
7. I do not want any extra warranty or extras I haven't listed.
8. I will not haggle and will buy from the dealer who quotes the lowest price.
9. All quotes need to be detailed in writing.
Lets see if I'll be able to do business with you, what can you do for me?

Do the same list at as many dealers as you can.

lumpy95 · 01-30-2008, 08:10 PM

I went through AAA which will garauntee $1000.00 over invoice at certain dealers. Once I got the price from the AAA dealer, I went to a couple of dealerships and finally went to my local dealership and told them I would pay that price quoted by the AAA dealer.
They him-hawed around a bit but said ok and they brought in the car I picked out from another dealership.
When you make the deal and they bring up the extended warranty, tell them you will NOT pay more than $990.00 for it (that is, if you want it). You can get the Platinum EW through a link on this site.
Good luck

N3FOL · 01-30-2008, 10:25 PM

If you really like the NAV feature built in your Prius, get the Package #5. I decided on a package #4, because I really did not want to have NAV on the Prius 'only'. P #4 does have the HID lamps. For the NAV, you can simply buy a portable NAV of your choice and be able to use it in any vehicle....not just the Prius.

Happy shopping and don't forget to post pics.

SLO Cat Wrangler · 01-30-2008, 11:28 PM

Thanks so much everyone for the info. We have 90 days before our loan offer expires. We got a $18,000 at 4.95% APR. Does this sound o.k.? What is the farthest distance we should consider to compare dealerships? There are about six dealers in the area that are with in a 150 mile radius of our house. Should we be picking dealers further?

Do a lot of people get the extended warranties? We expect this vehicle to be with us for at least 100,000 miles, but does this mean that the extended warranties is worth it? It seems like these cars are made really well and that no major stuff should go wrong. Do the extend warranties cover routine maintenance stuff?

Thanks again for all the great info.

Steve

galaxee · 01-30-2008, 11:33 PM

don't put your outside-financing card down on the table until you have a price in writing. it's good to have that in your hand.

oh and hid bulbs are very expensive, some people have been a little surprised at this.

Rae Vynn · 01-30-2008, 11:33 PM

RE: extended warranty.
You actually have 3 years/36,000 miles to decide on the extended warranty.
It is available through Prius Chat, so should NOT be an issue in negotiating a car price. Just smile and say, "No, thank you, we'll not be getting that at this time"

Seriously, the 3 yr bumper to bumper is all you need for 3 years... since you can wait almost that long to decide on extending it to 7 yrs/100K, might as well do so.

What are you doing about the balance of the purchase price? Will you get 5-6K trade in on your current vehicle, or more? Sorry, I'm sounding like a Mom again...

patsparks · 01-31-2008, 12:29 AM

I wouldn't go that far but who knows, you could save enough to make it worth while.
Always remember, they have a car they don't want and you can get elsewhere, you have cash in your pocket they do want and if you take it elsewhere they never see it. This means you are in charge and you set the rules not them.

Worst case scenario for you, you leave the money with the bank and keep driving your old car a while, worst case for them is they don't eat this week. You have the controlling upper hand.

01-30-2008, 06:12 PM	#1
SLO Cat Wrangler Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Luis Obispo, CA Posts: 62 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? Hello everyone, We are in the market for a new car and have settled on a Prius. We are in central California on the coast and are torn between a couple of packages. I wanted to know if some of you could give us your opinion. We are going to be getting a 2008. We can chose between package #2 and #5. The main things that we like about the package #5 is that it has the NAV system that my wife likes, and it has the HID head lights that I think in principle are cool. Can the voice activated NAV system be added to a package #2 by me or later? Do the HID lights produce more light or use less energy than the standard headlights? Last question is about wheeling and dealing. Once you have decided on a model how do you start the negotiation process? Do you just say, "I'll pay you $24,000 for this car!" Anyone got good opening lines or smooth ways of negotiating price? I feel like I am asking for pick up lines. Thanks, Steve and Kira

01-30-2008, 07:31 PM	#3
billarb Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 114 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? The negotiating advice given you by RaeVynn is spot on. Don't hesitate to go back and forth. Play one dealer against the other. On the east coast, I got my package #5 for $1,000 less than the nearest "bid" by 3 other dealers. As for preference, I opted for Package #5. I did not feel that I needed the NAV, but a buddy pointed out that, in the near future, they'll just about be standard and do increase re-sale value. I especially like the HID headlights. As I'm getting older, my night vision capability has diminished. The HID's seem to throw a wider swath of light (especially good for seeing all those suicidal Bambi's, who try to run into vehicles' paths) and the light just seems more intense. I'm not technically inclined, but you could buy a Garmin GPS system and avoid the package #5, but was told that retrofitting the HID's is very difficult/expensive to do. Happy hunting. You'll love the car. Over the past few days, I've seen 4-5 new Prii in the parking lot outside my office.

01-30-2008, 10:25 PM	#6
N3FOL Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Stewartstown, PA. Posts: 858 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #4 Thanks: 0 Thanked 7 Times in 5 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? If you really like the NAV feature built in your Prius, get the Package #5. I decided on a package #4, because I really did not want to have NAV on the Prius 'only'. P #4 does have the HID lamps. For the NAV, you can simply buy a portable NAV of your choice and be able to use it in any vehicle....not just the Prius. Happy shopping and don't forget to post pics.

01-30-2008, 11:28 PM	#7
SLO Cat Wrangler Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: San Luis Obispo, CA Posts: 62 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? Thanks so much everyone for the info. We have 90 days before our loan offer expires. We got a $18,000 at 4.95% APR. Does this sound o.k.? What is the farthest distance we should consider to compare dealerships? There are about six dealers in the area that are with in a 150 mile radius of our house. Should we be picking dealers further? Do a lot of people get the extended warranties? We expect this vehicle to be with us for at least 100,000 miles, but does this mean that the extended warranties is worth it? It seems like these cars are made really well and that no major stuff should go wrong. Do the extend warranties cover routine maintenance stuff? Thanks again for all the great info. Steve

01-30-2008, 11:33 PM	#8
galaxee resident lab rat Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: south of lake Michigan Posts: 9,736 My Car: 2005 Prius Model: N/A Package: #5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 130 Times in 53 Posts Friends: 26	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? don't put your outside-financing card down on the table until you have a price in writing. it's good to have that in your hand. oh and hid bulbs are very expensive, some people have been a little surprised at this. Last edited by galaxee; 01-30-2008 at 11:37 PM.

01-30-2008, 06:25 PM	#2
Rae Vynn Tree-hugging Vegan Witch Join Date: May 2007 Location: Grays Harbor, WA, USA Posts: 4,457 My Car: 2007 Prius Model: N/A Package: Base Thanks: 407 Thanked 92 Times in 75 Posts Friends: 71	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? Pick up lines! I love that! Generally, the best idea is to talk to more than one dealership. Contact Costco, maybe, and get a bid on a 2008 pkg 5 of your color choice. Email the Internet agent of various dealers, and ask what colors they have of your chosen pkg, and what their best price is. Don't hesitate to let them know that you are shopping around for colors/prices. Be polite, cheerful, and upbeat about it. Then, you go BACK to the one that has the color you want, with the lowest price you found in your hand, and you ask them if they can match [name of dealer]'s price. Expect this to take a few days. Be cheerful. Go ahead and let them know that you won't be financing the car through them, anyway. __________________ Prius Connection Detroit Photos of our Prius

01-30-2008, 07:42 PM	#4
patsparks An Aussie perspective Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Adelaide South Australia Posts: 9,954 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: Base Thanks: 203 Thanked 272 Times in 211 Posts Friends: 36	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? I am going to play you off against every other dealer in town. Here are the rules. 1. I will buy from the cheapest quote. 2. Quote me only on road price including all charges. 3. I will pay cash/bank cheque. 4. You get one shot, I will go to each dealer once only and give each dealer one chance to quote. 5. I will not reveal a prior quote to another dealer. 6. I want this model, colour and trim only. 7. I do not want any extra warranty or extras I haven't listed. 8. I will not haggle and will buy from the dealer who quotes the lowest price. 9. All quotes need to be detailed in writing. Lets see if I'll be able to do business with you, what can you do for me? Do the same list at as many dealers as you can. __________________ All the warranty I need. Still averaging 4.4L/100km across town 2004 silver base model Prius Shark fin, genuine mudflaps, colour matched side mouldings, rear bumper scuff guard, sheepskin seats, BT Plate. I love it!

01-30-2008, 08:10 PM	#5
lumpy95 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Mojave Desert, Cal. Posts: 175 My Car: 2008 Prius Model: Package: #6 Touring Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Friends: 0	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? I went through AAA which will garauntee $1000.00 over invoice at certain dealers. Once I got the price from the AAA dealer, I went to a couple of dealerships and finally went to my local dealership and told them I would pay that price quoted by the AAA dealer. They him-hawed around a bit but said ok and they brought in the car I picked out from another dealership. When you make the deal and they bring up the extended warranty, tell them you will NOT pay more than $990.00 for it (that is, if you want it). You can get the Platinum EW through a link on this site. Good luck __________________ Don't take yourself so seriously, no one else does

01-31-2008, 12:29 AM	#10
patsparks An Aussie perspective Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Adelaide South Australia Posts: 9,954 My Car: 2004 Prius Model: N/A Package: Base Thanks: 203 Thanked 272 Times in 211 Posts Friends: 36	Re: Just got the loan, Which Prius to get? I wouldn't go that far but who knows, you could save enough to make it worth while. Always remember, they have a car they don't want and you can get elsewhere, you have cash in your pocket they do want and if you take it elsewhere they never see it. This means you are in charge and you set the rules not them. Worst case scenario for you, you leave the money with the bank and keep driving your old car a while, worst case for them is they don't eat this week. You have the controlling upper hand.