Dealer Phone Call...

[bighouse]

Ordered my Barc Red on 9/8...they found one in the local port that was headed for a different dealer and detoured it....put my downpayment (trade-in) down and they said it could be in as few as three days....here I am two weeks later and I got a call today from my dealer!.................

Seems they got a transporter in last night with Prii on it...sadly, though, mine was not on the truck. Disappointed, they called the "factory" and listed mine as a "HOT item"...whatever that means. In short, they don't know where my car is at. I have a VIN, but I'm not sure when I'll have the actual car. Is this normal for dealers? They told me they were a special dealership and could get cars faster than other dealers because of their higher turnaround...BUT, seems like whenever I ask them for dates, estimated times, etc...they're rather clueless. I would think that since, as a dealer who claims to have lots of sales and a great rapport with Toyota, that they would really know how this thing works and be able to deliver the goods within a very predefined timeframe. Is this typical for all dealers or do I have to YELP these guys???

[Garmy]

There are 2 things to remember. First, the dealers will lie every chance they get about anything and everything. Second, don't forget the first!

That being said, I have purchased 2 Prii in the last year and both times I had to do alot of calling and running around. Every dealer I spoke to used the same, "we are one of the highest volume dealers in the area, so Toyota takes care of us and we have special ways of getting a Prius". In the end none of them had a clue about what cars were coming or when. And most knew alot less about the car than I did from the info on this forum.

[Bobsprius]

After the Dealer I dealt with had the VIN Number, the car arrived to their lot about 2 weeks later. I would suspect when a full load of vehicles are ready for that dealership. But since you have a VIN I would not think it should be to long. But do continue to call and follow up with the Dealer and remind them that the VIN was available as of whatever date...how much longer?

[bighouse]

Well...sitting in front of my house is now a Red Prius IV with dark grey leather interior and a nice black solar/moon roof.

Now it's going to take me weeks to figure out how the durn thing works!!!!

[Grateful11]

Originally Posted by Garmy

There are 2 things to remember. First, the dealers will lie every chance they get about anything and everything. Second, don't forget the first!

That's a lot of distrust in your dealer and a fairly broad statement. If I felt that way about dealers I'd stay away from them.

[bighouse]

In hindsight now I feel pretty lucky. I was told originally that to order a prius to the exact spec I wanted, color, interior, package, options, it would take 2 months to get from Toyota.
I managed to get exactly what I wanted in 16 days.
It was only frustrating for me because the dealer said that it could arrive in as few as three days- but, unbeknownest to them, the port facility was having an issue finding qualified installers to install the iPhone USB connectivity.
So, I don't think they ever really lied to me...I do think they sometimes shade the truth in their favor without really doing their research...which, sadly, can sometimes cause more disappointment than trust.