Help a total newbie

allidavie · 11-12-2005, 11:22 PM

Hi all, I'm totally new to the forum, so please forgive me if I should have posted elsewhere, I did a search but couldn't find anything on point.

I am currently a New York City resident but am in the process of moving to Florida. I need to get a car and am set on getting a Prius. I went into a Florida dealership today expecting to be able to look at the colors (I've only seen/driven my friend's black '05) and to put myself on a waitlist for an '06. The dealership insisted that neither they nor any other Florida dealerships had waitlists, and that you just had to hope for the best. Then they tried to sell me the one in-stock Prius they had. They stated that their "dealer package" added $2,000 to the sticker price, insisted on the undercoat etc. ridiculousness and the more I hemmed and hawed the more they took off the price and financing. I finally decided to walk away because I wanted to research whether I could get an '06.

Now that I've done some more research I'm sure I want an '06 but am not sure how to go about getting the color/package I want or how to get on a waitlist. Is it just this one dealer (Ed Morse in Delray) trying to pull a fast one or do other Florida dealers also refuse to allow waitlists? Am I just better off trying to get on a waitlist in New York? And if I go the NY route, how do I get on a waitlist there?

I apologize for this being disjointed, I'm just really confused!

Thanks!

Jack 06 · 11-13-2005, 12:03 AM

First, welcome!

Dealers have differing approaches to waitlists. Some don't charge; just take your phone # or e-mail address and say they'll contact you. Others charge "good faith" money from $100 to the range of an amount that can be re-applied as a deposit ($500-1,500) as the deal draws near. At least a couple of dealers have NO waitlists, and say they won't until their '05s are gone.

The short answer is: call, call, call (or e-mail). Calling's better. Your first question should be, "how do you 'work' putting someone on a waitlist for an '06 Prius?".

Bear in mind that there might be one "overall" list (dealers like bragging that they already have X people on a list), but to YOU, that's meaningless. If you know what color(s) and option package(s) you want, the numbers of people ahead of you FOR THAT/THOSE PACKAGE(S) are what count. You should also ask how many Priuses they'll be getting in ("allocated") the first couple of months. Depending on what you want, you can get lucky with either a high-volume or a low-volume dealer.

Beware that Southeast Region dealers are notorious for adding on mandatory "extras" you might not want, as you seem to know. They also sell extended warranties that are NOT from Toyota Financial Services.

You didn't indicate the time frame for your move, nor whether you want a Prius before Jan 1 or can wait until after that to take advantage of the 2006 Federal tax break. If you're in Fla. by Jan 1 (sounds like it), why would you want to buy from a NY dealer? If you don't want to buy in the SE region and don't mind traveling a bit to get your car (to get exactly what you want, at MSRP), VA dealers (not all, but most, especially south of the DC Metro area) have a good reputation so far for MSRP and availability.

allidavie · 11-13-2005, 03:53 PM

Thank you SO much for your response. I am still back and forth between NY and Florida (though I am in Florida more of the time) between now and the end of February. I definitely do not need to take delivery until January '06, so I should be in the right timeframe for the tax break. I will have some flexibility to travel so I'll check out the VA dealers - I really don't have any reason to be looking at NY/tri-state dealers except that I can go see them in person when I'm in the area. And driving down to Florida from VA is a lot easier....

Guess I better start making some phone calls!

Jack 06 · 11-13-2005, 04:29 PM

Oh, well, if you won't be fully encamped in FL until Feb., you have the freedom to shop in 2-3 regions (N of SE!) that offer what you want. You'll easily find something between VA-CT---if you don't put it off.

Good luck.

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11-12-2005, 11:22 PM	#1
allidavie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Florida, occasionally NYC and DC Posts: 8 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Hi all, I'm totally new to the forum, so please forgive me if I should have posted elsewhere, I did a search but couldn't find anything on point. I am currently a New York City resident but am in the process of moving to Florida. I need to get a car and am set on getting a Prius. I went into a Florida dealership today expecting to be able to look at the colors (I've only seen/driven my friend's black '05) and to put myself on a waitlist for an '06. The dealership insisted that neither they nor any other Florida dealerships had waitlists, and that you just had to hope for the best. Then they tried to sell me the one in-stock Prius they had. They stated that their "dealer package" added $2,000 to the sticker price, insisted on the undercoat etc. ridiculousness and the more I hemmed and hawed the more they took off the price and financing. I finally decided to walk away because I wanted to research whether I could get an '06. Now that I've done some more research I'm sure I want an '06 but am not sure how to go about getting the color/package I want or how to get on a waitlist. Is it just this one dealer (Ed Morse in Delray) trying to pull a fast one or do other Florida dealers also refuse to allow waitlists? Am I just better off trying to get on a waitlist in New York? And if I go the NY route, how do I get on a waitlist there? I apologize for this being disjointed, I'm just really confused! Thanks!

11-13-2005, 12:03 AM	#2
Jack 06 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Winters, CA: Prius capital of US. 30 miles W of Sacramento Posts: 2,567 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	First, welcome! Dealers have differing approaches to waitlists. Some don't charge; just take your phone # or e-mail address and say they'll contact you. Others charge "good faith" money from $100 to the range of an amount that can be re-applied as a deposit ($500-1,500) as the deal draws near. At least a couple of dealers have NO waitlists, and say they won't until their '05s are gone. The short answer is: call, call, call (or e-mail). Calling's better. Your first question should be, "how do you 'work' putting someone on a waitlist for an '06 Prius?". Bear in mind that there might be one "overall" list (dealers like bragging that they already have X people on a list), but to YOU, that's meaningless. If you know what color(s) and option package(s) you want, the numbers of people ahead of you FOR THAT/THOSE PACKAGE(S) are what count. You should also ask how many Priuses they'll be getting in ("allocated") the first couple of months. Depending on what you want, you can get lucky with either a high-volume or a low-volume dealer. Beware that Southeast Region dealers are notorious for adding on mandatory "extras" you might not want, as you seem to know. They also sell extended warranties that are NOT from Toyota Financial Services. You didn't indicate the time frame for your move, nor whether you want a Prius before Jan 1 or can wait until after that to take advantage of the 2006 Federal tax break. If you're in Fla. by Jan 1 (sounds like it), why would you want to buy from a NY dealer? If you don't want to buy in the SE region and don't mind traveling a bit to get your car (to get exactly what you want, at MSRP), VA dealers (not all, but most, especially south of the DC Metro area) have a good reputation so far for MSRP and availability.

11-13-2005, 03:53 PM	#3
allidavie Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Florida, occasionally NYC and DC Posts: 8 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Thank you SO much for your response. I am still back and forth between NY and Florida (though I am in Florida more of the time) between now and the end of February. I definitely do not need to take delivery until January '06, so I should be in the right timeframe for the tax break. I will have some flexibility to travel so I'll check out the VA dealers - I really don't have any reason to be looking at NY/tri-state dealers except that I can go see them in person when I'm in the area. And driving down to Florida from VA is a lot easier.... Guess I better start making some phone calls!

11-13-2005, 04:29 PM	#4
Jack 06 Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Winters, CA: Prius capital of US. 30 miles W of Sacramento Posts: 2,567 My Car: Package: Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Oh, well, if you won't be fully encamped in FL until Feb., you have the freedom to shop in 2-3 regions (N of SE!) that offer what you want. You'll easily find something between VA-CT---if you don't put it off. Good luck.