Getting on the waiting list

[ggalanti]

I live in Los Angeles, near several Toyota dealerships. I've put my name on the waiting list for a 2005 Prius in Salsa Red, with the most expensive package at the dealership closest to my house. They told me that the official waiting time is 6-8 months, but that my car could be in as early as March. I'm not willing to be part of their "auctions" for the occasional "bonus" car that comes in; I think it's bad enough to pay full retail price for a car! Anyway, my question is this: is there any point to getting on a waiting list with more than one dealer? Is there a single waiting list for Southern California, like a bank line that everyone feeds into, no matter where they order the car? Or does each dealer get their own allotment? I notice that some dealers require a deposit, others don't. Does anyone have any advice for me? I'd like to get my car as soon as possible, without paying more than the sticker price. I'm not flexible regarding color or options.

[efusco]

Living in LA I'd get on every list in a reasonable driving distance. Allocations vary from dealership to dealership, you may get on a list where no one wants the color and package you want and get it very early or your dealer may not get a Salsa red package 6 for 3 months and have 6 people waiting for it.

Also, consider being flexible on the color....I know some people think that's really important, but if it's just a preference and you can live with some of the other colors you can definately improve your chances of getting your car sooner by being flexible on color and by getting on multiple lists. Toyota discourages that, but can't prevent it and its the smartest move for the consumer.

You SHOULD, however, call and have your name removed from the other waiting lists once you get your car.

[betshsu]

Also when getting on multiple lists, make sure that the deposit is refundable. It is at most dealerships, but there have been a few stories of folks having to fight to get their deposit back.

[ggalanti]

Speaking of deposits ... is there an advantage to geting on a list at a dealership WITH a deposit? The dealership I first talked to doesn't ask for one. Another one did. I signed up with the one who didn't require a deposit. But if most ask for one, maybe the list will be longer with the one that doesn't. Any thoughts?

[betshsu]

I was on a wait list at two dealership. One here in Austin that required a deposit but didn't cash the check and one in Nashville that required a deposit and did cash the check/charge the credit card. The dealership in Nashville put me into the Toyota database and the Austin dealership did not. The Nashville dealership was also a lot better about keeping me updated, etc, and delivered the exact car I ordered. The Austin dealership offered me a couple of cars, but always with a ton of extra port options I didn't want and packages/colors I didn't want. BUT I don't think this necessarily has to do with requiring a deposit or not.

When talking to dealerships ask them how many cars they're allocated a month (and possibly what types of packages since you're only interested in one), how long their wait list is, how they handle orphan cars (some dealerships will go down the list until they find someone who wants the orphan and some will sell it for a premium to the first person who is willing to pay it), how much they charge, and at what point is the deposit still refundable (some dealerships will let you back out until the car is allocated and some don't care if you back out after the car has been allocated to you). When choosing the second dealership to go with, I went with one that I knew would honor MSRP, that allowed me to cancel up to the point of allocation, never sold cars at a premium, and gave me a timeframe of 3-4 months. I think you'll have to call around to figure out of there is any correlation between deposit/length of wait in your area.

[bruceha_2000]

Anyway, my question is this: is there any point to getting on a waiting list with more than one dealer?

YES! Until Toyota builds and ships to order, limiting yourself to 1 dealer is not in your best interest. Find dealers within your acceptable driving range. Find out how long their list is, and if they know, how many want the same package as you. Find out how many of those cars they are getting per month. You'll probbaly find that the ones that are NOT in the bigger population areas have a shorter 'order to delivery' time. Only sign up with dealers that sell at MSRP and if they want a deposit, it is refundable. Make sure they put it in writing. I signed up with 4 dealers. I told them all I was doing so. I expected at least a 4 month wait, and 8 to 10 wasn't unexpected. But, I got mine in 6 weeks from one of those 4 dealers and got my deposit back, without complaint, from the other 3.

[raybo]

If you are willing to drive (or fly) a ways, then you can get your car much quicker. We got on our local (San Luis Obispo) waiting list in mid-October, and they said it would be 8-12 months. I heard about Asif at Toyota Town in Stockton getting cars to his customers in a matter of weeks. I called him (209 327 0488) on Oct 26, he offered me a car the very next day in a color we didn't want. We got our 1st choice of color and option package in 3 weeks. MSRP only, great dealership and Asif is a great salesman to work with. I'm sure they'll pick you up at the airport, as many of their customers are coming in from S. Ca. The cost of a one way ticket to Stockton probably beats waiting a few months, no?

[priusenvy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(raybo\";p=\"52097)</div>

I'm sure they'll pick you up at the airport, as many of their customers are coming in from S. Ca.  The cost of a one way ticket to Stockton probably beats waiting a few months, no?[/b]

I'm pretty sure there are no commercial passenger flights into Stockton airport. You can take Amtrak, or make a one-way rental with Hertz or another auto rental company. The closest airports with commercial passenger flights are Sacramento, and then Oakland. I did the one-way auto rental with Hertz; they drove me back to Toyota Town after I returned the rental.

[mrzoop]

I was on 6 waiting lists here in the south east US. I got my brand new car 2 weeks ago from an ebay auction. Paid 300 over msrp and had to drive 3 hours to pick it up. If you are fairly competent and watch closely, you should be able to find something similar.