Prius Four Touring Price

Danny, where can we learn what 2016 Prius Four Tourings are allotted to which dealers so we can go to the dealer in the Southern California area that has been awarded by Toyota the car we want. My dealer has been allotted just one and its white with black interior. Ordinarily color doesn't matter but white with black is a bit too much contrast. Is there a master allotment list somewhere or does Toyota keep that secret to make life tough for customers wanting their cars?

Danny,

I did contact Dianne Whitmire and she was very helpful but her latest email suggests that she will only be allotted a single 2016 Prius Four Touring. I'd like two cars, one for my son and one for me. I'd like very much to be able to buy both cars from Dianne and told her so.

Early on, Dianne wrote: "I can order you whatever you want." Wow, I thought, that's how a buying experience should go so I committed to ordering and buying from her. When she didn't respond as quickly as is usual with her, I followed up. She then replied, "My first few cars are 2's, Tourings P3 and a white/black 4 AT. The cars won't be arriving quickly anyway, so I'll just let me queue fill up with impending arrivals."

Apparently, the dealers can only sell the cars that are allotted to them and they can't tell you whether a different dealer may be allotted other cars that might better meet a purchaser's wishes, e.g. as our ideal: Sea Glass Pearl, 2016 Prius Four Touring, preferably with Premium Convenience Package.

No dealers know when the cars will arrive. Most dealers will not respond to an email inquiry about pre-committing to buy a car from them.

Why does Toyota make the dealer purchase process so frustrating? My son lives at a distance. The dealer there, Toyota Berkeley, insists that I come in in person or they won't deal with me. That's a journey of 500 miles.

We were ready to buy from Dianne, and my son was committed to flying down to Carson to take delivery, but it seems to be close to impossible to be able to settle on a deal and reach terms.

Car buying should not be this difficult. Toyota makes great cars. Why can't they create a similarly great dealer experience?

There is no reason at all why buying a car should be this time consuming, this manipulative, and this frustrating.

If you have influence with the Toyota people, see if you can't persuade them to come forward into the 21st century of interconnectivity and not to continue to hamstring people like Dianne Whitmire, who are doing all they can to work with customers only to be handicapped by what appears to be an arbitrary allotment process.

There must be someone with business sense in the Toyota USA operation.

Thanks for your help and for giving us Priuschat. Toyota should give you all the support possible since you are doing for Toyota what the company seems to be unable to do for itself.

Jack Cumming
Carlsbad, CA