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Dealership Issues - Any advise?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by llyons, May 30, 2007.

  1. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    Well, I found the car I wanted in the internet pool. Yes. I know that even these can have a deal pending. But, anyhow. I went to my local Toyota dealer who tracked down the car, offered a SWEET deal with delivery included, negotiated interest rate with sales manager after being approved for financing, told us they would get the car in by the end of the week (Icky feeling at this point since it seemed all to simple) and it's been 2 weeks now. The salesman claims that the person in charge of transfers at the location where the car is located is not returning the calls. Sound fishy? I'm guessing a deal is pending but shouldn't this have been settled BEFORE even checking our credit or telling us that we would have it by the end of the week?
    Anyway, I just found the name of the dealership who has it in stock supposedly. Although, I doubt they'll give me the same offer with delivery I'm guessing I should probably try to give them a call.
    Guess I'm just venting. I feel like I'm being lied to and the sales manager is never around to talk to. :(
    Any suggestions? I'm looking for one with Package 3 plus leather. Not too hard to find one with higher packages or a bunch of other things I just don't want to pay for! I would love to just bypass the dealership all together. Sorry for venting. Just so frustrated at this point. I have a deal pending on my vehicle also and I just don't know what to do. :(
     
  2. Charles Suitt

    Charles Suitt Senior Member

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    :) Howdy llyons

    ...and a HEARTY WELCOME to PriusChat, a fabulous source of accurate and helpful information on the Prius.

    Sounds as if the tranferring dealer had a potential deal working on that particular Prius and is either stalling your dealer or has sold that Prius. I'd say, there's no honor between dealers. Your salesperson may have been premature in making a delivery promise based on a verbal commitment by another dealer.

    Don't give up... There's a Prius in your future and you'll have a real fun experience learning the features when your Prius arrives.

    I suggest you post your location in your Signature and Avatar (the info which appears along the left side of the messages) and when you get your Prius add the model year and package. This will help other forum members in providing accurate information knowing where you are and finally the details of your )future) Prius.

    CIAO
     
  3. SSmith

    SSmith Junior Member

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    I just picked up my new Prius last Thursday after having a similar experience as you are going through and know the frustration of being jerked around (and the relief of finally getting the deal done).

    In early May I went into a local dealer to purchase a Seaside Pearl Package #5. I was told they had located it at another dealer and if I put $500 down that they would get the car for me but it would take a few days. After a few days I called them for status and was told they were still working on it and it would take a few more days. On a Friday afternoon I received a call from the salesman telling me that the other dealer was not going to trade and that they could not get the car. To top that, the dealer no longer had any Package 5's in any color, "the last one just sold" but they would hold a Package 4 Seaside Pearl for me. The only other option through this dealer was to order the car and wait for one to come in which could be "2 to 8 weeks". The kicker was that they would not honor the negotiated price if I had to wait; I was told it would cost more.

    Not wanting to wait that long for a maybe and a price increase I called around to all of the dealers listed in the paper and found another who was "bigger" than the first dealer and though they did not have the car in stock the salesman was "confident" they would be able to get the car via a trade.

    First thing Saturday morning I went to dealer #2 and went through the purchase process again; they actually even beat dealer #1's price. I put another deposit down on a transfer and went to dealer #1 for my refund. On Tuesday I was told by the salesman at dealer #2 that the transfer was approved and the only holdup was finding a vehicle to trade as dealer #2 was out of Package #5. On Wednesday I was told by a Sales Manager that the trade fell through and the car had been sold to a Chicago Museum. Again I was told I would have to wait to see what came in.

    At this point I had a good idea of what I would get for a trade-in and what the going Costco prices were for either a Package 5 or 6 I went to the Toyota web site and started checking dealers in adjoining states. After checking online inventory for Seaside Pearl in the $25,000-$27,000 MSRP range I found a dealer in Madison Wisconsin that showed a couple in stock. I called Wednesday afternoon to confirm they had the car. After a number of calls with the salesman I asked him to hold a Package #6 Seaside Pearl for me as I would be up in the morning. I left him the message at 10:45 PM. He called at 6:30 AM, after I was already on my way up, to tell me the car was being held for me. By early afternoon I was on my way home in my new Prius at the same price I had negotiated locally. On Friday I received the refund on my second deposit.

    Based off of my experience I recommend that you contact the other dealer directly. The dealers I went to were more than willing to match other dealers to get the sale; though the salesmen will tell you what you want to hear to keep you on the line until they can make the sale. To increase your chances make sure the dealer has the car you want in stock.

    Good Luck!!
     
  4. malibucarl

    malibucarl Member

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    Sorry to hear that is happening.
    When we bought our second Prius in late February the Salesperson made the deal over the phone. She said it was a dealer trade- but would be there in the morning. Being in Los Angeles we did not give it much thought.
    When we went in the next day the car was there and ready. It had come from near the Fresno area over 200 miles away. They did all this a little under invoice price.
    There is NO excuse for "old style" sales practices these days. After agreement on terms DELIVER the car.
    Carl
     
  5. 1x1

    1x1 Member

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    Can't really comment, other than you might want to look into either an Auto Broker, or the Costco program to do the haggling for you and to minimize dealer facetime.
     
  6. subarutoo

    subarutoo New Member

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    I got mine via carsdirect.com on the internet. List your location and options you want, and they will find you a car in the area that suits you. Back in Jan 06 there weren't cars on lots, so I didn't get the color I wanted, but the options were right. Selection should be no problem now. I got firm quotes via email, finalized the deal by return email, drove 50 miles to the dealer, wrote the check and we were out of there in less than an hour. Check it out, carsdirect.com .

    I knew what I wanted, and just don't have patience to waste playing dealer games. It was as painless as possible way to buy a car.
     
  7. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    UGH.....Shortly after posting, the sales manager and salesman both called and left messages that the car had been sold. So, I called the dealership that the local dealership claimed had the vehicle in-stock. They then told me that they didn't ever have that particular car in stock. I figured I was being lied to. Anyhow, the sales man said he saw that the car was available at a location where they frequently trade with we agreed to terms over the phone and have it in writing. Actually beat what the local dealership had offered me. So, we put in a deposit.

    Anyhow...We got a call back today. Turns out the dealership is holding it for someone that hadn't yet left a deposit. He said we could wait it out if we wanted to but that he found an exact match to the car I want on it's way to another dealership. He says that the dealership is okay with the car being shipped to them instead but that they still need to work on the trade. If things work out, they could have it by Monday or Tuesday.

    So, he's suppose to give us a call tomorrow. :unsure: At this point, I'm not sure what to think. IF this doesn't work for some reason or other, I will definitely try one of those services. As it is, wa are going to have to commute 10 hours (to Dallas) from here and if there was an alternative I'd be happy with that. So far though, the service has been a million times better than any dealership we've dealt with locally. He seems like he just might know what he's doing. I just hope what happened last time doesn't repeat itself......Getting so fed up with this. :angry:
     
  8. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    I'm not sure if this will help much, but when I got mine I had to wait 2 months for it, and half a year later there were one-year witing lists. From your description, the first dealer sounded fishy, but the second one sounds legit, with an agreement in writing and a car in transit that can be shipped directly to them.

    Hang in there. Have patience, and you'll find it was worth the wait. And good luck.
     
  9. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    I'm usually pretty patient. It's just this that has me a wreck. I guess I'm more frustrated because I'm so used to the Internet. You can get just about everything you want customized now days without any hassle. It's either available or not, or in some cases you'll have an available date if something isn't available at the moment. IE...Nike ID's. Purchased a pair of these recently. Was able to choose my colors, support, materials.....Can even get a full refund within 30 days if I'm not satisfied for any reason. LOL! Now, they can take up to a month to get here. But - I'm getting exactly what I want and am getting an exact time frame without having to deal with a middle person. I KNOW I'll get it without a doubt and won't be called back and asked if I'll accept some alternative that I DO NOT want. KWIM? They will even be delivered right to my door! :) I just wish buying a car were that easy!!!

    Another issue that is bothering me. We were given a rate of 6.9% over 5 years at the first dealership we dealt with. The one that made us believe they had the car which is why we even bothered with the credit application in the first place. Works perfect since my current car that we own will pay off my husband's car. We'll stick to one payment. It will be less than his car payment AND we'll be saving a lot on gas too! Anyhow, I assumed since it was through Toyota Finance that we would be able to simply pull that same approval. According to this other dealership, that's not possible and they'll have to take another hit on our credit. Does this sound right? We are very cautious of our credit and now I'm concerned we may not get that same rate. :(
    I guess I'll just cross that bridge when I get to it.

    Also....Where would I find pricing info for what I'm looking for? Just want to make sure I'm getting a good deal. 07 Package 3 w/ Leather upgrade.

    Thanks for all your help! :)
     
  10. desertbriez

    desertbriez New Member

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    i didn't mess with that whole dealer trade thing.... i just went to toyota.com to find the socal dealers and started email them..... worked my way from closest to those farther away..... finally found the color and package i wanted in escondido AND they gave us the best quote via phone of any of the dealerships who didn't have the correct color!
     
  11. Darken

    Darken Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(llyons @ Jun 1 2007, 09:24 AM) [snapback]453156[/snapback]</div>
    Wow! Sorry to hear about your experience trying to get your new Prius. It hard when the dealer doesn't have the vehicle on the lot for you, because they have to work a deal with someone else to get you the vehicle. In my experience the larger the dealer the easier time you will have with working out a dealer trade.

    As for the financing question, quite simply they do not have to run your credit again with TFS. Once your approved your approved, the only thing you may need to do is to sign a new application. Now believe it or not the dealer is the one who can negotiate the interest rate with TFS so you may have to renegotiate this again with a new dealer. Remember the dealer makes money when you use Toyota Finance for your purchase so the more business they generate for Toyota Finance the more flexability they have with rates...

    Good Luck I hope you hear something soon.
     
  12. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    Hmmm......That is exactly what I thought. The salesman apologized but insisted that I WOULD need to re-apply. We haven't discussed this further since we would do this as a last resort once we saw the car actually existed and had it ready to go. :p I think I'll call TFS directly and see what they have to say. It just doesn't make sense at all to have to reapply to the same company. I understand negotiating a rate, that's fine. But reapply? Just isn't sitting well....... Thanks for the info. As soon as I'm out of work I'll be giving them a call.
     
  13. Darken

    Darken Active Member

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    It seems to me they can get all the info they need from TFS without having you do another app. If you already filled out an application, got approval and hashed out the rate you shouldn't have to do it all again, except for perhaps the rate. I'd give TFS a call as you said and mention the situation, they may save you the legwork of negotiating it all over again if you end up buying from this current dealer. Then you can just worry about getting the Prius you want! Again, Good Luck and let us know how it turns out.
     
  14. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    The saga continues....... <_<

    Well, last Friday the salesman who we did like called us in the evening to let us know he was being fired. :blink: So....He just called to tell us that they were currently working on a trade with that other dealership and that he passed our file over to his sales manager who would be getting with us on Monday. So....Everything is still up in the air. One thing we did find odd though is that the $500 deposit that we submitted a week ago with our credit card was never charged against the account. :unsure:

    As for the credit issue, I haven't called TFS yet but I did see on their website that online credit applications could be transferred to any Toyota. I'm not sure if online vs. a faxed app should make a difference but I wouldn't think it would.

    Anyhow, I'll see how things go tomorrow. I found a car that is pretty close in matching what I'm looking for. It's in Texas...Just pretty far away still. :( Does anyone know how accurate the online "in-stock" lists are? Are there any other options aside from driving all the way to pick it up? Texas is HUGE and I'm way at the southern tip while the dealership that MAY have is closer to the north. The trip is possible just difficult with our tight schedules. Not really looking forward to surviving off of coffee the following week either. LOL! :p Not much worse than dealing with dealerships I suppose. Just been headache upon headache! :p
     
  15. Larry_R

    Larry_R Wryter

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    Getting a 2007 Prius, and after dorking around and around with dealers and banks to get a rather small loan, I happened to call a friend who is an auto columnist for a major newspaper. He said that he'd done a lot of research on auto loans, and was "very high" on an organization known as "E-Loan." Well, I fired up my trusty Dell and accessed their web site.
    Like night and day difference - they were absolutely great! Typed in a credit application, and I swear, just 15 minutes later I had my loan at a 5.89% interest rate - with even less if I ordered direct deduction from my checking account.
    The company sends you a "power check" - you sign it, take it to the dealer, and follow rather easy instructions.

    A company chap called to ensure that I was satisfied with the procedures, and gave me and the dealer customer satisfaction numbers to call if we had questions.

    I highly recommend "E-Loan" - and can only hope that my experience is an example of what this company does for us poor mopes who must finance part of our new and loved Prius!
     
  16. YoDaddyAlex

    YoDaddyAlex Member

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    nice rate. I got 6.5 from toyota but was in a hurry to buy the car b/c my old one was dying on me... Maybe I will refinance with e-loan in a few yrs
     
  17. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    Wow!!! That is an excellent rate!

    No word from the dealership yet. Except that they can probably (don't like the word "probably") do a 6.9% . Still haven't confirmed much on the re-application issue..... <_< But, E-loan. I will def keep that in mind! I saw some interest rates on Edmunds while I was pricing the Prius out and they seem to be some of the nicest looking ones I've seen. I just didn't' know if those were actual or not but this def clears up a lot.

    In the meantime, I've found a couple other dealerships that have a car that is similar to what I'm looking for but lack the leather interior which is something I really like having. Have a 2 year old and it is SO much easier to keep clean than the cloth. I've asked them how much to upgrade to leather. In the end, it just might even out.

    Well, I will continue to wait. The new salesman seems nice. But - again the excuse for today was. "The manager who is working on the trade is busy in meetings all day long. I'll call you later on this afternoon." It's 5pm, this was at 11am. <_< UGH!

    Guess I'll continue driving around in my imaginary car!!! :p
     
  18. llyons

    llyons Junior Member

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    Posting my status....

    Salesman called my husband while he was at school but didn't leave much of a message. Just said he'd call back in the morning. I wonder what he's gonna come up with now..... :unsure:
     
  19. kathiag96

    kathiag96 New Member

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    If you have a Costco membership, you may try their website for auto financing (works similar to e-loan). My husband and I just got a 5.5% rate and they issue a check to you like e-loan does...

    Now, if only my mag grey touring edition would get here (we ordered one through our dealer)...I'd be all set!
     
  20. starletta8

    starletta8 New Member

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    I'm having a similar issue- the dealer stopped trying to find one, changed options without telling me, and basically told me it was going to be a car they were already promised or nothing. This after a sweet deal was negotiated. Too bad they've "lost" the car! Seriously.