I called 15 dealerships today

I called 15 dealerships today in my area and every single one is charging a markup over MSRP - ranging from $2,100 to $10,000. Also, none of them had any on the lot and all had waiting lists. Some had lists where you put a deposit on a specific car/VIN they know is coming in and others had the kind where it's more of a preference/we'll call you list.

Finally, most of them were quite rude to me. I'm sure they wouldn't have been if I were asking about another vehicle.

We've been through this before, we have a 2005 Prius and did wind up paying a $3000 premium. We don't want to do it again, but want a 2nd Prius.

What is the secret here? I need help.

I would wait. There is no way I'm paying over msrp on any car.

Denver area dealers are charging MSRP only.

The waiting lists didn't exclude you from paying the markup, unfortunately. And since none of them had any on the lot, being put on a waiting list was the only option.

I think you may of missed the time frame to buy at a good price. With the price of fuel going though the roof every one is looking to get a hybrid of some sort. We got ours just after the gas had gone up to $4.00 a gallon.The guys at the Torrance Toyota dealer ship where great. We where in our new Prius and driving home in just over two hours.We only payed 3% over what they payed for it.

Do you happen to have a name and a contact person at that dealership?

It was like this back in 2005 when we got ours and gas had just hit $3 a gallon and everyone was freaking out. If only we knew...

The guy to talk to is Albert i think he and the sales manager where the best.

What is the name of the dealership?

DCH Toyota & Scion of Torrance - Torrance, Califorinia - New and Used Toyotas in Redondo Beach
:usa2:Here you go.:usa2:

The dealers in Northern California aren't cutthroat like that.

I know of several dealers in the area who sell Prii at MSRP. And they love to get business from out of their market area.

A one-way flight on Southwest can cure a lot of evils.

Can you give me an area or a starting point or certain dealerships to call? (California is a big place!)

Toyota Dealer Locator Search

Just type in 95819 and select 50 miles.

Sacramento airport is close and Southwest flies there from many SoCal locations. If the dealers won't pick you up at the airport when you get the car, I will. (I like airports.:crazy

I am pretty darn sure gas prices will go far down heading into the November general election.

I think Winter is usually a better time to buy a new car.

Hamer Toyota in Mission Hills is only charging MSRP. Try calling Bryce Holman (VIP/Internet Coordinator) at 877-274-0653.

You might be better off using e-mail verses a phone call. The Internet Sales Manager would typically be working with more vehicles, if one comes available through cancellation, he doesn't want to turn it back over for someone else to sell, but will look for a replacement buyer. E-mail a bunch of dealers, don't sound too desperate. Indicate what you are looking for on terms of color and equipment and let them know you are ready to make a purchase now.

I got a call from a dealer of another car brand who had a Prius for sale. It was '07 with 27,000 miles and they were asking $24, 945 or something like that. He said they had to ask for that much because they paid more for it in trade.

And I can get a new one with no miles for the same or less so not waiting is the bonus, I guess.

Look on craigslist-bayarea, thats where I found my prius, it was in san francisco, and thats a five hour drive for me, but it was better than waiting for another 8 weeks, and the rice was the same as here in our area......and i got what i wanted! spectra blue touring package 6, :third:with everything!

A few of the dealers in Houston are $1200 over invoice while others are $1000 over MSRP..
I'd suggest you fax a RFQ to the Fleet sales department. Make sure to deal with the Manager and not some weekend warrior.

If you don't mind going a little north of Santa Barbara, the Toyota dealer in Santa Maria is only charging MSRP. As of last weekend, the list is 16-18 weeks.

For cripe sakes ... there are always over 2 dozen Pri on Ebay (gen II) at any given time, and currently there are 34. Few of those are brand spanking / dealer new. What's the big wow about being the first owner, that aludes me? I kinda enjoyed not paying the brand new price.