Is It Still Possible To Pay At or Below MSRP in DC Area?

I finally convinced my husband that we need a Prius only to find that (no surprise) wait lists are back. But, I don't mind waiting as long as we don't have to pay over MSRP. The dealerships I've talked to so far have all quoted me between $1,500-$2,500 over MSRP. Anyone paid below MSRP in the past few weeks in DC?

I placed an order for a package 6 Prius in mid April for $600 over invoice and got it on 5/10. Placed two more orders for package 2 Prii for my sister and brother in mid May for MSRP. I got a call from the sales manager yesterday that they still do not have VIN numbers for us. That mean the orders are still in the air. You are lucky if you can get one at MSRP at this point.

If you're willing to go into PA, I just put down a $500 deposit 2 weeks ago at Diehl Toyota in York, PA and will have my Prius at MSRP in early July. They won't take a deposit if their waiting list is too long (I got in when the list went from 8 names to 3).

Another choice would be Bobby Rahal (yes, that Bobby Rahal) Toyota in Mechanicsburg, PA. They're quoting MSRP but their list had 30 names on it 2 or 3 weeks ago - they estimated 4 or 5 months.

We bought a 2008 Package 2 in early May (it arrived three weeks later) from Miller Toyota in Manassas, VA for $23,116 plus freight, tax, title, etc. Waiting lists seem to be the norm now but when I was doing my searching I liked the interaction with the Fitzmall people. They offer a no-haggle price so it seems pretty straightforward with them. We also were happy with the service from Fred Lutz at Miller Toyota when we made our purchase.

I think we just slipped in before the big crunch so paying MSRP may be how it is now. You could wait until the fall when the 2009s are expected to arrive and maybe by then cars will be in stock or at least have shorter waiting lists.

This is just my opinion but at Msrp the dealer is making a nice profit. Is it really worth paying over msrp? 2009 will be a good year for roll outs of new hybrids and competition will drive the prices down. Honda alone will have 2 new models out early in the year. Make the right choices have no regrets.. good luck 2009 is only 6 months away