Tampa FL Dealers Charging Anywhere from $4,200 - $5,000 Over MSRP!!

Incredible. Been looking and on top of the $3,000 premium because of demand, $499 for mats and sealant, $699 for SE toyoguard (roadside asst., etc), $799 for clear bra.

Part of me wants to just go off on the dealers but I know it's just not worth it. Sorry, guys. No business from me.

Hope you can find a dealer too sell your model/options with only floor mats at MSRP if a shortage of cars.

I saw some horrible pricing last summer. I think better to start shopping about Thanksgiving, buy in Winter.

You can call Stu Stewart, at Earl Stewart Toyota. 800-378-5111. He will sell you a Prius at MSRP without any dealer fee.

Hey guys,

Bought mine for MSRP from Power Toyota here in Arizona. Just $200 for the mats, no other fees!

Fyi.... I love the sunroof!

South Florida - MSRP & mats ($229); that's it.

Thanks for the hints. When I purchased my '05, I did it over the phone with a dealer in MD (found through ebay). Paid $500 under MSRP and had it shipped to FL.

I'm not quite sure what it is about these Tampa area dealers. They all seem to be owned separately but employ the same pricing structure. Could it just be the local marketplace?

more crooks tell them to keep the car:cheer2:

price fixing call the AG office:cheer2:

Hey Blaze, did you get them to waive their $399 doc fee? If you did, great job! I passed on a chance to get a white PIII from them. I went with another dealer here in town as I preferred one in Winter Gray.

Tell that low volume dealer in FL that I'll sell mine for $5,000 over sticker and I can get plenty more at that price. He has an allocation problem caused by a volume problem.

The buying process needs to be overhauled too. Buying a car is nerve wracking to say the least. You have to negotiate price before you order the car, while waiting for the car, and again when the car finally arrives at the dealer. Then you have to be drug by the hair into small claustrophobic sales office and brow beaten for 45 minutes over the purchase of paint coatings, lifetime oil changes, extended warrantees, emergency roadside service, and last but not least satellite radio subscriptions. Isn’t car buying Fun or what?

Dan

I actually paid the doc fee. I felt so lucky not to get charged some additional bogus amount for being one of the first to get one. My neighbors and friends and are into it and love the sunroof and now want one themselves.

Some dealers just try to see how much they can get. They could add a market demand adjustment of $9,000 and it would mean as much.
They probably have some 2009s they want to sell first and the markup sticker will encourage buyers to look those and the 2010 will sit on the lot and attract people who want to see the new model in person.

Obviously, there is not that great of a demand or shortage and alot more cars are coming soon.
You could fly cross country to a dealer in another state, buy one at sticker, fly back and have the car transported to your home by truck for less than paying that price.
Who really is that desperate or clueless to consider paying the marked up price?

I've never gotten a valley dealer to budge on the doc fee. I also feel fortunate to have gotten a similar deal. I suspect that there are still only a handful of us that have them here in the valley. At times, I wish that I had gotten the sunroof. Re friends, I was just talking to a friend who lives in No Ca and has owned Gen 2 for 4 years or so. He really likes the new body style, additional room, and power. I hope you enjoy yours!

It's funny that people feel so lucky to have a dealer "let them" give them their money at full sticker price for a new car during a deep economic recession with car sales volume at lows that haven't been seen in many years.

When all the 2009s are gone and production and deliveries of 2010s are at better volumes, how long will it be before the dealers will start having trouble getting even full MSRP much less attempt markup above?
There isn't going to be $4 a gallon gas again until the economy turns completely around and there is demand for fuel that can sustain those prices.

Regarding lack of supply of the Prius, isn't there a US Prius factory that hasn't even started building cars yet?

It won't start anytime soon, certainly not this model year. Like the other car makes, Toyota has plenty of existing factory capacity elsewhere not being sufficiently used.

Web1, this is the first car that I've ever paid sticker. And between the Mrs. and I, we've purchased or leased a number of new cars. I guess I've come to feel comfortable, actually quite satisfied, about this purchase due to a number of reasons. Last year I wanted to buy a Prius but was not willing to pay the steep premium. Second, my car goes off lease in early July, so I needed to find a car this month. Third, I really believe that Toyota priced the car , particularly the P II and III, very competively even considering the factory discounts and incentives that are being offered on other vehicles. In other words, I feel that the MSRP reflects market conditions (economy, competition, etc.). I considered many cars, putting together financial spreadsheets and such. Lastly, prior to pricing being released, I thought the PIII would list for around $25K. So, add these together, and I do feel lucky that I was able to find a base PIII in the color combo I wanted with very few add-ons.

Ironically, a year or so ago I would have never thought I'd feel this way about paying MSRP for any vehicle.

On a side note, one major disadvantage to leasing is that the end of the lease is quite arbitrary having been set by contractual agreement executed some years prior.

I agree with you, and circumstances (horrible economy, relatively low gas prices) support your POV. My local dealer has offered $250 off MSRP already with no add-ons - I am going to wait for $1000 off. I am in an area where Prius demand is relatively weak (there were 3 here, only 1 has sold in 15 days) so there is almost no downside to waiting, only potential upside. Time will tell...

Agreed. If the MSRP on 2010 Prius had been set at $10,000 would you think it was a ripoff to pay sticker. Of course not. You have to look at the VALUE of what you buy, not just MSRP, markups, discounts, blah blah blah. And for me, it's worth $500 to get it now rather than 3 months from now. Wait if you wish and enjoy your old car a little longer. I drove my IROC-Z convertible for 13 years. I need to get started on my LONG ownership of model IV w/ solar.

There is another aspect to this. It's not always PURE greed. In the initial rollout of a hot new vehicle the worst thing that can happen to a store is......have nothing to show.

A hot new Prius IV comes in nicely loaded and there are a line of people waiting to look it over and drive it to see if all the PC reports are true. But somebody who has to have the first...or absolutely needs a car today...say's 'I'll buy it'

The line of people waiting to see the new vehicle?....'Well ya'll go home and we'll call you back in a couple of weeks if another one comes in.'

One of the reasons for the stupid-high addendums is that the dealer doesn't want to sell the vehicle, he wants to be able to show it to as many people as possible and get as many future orders as possible. OTOH... what if some one says "I gotta have the first one and I really don't care what the price is, money means nothing to me."

Should the dealer give up a potential $3000 or $5000 or even $10000 bonanza and not sell the car to this bozo?

A different perspective.