Midwest Dealers Still Want Premiums Over MSRP

Hey, try Toyota of Terre Haute. I saw cars on their lot last time I was there. Lots of Prii. Just google it. I bought from Bob, but honestly just look out for yourself and see how much talking you can do on the phone. It's a long drive from St. Louis, so I would try to get them to commit to some sort of price, or zone.

-Brad Horton

 

Thought I should state, I did look and call everywhere from St. Louis, to Indianapolis and this was the only place that had them in at that time. I figured if availability was up on their lot, that they would be everywhere else too. OH well I suppose. I'd offer to sell mine, and get a lesser model... but I better not mess with all that. hehe.

 

If a dealer doesn't want to play, tell him you're ready to buy but are going elsewhere. Give them your phone number and a couple days to think about it. Don't hesitate to mention that you know people are getting at least $1k under MSRP elsewhere around the country. My dealer started off trying to tell me that he could still get a premium over MSRP, but when I said thanks, but no thanks and got ready to leave, he came down in a hurry. I think I used the wording that he was insulting me asking me to pay that price when I know others are getting much better deals.

I know you have played this game some already, but make sure they know you are totally serious about buying a car before the end of the year. (Remember, you will get a federal deduction on the sales tax on a new car purchase in 2009. No guarantee you'll get that in 2010.)

 

Hey there, It really does suck when dealers suffer from entitlement. I would go elsewhere and that is actually what I did. I wanted a car this summer - it seemed at the height of the craze (due to cash for clunkers). NYC dealers only wanted above MSRP and they didn't even have the car I wanted. They tried to talk me out of the car I wanted by telling me how the solar panel was no good. Well, I went to the internet and Priuschat and found Jim Barkley Toyota in Asheville, NC. I don't know if they are far from you but they are 12 hours away from us. We drove our car down, and picked up our Prius. They always are $300 below MSRP- no haggling. Easy peasy. They gave us a great price on our trade in and made the entire transaction a pleasure. My dealer was Alan if you decide to go that route.
There's plenty of dealers willing to make the customer happy as opposed to padding their pockets. Good luck. You can also check their website for any inventory they have, they tell you cars that are coming in and cars that are available.

 

They still ask for 2k over invoice in Las Vegas. If you look at them funny they fold pretty quick on it, though.

 

It sounds like it may be a Mo. thing. I live in Springfield, Mo.. and couldn't deal with my dealer either. So we called around ALL the dealers in Mo. and Ks. and found a good deal with Olathe Toyota, in Olathe, Ks., just west of K.C., Mo. You can take I70 to I35 and it's almost a straight shot, less than 4 hrs.

We bought our 2010 V with AT back in Aug. when deals were impossible to negotiate, however, we dealt with Shannon Merkel and were able to secure a $500 discount, not bad back when virtually ALL prices were at or above MSRP.

Give Shannon a call and find out what they have . They're also the largest dealer in the K.C. Region. Check out their web site at olathetoyota.com, they usually have aGREAT selection of 2010 Prius's.

Tell Shannon David & LaDonna from Springfield told you to call. and that we said Hi.

Good Luck!

David (aka Blind Guy)

 

I got $1200 off dealer invoice for Prius III (no NAV) at Germain Toyota in Columbus OH. Ask for Norman Oribello.

 

Try reading through the latter parts of the long threads in this form on how much disucout folks got and what they paid on the Dealer and priceing forum. I bet you will find folks in the midwest who paid less than MSRP and where they paid it.
At worst you can go to Caldwell toyota in Conway Ark where I got 500 off a II-level car last month--and there have been reports of higher discounts this month in our Gulf/South Toyota region.

 

To clarify, did you get $1200 below INVOICE or $1200 below MSRP? There's a big difference...

 

I paid $22,000 + $250 (doc fee) + $30 (Title fee) + tax for Prius III (no NAV) + floor mats.

I believe that's a discount off the dealer invoice.

 

It sounds like you are shopping hard; not smart. www.aaa.com reports a dealer 19 miles from zip code 63101 will sell a IV (no extras) for $26274, $676 below MSRP of $26950. Two other dealers "will provide your price".

Pricing is regional. Going farther away may get you a cheaper price. In my case the car from Baltimore MD (~90 miles) would be ~$1000 cheaper than one bought locally.

Three things are against you. First is the end of the year sale driving traffic into the dealership. More prospective customers = less inclination to reduce price. Second is the expiration of the sales tax deduction at the end of the month. Third is the reported February price increase. This will shift demand into December & January.

No matter what you pay for the car there will be someone somewhere getting a better deal. Know what you want, what you can live with, and what you need. Work the best deal you can. Then enjoy the car.

Best wishes for getting what you want at a fair price.

 

Here in the SF Bay Area they are extremely popular - still going for around $700 over MSRP. Of course, there's lots of money here even with the high unemployment.

 

FWIW, I went to carsdirect.com, put in the 63108 zip code (I just picked a random one that corresponds to St. Louis, MO), picked a Prius II got their target price of $23,150 which is exactly the MSRP (w/destination charge).

If all else fails and you don't want to go somewhere far away, then you could try carsdirect or use this as a starting point for negotiating downwards from MSRP.

 

Why aren't more people buying from Costco - they have a $1K - $2.2K discount (depending on package) from MSRP...

 

There are discounts available around Chicago too. I'd try internet shopping and if all else fails, do the one thing that always works - wait for your price. If you want to pay invoice, I don't think it will ever happen with the Prius, but you can certainly get $500 to $1000 off MSRP if you're willing to wait...

 

Has happened in early December in the Columbus OH area. Even $1200 below dealer invoice.
May not happen now, with the end of the year buying rush (for state tax deduction reasons..)

 

I am sure you meant below MSRP, not invoice. No way...

 

See my post (#11 in this thread):

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...till-want-premiums-over-msrp.html#post1026995