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Gen III - 2010 Prius II - Too Good to be True?

Discussion in 'Dealers & Pricing' started by acanete, Mar 28, 2010.

  1. acanete

    acanete New Member

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    I have been shopping for a Prius II (2008-2010) New or Used that is priced reasonably (somewhere below invoice -taking account dealer incentives, etc...).

    The best quote for a brand new Prius II in my area is $20,980 before taxes and all the other fees. This is very reasonable in my opinion when I compare to what others seem to be paying.

    Here is my dilemma: I am also considering getting a used Prius as I have a budget that I want to stay within. I have opened my search Nationwide as I am willing to have the right car shipped.

    Yesterday I got a call from a non-Toyota dealership letting me know that they had received a 2010 Prius II (Blue) as a trade-in with only 3300 miles on it. Their asking price was $20,900 and would be sold As-Is with the original manufacturer's warranty still in place. I visited the dealership and drove the car, inspected the bolts in all the doors, hood trunk, and those that I could see to make sure there weren't any hidden accident repairs that weren't disclosed (my brother works for a dealership and suggested this). So all in all except for the Toyota Certified Warranty it appears the car is in great condition. After a brief negotiation and the dealer saying he wouldn't go below $19,500 because he'd rather wholesale at that point, they said they would let the car go for $18,000.

    I am planning on going back this morning and buying this car. Is there something I missed and is the $18,000 too good to be true? Another Toyota dealer that I had been in talks with said it was too good to be true and that surely there was something wrong with this car.

    Please advise. I don't want to miss out on an opportunity or get taken by the same.
     
  2. jcgee88

    jcgee88 Member

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    Assuming you have done the due diligence on the car, i.e.,
    it isn't a salvage title, or the mileage is not accurate, or something
    similar, $18K for a low mileage 2009 model is an excellent price.

    If the car is solid and you want the "Prius experience" at a low
    cost, then I would recommend it. This is in fact exactly how
    I made my own decision a couple of months ago to purchase
    my 2009 that had only 7K miles. I did question the dealer
    closely on why the car in question had such low mileage (and
    he gave a reasonable explanation about the prior owner).

    I also bought mine from a non-Toyota dealer, GMC, who was
    definitely more flexible than the Toyota dealer I typically deal
    with. When you think about it, a non-Toyota dealer has a
    vested interest in dumping any Toyotas in stock as fast as
    possible, since time is money and he has no interest in
    maintaining high prices for the used Prius market.

    On the other hand, if you have fallen in love with any of the
    2010 model's features, then getting the 2010 makes more
    sense. In other words, you don't want to go through the
    next five years pining for, say, the bigger ICE. By the way,
    even your price on the 2010 is not bad.
     
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    The brand new @ 20980 is too good to be true (just over invoice I think)! With that said so is the 18K used one. Run the VIN on the used one and take it to an independent shop to have it looked over.
     
  4. lunabelgium

    lunabelgium Member

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    Ask the identity of the former owner and dial him. In Belgium, the Toyota Certified Warranty follows the car while in the Warranty time - is't the same in the States ?
     
  5. acanete

    acanete New Member

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    I did run a Carfax and also ran a NCIB Vin Check. These both came back clean. I do realize that there are accidents that can be repaired and not reported, which is why I did the whole body inspection (to the best of my ability) bit.

    I found out from the dealer that this car was traded in for a Camaro and that the original owners had purchased it in Nov. '09. According to the dealer, the owners are from an area of town that is well-to-do which is one of the reasons trading in a new Prius for a new Camaro was no-big-deal, and low mileage is due to having bought the car later in the year and driving it approx. 1k miles a month (not unreasonable).

    Should I be concerned about not getting the Certified Warranty that you would get from the Toyota dealership? I imagine I could buy this after market? Of course, the used one will carry the original warranty - I'm just looking to see if I need or should get the extended one that would equal the 7yr/100k coverage.

    Thank you for your input.
     
  6. Surfdolfin

    Surfdolfin Surfin the Blizzard Pearl

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    II
    Spider: On 12/31/09 I purchased a 3G Prius II with extras Bliz. Pearl +$220 & mats +$200 for $21,477 = $21,057 net, only $77 more than the quoted $20,980. Could be possible.
    Bart in SoCAL:cool:
     
  7. acanete

    acanete New Member

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    The email and quote that I received from the dealer at the $20,980 takes into account current incentives for the customer and dealer and was a "this weekend" price. I recognized that this was a good deal that may not be around long, but the $18k on the used one is very tempting.
     
  8. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    $20980 is about $1000 less than the local AAA price. Saving $2980 by accepting 3300 miles seems like a good deal if the car is sound.
     
  9. SageBrush

    SageBrush Senior Member

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    Is car insurance by VIN in the public domain ?
    How about police reports by VIN ?

    I'm just musing how one might track down car accident information.
     
  10. acanete

    acanete New Member

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    The name of the website is:National Insurance Crime Bureau Site. I would include the URL, but am being prevented from doing so at this time. :p
     
  11. aapoppa

    aapoppa formerly known as "Popoff"

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    I agree with lunabelgium. Get the old owners phone number from the dealer and give them a call.
     
  12. clymberz

    clymberz New Member

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    What did you end up doing? Do you have recommendations for local SF Bay Area dealers who are no-BS and offer great prices? thanks