Newbie: Understanding Extra Charges

Go through TrueCar.com, AAA Car Buying Service, or USAA to get the best price! A Base IV is going for $22,879.00 through USAA here in the Metro Atlanta area, there is a TrueCar Dealer here offering a Base IV for $22,883.00. USAA issues a pricing certificate the dealership has to honor in order to stay in the program, I believe TrueCar works the same way. The only added charges are Tax, Tag, Title Fees and Dealer Documentation fees. Here the Doc fees run about $599. The end of July I purchased my III w/Nav for $3300 below Invoice going through USAA. Do your research and go to the dealership armed with knowledge and a pre-negotiated price! You will walk away with a good deal and your sanity!

 

doc fee is $599? WOW the doc fee in CA is only $50. But then again, we have the highest taxes and the dealers wont discount the Prius like other states. We can't win at everything.

 

GA Doc fees are the highest I've ever encountered, and talk about a rip, everything is computer based and automated, it's not like you're paying for a secretarial pool who hand type all the contracts! We even digitally signed the documents on a touch screen built into the Finance guy's desk... Maybe I was helping them pay for their high tech gadgets...

But, as you mentioned, at least that ridicules fee is offset by the discounts offered, by Toyota anyway, Honda still thinks their cars have the trunks full of gold bars! I don't think there are many Honda's sold for at or below Invoice!

 

WOW really? My parents bought their 92 Accord for 1500 under invoice back then. I'm not sure how it is now.

 

yes, this is advertising money. i don't understand how it works exactly or where they come up with the amount they charge, but the dealer uses this money to help pay for the toyota commercials you see on tv, both local dealer and national spots (or so i was told).

 

Read through CarBuyingTips.com new car buying guide, avoiding dealer scams, new cars, used car buying. Some fees are pure BS. There is a middle-man between Toyota who makes the car in Japan and the dealer who makes the retail sale. This is the Region. Some Regions charge the dealers in their territory an ad fee. The dealer passes it on to the retail customer.

AAA also has a car buying service available on their website. The reported prices for zip code 10020 for a base IV are: MSRP $28830, invoice $27367, member price $25607.

The auto industry is still in the toilet. I don't believe there are many cars selling close to MSRP. I suspect just about everything is selling close to or below invoice.

 

Dealers in so cal are afraid of passing advertising fees and other junk fees on to the customers. They know that if they do, they'll lose customers to other dealers. Fees here in CA is pretty straight forward, car price + $50 doc fee + tax + license +finance charge = OTD price. There is no "there's a $500 charge to finance your car". Whatever the percentage the rate is, that's the finance charge.

 

They need to make a profit but you hold the money and therefore the control. Get bids from as many dealers as you can stand. Call or email to them what you want, get back bids *in writing* for the final total out-the-door price. If you like one dealer best ask them to meet the best price. You can do all of this without going anywhere, except for a test drive and picking up the car.

Everything is negotiable. The only thing that matters is the final total. How they get there and what they call the pieces is their own little game.

When they have you waiting for the paperwork and the detailing/extended warranty salesanimal comes in, just keep smiling and saying "no" until they go away.

Oh, and pay cash. Borrowing money for a new car is robbing yourself.

 

Buying a Prius is simple: Pick a color, pick the level, and go talk to a buying service.

If you can't decide, leave your checkbook at home, and go visit the dealer with the most Prius' in your area. Poke, prod, ask questions. Then once you've decided, GO HOME!

Get the buying service price for the exact car you want, go back to the dealer, and without showing off the buying service price, try to do better. If you can't you already know what you can get the car for... And if they don't like the fact that you had the buying service price in your back pocket, go to the next dealer with the car you want with that price in hand.

The extra charges become irrelevant, if you use the buying service. And in Virginia, they do charge a processing fee on every sales/lease transaction, as allowed by Virginia law. That fee varies by dealer, but is usually between $300 and $350. At least around here, it's unavoidable.

It's simple, really. And Richard, I disagree, I am utterly not concerned about the dealer's need to make a profit. THAT is how they get you. crocodile tears. They either meet your demands or they don't. Why is not your concern.


Cheers

 

Not if you got the 0% financing promo.