Has Prius lost its shine?

Problem solved. Millenium Toyota in Hempstead came through. I picked up my 2011 Prius iv with sunroof today. It is white with dark grey interior. They even honored their misquote on the finance rate. They gave me the 2010 0.9 interest rate on the 2011. I recommend them for Long Islanders.

The car is beautiful. It has a heavier, more luxurious feel than my 2006. Still getting used to it. Only 20 miles so far. I love the way the bluetooth interfaces with my droid x phone. The Japanese are the best with technology.

 

hi danvee, in my business, we train our sales people in house. we don't want customers to feel that the salesperson doesn't care about the product or does not understand it. we train them in all the different manufacturers we represent and each manufacturer also has a yearly training class on their new products. our people have been with us for as long as 25 years, but car salesmen seem to be more transient.

 

That's the right idea, Bisco! I applaud your company (and others) for having a business model allowing training of salespeople.
You might think that any salesperson worth anything (and that's the key) would take the initiative if formal training isn't offered.
I guess base salary is enough for these guys....

 

It's amazing how provinces differ, from like Quebec to the Maritimes, at least here in Nova Scotia, it seems the most popular, at least what you see most on the road for mid-size cars is, the Audi, Infiniti, Camry, Lexas or Acura, some smaller cars are the Mitsubishi, Mazda, Corolla, the SUV's are the Lexas, Acura, Rav4 and getting really popular are the Toyota Venza's.

In NS, a 2011 Prius, automatic with AC, will cost you around 33,315 incl tax(we have a higher HST) and gets 3.8L/100km which is 74MPG.

For such a nice solid riding vehicle and a name you can trust, plus a difference of 42MPG compared to 74MPG, I'd spend a little extra and get the Prius rather than a little Hyundai,

...but that's just me.

 

Give this article a quick read: Confessions of a Car Salesman — Edmunds.com

I look at those guys/gals in a completely different way now, and only focus on the price when I go in to buy, doing my homework on everything else beforehand.

What a job.

 

good sales people are hard to find. it takes a certain personality who is more interested in the next sale than the last one. in our business, we have to go out looking for customers. in the auto business, you wait for them to come in. i wonder if that makes a difference in the personalities? i know our people could never stand the tedium of waiting for customers.

 

I have read this, from a salespersons point of view. I have worked at 4 different dealerships in my career and would not say that any of them were close to this guys "experiences."
Focusing on price will lead to nothing but creating a less rewarding experience for you. Find a car you like with the features you like and work out a price that makes you happy. There is always someone who will tell you they can give you a bigger better deal but you will find you're chasing rainbows.

 

aztoyotascion!

Spoken like a salesman

Seriously, I've been in retail sales and management for 35 years and that makes all the sense in the world if you're on the seller's side of the desk/counter.
Having just gone through another car buying experience (detailed earlier) I can tell you that it really doesn't apply to car buying; at least not around here.
As most of us have a number of dealers selling the exact same vehicle, we generally won't me "happy" until we get the best possible price.
The internet and these forums can give us an awareness of item cost etc. that wasn't available some years back.
When I was car shopping for a friend looking to purchase a 2010/2011 Prius IV(4), I knew the exact model and options wanted.
Armed with info from AAA and other sources, with internet quotes from 8 "local" dealers, I had a pretty good idea how much needed to be spent to get what he wanted.
Focusing on price was about all there was left.
If we had stopped with the first dealer's best price we'd have left almost $2000 on the table (not an insignificant -to me- number).
By going through a sequence of "best prices" we had wrung as much out of the deal as we could. The key was finding whichever dealer was willing to make the least $$ on the sale.
A $2000 rainbow was worth chasing (and catching)
As a consumer, I really dislike the game of car buying. It's frustrating, time consuming and exhausting, but necessary in order to get the best value for $$ spent.
However, those are the game rules we're given and if you're going to play, you'd best bring your A game.
The original Saturn theory had some merit-the price on the car was the price- just like walking into your local 7-11 to buy a cup of coffee and a donut. You can see the price up front, no deals, no dickering-buy it or not. I guess the business model wasn't sustainable unless the whole market complied.
You have 2 factions at war: the buyer wants a $30K car for a pittance and the seller wants to be able to make as much profit as business and concience (if any) allows.
Sadly, it almost comes down to each side's tolerance for pain-and who gives up first.

 

It does. Some more dealerships are going with no-haggle. One of the Toyota places locally has a price they refuse to budge on for used, so you take it or leave it. I'm so used to getting money off I kind of hate it. I thought in the past I'd like it, but it seems that I generally get money off things fairly well, so if there are no negotiations in a sense I'm paying for those who are bad at negotiating. Also, when I shop now and see a price I knock money off it immediately in my head, so I and most consumers are used to being able to get money off and if we don't we feel ripped off.

When I got our Prius I had prices from three places and I chased no rainbows. I chased real savings and got them. Once I had the best price my place was willing to give I called another dealership and got theirs. Then I went back to my first and told them that I appreciate the time they spent with me (as I test drove it there) and want to give them my business, but they'll need to do better. Finally I got so finicky I said if you can knock $5/month more off this lease "I'll come in right now and sign", and they love hearing that kind of thing, makes them giddy. I got a great price in the end. Knowing I got it for cheaper than average is all I really want. I hate to be average

 

What's the issue? Go through truecar.com, USAA or Costco and buy from the cheapest dealer. I would only go with a no-haggle dealer if they had the best price and they rarely do.

 

You're totally right on this.
It's the way to go, but falls down if:

a) you don't want to pay to join the "club" to get the price.
b) the lowest priced dealer is not within a reasonable travel distance.
c) the lowest priced dealer doesn't have the car/package in stock as you want it, and charges more if they have to get it.
d) the lowest priced dealer tacks on a bunch of extra-value (to them) charges. Best example is the "optional" glass etching registration ($200) that the dealer can't/won't wave even though it's stated on the contract as "optional". Another would be a non-negotiable $500 documentation fee.

Those are all part of personal past (6 months ago) and recent experiences (within the last week) in car buying. I can only speak for our own area (N/E NJ), so others' experiences may well be different.

 

It is a war out there. They are not your friend. They want to destroy you and your wallet. You must be on guard at all times, eyes back of your head, ready and willing and even eager to walk. The salesman will try and build a rapport, tell you stories about his life, show you pictures of his children, but it's a facade. He wants one thing and that is to beat you. He will aim his entire arsenal at you and when it's not enough he'll bring in backup. He and his manager will tag team you. Make you feel uncomfortable, small, make you question your desires and wishes.

 

Hoping that that response was somewhat tounge-in-cheek

You are fundamentally correct in all aspects. I don't think that most salespeople are malicious or evil, but the whole situation is set up to be confrontational once you start "negotiating" away from his original offer.
It's a well developed/well honed system that's been in place for years.
I would never want to be a car salesman. The pre-conceived notion of the public has to be demoralizing at best.

 

These two always crack me up !

I know that they're there, and when the deal is done, and we go over the final contract, I innocently ask .... What are these two things ?? They explain about the glass etching, and I say ... I don't want that. They say that it's already on the car and there's nothing they can do. I stand up and start walking away. They say ... Wait ... where are you going ? I say ... Get me a different car that doesn't have that 'option' or the deal is off ... I'm not paying for it. They say ... let me check with my manager ... I say ... you have 2 minutes. They come back and say ... Wow this is the first time I've ever seen this ... my manager will waive the etching fee .... I say fine.

Then I ask ... what is this documentation fee stuff .... they say ... that's the fee for doing all the paperwork that it takes to sell the car. I ask ... are you not in the business of selling cars ? They say ... Yes we are. I say ... Well ... in the course of selling a product, do you not have to write the order for it ? They say ... Yes. I say .... Well, I'm certainly not going to PAY you to write the order for something that I'M BUYING. They say ... there's nothing I can do about that fee ... it's required. I say ... By who ? THey say ... The dealership. I get up and start walking away. They say ... Wait ... where are you going ? I say I absolultely will NOT pay 1 cent for YOU to write the order for what I am buying. If you want the deal, you'll write the order without cost just like every other business in the world. They say ... sorry .... it's mandatory. I say ...Good Bye .... there's another Toyota dealer in the next town over that won't charge me to write my deal. They say ... Wait ... let me talk to my manager. I say ... You have 2 minutes. They come back and miraculously, another special exception has been made.

Are you getting the idea about how this is done ??? It has to be done at THE VERY LAST MINUTE ... after they've spent time and effort on you, and they can actually SMELL the deal being done. THIS IS WHEN YOU HAVE THE MOST POWER. This is when you say ... Oh ... I forgot .... I need a trailer hitch, or ... I need all weather mats .... or ... I need Bluetooth installed. You're gonna have to throw that in for me to do the deal.

Muller Toyota in Clinton NJ did this to me .... They waived the etching, would only come down to $250 for the doc fee .... I walked .... I was driving out of the lot and saw the salesman coming out the door waving for me to come back. I didn't. Went to Milham in Easton, got a better deal, and no stupid fees. My cell phone was ringing off the hook on the way from that dealer to the other dealer. I let it go to voicemail. When I got home, they called me and I answered .... they said ... WOW I got the doc fee waived for you, I tried to catch you but you had already left. I said ... sorry, I already bought a car a half hour after I left you guys. You should have been reasonable while I was there. Thanks for your time.

It's not hard to get the deal you want if it's reasonable and possbile. All you have to do is .... GET UP AND WALK AWAY. I can't tell you how many times I've thanked the sales person for their time, gotten up, and walked toward the door. They typically let you get outside before they come running, but they ALWAYS come running if the deal that you're looking at isn't unreasoanable. The most important body part to use when buying a car isn't your BRAIN ... its your FEET.

REV

 

It seems that all car window glass is etched. What you're paying for is the registration of that number with some service.
In all of my years of buying cars, I've never heard of a doc fee being waived/reduced.
What I found funny was that the "finance guy" tried to sell my friend LOJACK for his Prius IV(4) which, I reminded him, already came with Safety Connect (which has Stolen Vehicle Location).
Nice try, though....

 

40% tongue-in-cheek only

Best thing you can do when buying a car is realize that the power is in your hands, you're all growns up, and you will not take their crap. Believe in yourself. If your self-esteem is weak, your confidence wavers you will be taken to task. If they start feeding you bologna push back. For example, the classic "please sign this and it just says that if we agree on a price then you'll buy a car". It's a document meant to get emotional buy-in from you. It's crap. Don't sign it. This will piss off the salesman, but you need to. Be polite but do not take their bull even if they get the tag-team going on. And then read your final paper in detail, it shouldn't be complex.

This is unlike a mortgage. Last time I refied my house there was a one inch stack. It's impossible for a lay person to have any clue whatsoever all that nonsense is so basically it's a leap of faith that you didn't just sell your children to the bank and hopefully the lawyer summarizing these huge documents in 10 seconds a piece is on the up and up. I signed my name 15 ties, initialed 50. I have no idea why.

 

Again, it's a shame that you have to deal that way, but a fact.
As I'd cautioned my friend: "You have to be prepared to just say 'No, thanks' and walk away."
If you're in love with the car, the seller will know that and exploit it. The best time to buy is when you don't really "need" a car.
A casual attitude drives 'em crazy, as they can't clearly tell if they're wasting their time or not, and they don't want to risk being wrong.

 

I've never paid a doc fee in my life. If you get to the end of the deal, and they won't waive that fee when they smell blood in the water .... use your feet .... then you'll see the doc fee 'waived'.
The problem is ... most people are soooooo relieved that it's over, and that all they have to do to drive that nice new car away is sign a bunch of stuff, they don't even want to THINK about walking away at that point. Oh they all say it's mandatory, but believe me ... NOTHING is mandatory. It's also funny, because they print it right on the form, as if it's a standard form, and the fee is printed there because it's required by the state or something. What they do is cross it out, recalculate the deal without the fee, and then you and the dealer agent initial the 'crossed out fee'.

REV