Please share your experiences and knowledge or suggestion

welcome to priuschat! you're doing the right thing, i hope you're not in a hurry, it's too easy to make a costly mistake. you can do a lot on the internet. i got prices on line from three dealers in my area, and then went to the cheapest one for a test drive. when i was ready to buy, they wrote it up and i made sure they didn't put in anything extra. you'll get a lot of good advice here, take your time and get a good deal. all the best!

 

I'll share my car-buying experience, which was very pleasant.

I stopped by my local dealership and took a test drive. I asked how much for the car, and he wouldn't go lower than $300 under MSRP.

Then I went online and got quotes, which varied widely. The best was $1500 under MSRP, at a dealer 150 miles away. I called the salesman I started with and told him about this offer. He called me back, and offered to match the price. So I got a good price, and the guy who took the time to give me a test drive got a small commission. I spent about two hours doing research on price, and less than half an hour negotiating.

I'm not an expert, but the following negotiation techniques have worked for me:
*No nonsense. If you take more of a salesman's time than needed, he's going to want to be compensated for his time.
*Let the salesman know you're buying a commodity. A Silver 2013 Prius C two with floormats is exactly the same no matter where you buy it, so the only thing to discuss is price. You've already shopped for financing (with your bank or with Toyota), so do not let him distract you with discussion of payments.
*Know when to be silent. Tell him about someone else offering you a better price on this commodity, then shut up and wait for him to respond.

 

My dealer would not budge an inch on price, what was the deal maker was
Synthetic oil and filter changes for life for 10.00
Life time replacement if the battery ever died
And life time on the tranny

 

I'm also in the process of buying my first new car a 2013 Prius C 4.

I'm not sure of the pricing of the C 1, but I recommend doing most of the "shopping around" online! There are sites like kbb.com and edmunds that you can choose which dealers to contact. You will get lots of calls and emails. If you prefer to discuss by email then simply don't answer the calls.

Do your research before negotiating! Know exactly what you want and don't let them talk you into something you don't want or need.

I sent emails out saying something along the lines of...
"I am sending out emails to a number of dealerships. I am looking for the best price on a 2013 Prius C 4, no moonroof, with a rear bumper protector, and a cargo tray. I got lots of emails back and asked the dealership nearest me to match a lower price, they did!

I'm going to order the car tomorrow! My Out the door price is $23,241. I got quotes upwards of $25,000 so I'm very happy with my price!

Hope any of this helps!

 

You can go to kbb.com or edmonds.com to get a better idea on fair prices. Also, make sure to read the fine print in the ad which sometimes state that the advertised price does not include destination charges, etc.

 

Get the Internet price from multiple dealers. Make sure they honor it

 

I would seriously get this in writing. Verbal contracts aren't W.A.S. and all sales people are willing to
tell you anything true/false to get you to buy a car

 

check out truecar.com their price was cheaper than all of the online quotes I got. I would still do regular online quotes as well. Their are some great videos on youtube about how to buy a car and get the best deal.

I would look at the differences between the c1 and c2, such as no cruise control, cheaper seats, no 60/40 split rear seat, less speakers, no rear cover, etc. All that was personally a deal breaker for me for getting a c1, so I opted for the c2.

 

Figure out what you expect/want to pay for the car, including title fees and the like, not necessarily sales tax, you probably want to pay that up front via cash/check. Get approved from your own bank first for the amount that you will need.

Find a dealer that has the vehicle that you want and see if they will sell it to you for the price you are wanting to pay for it. Once you agree on a price, the dealer may check to see if they can get a better loan for you or not, based on whether your own bank gave you a decent interest rate or not.

Car buying is a lot simpler than most dealers try to make it out to be. Don't let them hide numbers, it's not about what your per month payment is as much as how much you are paying total for the car versus the interest rate and length of your loan (which is what the monthly payment is derived from). Ask them, and make sure they keep you up to date on a list of every charge and the total you are paying.

Watch out for the add ons. Most dealers try to offer extended warranties and other services. Some are worth it, some aren't. Weigh your options and take some time to think them over. The official extended warranty has large gaps in what it covers, and you don't have to buy it at the time you purchase the car, you've got plenty of time to think it over, and find a decent price if you want it (it ranges from less than $1000 to over $2000 depending on where you get it).

If you do purchase any add-ons, make sure to get paperwork on them so you have proof of what they do and don't cover. The salesman can tell you anything, but the proof is in the paperwork.

 

Their are lots of online calculators that will give you approximate payments. I believe their is one on the Toyota site as well. Put as much cash down that you can afford and see if you can afford the payments on the calculator. Know how much you want to pay for the car, how much everything will cost, and how long of a loan you want. You can make your payments as cheap as you want by extending the length of the loan. I personally wouldn't go past 60 months.

I would go to your bank and get pre approved for the loan and have everything ready when you go to the dealer. Sometimes the dealer can have a lower percentage rate than a bank and then just go with the dealer for the loan, but go in there pre approved from your bank.

 

They'll all have 2013 year end sales and rebates. Do your homework on these.

 

I just bought the 2013 Prius C II on 2 weeks ago & I paid $20,000 OTD price (include 7% NJ sales tax & all the fees).
I did the same thing like other experts said sent 20 emails to diff toyota branches around your area asking for the price I am willing to paid & the colors & model I want. Once u agreed on the price, u must request the salesman to send u email in writing (otherwise tell the salesman you will not show up unless u get something in writing because i had this experience the boss didn't honor the salesman price! ) then go to the store just to sign the paper in 30 mins.

By using the email negotiating the price save tons of time & easy the car buying process!

 

Buying another car is simple:
1. find the WHOLESALE value of yiour car from NADA, edmonds, Kelley, etc and do it honestly
2. Find the wholesale or invoice value of your prospective vehicle from same sources.
3. Take the difference and add up to $500 profi (there's more in the sales document under some moniker for sales processing, etc)
Add the tax, tags, and title fees and thats what you should pay. Be careful about letting the seller add some goofy externded warranties, paint protectiojn, etc,
4. As for financing, you are at the mercy of your credit rating; as it increases in value your rate decreases. Be sure to note that any you still owe on your current ride must be added to to you new amount you finance just from the new ride. Thats deadly if you owe more than you get in trade-in. Check the values with your bank or CU if you're not sure how the values are found and the new loan value and interest rate the bank will charge and thus the mionthly payment so youi have a guide to what the dealer offers - and always compare monthly payments, not the interest rates. Dealers are known to calculate those payments differently than banks. Or other dealers. There's reasons the autoimotive business is considcered the most duishonest in the world.