Ok to call multiple dealers in my area to pre-order car of my dreams?

IMO, you could really lock in your chances of being among the first to get that call if you put down a refundable deposit.

 

You know, I had a scathing post directed at you, but I think I am going to take the higher road here and just say that I disagree with you 110%.

 

You did right by e-mailing many dealers for the specific car you want because some a post I read here, it seems that dealers only get 2010 cars in the amount of 2009 they sold. The one thing I believe you did wrong was say you would pay MSRP for the car. Even you are comfortable paying MSRP, you should always wait to see what there offer is. Maybe they will knock off a few hundred right off the bat. Or if they come in at sticker first then you can agree to the price and ask for some free stuff like mats or oil changes.

 

Jabber, you showed you are the better man. Your posts are always very helpful and informative. That idiot speaks for himself only. Keep up the good work.

 

Do you have a contract with a dealer? The contract is your key to having an order placed with Toyota and further your purchase contract is the key to Toyota shipping the car that you want to the dealer that has your order. The Prius isn't going to be like buying a Corolla. We don't expect the cars to stack up like Camrys:: If Toyota allocates a car to our dealer that doesn't match a cotracted sold order, we will do two things:
First_ call my District Manager and ask him to roll the unsold car off of my allocation and replace it with one of the cars that I sumitted sold.
Second_ call every customer that had the same package on contracted order and ask if they'd like to take an alternate color.

The folks that are on paper with an intent to buy are those that get the cars first.

 

Be prepared to wait. The dealers will have at least 5 people wanting to buy the same car. If you're not willing to put down a refundable deposit, the best position you'll be in is a race to the dealer when one comes in. At this point you are playing your hand a little too hard for one not dealing from a position of power. Good luck.

 

Thanks. i am well aware that he is the odd man out on this forum. Usually I get a bunch of irate posts about what a dealer did to them once people find out I am in sales. Haven't even had a single one yet!

No different here. Or at about 99% of the dealers in our region.

Since you offered to pay MSRP, you might be OK. IF nobody else ordered that exact vehicle. In reality, I can put your name on the list also with no deposit. If I have filled my allocation, that is I don't have to change any or can't, and happen to have the exact car for you, I would call you.

I wish you luck with your strategy and hope it works out for you.

 

Both of you seem like good guys, and you appear very well-intentioned in your posts. Better than that, actually, as I've appreciated what you've contributed in this thread and other places.

That's all a preamble to telling you that Pat is a real asset to our PC community. Even though he is a bit off at times (he is an Aussie, you know!), he's always one to listen, learn and contribute. He traveled across the globe just to spend a cold winter weekend with some of us PriusChatters, and he became a good friend to us all.

(OK, Pat. Now is your time to explain yourself.)

 

I think we can all get along.

 

Perhaps a P.C. Group sing of "We Are The World"....

 

:grouphug:

 

<sing> We are the world </sing>

Just want to clarify something I said. I didn't mean that he was the odd man out on this forum, just that his views towards salespeople seem to be different than other people in this particular thread.

But, I am used to it by now. As soon as someone finds out that I am a dealer, I usually get the, "Oh. You are one of those"...

I really don't have a beef with Pat, just the general stereotype that comes along with my career choice. If one is a crook, then they all are type of thinking.

 

Well, you would be the furthest person to buy a car from me. I had one from Nevada once..

 

To ggood: I hope you see this, though it's November now. I want to buy a new 2010 soon--just the Prius II, nothing extra. I'm not clear as to why (in your e-mails to dealers) you "always include the known info re invoice...." (Just to let them know you're a savvy customer?) Why include the "destination charges" (just to let them know you don't object to Toyota's standard $750?) Why include their standard MSRP?
BTW, I'm not optimistic, even if I get Consumer Reports' $14 "New Car Price Report", that I'll be able to buy a new Prius II for below the $23,150 MSRP, as the Prius II is now the cheapest model and I'm not ordering any extra-cost options. (BTW, Truecar.com seems to be behind-the-times, as they show the "sticker" on a Prius II as still $22,750--without the $400 Toyota added a month or 2 ago--so their "Factory Invoice" $22,232 can no longer be correct.)

 

I'll jump in for a second. Right now, pkg II's are starting to sit around on dealer lots. You can buy one for under MSRP, but there is only about 700 markup. So the best deal is only about 700 off if you were able to negotiate invoice pricing on one.

 

Yes to all your questions. My goal is simply to let them know that I know what their numbers are, and to try to make sure I get complete quotes so that I can compare apples to apples. I would trust what Jabber had to say by the way. Also, I think the edmonds.com and kbb.com pricing gives you the basic info you need. I wouldn't waste money on the CR report.