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looking for buying advice

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by lisalys, Dec 3, 2012.

  1. lisalys

    lisalys Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2004
    16
    1
    0
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    So I've been lurking around for a while, and have finally decided to actually pull the trigger and get a v model 3. I am one of those people who hates doing any kind of negotiation, so decided to try using the employee purchase plan we have at work. I work a couple of miles from the Milpitas dealership, and live a couple of miles from the Fremont one. They put me in touch with a dealership in ~Vallejo~ which is about an hour away. Needless to say, I'm not too thrilled about heading all the way out there for a test drive, but I'm not sure what my options are... Do I just contact the fleet managers at some of the local places and see if they'll match what the other price is? Should I try the Costco or AAA discounts? I know I can contact Dianne in LA, but that's a heck of a drive.

    Any advice would be appreciated. I just do not have the car-buying gene.

    thanks,

    - lisa
     
  2. Alan Stoddart

    Alan Stoddart Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2012
    27
    0
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Try Googling "dealer cost." I did and landed on carcostcanada.com. There should be an equivalent American site. You enter your desired model and options and it gives you a dealer cost, then says "add a fair markup of 3 to 6 %."
    I went in the middle at 4.5% and the salesperson looked it over and said, "We use 5%," which added a couple of hundred dollars. It was a painless process.
     
  3. skwcrj

    skwcrj Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2011
    278
    68
    5
    Location:
    Gig Harbor, WA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    Hi Lisa,

    I used Truecar.com but didn't buy from the dealers they do business with. I figured that I could get the same deal from a non-participating dealer. My thought was that if the non-participating dealer would not agree to the Truecar price, I could go to the Truecar dealer and have them get the specific car via a dealer to dealer trade. It worked fine. My dealer honored the Truecar price and actually worked hard to find me V-2 in Blue Ribbon from another dealer (who was a Truecar participating dealer).

    So, take your deal to the one you like instead.

    BTW, if I remember correctly, the only difference between a V-2 and a V-3 is the Nav. For less than the difference, we had leather added to our V-2 and I just used a Garmin GPS. Something to think about.... Would you rather have a leather interior or Nav?
     
  4. Saurin Shah

    Saurin Shah New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 27, 2012
    1
    0
    0
    Location:
    Seattle, Washington
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Hi Lisa,

    I live in Seattle, WA and used TrueCar.com. Truecar, gives you a price certficate, and then I called up multiple dealers to see what price they are ready to offer (Get an email quote from them so that it is official). Then I went to the closest dealership to my home with print outs of all emails and they matched the best offer. To summarize, I visited only one dealership, got the car for TrueCar.com price - $500, and the whole process took just one day.

    Hope this helps,
    Saurin
     
  5. c.hack

    c.hack Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 10, 2012
    21
    3
    0
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I bought a V Five 3 weeks ago. It was a 2012 so I knew the dealers were anxious to sell. I got it a few hundred below invoice. Don't forget the dealer holdback is 2% so they still make a good profit at the invoice price.

    I've found you get the best price if you go to the dealer, tell them you are buying a car today and plan to look at a few more dealerships.
     
  6. RonKo

    RonKo New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2012
    20
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Two
    For about $15.00 I did the CONSUMER REPORTS Truth In Buyers Index. CR gives you the dealer cost for whatever model and options you want. Then 3 dealers in your area contact you with their best price. It worked out quite well for me. I test drove a car in my home town and felt confident about what model I wanted. I contacted every dealer in a 50-75 mile radius and told each dealer the best offer I received, and gave them all a chance to beat it. I did this all in front of my computer via email, since most dealers have an internet/email sales rep. It also gives you time to talk it over with your partner or a friend. No histrionics in the dealership, no haggling. The entire experience took about one week and the only time I left my home was to pick up the car. It gives you a chance to research the dealer as well regarding their sales practices and service. You will love your Prius, I do. Best of luck.
     
  7. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

    Joined:
    Oct 23, 2007
    4,062
    1,123
    64
    Location:
    Laguna Niguel, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Premium
    At times, the Northern CA dealers can't compete with me, but sometimes they do.
    I drive to Los Gatos a lot to see my family so Milpitas doesn't seem to far to me.
    If I am able to help, I hav e a few 2012's at some great blowout pricing. And, some nice deals on 2013's as well. ;)
    I have shipped lot of Prii out of the state so being only a 5 hour drive's not bad. I've spent that much time on the 405 and 5 trying to get to closer places anyway LOL!!!
     
  8. lisalys

    lisalys Junior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2004
    16
    1
    0
    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Three
    Wow, thanks for the advice -- looks like the truecar price is about $200 less than the CostCo price, so that gives me two numbers to start with. Plus whatever number these Vallejo guys give me if they ever call. :->

    Dianne, I hear ya on the 5 hours not getting you anywhere -- we've got pretty bad traffic around here, too, though nothing compared to the 405!! If the prices up here are that crazy, I will definitely contact you and try to find a free weekend to head down. I don't think I have one until January, though! :)

    skwcrj, I actually like cloth seats better than leather -- probably too many bad memories of sticking to my grandma's buick when I was a kid. ;-)
     
  9. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2012
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    1,623
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    Location:
    Sanford, NC
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    Limited
    Consider the arm rests on the door and center console are also cloth. I just couldn't see getting into the car with suntan lotion or just sweat on my arms and that fabric absorbing the odors. I didn't go up to the 5 for the SofTec but elected to have a dealer installed upholstery set that Toyota furnishes the dealers in a 3. No heated seats that way. I figured my bum could warm em up. Toyota part number and Toyota warranty.
     
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,116
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    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Lisa, yes to all. When negotiating don't be the first to throw out a price. Ask for their lower price. Ask if they will match the AAA or Costco or whatever price. If still "too high" point out that you'd rather buy locally but will travel to save money. If you are close the Sales Manager can make the difference go away because they really don't want a paying customer to go away.

    You can test drive the car at any dealer.