Dealer steered me towards Corolla instead

giving us your location will help. there are a few around here that have managed to pick up a package 1. chances are the guy was looking for a quick sale to go on his next paycheck...

dealers don't order cars... they get "allocations" because of the supply/demand issue. check around other local dealers, if they're not working with you there are other places that will work to earn your business.

welcome to priuschat, good luck finding your car!

 

Only you can decide that.

 

my husband works for jacobson- they reportedly are the top selling prius dealer in the nation, which means they probably get the biggest allotments. we got ours back in march, and then they were doing straight msrp, but they added the "toyoguard" package to all cars. a lower package will probably be harder to find, SET likes to sell the high packages, but you should be able to find something. there are some other dealers here in the triangle- fred anderson and rice come to mind, think they're both in raleigh.

 

Most people probably figure that the stereo and smart key system are worth the extra $800 in price. That's why it's rare to see anything less than a package 3.

When I was first shopping for a Prius, the salesman tried to steer me to a Corolla too. Stick to your guns. A Corolla is not a Prius. Once the salesman knows that your mind is made up on a Prius, he'll take your name and phone number (and sometimes a $500 deposit--but that's not as common now that supply seems to be catching up with demand) and give you a call when the one you want just happens to show up in their allocation. He'll probably also call you when he has other unclaimed Prii in his allocation that don't excactly meet the package and color you want, and it's up to you if you tell him you'll keep waiting or take what's available.

 

We had this happen when we were buying, too. Basically, they know that they are not going to have a problem selling the Prius. However, if they can make a Corolla sale on top of the Prius sale that they are guaranteed to make, so much the better (for them). Package #1's are fairly rare, but you should be able to find one if you're willing to travel a moderate distance (and, maybe, even if you're not).

Basically, I've learned from reading on this site that many dealers are willing to say whatever they need to in order to get you to buy something from them. "A needle in a haystack" sounds exactly like the type of thing that a dealer in my area said when we were looking to get our Package 3 back in September. If the dealer can't get you that car (for whatever reason), I think they are probably pretty likely to say that it's a "needle in a haystack" no matter what the truth is. I would definately shop around. As far as availability (as long as you're willing to look in a ~50 mile radius), I think that you're going to find that the availability is much better than general public opinion, and certainly better than some dealers will make you think.

As far as the Corolla vs. the Prius, I agree with Kiloran; only you can decide that. Many (most?) people will not save enough money on gas to make up the difference in cost between the Prius and the Corolla. My personal opinion is that there is really no comparison between the Prius and the Corolla, but if you're short on money and you're just as happy with the Corolla, I think that you should buy it. If you are an "average" driver, it will take you a VERY long time to make up the price difference between the Corolla and the Prius in saved gas money.

 

I saw a 'no package' absolutely base (not even mats) at a dealer in Missouri. When I got back home to Michigan, I started calling around. The consistent story was that they 'don't make one' (but I did see it with my own eyes, I kept saying), followed by 'if they did, we couldn't get it.' After talking to quite a few, and pushing on some of them, I have learned (or at least been told more than once) that they indeed can order what they want, even packages that are not normally sent to the dealer's region. It will take even longer, though.

In Michigan, it seems that there are quite a few package 2's showing up, and a 7 sat on a lot for a while unsold. Even a package 1, considered an anomoly for this region, showed up at one dealer, anyway.

I got a lot of different stories, and some salespeople seemed uninterested in helping (willing to take a deposit for a waiting list though!). I think there is much mis-information, even at dealers. I talked with one who seemed knowlegeable and interested at Fernelius in Cheboygan and had another spend extra time chasing down information at My Imports in Muskegon.

Jim

 

I to was pushed towards the Corolla by a dealer who didn't even have a Prius I could test drive. He was pretty pushy about being against it, but when I looked around the lot, I think that his sales are slowing b/c his allotment in general looked pretty sad. I was about 2 hours from my house, trying to see what a country dealer could do on price. (And trying to avoid a pushy salesman). Instead I'm going with a big city dealer....with an internet deparment so the terms are settled before I ever walk in the door.

I'm sticking to my decision from a year ago when I finally got to drive a Prius. It's my car. I felt like the Corolla drove like a wind up car.....and a little to Econobox for me. (I feel snobbish saying that...but this is my one splurge!)

I've dealt with 3 Toyota dealers prior to this car, and 3 more so far in person on this one. Pretty much, if you don't like what you hear, find another dealer.

 

just looking through, i see jacobson has a number of pkg 1's coming in for early feb. they've added some big options to some, but there's 3 coming in with pkg 1, floor mats and toyoguard that's it, $23,861. classic silver paint, gray fabric.

our salesman was Matthew Strausbaugh, if you want to call him the number is 800-643-6236. tell him the prius owner in service sent ya.

good luck!

 

Yup. We were showed Corollas at the dealerships we visited in Florida. If we wanted one of those, we would have asked to see one. We actually went to Cincinnati - a 13 hour drive for our SAGE. This dealer was polite, helpful and didn't try to sell us a Corolla. That's why we bought from them. All over the phone. And they had the shortest lead time - 90 days as opposed to 6 - 8 months quoted by Florida dealers. Was it worth it? HECK YES!

 

Actually as the prior poster stated there is no such thing as a 'factory order'. It may look like a factory order and be called that but it isnt. You can only order the packages that Toyota offers, you can't modify them. When you give your 'factory order' to a dealership they take it and put in as 'preference' to their district office.

When the next allocation is provided to that district they try to match up the 'preferenced orders' first then they just give each dealership it's semi-minthly allocation +/-. If a dealership hasnt sold all of it's past allocation it loses units. If another store turns over units quicker it gains the units lost by the slower moving stores.

'Turn or Die'