new to DC, good dealer for service?

I have had good service experiences thus far with Koons Arlington Toyota (easily accessible from I-66). Also close to the city there's Alexandria Toyota which is just south of Crystal City(easily accessible from I-395), but I haven't been there for service...they were nice enough to let me test drive though.

As far as waiting lists, I haven't seen much of one at the larger dealerships around here. I bought my Prius in February right off the lot, and thanks to low gas prices I got it well under sticker. I got it from Koons in Tysons b/c my parents know the general manager, if you'd like the dealer's name send me a PM. People from Priuschat have also had good buying experiences at Miller in Manassas. Koons and Miller have two of the highest volume dealerships in VA if not the east coast.

Good luck, and enjoy DC!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(betshsu @ Aug 11 2006, 02:30 PM) [snapback]301619[/snapback]</div>

What I did was went to the various local dealer's websites (355 Toyota, Darcars, Koons, Fitzgerald, Laurel) and look for the Vehicles link, then "New Inventory". You can narrow it by model. Darcars looks to have 17 Priuses sitting around. Koons only has 4. Fitzgerald has 2. I didn't have to wait for mine at all. That's the mis-conception, around here at least. If you're willing to search the websites, you can find what you want without having to wait a moment. They don't seem to be interested in doing the dealer exchange on Priuses. They'd just assume you come in, order and wait months for a car that the dealer down the road has sitting on the lot looking for a buyer. You can generally tell by the price what package it has.

And, I hear that there's a Prius mechanic at Laurel Toyota. I have yet to take my car in, though, so I can't really report experiences.

 

I was also looking to get my Prius in the DC area about a month ago. Basically you need to get on the waiting list and from what I hear it can be about a month wait depending on how picky you are (I want a specific color and the fully loaded package). I looked on all the websites mentioned above, but I couldn't find the package and color I wanted, so I had to wait. One thing to know that no one told me is that they don't negotiate on price so be prepared to pay sticker. I walked out of the Manassas dealership because they wouldn't come down, and they wouldn't even up my trade amount to compensate either, so I definitely DON'T recommend buying from them. It was the first place that I ever heard of that actually let the customer walk away without even trying to work a deal. Another thing I was told is that some dealerships in the DC metro area are actually selling their Prius's for $500 or more over the sticker price. Needless to say, I got fed up and I am went to another dealership 2 hours away from DC. I am on another waiting list (this time longer because the small towns don't get as much inventory at all.) I think my total wait this time will be about 2 months, but it is worth it to not get ripped off this time.



<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(betshsu @ Aug 11 2006, 01:30 PM) [snapback]301619[/snapback]</div>

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(betshsu @ Aug 11 2006, 02:30 PM) [snapback]301619[/snapback]</div>

I live in Rockville, MD but I bought my car from DARCARS in Frederick, MD. The sales manager there, Joe Taylor, is very knowledgable (several people on these fora have recommended him) and they seem to have a lot more inventory/allocated Prii than other dealers in the area.

Fitzgerald in Gaithersburg, MD gave me the best price quote but they didn't have the color/options available when I was shopping. They might have now.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(betshsu @ Aug 14 2006, 11:14 PM) [snapback]303338[/snapback]</div>

That's a good deal! I, too, bought from Miller - got about $1300 off MSRP back in April, dealing with a salesman I have bought from before.

I have an '04 Sienna I bought there as well, and I've had it back for the first couple of oil changes, but frankly, I'm not impressed with their service department and wouldn't recommend it - I haven't used their service department since those first couple of oil changes, figuring that if they're sloppy with the simple stuff, what will they do with the more complicated stuff? And although it's worth the drive from DC to Manassas for a good deal on a purchase, chances are you wouldn't want to make that drive every time the Prius needed servicing!

I'd be interested in what others have to say about good dealers for Prius service. I'm willing to travel a little for good service. Thanks.

 

I don't have a recommendation for service, but I recommend that you skip 355 Toyota or Fitzgerald in Gaithersburg. Neither one knows how much oil to put in the Prius and both of them think that all four tires should be filled to 32 PSI.