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last minute expenses--am i ready?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by lgamber1, Sep 4, 2007.

  1. lgamber1

    lgamber1 New Member

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    so i am going to be purchusing my new prius soon, and i have a very specific budget in mind (my goal is to get a 2007 in at least a 2 but hopefully a 4 for 24,000 or less including tax and tag). my salesaman is really working with me, but i know there will be a bunch of add-ons that he tries to throw in at the end such as:

    lo-jack
    rust/uphostery protection
    extended warranty

    i have decided to decline all of these, though i will give some serious thought to the extended warranty once my 3 year/36,000 mi. one is almost up.

    my question is: are there any *other* things the dealer is going to try to sell me when i actually make the final purchase? and should i consider any of these additional purchases? thanks!
     
  2. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    If you belong to Costco or a credit union, use their buyers' service to get a pre-negotiated price on your new car and you will not have to go through all the pressure tactics when you close the deal.
     
  3. KD6HDX

    KD6HDX New Member

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    There are lots of options. Bluetooth, satelitte radio, nav package. voice recognition yada shmear yada yada. We have all that and it works great, HID headlights, auto dimmer mirror, 6 CD in dash player. wish it had a MP3 input. but yes there is a lot they could try to sell you. I just walked in and said give me package 6. Waited a day or two and drove it home.

    good luck.
     
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    All the warranty I need
    [​IMG]
    By patsparks at 2007-09-04
     
  5. Springtime

    Springtime Member

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    You may be asked if you want to buy Gap insurance if you are financing the car. I am not a big fan of gap insurance - but, for some people it makes sense.

    Springtime
     
  6. Nda3rdCar

    Nda3rdCar Junior Member

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    Just one of the "other" things we had tossed at us was "Maintenance Contract"... in several forms....
    1. Contract that pre-pays for services at the specific dealer.
    2. Contract that pre-pays for services at any dealer.
    3. Contract that covers basic service.
    4. Contract that covers more extensive service.

    and so on and so on......

    I opted out of this mess and so far, I'm glad I did. Best of luck! - Nda3rdcar
     
  7. lgamber1

    lgamber1 New Member

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    thanks to everyone for the input--and forewarning. i guess there is an infinite amount of stuff they can try to tack on.

    i am interested in xm, though. how much do you have to pay to have the xm capability added? i assume you can pay to have xm work through the touch screen?
     
  8. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(lianimal @ Sep 4 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]506845[/snapback]</div>
    The "out the door" price should be negotiated before you even set foot in the showroom. I don't know if it is too late, but read www.carbuyingtips.com. IMO decline all the extra stuff. It is overpriced and/or unneeded. I get a 15% discount on parts at my dealer. Ask. If this is the case, refuse the floor mats and buy them later.
     
  9. lgamber1

    lgamber1 New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Sep 4 2007, 06:16 PM) [snapback]507034[/snapback]</div>
    it is not too late!! great website--thank you. i have gotten quotes from 2 dealers so far, and i plan to get several more internet quotes this week. i was considering buying from the salesman i mentioned in my original post--he gave me a good quote on a package 4, but he also told me there were no 5's in my area which is just not true. so i won't be buying from him! i've got my financing together, and i'm ready to buy from whomever gives me the price i want. i then intend on declining all the extras and maybe considering xm.
     
  10. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Everything they try to sell you at the last minute is a bad idea. They expect the customer to get so uncomfortable that the customer will say yes just to end the pressure. Just smile and say no until they go away. Be prepared to sit there for an hour or more.
     
  11. Doc Willie

    Doc Willie Shuttlecraft Commander

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    See if you can get a deal on better tires - you can trade the Goodyear Integrities in for Triple Treads in the 195 size. You'll be glad you did.
     
  12. bobdavisnpf

    bobdavisnpf Member

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    Lots of good responses here.

    The key thing to keep front and center is "very specific budget".

    XM falls outside your profile - way outside. It's a monthly-fee, new-technology service that will raise green flags at every dealership: here's a guy that's ready to take on undefined charges. If you even want to ask about XM, be ready to also hear about everything from service contracts and extended-warranty options to invisible protective coatings, soundproofing, pinstriping, wheel-well and door-edge protectors, anti-theft stickers, etc etc etc. Definitely gives the dealer a mixed signal to even ask about it.

    XM is gaining popularity in rental cars, so I've had plenty of chances to try it out and frankly I don't much like it. The only stations I care about are local-to-the-area, PBS-affiliated, or both. XM does nothing to reduce the advertising load on these, or on the contract stations it picks up (which so far spend most of their advertising time just promoting their other shows). The only "commercial-free" content is a collection of genre-specific channels that, while they do an ok job of tune selection, leave me feeling like I'd rather just load a CD after about 3 songs.