Waiting for Prius in Jersey

Hmmm, the dealer should be able to see what is available and exactly what options are on the car. And there should be no doubt as to whether it might be sold to someone else. I would be inclined to back out of the deal and find another dealer. Insist on seeing the list of cars that are available and that will indicate the option package that is installed. You might have to wait a little longer; I know, it's not easy! But it is worth it in the long run - to get exactly the car you want.

And always remember that some car dealers will tell you anything to complete a sale.

 

A quick spin on I-295 will confirm that.

How quickly things change -- Bought mine in Jan: There were 3-4 new '08's & one used '07 on the lot, waiting for new owners.

Took a couple of tank-fulls (& warmer temps) to figure out how to maximize MPG's, and now I can manage 70 mpg on long runs at about 40 mph.

You'll be glad you waited, PNJ!

 

I wouldn't back out of that black #5 yet. I just got mine less than two weeks ago and the dealer said they won't even take orders for the Prius. They only know of one coming in in June and it is spoken for.

I will say that I have been extemely impressed by this car. The queality of build and engineering is great. I am getting 49mpg and now have 1800 miles on it in 12 days.

 

If you really want a prius, get a prius. You may regret not getting a prius later. Drive whatever you have now (assuming you still have a car) till winter, by that time 09 prius is out and prius may back to normal supply/demand.

 

What is the name of this dealership?

When I purchased my Prius back in '05, I had three refundable deposits down at different dealers throughout NJ. I ended up purchasing from Cherry Hill Toyota in Cherry Hill, NJ (Camden County). I would recommend them to you since they were very up front about everything from start to finish.

 

I'm not a lawyer, but if he didn't sign it I'd say he didn't agree to anything.

But of course, neither have you in that case.

 

Hey, PriusNJ,

If you don't think your dealer is just trying to string you along & if you think he might only be disguising the $400 price increase by claiming $400 worth of options [which would only get put on at the port (not the factory) before arriving at his dealership, so he definitely should be able to view the invoice/manifest on his Toyota computer network to see exactly how the car is equiped], I would be tempted to stick with your dealer rather than wait'g until you get to Louisiana. First, you'll have your car sooner & can start saving money on gas sooner, but mainly you may not be too happy the way the Toyota's southeast region operates.

That's because it's the only region of Toyota's 12 regions that is NOT operated by Toyota. That whole southeast region is owned & operated by/as a family business & they do pretty much what they want (even if it doesn't agree with standard Toyota practices). They will force you to pay for/buy unwanted extra-cost items/services (we're not talk'g option pkg's) just to pad their profit line (not to say it's not done at any other occasional dealer elsewhere, but it's pretty much standard practice throughout the whole southeast region). And down there no dealer in that region will sell you the official Toyota Financial Services extended warranty (if you happen to want it). They only sell more expensive after-market or 3rd party sub-standard warranties. As I said before, they pretty much do anything they want down there & get away with it too. Toyota now wishes they had never relinquished their control of that region to that family many, many years ago.

So, you may be able to avoid the buying experience down there, but unfortunately will have to deal with having your service done in that region. Good luck to you.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

No sense in burning any bridges you might want to revisit.

 

Read through CarBuyingTips.com new car buying guide, avoiding dealer scams, new cars, used car buying. The auto industry is full of sleaze. You can change the names but the stories are the same. The order form probably states they agreed to sell a car at MSRP or MSRP less a specific amount. I believe they will honor that. It would be worse if they sold a car that doesn't exist and incredibly stupid on your part to buy one. The dealer has no control or influence over what Toyota manufactures and what they charge.