Bloated pricing

You titled the thread "Bloated Pricing" and you stated in your OP the pricing was "ridiculous". Use of such terminology indicated to me you are somewhat at a loss as to why the prices are high. A dealer is in the business only to move as many cars at the highest possible price the market will bear. Pricing is set very carefully as the dealer is responsible millions of dollars of inventory at any given point.

This board is full of people who think dealers are "sleazy" or "greedy" when they dare charge anything over MSRP (and some even think that is too much). I might add most of the complainers most likely have not even run a lemonade stand as a kid. I apologize if I jumped the gun assuming you were in that crowd.

I constantly find it amusing though at the number of people who claim to know exactly how much dealer X SHOULD charge for his products.

Rick
#4 2006

 

Unfortunately, if there are (relatively) few Priuses being imported, and if someone else *will* pay the bloated price, then you're screwed. Bummer.

I was pretty happy, and no little bit surprised, to pick up my 2005 in April, 2005, with no wait and at MSRP.

(See elsewhere for threads about how the weak dollar is likely reducing overall quantity of Priuses imported into the USA, hence making it a sellers' market, thus leading to the situation that you're complaining about.)

 

Re: Not so Bloated

I just purchased (two month ago) in Orlando our second Prius. Package 6 with no other options.

We paid sticker.

I have put 5K miles on the car at 48mpg I figure I have saved $1100 in fuel costs over my Nissan Armada.

I am glad to have saved that money, not to mention what we are doing for the environment.

Each and every dealed is different and will try to make as much money as they can and I don't blame them.

If the dealer is charging too much, buy used. See how much the used ones are going for.

But then the seller of a used Prius is going to try to get as much as they can for their prius.

 

You are missing the point. And definitely not, in the current market MSRP is not fair to the dealer for the Prius. Gas at $4.00 plus a gallon, dollar weak on the international stage, please!! Plus, the consumer currently searching for a Prius is not in the position to determine what is "fair". Only the seller has that option.

It is very tough, but possible as was with me when I bought my 2006 in Jan 2006, to get a Prius at MSRP with the options YOU want. Why should the dealer go through the trouble when they get premium dollar for Priuses on the lot just from walk ins?

It doesn't matter if he simply adds X amount of dollars over the MSRP or adds costly add ons. Trust me on this one, the dealer has only a limited number of Priuses on hand or allocated and knows that by adding on these options he is more likely to get the higher price by the high demand Prius because more people will perceive these options as justification of the higher cost. The dealers have trade magazines, market research, and just plain experience selling new cars which helps them to maximize their profit.

It is futile to complain about perceived high prices. Toyota could care less and so could the dealer.

I, like you, am specific with what options I desire in an automobile when purchasing it. Apparently we are in the minority. But, as the Stones rant, "You can't always get what you want"....

You MAY find a Prius at MSRP with the options you want. It might be at the first dealer you visit, or the 20th. You may have to hop on a plane to get to the dealer you wish to buy the Prius (as I did).

Rick
#4 2006

 

I like how the people who have had their Prius for 2 or 3 years imply that if we had just bought one when they were plentiful we wouldn't have to worry about waiting...

 

And that's probably true. But when we must deal with the present, we must accept what the price is at the moment, and not what we wish it was. Now, anyone can still dicker with the salesman on price; if you're a good salesman yourself, you might be able to reduce the price somewhat. At the end, however, the dealer is coming from a strong position -- more customers than cars. Or, as has been suggested, we let the government set the price, thus recreating the 1970s Nixonian wage/price freeze fiasco.

 

Who says? You think the high demand for Priuses is something new? Perhaps a lucky few get the one they want at the price they are willing to pay but I have had mine for 2 1/2 years (Jan 2006 delivery) and had a bear of a time getting even MSRP (not below or close to "invoice" which is the case with most cars) with the option package I desired. It took a lot of research, about a 3 month wait, and some traveling to get it but it wasn't that I could just walk into my closest dealership and say I want this and that and pick it up a few days later. I tried that at first and it was an automatic $2,000 surcharge above MSRP, no questions, no dealing. Take it or leave it. And because of the high demand they were getting it too from many who just didn't care to shop around!

Rick
#4 2006

 

What the dealer don't get is that some people like me remember these "screw jobs" later on when I am interested in buying again.

 

After consulting with my former salesman regarding another Prius for my aunt, he said that Toyota is going to build a lot more Package 5 or 6 than the base model.