Great time to get an '09 - Just brought mine home - Cheap!

Western NY probably is a group of dealers who are all in cahoots. There is more of upstate NY than they cover. I didn't check the Buffalo area on Edmunds, as I used my 14845 zip code.

 

Blauer,
I just got off the phone with Gault Toyota in Endicott.

They do have a Pkg#3 in the Driftwood Pearl color my wife likes, (my favorite is the Silver Pine) that they can sell me for $26,808 out the door cash, which is about $2000 more then the same car in Florida.....the Pkg#3 silver Pine Mica for $24,979 out the door.

Perhaps I'm just being too tight. I read others here who seem to be getting awesome prices on the 2009's.

Maybe it is a case of "Cry once when you buy, then be happy for years..." It's difficult to pay that much for a 2009 when the MSRP for the 2010 Pkg #3's start out at $23k......I know you also have to add some more to that, especially to get some of the options you already get on the 2009, but the bottom line is that there does not seem to be a huge difference. Maybe I'll be more decisive once I actually see a 2010.

The Florida dealers seem more accommodating.

thanks again for your help!!

Frank D.

 

Frank D. ,
I've had much the same experience as you have in good ole' West Texas. The internet dealer has has had this 'hum ho' attitude and has taken me on the scenic tour of adding numbers in an imaginative way to magically total $23,000 + every time. I think we've finally decided to agree to disagree and hopefully part on good terms although he has not responded to my very last, "thanks for your time" email. Oh well. Although he's not the only game in town, I'm not opposed to taking a drive. I think I'll wait a few months and just get a '10.

Good luck!

 

That does sound pretty expensive! NY taxes are much higher (I paid over $2000 at 8%), and NY may not have the same dealer incentives as FL either, which could account for some difference. Did you tell the guy at Gault what you were quoted in FL?

 

Blauer,
Yes, I actually did. She just said, "we have no deals on Pruis's...they sell themselves....." She did say she might take off a couple of hundred not to lose the sale, but that it would still well over $26.5k.

Florida taxes are 6% plus $50.00 compared to 8% here, so that accounts for about $400.00 difference. That may be a moot point, since I was told that as part of the new stimulus plan, a person can deduct the sales tax they paid on our next tax return. I do not know if that is a deduction or an actual subtraction from our taxes....a subtraction would be great, a deduction just ok. I could perhaps get a deal on a used 2008, but then one would lose that sales tax deal.

Also, I have read some about an upcoming "Cash for Guzzlers" bill, that could give as much as $4500 off any new Prius if you traded in any car that got less then 18mpg. That may pass in as soon as a few weeks.....might be worth waiting for.

If I waited to get a 2010, I know I'd end up paying more for the options I'd want. I don't like having to pay for a Navigation pkg to get the back up camera, and I don't like paying for a Pkg#4 to get the auto dimming mirror.....both things I can get on a 2009 Pkg #3. Since we plan on moving to our Florida home in about 2 years, down there that Solar pkg would be awesome....an expensive option, but one that would come in handy almost daily.

If this will be a car we keep for a good many years, perhaps paying 20% more for all those extras would be worth it.

Sorry again for the long post.....as you can see, I'm a bit undecided.

Frank D.

 

It's a very hard decision to make, so don't apologize. My boss (another Prius owner) told me that Gault is traditionally unreasonable. Could be why they're the only ones around here that still have '09s on the lot.

I bought the '09 for the same reasons you did: in order to get the options I wanted in a '10, I would have spent a great deal more. Also, I wanted to give one of our cars (a '95 Accord in decent shape) to a niece who really needed it. Waiting wasn't really an option if I wanted to be remembered as "the good aunt."

I would suggest you take the deal in FL and leisurely drive back to NY. It's a beautiful time of year to enjoy the trip, and you'll have a fully broken in Prius by the time you get back here.

 

You should check MA, RI, and CT. I know Herb Chambers in the Boston area still has some left. I also saw some in CT as well.

At any rate, good luck!

 

Well, after reading some more about the 2010's, I am more strongly leaning on getting a 2009.

I spoke again to the dealer in Florida, who told me tonight that their computer shows four Pkg #3's available...two in Driftwood Pearl and two in the Silver Pine Mica. He told me that they would have to check by phone tomorrow, but that out of those four, one should still be available.

So I would be buying a 2009 Pkg#3 for the total out the door price of just under 25k. When I started this quest, I thought I'd be able to buy one for much less, but that does not seem to be holding true. Is 25k too much??

I'm shying away from a 2010 because to get the options I'd want I'd have to buy a Pkg#4 in a 2010. Even without the Navigation system it would be over 28k, without a back up camera, etc. I figure a good garmin GPS can give me all I need for Navigation at a lower cost. I'd like the solar pkg down in Florida, but not for an additional $3600.

So I have to decide tomorrow.....for a person who has never spent over 5k for any vehicle, it is a hard decision....but at this time in our lives we need a dependable, good value vehicle that we will like for years to come. The Prius seems to fit that bill.

Frank D.

 

Frank,

Keep in mind I just bought a 2009 Prius Touring with package #6 for 26,400. That should give you some reference.

Edmunds reckons that the Prius Touring with package #6 is around 26,400. I would check that to see what you should pay.

 

Thanks freo.
I tried before and could not find the right spot there..i'll try again.
the MSRP was $25,505. They dropped it to $22,836, then added a dealer "clerical fee" of $499., then tax and title to make it $24,979.

Since we plan on moving to Florida full time in two years, it would be nice to get the Florida plates now....no inspections, etc.

I'll check edmunds again now.

Frank D.

 

Considering the 6% FL tax, I think you are paying well under invoice at 25K out the door. It seems like a good price.

 

Well, Edmunds says that the "True Market Value" for a 2009 Pkg #3 in Florida is $24,097.00 ;
MSRP INVOICE "TMV"

Base 23375 21758 22302
Region Adg. -203
Pkg #3 1355 1219 1248

Dest. Chg. 750 750 750

Total- 25480 23727 24097

So the price that the dealer gave me of $23,342 before taxes and title, plates, etc I guess is in line with the above figures.....so I guess that's ok, but when some here boast of much lower deals it is hard to know.

I do know that it is about $2,000 lower then the price I got from a NY dealer.....

Frank D.

 

Thank you Blauer!

I guess that is what I needed to hear. It seems that I'm a bit new to this new car buying, and not as used to some here when it comes to spending this much.

Thanks again!!

Frank D.

 

In NY, there is only a $1000 rebate; in FL it is $1500. NY taxes are 2% higher and are figured on the entire price of the car pre-rebate.

Even with all that taken into consideration, the FL deal is better.

 

Agree. If that is what you wish, you should pull the trigger and get it.

 

Frank, it's a huge amount of cash to be plunking down, I agree. I also think you will be very happy.

Drive by here & wave as you go by in your new Prius! I'll be looking for ya!

 

It's all in the timing. From November to April, dealers were desperate to get rid of '09s because gas had plummeted and '10's were due to arrive soon, but then '10s were slightly delayed by a month or so plus Japan has pulled a large % of the US allocation to keep at home in Japan where the waiting list is now 11 months long to get a 2010! Add skyrocketing gas prices and you have what occurred at my local small town dealer. They had 12 prii several weeks ago. Last week, they only had six. With gas prices up $.50/gal in the last week here in CA, those will probably all be gone by the end of the weekend.

The time for killer deals has passed

Don't feel bad. I paid only $500 under MSRP back in September. 2 months later people were posting they'd gotten as much as $3K off the same touring #6 I got.

 

I Disagree killer deals have not passed!!!

Gas prices will creap up and down a bit but people arent going to run out to get a hybrid over a short .50 cent increase, esp in Cali where jobs are so so thin right now.

The MSRP is too high for the 09 in the first place with the 10 msrp lower than than.

Selection of the color/options and where the car is sitting will be harder.

I realize i might be crazy but i want a fully loaded for $5,000 under MSRP!! My "goal" anyways

 

OLDSKOUL, you are not crazy. In April, I had the goal of getting a 2009 package 6, with MSRP of approx. $28,000 for $23,000 (what I though would be the cost of a base 2010). I ended up getting the car for $23,300 after negotiating with almost 30 dealers. The key is to know what you want and then get busy on the net and the phone and make it happen.

 

Thanks for the encouragement, Might even look used 09 for around 15.

Obviously money issues in this pocketbook.