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Any ideas for quick delivery in MD area?

Discussion in 'Dealers & Pricing' started by streyle, Jul 31, 2004.

  1. streyle

    streyle New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2004
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    Location:
    Germantown MD
    If anyone has info (dealers to go to, packages that are more prevalent,etc.) please let me know!
     
  2. mshappe

    mshappe New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2004
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    Location:
    Richfield, MN
    First: find a dealer or dealers you like who allows a refundable deposit, and get on the list. The allocations are vaguely proportional to the the size and success-rate of the dealership, which means that at this point, the wait lists are all about the same. A city dealer will have a list 100 long that they expect to take at least a year to clear; a rural dealer will have a list 10 long...that they expect to take at least a year to clear. At one point, it was probably true that rural dealers were more likely to get you more rapid delivery, but then the word got out about that, and that resource has largely been mined out.

    Second: Be willing to be flexible. Think about what features you absolutely need to be happy with the car, and what colours you absolutely don't want, and let your dealer(s) know that you'll take anything that meets those criteria. Priuses are not built to order. They're built following some pattern known only to Toyota Motor Corporation's management, and the dealers take what they're sent and try to match them up to their mailing list. Leaving yourself flexible improves your chance of matching sooner.

    Third: keep your eyes open. This forum, PriusOnline.com, and various mailing lists on Yahoo! frequently carry postings from dealers and others who have 'loose' Priuses. Basically, because the allocation system is so screwy, it's actually possible for a dealership to receive a Prius that nobody on their wait-list wants! At that point, quite a few of them will turn to these fora. Several are willing to arrange shipping (or tell you how to do so), so you're not necessarily restricted to waiting for something in your state or even your region.

    Come Monday (unless something bizarre happens), I'll be picking up a Seaside #3 at a dealer about 4 hours away from me, that I found by these exact means. So I can attest that this last part works.

    Fourth: If you're actually willing to pay a markup, there are some 'used' dealers who are actually managing to snag barely-used Priuses at auction and resell them. Example: a dealer here in the Twin Cities got hold of a Black #3 at auction for $25k (it's a $22k car!), and was reselling it for $27k. I don't personally recommend doing this, but if for some reason you need predictability more than you need to stick to MSRP, it's one way to guarantee yourself a car, quickly. Check the 'used' listing on cars.com -- that's where I saw this particular example.