Considering the purchase of Prius

Upfront, I am no expert. This is just what I think I have read from many places around here.

1) Toyota used up all its hybrid credits because it is so popular. Each brand had an allotment. I think there are only a couple brands left that qualify. There are still credits for PHEV and EV though. All the icentives were when Toyota was being burned at the stake by the media hype. Now that it has calmed down quite a bit and they are being proven in the right, Toyota has backed off the good deals. With the new Lexus issue, who knows if more media will jump on them again and what will happen with prices. Sort of like gambling I suppose.

2) I think 5.25% is really high if you have good credit. I have great credit and was able to get a used car loan for 2.99% in February, full purchase price financed because I could. I do know that dealers love to sell financing because they generally scoop a bit off the top every month. Therefore it is higher. Or maybe lower for a longer time, but nomatter what you will pay more through a dealer.

3) Again the dealer will make money. They will never give you a fair tradein, because they have to do a lot of work to make it sellable to someone else. If you can sell on craigslist, then you might as well. But also keep in mind private party financing is harder to obtain for someone than through a dealer. So it might be hard. But since you dont need to trade it in, then you might as well just try to sell it privately.

4) You cant get out of them, but you pay them where you live. So if you buy it in CA, but still live in WA, then you pay no tax in CA, and you pay tax in WA. But since you are moving back to CA, for registration and everything you should just do everything in CA.

5) I am sure you can, but Toyota's are known for non-negotiable prices. Maybe with the recent media hub-bub there is more room but dont expect to get a great deal from a dealer. I think you are better off getting a deal from a private party who beleives the Toyota balogna and is selling their "death trap".

Good luck with the Prius buying!

 

I can't answer point by point, but I am new to Toyota having been a GM guy for decades. I sure like the new G3 M II and am close to getting 50 mpg in the city. But to do that, you need to drive it carefully with a light foot. I've noticed other drivers now speed around me so I drive mostly in the right hand lanes. You will like the G3 no matter which model you get.

Costco (you mentioned it) has a fleet deal for its members. So if you are still a member, go to the Costco auto site and find a dealer in your area that will accept the fleet deal. It's about $800 plus or minus off the MSRP. As for financing, get it somewhere else like your bank or credit union. Dealers here are now at 4.9% APR for Prius (60 months) - not as good as even a few months ago when it was around 2%. Most Priuses now sold have already had the firmware recall done on the ABS brakes.

 

I just bought my Prius....

Costco pricing (in Northern California) was $800 over invoice. My calling around had dealers willing to sell to me at invoice prices (which were similar to the "invoice" price I was seeing from the dealer working with Costco....so to buy from Costco, would cost me at least $800 more than otherwise). AAA was +500 over invoice. I called around to several dealers and got my car for about -$350 invoice (before the $750 rebate that ended April 5....sorry you missed it).

If you buy the car in California, it will get the CARB state warranty on the hybrid parts (something like 10 years, 150,000 miles). I'm not sure how the taxes work out. You will end up having to file some forms somewhere to make sure Washington gets their share if you are a Washington resident. The dealership should know how to do this. I suspect, in the end, CA will get their money from you.

Dianne Witmire is an online agent for a dealership in So. Cal (Manhattan Beach) who supports this site (check the dealership section) that many people here have dealt with and have had a wonderful experience.

I'm not sure what incentives are out there at the moment.

You will make more money selling your truck on Craigslist than at the dealership. The dealerships make their money from you by the following

1) Trade ins
2) Financing
3) Final purchase price

You can get them to give you a better deal on #1, but expect that you will get an inflated #2 and #3. Best to be clean and only negotiate #3 (and buy without having to do #1 and #2 at the dealership.....hmmmm potty references

Good luck!

 

Hey, only can answer #5 ...
I emailed 30 SoCAL dealers and started my pricing there based upon edmunds.com average invoice pricing for a II model. Did the other noted thing, too - waited till the last few days of the month (& year) in my case it was about 6pm on 12/31/09! I ended up at Mossey in Pacific Beach.
Good luck. Bart

 

I'm in the SF Bay area, No. CA.
I emailed 10 or so dealers, stating they had one chance to offer me their best price. I was exact in what I wanted. I followed up only with the best response (City Toyota, Daly City, CA) and paid, if I remember, $200 over invoice.
I felt I got what I wanted: no stressfull, time-consuming negotiations, and I price I could live with, and the exact car I wanted.
This was in December, 2009. Took me about one hour of work. I believe this is the strategy Consumer Reports recommends.

 

For what it's worth, I've owned a 2010 Prius for a month now and am absolutely thrilled. I don't think I'll ever go back to a non-hybrid car.