1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

For those wavering about buying a Prius....

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by quagmire0, Aug 1, 2006.

  1. quagmire0

    quagmire0 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2006
    108
    1
    0
    So, my wife and I were looking for a good-sized car with great gas mileage. She has a sizeable commute to work each day, so we wanted to be able to save on gas, while still having a car you could at least start a family with. (Our current good car is a Civic Coupe). So I do my research and find that the Prius stands pretty tall (or really alone) with the Hybrids. I go about finding a dealer with the #4 package and finally find one.

    Here's where the problem is: we both were raised by father's that were damn good negotiators. They taught us the cardinal rule in car negotiation: DON'T BE AFRAID TO GET UP AND LEAVE. So, naturally, I have this 'must get a bargain (or at least feel like it)' part of me that I took into negotiation. We proceed to drive what would be our trade in car to the dealership - and it's a bit of a drive. Ahead of time, my mind is made up, I want X for my trade in, nothing less. I figure that these guys are getting MSRP, and on top of that a dealer holdback. The least they can do is pass a little over to me.

    We go back and forth between salesman and used car guy, back and forth. I don't budge. I feel good about not budging, because normally I would cave, and I just wouldn't feel good afterwards. I even told the guy straight-out that I wanted to feel good about the deal, and what he was offering for the trade in wasn't going to do it.

    So I put my foot down on the trade in price. 50% of me thought they would budge, at least a little. 50% of me thought I was going home empty handed and would have to live with it. The 2nd 50% won. I was a little shocked. Even though these were high demand cars, our difference in $$ was about $400. I at least expected them to meet me half way. It was the end of the month, etc. etc.

    Afterwards, I didn't feel that bad. To me, I didn't want to get caught in the hype. I wanted to feel like I won a little bit, and that wasn't going to happen. So, I figured that I would check out the rest of the competition. Obviously the Prius' were too much of a hot commodity for me to negotiate even a little and feel good about my purchase.

    So I looked at a Honda Civic Hybrid yesterday.

    Now I'm looking for another Prius. :D
     
  2. tyrael

    tyrael Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 10, 2006
    59
    0
    0
    Location:
    San Diego
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Good luck next time bro. My deal was pretty hard and I have to admit that I might have been caught up in the moment, but I don't regret it at all.
     
  3. Betelgeuse

    Betelgeuse Active Member

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2005
    1,460
    24
    1
    Location:
    New York, NY, USA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Good for you. There are enough Prii around these days that I'm *sure* you can find a dealer that will work with you. If you can't, maybe consider selling the car privately? I notice you're in the Chicago area; maybe look at Grossinger Toyota (if you haven't already)? I have no personal experience with them, but Danny (the founder of this site) just got his Prius there, and they had a big event.

    See this thread.
     
  4. Renocat

    Renocat Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    363
    11
    0
    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    The first dealer I went to wanted to lowball me on my trade. I had done research, knew what KBB was and was prepared to walk. And that is just what I did, I walked out on the deal. 2 days later I went to a second dealer, they gave me $6000 more than dealer #1 and I drove the Prius home 2 days later...not 1-2 months later like dealer #1 said it would be.

    It does pay to shop around, I am very happy with my deal and enjoyed the car buying experience over all.
     
  5. Hokie-Dave

    Hokie-Dave Member

    Joined:
    Apr 3, 2005
    161
    41
    0
    Location:
    Manassas, VA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Yup, I think you did the right thing. The worst thing you can have happen to you is regretting the deal you made, you then won't be happy with the car for quite a while until all of that washes out of your brain.

    I was lucky and bought my used 02 Prius last April, right before the gas prices started to sky rocket. I couldn't believe the deal they gave me for my trade and was waiting like an impatient 2 year old to sign the papers before they could try and start dealing again. They actually gave me $2k for my 94 Explorer which I paid $1700 for at auction a year and a half before that. I was quite happy with the deal. I'm sure they made money on the car, which I also feel I got for a great/fair price, but both sides were happy.

    Hang in there and I'm sure you will find the dealership that is willing to meet your terms, if you don't you may have too high of expectations on your trade. Do you have a Carmax in the area? If so, take it to them and get a free quote of what they will give you for your car.


    dave
     
  6. kirbinster

    kirbinster Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2005
    602
    0
    0
    Location:
    Morris County - New Jersey
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Hokie-Dave @ Aug 1 2006, 10:44 AM) [snapback]295666[/snapback]</div>
    But you only told us half the deal. What were the specifics on the '02 you bought and how much did you pay?
     
  7. quagmire0

    quagmire0 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2006
    108
    1
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Renocat @ Aug 1 2006, 09:25 AM) [snapback]295662[/snapback]</div>

    $6,000 more?!? :blink: That's not a lowball, that's....well, I don't know what that is.... :lol:
     
  8. Renocat

    Renocat Member

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2006
    363
    11
    0
    Location:
    Rochester, NY
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(quagmire0 @ Aug 1 2006, 01:03 PM) [snapback]295713[/snapback]</div>
    Well, I call it being a woman and shopping for a car by myself. <_< I figure they saw me and thought...there is no way she knows what her car is worth and she really wants a Prius so lets play with her.

    Dealer #1 called me back the night before I was picking up my Prius from dealer #2. He asked if I had given any more thought to buying a Prius. I said actually I have and I pick up a package 7 tomorrow morning. I don't think I have ever heard a salesman stutter before. He was mumbling how he thought the service manager had offered me to0 little, yada, yada, yada, I said yes he did, I was offended and went to a dealer that respected me, my time and my money :p
     
  9. Godiva

    Godiva AmeriKan Citizen

    Joined:
    Apr 8, 2005
    10,339
    14
    0
    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Have you considered selling your car yourself privately? You might make more than that $400.

    Good luck on your search. You are going to love this car.
     
  10. seasidetraveler

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2005
    662
    14
    0
    Location:
    CA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    If you are so determined to get more for your car, why not try to sell it? Honda Civic's should be easy to sell.
     
  11. dancekat59

    dancekat59 Member

    Joined:
    May 15, 2006
    244
    20
    0
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    My dealer offered only $300 for my well maintained '98 Corolla because it had 203K miles on it. I refused their offer and took the Corolla and my brand new Prius home. I didn't want to sell the Corolla on my own so I took it to a lot... paid them a fee where they hold the car and show your car to potential buyers. In one week, it sold for $3300. I'm sure you can easily get MUCH more than $400 for a Honda Civic elsewhere.
     
  12. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2004
    14,816
    2,498
    66
    Location:
    Far-North Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    When I was on the waiting list at Libertyville Toyota in Illinois, I was pleased with how I was treated. The pleasure continued all the way through the wait and on into ownership. I still go back from time to time for this and that and people recognize me.

    My deal?
    Because I was on a long waiting list that spanned more then a year (really!) there was uncertainty as to what MSRP was going to be. Toyota increased the price from '04 to '05. Also, it's unfair to base trade-in value on a car that's not going to be traded in for several months. So here's what we did: We signed a contract stating that I would pay MSRP for the car when it came in regardless of the year. In return, I would get KBB for the trade-in, a very well-kept Buick Regal. When Priapus arrived, that's exactly how things went down. We walked over to the computer station, pulled up KBB and that was the trade-in value. I am not a haggler nor a bickerer. I was comfortable.
     
  13. seasidetraveler

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2005
    662
    14
    0
    Location:
    CA
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I don't think they were offering him $400 for his car, I think what he meant was that was the difference in what he wanted, and what they were willing to pay.
     
  14. kirbinster

    kirbinster Member

    Joined:
    Jun 15, 2005
    602
    0
    0
    Location:
    Morris County - New Jersey
    Keep in mind that depending what state you are in it may not pay to sell it yourself - and the dealers know that. Take for example that you have a car that is worth $10K in trade, in New Jersey if you trade it in for that value it reduces the taxable amount on the new vehicle, so you save yourself $700 in sales tax. Thus, you would have to make more than $10,700 yourself just to break even on a private sale not to mention the added insurance for however long you keep the car, etc....
     
  15. jimmyrose

    jimmyrose Member

    Joined:
    Jul 14, 2006
    646
    3
    0
    Location:
    Northern NJ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I just bought my '06 on 7/14/06. We were offered ~$500 for a '97 Grand Caravan SE that was in pretty good shape but had 125,000 miles on it and the Carfax report the dealer ran on it indicated it had been in an accident. I originally found this out when I brought it in for service one day at the local dealership (we bought it used, private sale w/53,000 miles in '00 or '01-I specifically asked the guy if it had ever been in an accident and he lied right to my face; he was the original owner-should've Carfax'd it-lesson learned). The guy at the dealership said it was repaired well and must have been because we never had any problems with it.
    The salesman confided to us that we would do better selling it privately (ahem, DUH). I sold it within 18 hours for $2000 just by putting signs on it (we live on a main road) and pricing it very competively. I could have probably gotten more, but I wanted it to go quickly. The guy who came first gave me $400 and a request for a week to come up with the balance (which he did), but I told him I was keeping the signs on and taking names & #'s - we stopped after about 3 days and 10-12 back up offers.
    If they would've come anywhere close to $2K at the dealership for trade in (which is what KBB said it was worth for trade), it would've been a done deal.
     
  16. quagmire0

    quagmire0 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2006
    108
    1
    0
    Yeah the $400 was the difference between what I wanted and what they offered. The car I was trading in was a 94 Buick Regal. The Civic I'm keeping :D

    No matter. I just put in an order today for another Prius. Should be in in another two weeks. This one is a little better since it is Black with gray interior...the other one had beige, which is much harder to keep clean IMO. :lol:
     
  17. Taath

    Taath New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2006
    7
    0
    0
    Wow, I am actually pretty surprised the dealership wouldn't work with you. When I went to get my Prius here in Arizona about two weeks ago I went in, told them how much my monthly payments would be and that if they could achieve that they'd have a sale. After a few hours (yeah, hours) of negotiation they eventually gave me $12,000 for my car which had about a $9.000 KBB price and got me where I wanted to be. Guess a lot of it depends on the individual dealer tho. Best of luck to you.

    -Taath
     
  18. rufaro

    rufaro WeePoo, Gen II

    Joined:
    May 26, 2006
    2,867
    72
    10
    Location:
    Lost Angeles
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Then, of course, there is the old trick of not bringing your trade-in into the picture until AFTER you have all the other negotiations locked in...
     
  19. quagmire0

    quagmire0 New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2006
    108
    1
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Aug 2 2006, 01:38 AM) [snapback]296133[/snapback]</div>
    Yeah, I actually told them what I was bringing in and what I was looking to get for it beforehand. When I got there they huffed and puffed about 'what bad condition it was in' and had they know that they wouldn't have quoted me what they did. Granted, it's not in great condition, but with the dealer charging MSRP the trade-in is the only avenue to negotiate with.

    What I really think was going on, and it is just speculation on my part, was that the salesman had mentioned that the owner had an aunt looking for a Prius and that because we beat her to it, she had to order one instead. My thought is that the owner didn't budge because he knew he could just sell it to his relative if we walked.

    I've decided to just try and sell it myself, since I have a few weeks before my Prius comes into the dealer.
     
  20. Actual Mileage

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2006
    153
    2
    0
    Location:
    Portland. Maine
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Renocat @ Aug 1 2006, 01:18 PM) [snapback]295719[/snapback]</div>
    Bought my Prius on July 15.
    I wanted to trade in a 2005 Maxima - loaded, after market stereo, not a scratch, with mounted snows. They had a 2004, with more miles and no extras, selling on the lot for the"no haggle price" of $21,000.
    They offered me $14,000.
    I was paying MSRP for the Prius, but that was all they were going to offer. EOM.
    If I was smart, I would have called some of the other Toyota dealers around Maine.

    Instead I paid cash for the Prius and yesterday sold the Maxima to a very nice woman for $19,000. She got a great deal and loves the car (6 speed - great car, only it gets 18 MPG city driving. So I tripled that w/ the Prius).
    So that is $5,000 I saved. Sort of.
    Ridiculous. And with the sales tax advantage, the government is pushing you to trade in for less.

    SO TODAY I GET TO REGISTER MY PRIUS! YIPPEE!

    Now to fix the audio. :blink: