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Looking for some advice when talking to the dealer

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by DicedPixel, Dec 14, 2016.

  1. DicedPixel

    DicedPixel Junior Member

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    Hej everyone,

    I will have my driver's licence exam tomorrow and I've been thinking about buying a used 2016 Prius as my first car. My only other vehicle in my life is a Vespa since 2006 :)
    I live in Stockholm, Sweden and been lurking on this forum for quite a few months.
    Ever since I saw the eco test report from ADAC in Germany with the Prius as second under the i3, I am even more convinced this is the best choice for me since there is no Moder 3 yet :p
    Now, I will be visiting a few Toyota dealers around the town before end of the year and look at 4-5 cars, which are all dealer cars, used by the dealers since March and June this year, each has around 4000 miles on them. None has specified if the cars were used as demo cars. Their prices are around 250.000 SEK ( 28.000 USD )

    Now, before contacting the dealers via email, I have a few questions, but I would like you guys to validate if I should ask these or other questions, because to be frank, I have 0 experience in the field, and I am shooting a bit from the hip... Here goes :

    1. Parking Brake recall. Was it fixed?

    2. Airbag recall. Is it affected, was it fixed?
    Was it ever in service for any reason?

    3. Touch 2 & Go Software and GPS Map. Is it updated to the last version?
    Car software is up to date?

    4. Front & back parking sensors - are 7000 SEK
    – how much extra SEK to install them
    ( I will need them because I am a noob )

    5. DEFA WarmUp engine and cabin heater– 6000 SEK
    – how much extra to install SEK
    - will the cabin heater help the battery warm up under the rear seat?

    6. Winter tires.– how much in SEK
    Which do you recommend? Studed tires or chains?
    Status of winter/summer tires on this car. Any wear, how many Km ?

    7. Rust protection treatment underneath the car. (applied by a 3rd party service) ~ 10000 SEK
    - after I will buy the car I want to get this done on a specialized garage
    - will this also reduce cabin noise?
    Any visible rust on this particular car ?

    8. Paint protection in front. Paint treatment of film?
    – how much in SEK

    9. In the winter?
    Will it plough the snow due to the low ground clearance?
    Front bumper could get damaged?

    10. Security – locking the car.
    Key signal jamming and cloning. Is this key protected in any way?
    Any alarm options that go with the Toyota key?

    11. Insurance. - 1350 SEK / month
    Do you offer anything special?

    12. Full tank ?

    13. Will pay the entire sum on spot, what's the lowest price ?


    Thanks for any help and for your replies : )
     
    bisco likes this.
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Your numbers 1 through 5, yes, worth asking. Considering your location, hearty yes to getting number 5, don't pay over $300 US if possible, fully installed price.

    Yes to number 6, I would just get snow tires (no studs, chains), all four wheels of course, on separate utilitarian rims. I would recommend Corolla 15" steel rims over aftermarket steel rims, as they will have the central opening a perfect match for the wheel hub, will not need adapter rings. Also, utilitarian lug nuts are preferable to the OEM nuts with incorporated washers:

    Corolla 15" black steel rims p/n: 42611-02471
    With lug nuts p/n: 90942-01007

    For tires, up to you to research. Nokian makes good snow tires near you? Or Michelin X-Ice? We have the latter.

    For number 7 and 8, I would not talk to the dealership, they tend to sell overpriced and ineffective packages. For the underside, I would stick with a competent third party garage, or if you have the facilities, raise your car yourself and apply wax/oil rust preservative to all vulnerable suspension components and bolts.

    Also, with small trim bolts on the underside: remove them, drench with wax/oil preservative, and re-install. The Toyota fasteners are terribly rust prone in my experience, comparing to all our previous Hondas.

    Paint treatments, I would just wash the car, pay special attention to wheel wells and corners, and wax twice yearly.

    For number 9: yes the car is pretty low, be careful heading into parking spots, and around snow piles.

    For number 10: just play it safe, be very cautious about losing your key, they are very expensive. Don't leave items showing in the car, park in secure areas whenever possible. The usual.

    For number 11: no idea about your country, but suspect the dealership is not the best place to shop. Here we have pretty much one (semi-government) auto insurance agency, pretty good set up.

    Full tank (number 12): yeah ask, I think most dealerships do, as a nice gesture. Also check tire pressures, including the spare, that's about it. It should be good if they've done their job.

    Number 13, cash purchase: yeah let them know, see what they say, if they will lower price. Watch out for extras on the bill, question them, perhaps some can be waived. Be prepared to walk away, especially if there is more than one Toyota dealership.
     
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  3. DonDNH

    DonDNH Senior Member

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    I wouldn't mention that you'll pay cash until you get a signed purchase agreement. The dealer makes a profit on dealing with a lending institution; called "dealer hold back" here in the states. If the dealer thinks he's going to get that money, he may give you a better price.

    As Mendel said above, be prepared to walk away if you're not entirely satisfied with the offer - they often will make it a better deal if they are losing a sale.
     
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  4. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

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    The gen 4 is definitely a snow plow. Low in the snow | PriusChat

    If you're look a low mileage car you might want to price out a new car. You'll get better financing. The payments might be a wash.
     
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  5. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Due to the long waiting times second hand cars are still fetching a premium price, so it's a case of do you want to pay a little more and wait several months or pay a little less and have a nearly new one now.
     
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  6. raspy

    raspy Senior Member

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    "Touch 2 & Go Software and GPS Map. Is it updated to the last version?
    Car software is up to date?"
    Be careful about getting a used car with the latest update. Looking at customer feedback on Toyota's UK blog, it's a step backwards from earlier version, with new bugs.
     
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  7. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Seems to be ok on the Prius.
     
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  8. MichelleStone

    MichelleStone Senior Member

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    I would encourage you to ask any questions you want. You can still be a good negotiator and ask questions. Do your research before hand, as you are doing now, so you know as much as possible. But ask anyway. You can sometimes find out if the dealer is telling you the truth or not by how they handle a noob question. I play the blond and then get a few digs in which makes my negotiating position stronger. I talked the dealership up 1400.00 US on my trade in value. It took over an hour, but I never earned that much in an hour.
     
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  9. DicedPixel

    DicedPixel Junior Member

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    Thank you for all the help and advice. I was not that lucky to get my driving license yesterday, so I will have to wait until next year end of March to try again.
    Beginning of April if I won't find a good deal on a used 2016, I will get the 2017 version new, where issues like parking brake and airbag would not even exist. I hope so.
    Also the prius Prime would launch at that time here in Sweden, just that I could not convince myself to buy that with limited room in the trunk and just two seats in the back. What were they thinking ?
    Thanks again, I will lurk a few more months and get back to you when I have the driver's license in hand :D
     
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  10. huskers

    huskers Senior Member

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    Man, that is a long time between times to get a lic.
     
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  11. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    Some early 2017 had the parking brake issue, but they should have all been fixed by that time.
    I got mine in October and it did not have the parking brake issue.
     
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  12. MichelleStone

    MichelleStone Senior Member

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    I took mine in for the oil change and they added the clips. I don't think that any new cars being sold will have any issues as far as this fix is concerned.
     
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  13. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    They cannot sell them in the US if they need the recall. That is why there was a stop sale on Prius for a while on those that needed the recall until they were repaired.
     
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  14. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    Got my parking brake done today, or they said they'd done it, they also said they'd washed and vacuumed the car but they hadn't.
    Booked it in for 9:30am today, 2-3 weeks ago, they quoted 1-1.5hrs job.
    When I got there they said it's not booked in today it's booked in for Monday, I showed them the letter I got and where the guy who booked it in wrote today's date and time on the top of it for me so I wouldn't forget it. They said can do it today but will be another hour before they can start it as they only have 2 mechanics on today (Saturday) and they are working on two customers cars that were booked in before me, I said I'd take a walk into town (15 mins away) and be back in 2 hours. Got back car had been moved but still not done, they said, there was a hold up with one of the customers cars that were in before me (what was the other mechanic doing ?) and it's been moved to wash and vac it.
    25 minutes later car's done (they quoted 1-1.5hrs work ?) and it had not been cleaned or vacuumed !
    I think my dealer's standards are slipping, they had been great until this, I think I might be looking elsewhere for servicing in future.
    What's most annoying is being lied to instead of just admitting they messed up.
     
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  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe they'll be better next time. I've had that happen. Maybe it was just a case of:

    upload_2016-12-17_11-52-55.png
     
    #15 Mendel Leisk, Dec 17, 2016
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2016
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  16. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    SNAFU!
     
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  17. benlovesgoddess

    benlovesgoddess Active Member

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    When we bought our used CR-V the dealer told us he could not sell it at our price we got up to leave - he soon jumped up, chased us to the door and gave us our price. Sadly, the Prius was the only one the dealer had, or would have for 6 months. If i walked out, i lost it!
    I think there are a lot of Priuses about now, so just walk and see where it gets you. You can always go back.
    I played 2 Hyundai dealers off each other to get £700 of extras on my rubbish i20.
     
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  18. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

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    Yeah, the trick is to know where similarly priced and loaded Prius' are so that you can walk away if you have to and not shoot yourself in the foot.
     
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  19. DicedPixel

    DicedPixel Junior Member

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    So... I just took my driver's license a few days ago and went yesterday at the dealership. I am now the proud owner of my first car ever, a 2016 Prius Executive, with 5000 km on it, used only for two months by the dealer.
    Was sitting on the dealership floor for three months now. They reduced the price three times on it. So I just took it for a ride and liked the feeling of driving it on the spot.
    They offered an alarm system as an accessory, because I wanted to bring the price down a bit more.
    Comes also with an extra set of wheels (16") with winter tires, next to the original 17s with summer tires.
    I will install later in autumn an electric engine and cabin heater. Otherwise the car has too many things on it for me to keep up with.
    Even if it's the executive package, it doesn't have leather seats. But that's fine, no cows were killed :p
    I will be going in vacation for Easter. I will go and pick it up on the 2nd of May when I'm back.
    Now my Vespa is a bit sad so I took it for a ride today :)

    Can't wait to go on a weekend drive with my family when we are back.

    Cristian

    P.S: I forgot to ask if they provide a full tank at delivery, I might sound like a jerk when I'll tell them then :p
     
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  20. RCO

    RCO Senior Member

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    Congratulations. Enjoy