Santa Monica Toyota Prius Sale

Wondering if anyone has information. I received a phone call from Santa Monica Toyota and they said that they just took possession of 200 Prius vehicles that they need to sell by the end of the year - They also had an ad in today's LA Times (Sun) about it. They said they have to take you to an off-site location where they all are, as this was a large fleet deal that fell apart due to lack of funding so they are trying to move them. They said they have some vehicles $5,000 off MSRP but they wont tell you which ones they are until you go there.

So is this legit - or is it just another scam to get you into the dealership. It sure sounds interesting - especially since I am debating over a 2011 to get a deal or wait for the 2012.

Hopefully someone else here in SOCAL has some info on this - They say the sale goes from today to 12/31..

 

Went by Santa Monica Toyota last night.....they do have a bunch of Prius cars, however they did not have the III with NAV in the color I wanted. I thru out an offer on a IV which I did not really want because of the solar roof, but thought I would give it a try due to the "have to move 200 Prius" sales pitch. They wanted to sell me the car but not at any great savings that I was expecting...as a mater of fact, the initial quote they gave me was way more that what I have been quoted by other dealers....you have to come to them with the price you have researched out, but they do not have offers that anyone would call "crazy deals".

Yes they do have a lot of Prius - they are the largest Prius dealer in the nation. This whole thing started due to an ad they took out in the Sunday Los Angeles Times yesterday saying they have to sell 200 Prius by the end of the year due to a large fleet deal that fell apart and they are stuck to get rid of the cars before the 2012 arrive.

Obviously if you have not done your pricing home work you will be paying regular prices for a Prius, and just get caught up in the old "end of the year sales thing."

I think that because they are the largest selling Prius dealer in the nation, many folks just go to them because of their name and selection...they have many more Prius for sale than Carson Toyota, however it seems that Dianne Whitmire is the exception to the rule. Dianne seems to have decent prices ....as well as great customer service - which in the end, seems to be a combo you can't beat.

It's kinda funny...you would think the largest Prius dealer in the nation would have someone like Dianne....Which goes to show you that it is not about the size of the dealership - even if you are the largest in the nation....it's all about the salesperson and the relationship he/she has with the sales manager to make the final deal.

Hopefully we will see some better pricing as it gets close to the 2012's hitting the lots.