So I got one of those "we want to buy your Prius!" letters from a dealership

Just another meaningless "individualized" mass marketing ploy. Our 2003 Vibe with 200K miles is a really hot collector item right now!

 

I've received probably a hundred of these over my driving decades. None were good offers. But one was not so bad, because it valued my 3-year-old 2010 as a 2-year-old (in 2012), and allowed me to trade up too.

It was 'not so bad' because it met my threshold on minimizing $/mile of long term depreciation, something it wouldn't have done if it traded in as its actual 3 years old. It was 'not good' because a week spent actually comparison shopping would have found better deals without much effort. But no tears because it met my pre-established target.

On my desk now is a very slickly produced and highly personalized offer to buy back my 2012 Prius and put me into a 2015 Chevrolet. ENTiTLED! Guaranteed ENTiTLED buyback value of 130% of Black Book value (who makes Black Book, I've never heard of it before, and why is it lower than other used car books?) of up to $19162 *(minus some mandatory deductions, mileage alone on mine brings max offered tradein down to $8700). The only thing this offer is good for is as fuel for a car lot bonfire rally to protest deceptive and predatory sales practices.

 

Shred the letter.
Keep the Prius.

Dodge sends these letters.
So does GM......Ford.....Honda.....etc.

They don't want your Prius.
They want your money.

 

I received one alike too.
I opened the letter, I read it, I Laughed my lung out and finally it ended up in the trash............

 

Yep...just anther database junk hook to get you in to buy another vehicle.

 

I received on from BMW as part of their One and Done campaign where they offered to buy my Prius Plug-in for $20K + $6,768, if I signed a 2-year lease for a BMW i3 for $6,768. I think it is a statement on the low sales numbers for the i3.

 

Apparently, customers for some of these vehicles are limited.

Once "everyone who wanted one got one", so, then they target plug-in owners of other brands.

And I see this coming: "Prius is the most common car traded for our BMWi3"

 

They make nice paper airplanes ✈✈

 

I have a built in defense mechanism whenever I get one of those dealership solicitations. It's kind of like Google Translate.

Whenever I see a phrase akin to "We Want Your Prius" I automatically read "We Want To Sell You A New Car".

And if I have absolutely no interest in buying a new car at the time? That's where the reading starts and stops.

 

Unfortunately doesn't apply to conventional paper mail.

 

If you're driving a 2014 Prius, it's going to be quite a while until you need a new car....barring an insurance claim.

 

The latest versions arrive in yellow DHL junk mail envelopes.

Do they really think I'm stupid enough to believe they actually need a 5+ year old car with over 90000 miles and do a trade for my same monthly payment? Mr. Toyota Dealer, my monthly car payment is $0. If you want to trade a 2015 Prius Five-AT for a 2010 Prius V-AT even up I may be interested. Otherwise, I need more incentive to visit your showroom.

I don't waste my time with these offers--straight into the recycle bin. Offer a lottery ticket, a few dollars, a cheap watch, a towel, or a tool kit and I'll be there. The golf umbrella doesn't cut it. Best gimme was a decent tool kit from a Chevy dealer. Second best gimme was a stadium blanket from a Toyota dealer.