Temporary Contract? Help...

Ask him to send it to your lawyer.
He'll probably rethink it.

 

Read it see what it says, or consult your lawyer... or use it as a negotiation point and if it is a reasonable agreement counter by stating if you sign you want a written offer on your trade. (that is what happened with my parents prius deal when it was allocated and on its way).



Good luck

 

This is basically like committing to an order and probably putting money down as well.
Be sure you read the contract well and that it commits him to the things you want from him as well (exact color, trim, package, date of delivery, satisfactory inspection on delivery, no dealer advertisements to be placed on the car, et. al.).
The more items you add for your protection, the easier it will be to back out of if need be. (also, the more likely you will be to avoid a bait-and-switch)
If the dealer objects to committing, challenge him on it.
Good luck.

 

Arriving at the dealership Thur., or the port? If the latter, how long before you can take delivery?

Do you already have a deposit on it? If so, how much?

 

Have him complete the deal with the trade-in figure today. Don't sign any contract without the trade or the dealer will 'steal' the Tundra.

 

Or sell it to another willing buyer.

 

The best thing to do would be to "just say no". Do not sign this thing unless you understand everything in it. If you can't understand it take it to someone who can explain it to you, a lawyer would be best.

Some car dealerships are among the most unscrupulous of businesses at the best of times. When demand outstrips supply, such as with the Prius, they become even more unscrupulous than normal.

 

OK, in your last response you mentioned picking it up in Dublin. Cool. California State Law says a car deal is subject to your final inspection of the vehicle (including a test drive).

I would suggest taking them up on it, get the trade in value on your Truck, put it all down in writing, then tell them you are not giving them the down$ until you get to test drive your new Prius. They should be cool with that. All they are trying to do is make sure you can buy the thing, or see if you will "pull-out" so they can sell it to someone else (maybe with a mark-up, maybe not). That's all. I happened to get mine at Santa Cruz Toyota because someone backed out of their order. They just want to know.

 

Isn't someone trading in a vehicle to buy a Prius basically screwing themselves in the deal anyways?

Although I've never "traded-in" a car to purchase another, I have always read that the trade-in deal should be conducted totally separate from the purchase deal. Otherwise the dealer tends to bury the weary buyer in numbers - obscuring both the trade in value and the true cost of the new car.

If you are buying a car that is highly available, it's wise to shop your used one to several dealers and purchase the new car from the dealer that gives you the most for the trade-in while selling you the new car at a nice discount.

You can't do that with a Prius. Let's face it, with a Prius you are likely to pay MSRP regardless of what you are trading in. Since you can't walk away from a low trade in offer when your car finally does show up at the dealer, they have you by the grapes and they don't mind squeezing.

If it's not inconvenient, you really should try to sell whatever you are driving now, without having to involve a trade - you'll be far ahead.

Remember, if you pay MSRP and the dealer gives you $1,000 less for your trade than you can get yourself, you are paying $1,000 over MSRP.

 

If the car is arriving tomorrow, there probably shouldn't be a problem.
If it gets "unaccountably delayed" (read: yanking ya), he might feel free to sell it to someone else and you should probably be glad to find another dealer.

 

It might simply be that the sales person needs some sort of document to show other sales people at the dealership that they have a buyer for the car. Some unethical sales people will say they have a definite buyer when they don't, just so they have another chance to sell the car.