What's Your Overall Experience with Prius Dearers?

Are you referring to people who are dear to the Prius, or Asian Prius Dealers?

Tom

 

We just bought our '07 at Avondale Toyota in AZ. I bought a Tacoma from them in December, and we went back to the same salesperson.

We are very pleased with the dealership - they have a one person/one price policy - they even post the price on the Internet, the REAL price. No haggling - the price on the net and window is what you pay. And you don't have anyone going back and forth, between the salesperson and the manager and finance. One person takes care of it all.

It was so painless - drive the car, decide to buy or not, and then fill out the paperwork. We'll definitely go back.

We weren't the only ones buying a prius that day - there were two other couples completing their deals in the time we were there (only a 3 hour period!).

 

I've had both a <strike>bad</strike> horrible and an excellent experience in the same day.

Dealer #1 (<strike>BAD</strike> HORRIBLE) We're first customers in that day but a good bit past "opening" time. I had to go to the desk, get the attention of the indifferent lady at the desk and let her know I was in the market for a Prius and could she get someone. We then waited 10-15min while they figured out who to send my way and we went on a test drive. The guy they put me knew little about the Prius except to know enough to hype up its "hybrid" status and politely downtalk my trade in (04 Tundra) to set the stage for the negotiations. We get ready to test drive and guess what? The car he was showing me needed a Jump. :blink: When I asked him what the "B" on the shifter was for he said it was the parking brake. :blink: I was at the "humor him" stage at this point just to see how things were going to go. I did the test drive and then went back to "talk numbers" After what seemed like an eternity of leaving me and my wife in the lobby he comes back with the most insulting set of "idiot if you sign" numbers I've ever seen in my life. I had run numbers before I left my house and apparently his dealership uses some new fancy quantum math or something because he had price and payments WAY higher than I calculated AND he wanted $5k down. I'm talking like $100/month WAY OFF. I told him he needed to start sharing the stuff he and his boss were smoking because it was apparently quality stuff but was affecting their math skills. I showed him my numbers including the math and told him i wasn't an idiot and he should really learn about the cars he tries to sell and bid him good day.

Dealer #2 (EXCELLENT) - Went to lunch and enjoyed a good meal and laugh about the mornings adventures with captain new math and his amazing technicolor dealership and then went home. Decided that I STILL really wanted a Prius and pulled up the website of another dealership in town. I noticed they had an "internet sales" phone number and figured what the heck. Can't hurt to make a call can it. No it didn't. It was the best call I have made to a dealership. I got straight through to a rep, no waiting, no long ringing before someone decided who was going to get it, just an immediate pick up and a friendly greeting. I briefly mentioned my morning fun and that I was wanting to discuss a new Prius. I told him the package i wanted and he had 2 ready and waiting, the numbers were favorable and i did some of the paper work online. I got to the dealership and was greeted as soon as I walked in. My rep came up immediately and we got right to the test drive and dog/pony show on the Prius. He knew his stuff hands down. We went in and did a few more forms and then worked our deal. This dealership provides (at no extra cost) a Lifetime/Unlimited Miles Warranty on the powertrain, all service for 3yr/45k, and best of all, free massages while you wait for your scheduled service

So i guess the moral of the story is that you can find both crappy and superior dealerships, it really depends on the management and the people.

 

When I bought my car, the Prius was my second choice; the Honda Insight was my first. I went to my Honda dealer; no Insight for me to test drive, and they weren't expecting any for another three months. I left my name and number for them to call me and never heard back from them (only to learn later that Honda stopped making the Insight).

I went across the street to my Toyota dealer. He had a Prius there I could take for a test drive. I had already driven a friend's Prius so I knew the routine, but tried it out for myself, anyway. Afterwards, I signed on the spot. I picked Classic Silver as my first choice, Black as my second. He also told me that I'd have to wait about three months. About a month later he called and said another Prius came in with all the options I ordered (everything but leather) but in a different color. I went to the dealer, saw the magnetic gray, liked it even more than the silver and took it on the spot. It came with a cargo net and one of those way-overpriced first-aid kits which the dealer even threw in for free. So yeah, I'm very happy with my dealer.

 

Julia, our saleswoman at the Bellevue, WA Toyota/Prius dealership was GREAT. She knew everything about the car bumper to bumper (I've not found anything she said that was wrong) and she took us on a "real" test drive that included side roads, freeway, flat parts of road (hard to find in Seattle/Bellvue area) and a steep hilly section.

I can't remember the guy's name that "worked with us" on the price of the car (Julia was there too). The process was reasonable and the price was reasonable and fair.

The financing guy pushed to get us to use their financing but we were firm with our Credit Union financing. We ended up buying what my wife and I feel is a reasonably priced package that has Toyota cover all defects (bumper to bumper) up to 75,000 miles (does not cover abuse or other things that are obvious). I figure if nothing is wrong up until then we won't have a problem with the car.

Anyway, at least with Julia, Michael's Toyota in Bellevue, WA was great. The best experience I've had out of 8 vehicle purchases.

 

Car dealers are pretty much the same. Try to avoid them. If you need to buy a car, hold your nose, walk in, write the check, and leave, washing your hands later. The first dealer I talked to had no cars. The second one did. I wrote the check, and got out, never needed to return again. Sites like Priuschat can educate you about options, performance , etc. My car hasn't needed any dealer intervention, and that's the way I like it. I do my own oil change, and tire rotation. 1 1/2 years, and 35,000 miles, and I haven't felt the need to go back to the dealer for anything (bought a few filters).

 

I paid $20740 for #2, 3 weeks ago because I went there informed. Had I just walked in and said I want to buy a Prius I would have paid at least $1.5k more for the same car.

The salesman tried to sell me his lifetime maintenance policy for $875 with mats (I paid $ 110 in total for cabin and trunk mats separately anyway). I don't think this was such a terrible deal but I didn't go for it. He also offered the extended warranty for $1045 (here it goes for $990) also not a bad deal. He also offered me a 5.99% financing without early payment penalties through chrysler financial which I did get knowing that I will likely refinance.

The salesman did save me $250 over the 2nd best offer. Tomorrow I'll take the car to their service people for the free 1kmi service. I will have stickers on the oil stick saying "Please only add 3.5 quarts of oil" and stickers on the wheels saying "Please do not adjust tire pressure". I hope they follow my instructions.

 

I have never enjoyed my time at a car dealership. Every single one is out to take more money from you than they deserve, except each has its own way of doing it. Some just flat out try to rob you on the purchase price, your trade, or both. In doing so they'll make this great big act of how crazy you are for making such an offer, that they're losing money, that they really can't do anything else, blah blah blah. Others will try to get you to buy idiotic things like $2,000 extended warranty (no thanks!) or $4,000 chrome wheels, or some pointless "corrosion protection."

The week or ill-informed are fleeced, the rest of us leave with a car at a decent price but may feel just the slightest bit violated regardless. And this has nothing to do with Prius. This is everywhere I've been. I hope my Prius lasts 20 years so that I can avoid going back for another one! It's a good thing I really like this car.

 

In my area most dealers are morons out to take every cent they can. I almost went from prius envy to prius pity. I found one that was reasonable and made the purchase. Great car but I dread the the thoughts of every having to go trough the process again.

 

$3.50 gas has changed everything. Around Denver, some dealers offer "invoice" plus $399. Other dealers have gotten greedy and think expensive gas means MSRP.

My suggestion: find an auto broker, or wait a month for gas prices to drop.

 

About ten years ago when I purchased my first Toyota I heard a quote that I have remembered:

"Consumers love the vehicles [Toyota] and hate the dealers"

P.S. I am in my third year with my Prius pre-paid maintenance plan and have all work done at an independent auto shop. Twice, previously I had service work at a Toyota dealer resulting in problems there so no more--I'll continue with the independent. And yes, for those wondering, the independent shop has complete service and no cost to me each time.

 

well, demand at my dealership on the Prius, Highlander Hybrid, and the Camry Hybrid have shot through the roof in the past week. Of course it's due to gas prices, and of course we're being less flexible with pricing simply because there are plenty of people who will pay close to MSRP - incentive for a Hybrid right now. Look on Toyota.com for a Hybrid right now...there are fewer and fewer available each day. It's supply and demand. On the downside, big profit margin vehicles like Sequoias and 4Runners are showing decreased sales.

 

our salesguy was fantastic, a really nice guy. we referred all people interested in the prius to him. one lady on PC drove all the way from (i think it was) FL to pick one up from over here and i sent her to matthew. shame he's no longer at the dealership.

and the head prius tech over here.... whoo!! one hot hunk of man :wub:

 

My buying experience at Fred Anderson in Durham NC was pretty painful. I was trading in a car and I knew exactly what it was worth and exactly how much I would pay for the Prius (this was in 05 when there was still a short wait and high demand) I got up out of my chair at the bargaining table to shake hands and leave because they were offering me $40.00 less/charging me more than the cars were worth. I told them I didn't care if they gave me $40 more for the trade or knocked it off the sale, but I was sticking to my numbers. Salesmen tried to tell me it was the cost of diner that night and I extended my hand to shake to leave. He went to his "manager" and then tried to guilt me b/c he said he would get $40 less in his commission for the sale. Oh well.

Then they tried to sell me the extended warranty at $2500 for the Platinum I think, and never told me that I could get it later...I even think he said it would be more $$ if I waited...HAHA what a joke, got mine last week from Troy Deitrich in MA.

And now I've started to have trouble with my Prius and have had horrible service at Fred Anderson in Raleigh, NC. So much that I almost had the non-running Prius towed to another nearby Toyota dealer. See my thread "Dead Prius." Have filed a complaint with SoutheastToyota b/c I was treated so badly.

A

I think high gas prices might increase demand but there are 711 Prii available in the Southeast either immediately or within 3 days.

A

 

Here in Albuquerque, both (the only) Toyota Dealerships are owned by Larry Miller even though they have different names and are only around 8 miles apart... American Toyota and Carl Malone. To their benefit both dealers are up-front about that, maybe so you are less likely to leave to go to the other. No comparison or dealing possible here! You can go from one to the other and get almost identical quotes. You might get a little off, probably because the sales person cuts his commission. Probably better to shop in a bigger city where you might be able to bargain two different dealers against each other. My $0.02

 

Our local dealer in Peoria is very knowledgeable regarding the Prius, the staff is very helpful and friendly, but you aren't going to get a deal on a Prius. What the sticker says is what you pay. They wanted $1,600 for the extended warranty. Just waiting for Todd to get back from his vacation to get mine from him.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dorf @ May 21 2007, 07:14 AM) [snapback]446555[/snapback]</div>

I just bought a new Acura and it was night and day between that dealer and the Toyota dealer.

The Toyota dealer, Bob Howard (Oklahoma City), is high pressure, plays lots of games, and was an extremely painful experience.

Acura had zero pressure, friendly sales, and the first price they offered was $100 over invoice. 20 minutes to buy vs 5 hours.

I would suggest not going to a Toyota dealship blind. Try to work a deal over the phone or email first. Of course I "though" I had a deal with the internet sales guy at Toyota but once I got there it magically changed.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ May 21 2007, 07:17 PM) [snapback]447089[/snapback]</div>

You'd better blush. But, I assume he knows how you feel. And it's reciprocated.

Dave M.