Dianne- GRRR!! WOOF WOOF!! LOL!! No one likes to be stereotyped. <br>Brian

&lt;&lt;If you want those antics to stop- Then pay a profit and move on&gt;&gt;<br><br>I bought a Prius at MSRP so I think that is exactly what I did. Looks like neither of us enjoy feeling like we are being "stereotyped." <br><br>&lt;&lt;Silly Boy!! &gt;&gt;<br><br> I was just trying to explain why the consumer feels like they are sometimes being screwed at car dealerships. Instead I obviously hit a nerve so I am ending my part in this thread since it has gotten unnecessarily ugly and quite a way off the intended topic anyway.<br><br>Steve

Rick, thanks! That's very sweet of you.

True-I appreicate your advice-there is about a $3000 difference between sale value and trade in, and though we have a few people interested in that we know, no one has the cash up front or can get it... right now our car is going to be here in the next week or so...funny thing was that I was going to try and sell it when we got our "2 week" call from toyota then the next day got the call that its in the state! My boss feels the same way, but alas, my time has run short ;)<br>Crysta;

Good point.. I did just want to find out just how much of a profit margin they were making and knowing that "invoice" (which is what the dealership is supposed to have paid) for a Prius w/o any of the extras-I think the total is like $19800 (rounded up) at a 10% mark-up from that price its already $22,000... I am only going to pay $23,500 for the nav system and cruise on the 2002... but people can feel ripped off if they don't understand how things work.. and yah, if someone was selling these for an even better deal, then I would question it-although I might pursue it too ;).<br><br>Crystal

That's a lot of difference, Crystal. But I respect that it's your decision to make and that you feel hemmed in by a time frame. I only suggested that you try for a short time just to see what happens. At least if you know what the trade in value of your car IS, you can make that work for you. Best wishes to you.

Thanks! Appreciate your kindness!

SORRY!! ugliness intended for the poster who made the original "dealers love to screw people comment" <br>Brian

"SORRY!! ugliness intended for the poster who made the original "dealers love to screw people comment" "<br><br>I believe there are some dealers out there who are out to do that. I've personally been a "victim" of the bait and switch financing trick where "If you buy this extended warranty, you'll qualify for this rate". Then I got a letter in the mail a week later stating that financing has yet to be arranged for my vehicle because I *didn't* qualify. In the end I was still stuck with the warranty, and the higher interest rate loan. After doing some research, I found out this happens quite a bit, and that the practice is illegal. I've also had the ploy of "holding the trade registration to keep you dealing" trick - only to be VERY unwilling to give it back when the dealing goes sour.<br><br>Maybe the term "screw" should mean that they're looking to make that buck whether it's honest or dishonest - and that if the buyer is willing to let you hang them upside down and shake out the extra change from their pockets, that it should be done because, well, you walked in, therefore all of your money is now ours, but you're still getting this great deal! :-)<br><br>I should clarify - this only applies to a handful of dealers out there (Ford and Chrysler seem to come to mind in my past experiences) who do this regularly. But unfortunately it does set the stereotype and/or stigma for the industry in general. I can only imagine that it's very difficult to reset customer expectations of how smooth the deal can really go.<br><br>In searching for my Prius, I went to several Toyota dealers. Many of them did the usual "well, woudl you be interested in something else?" trick, or "Well need $$$$ deposit to get you started to make sure you're serious". However Dianne, reset those expectations by allowing me to walk in (at the appropriate time), test drive, oogle over another Prius with NAV to make sure it was right for me, and then freely make my decision - ALL without a deposit. She knows that if I've made the 35 mile drive up there (twice so far), I'm serious enough. And when choosing my options, there was no pressure to buy one vs. the other. And for my trade, there is no pressure to give up my car for a price that I'm not comfortable with, or dishonest comments stating that I'll never get any more private party. I'm encourage to get the best deal possible on both ends.<br><br>Okay, I've rambled enough. Point being that we've all had bad experiences or know others who have with car dealers. Therefore it's difficult to walk in not expecting another bad experience, but on the same token it's refreshing to have a good experience. And trust me - we'll boast just as loudly, if not louder to make people know it was a good experience. Now we'll see if I can get a great on my trade, that would make it a great deal :-P<br><br>my 2?<br>-Rick<br>(will be driving his Blue Moon soon hopefully)

Why would you buy an extended warranty under any circumstances? The practice of stupid people entering a dealership without their financing approved in advance ought to be illegal. That way we wouldn't have so many whiners on this club site discussing how they got "screwed".

"Why would you buy an extended warranty under any circumstances?"<br><br>On certain vehicles (i.e. Ford), extended warranties are a prudent purchase which have proven to many buyers as a valuable purchase when their transmission explodes at 36001 miles. Those people are always "glad" they purchased that warranty.<br><br>"The practice of stupid people entering a dealership without their financing approved in advance ought to be illegal. That way we wouldn't have so many whiners on this club site discussing how they got "screwed"."<br><br>So you're justifying the dealer practice of preying on the uninformed? Wouldn't it be easier to educate potential buyers in public forums such as these so they don't make the same mistakes that others already have?<br><br>The point of any public form is the sharing of information. This thread was about sharing information on buyer awareness, and the consequences of the absence thereof. Hopefully some will take tidbits of information from this and arm themselves when making their next car buying decision. Sharing is always better than flaming, even if it's perceived by a few as whining. It's better to say "Man, that sucks, here's how you can avoid that in the future" than to say "God, you're a dumbass - they should outlaw people like you because you're so dumb".

Hi again:<br><br>May I suggest a good decaf? <br><br>-Michael<br>CA "01 Prius"

In the spirit of that message for consumer education, here is a link to a site which gave me a LOT of information for buying or leasing a new automobile:<br><br><a href=http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/auto_home.asp target=new>http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/auto_home.asp</a><br><br>I hope others will find this as helpful as I did.<br><br>Crystal

Rick, exactly. I can't agree more with this statement specifically ...<br><br>&lt;snip&gt;Wouldn't it be easier to educate potential buyers in public forums such as these so they don't make the same mistakes that others already have? The point of any public form is the sharing of information. This thread was about sharing information on buyer awareness, and the consequences of the absence thereof. Hopefully some will take tidbits of information from this and arm themselves when making their next car buying decision. Sharing is always better than flaming, even if it's perceived by a few as whining. It's better to say "Man, that sucks, here's how you can avoid that in the future" than to say "God, you're a dumbass - they should outlaw people like you because you're so dumb".&lt;/snip&gt;<br><br>Great perspective.

Do you know why there is so much whining here, because you're all Prius geeks! I've sold cars for 13 years, and as a group, Prius buyers are the most anal, worrisome bunch of girls I've ever dealt with. The dealers don't make any money on these cars, so do really mind if we make a little on your trade-in? After all, we have to put up with you for four months!

"Do you know why there is so much whining here, because you're all Prius geeks! I've sold cars for 13 years, and as a group, Prius buyers are the most anal, worrisome bunch of girls I've ever dealt with. The dealers don't make any money on these cars, so do really mind if we make a little on your trade-in? After all, we have to put up with you for four months! "<br><br>What do you mean 4 months? What about after the fact when we take our Prii in for service and it HAS to be right? :-) <br><br>No 10w-30 for me sir. Yes, this maintenance is supposed to be free. Yes, I want my tires overinflated, etc. etc. And no, you still won't make any money during that period because it *is* all free.<br><br>What has Toyota done?! They've practically eliminated any profit any dealership stands to make in the next 3 years from these cars! But hey, as long as the buyer is happy...

Hi HTML:<br><br>FYI, Toyota dealers do indeed make a nice profit on the Prius. $1200 on base alone! This does not take into account a 2% dealer holdback ($400), any dealer incentives from the factory or any options added to the car at the dock. ($2000 total dealer profit would not be unusual.) And since the car is mandated from Toyota to be sold at MSRP only, it appears the dealer can count on about the SAME profit margin from every Prius that leaves the lot. (Oh, and don't forget PADDING the MSRP, like many dealers have done successfully.)<br><br>Anal you say? I agree. After all, this is only the most sophisticated production car built in the world. <br><br>And yes, as long as the buyer is happy. That's called good business, which usually translates into repeat business.<br><br>Thanks for the nicely written challenge, albeit a bit "whiney". <br><br>-Michael<br>CA "01 Prius"