Car shopping today...

[NewJersey]

This stuff drains me!

Today's my first day of going to the dealerships (I've been dealing with the internet dept)...I'm leaning towards getting a hybrid camry

I'm sure they already smell fresh meat coming!

 

[Chattyaholic]

Ooooh, I LOVE car shopping!! Probably because it's something I rarely, rarely ever get to do! Have fun!!

 

[NewJersey]

Ooooh, I LOVE car shopping!! Probably because it's something I rarely, rarely ever get to do! Have fun!!

Thanks! This is my first time doing it so I'm taking my parents as reinforcements!

 

[Tiziminchac]

Just don't act too enthusiastic and remember that they can always give you a better deal than the one posted. Good luck!

 

[NewJersey]

Just don't act too enthusiastic and remember that they can always give you a better deal than the one posted. Good luck!

Thanks! I'm leaving the checkbook at home and reminding myself that they have to work for ME!

 

[noodleknitter]

Thanks! I'm leaving the checkbook at home and reminding myself that they have to work for ME!

You've got a good plan, then. My husband is an expert car shopper, and has walked away from many dealers. Sadly, I go in with my checkbook, and buy the frist car I try, because I hate the shopping so much. He no longer takes me with him! (This is A-OK with me!!!!)

 

[ducklite]

Generally speaking, hybrid cars are non-negotiable on price--it is what it is because there is such a demand. In fact I know with the Toyota Prius you need to get on a waiting list to order one, they are not just stocked on the dealer's lots. I can't imagine the hybrid Camry would be any different.

Anne

 

[noodleknitter]

Generally speaking, hybrid cars are non-negotiable on price--it is what it is because there is such a demand. In fact I know with the Toyota Prius you need to get on a waiting list to order one, they are not just stocked on the dealer's lots. I can't imagine the hybrid Camry would be any different.

Anne

I missed the hybrid part! My dad bought his in Iowa, and drove it home to CA because it was a 1/3 less expensive. I don't know if it was a Prius, but it was the Toyota SUV.

 

[ducklite]

I missed the hybrid part! My dad bought his in Iowa, and drove it home to CA because it was a 1/3 less expensive. I don't know if it was a Prius, but it was the Toyota SUV.

That's not a Prius. If it's a hybrid, it's a Hylander, which is the only SUV they make in hybrid, but again, I doubt it's a hybrid as they aren't generally negotiable on the price for those because there are usually waiting lists to order them.

Anne

 

[noodleknitter]

It is a hybrid...Lord knows I hear enough about how much it is saving him money! Perhaps in CA they are merely upping the price, to have made that sort of difference.

 

[ducklite]

It is a hybrid...Lord knows I hear enough about how much it is saving him money! Perhaps in CA they are merely upping the price, to have made that sort of difference.

That's exactly what is happening.

I have Saturn SKY. Due to the demand, a lot of the dealers started upping the price well over the MSRP until Saturn got wind of it and put a stop to that practice. So to sell the car at the MSRP but still make more profit, the dealers were adding on every dealer installed option and marking those prices up significantly. Saturn doesn't control the prices of dealer installed options. They give a suggested MSRP, but allow the dealer to price it as they want. SO the dealers were installing this stuff and not letting people get the cars without being "fully loaded." There was enough demand that if someone balked, they moved on to the next customer.

This was happening more in some markets than others. My guess is that your dad was running into simlar situations in CA, where hybrids are far more popular than they are in the mid-west, partially due to stringent emission laws in CA. If this was the case, he was a wise man!

In NJ, hybrids are still extraordinarily popular and hard to get. DH was told it could be a year to get his Prius from a dealer in Central NJ, a dealer in FL told him six months. and we got the car about two or three months later, only because it came fully loaded from the manufacturer (not dealer add-ons) and most Prius buyers want a more stripped down version, so a bunch of other people higher on the list passed on it before they got to DH.

Anne