about to lease a new 2010 Prius... need help

Re: leasing

You can absolutely roll negative equity into a lease. Plenty of it, too. It's done all the time. Just FYI!

And, let's face it, the days of the uneducated comsumer are sure dwindling ... with Google, you can find anything comparable to what you're seeking. Info, deal structure, you name it. You assume anyone who walks into a dealership is stupid enough to fall for anything.
You fail to give the average buyer credit for their internet connection and the ways in which it is used. With AAA, Costco, credit union affiliates like autoland, auto brokers, and just plain dealership websites and car research sites, even the blindest pigs find their acorns.

Truth is, in the last year, I have had more $25 to $75 pay vouchers than any other time in my career. Sales personnel are paid on profit, and it's hard to make any these days. Buyers are so educated, they become over-educated and will absorb or swallow anything they read. Even if it's not the truth.

 

Re: leasing

I never said that. I said you prey on those that walk in and buy a car based on payment. Then you spin a lease or payment options for them including talking money they owe on previous vehicle and add it to their new loan.

Do you call this group uneducated or just average consumers that do not understand.

 

Re: leasing

That one facet of leasing is the same as buying: what's my trade worth?
When someone with a trade in sits with me and gets it appraised, I tell them what it's worth.
It's up to THEM what to do with the trade in value. Apply it to the car's cap reduction to bring the payment down? Put it back into their pocket? Apply some of it into the new car and take some of it back?
My leases in the past few months have not involved too many trades. Keep in mind that I sell 50-60-70 vehicles a month. Not all are leased. Not all are Prius. Not all have trades. And, as the fleet sales director who works via internet and all of the buying services, I get folks from everywhere. My volume pays my bills. Units matter a lot to me. I am not like a retail schlub who WILL sit and grind the crap out of you for 3 extra hours because he sells 10-15-18 a month so every dime matters. I don't argue, don't have the patience for it and prefer folks to know I put my best deal and best foot forward each and every time. I don't cheat people out of their trade equity or their paid off cars. You are making some nutty generalization based on what you perceive is the car biz.. and that smacks of the many decades pre y2k. This century, things are far different. The average consumer is quite educated, and far pickier about who they deal with.

Those who are not, well I don't know why they are not but they either don't care or they are not yet educated on what's possible if they find the right person who won't BS them or cheat them. For the same reason, up till 2005, I called a plumber to fix a problem toilet that I can now fix myself. I learned, and now I know something new. This may be a facet of someone's experience that isn't lit up yet.

That said, there are SO many components to a car deal, you should quit generalizing. Really.

Dianne

 

I have always hated dealers and the foolish games they play.

When I purchased my 2010 Prius I worked the deal out over the phone and gave a $500 deposit on my credit card. I knew the exact options I was going to get and how much I was going to pay. I had them fax the prices to me. I had them listed in an excel spread sheet with everything calculated to the last cent. I brought a check for the full amount already written out.

I had an appointment to pick up the car at 7:00PM. The sales guy spent 5 minutes showing me how the car worked. I know 200% more about the car then he did. After that I sat around for 2 hours being told they were working on my paper work. At 9PM I meet with the finance manager and he tried to sell me everything you could image. Teflon coating for the seats extended warranties and many other worthless things.

He claimed I never gave him the deposit. Using my laptop I showed him my online credit card statement that showed Byers Toyota with a $500 deposit and he accepted that. Then his numbers did not match mine. I was upset. After an hour of arguing about the amount he took my check and I got the car. What a waste of time.

Next time I buy a car I am going to make them sign my contracted stating they have 1 hour to deliver the car. For every 5 minutes over they owe me $100. The other issue I had was my title. It took them 28 days to get it to me. I paid cash for the car.

I really hate dealers. They are all scum bags.

 

Judgeless, trying to convince everyone in your own beliefs (flawed according to the majority here) is only going to make you look silly.

Also, the fact that you had a bad experience with one dealer doesn't make them all bad.

 

The majority of people were? On Prius Chat or this thread?

I am not saying all dealers are bad. I am not saying all layers are bad. Most people do not think highly of either. They are probably the most hated professions in the world.

Why is that??

 

Judgeless, you must be totally unlucky when purchasing cars. All are not scum bags. All priests are not child molesters. All police are not on the take. All bankers are not sleazy...you get my drift. I've purchased well over 40 autos in my life. Most were new cars. Many salespersons were poorly prepared to sell cars. Many salespersons were ignorant of the issues concerning options etc. Many were only interested in moving a car and getting a commission. SOME were not that way at all. I wouldn't try to defend many of the naughty salespeople but I would say most were just trying to make a buck and feed the family. I know several auto dealership owners and strongly believe they try to promote integrity and high sales numbers at the same time. It's a tough business and sales people turn over a lot. When I find a dealership that demonstrates integrity I try to return for replacement vehicles.
Consumers need to learn all they can about any product they purchase. They should understand that retailers (including auto dealers) survive by making a profit and close when they don't.
Smart customers reward retailers who meet their expectations with return business.
Prius Chat members are fairly savvy and generally will make informed purchases. You seem to be very savvy. I encourage you to use your wisdom to find and support a quality dealer. There is at least one in Cal. and one in Va Beach. I believe you can trust them. They post here on PC.
If you come to western NC I can point you to a few quality dealerships as well.
:focus:

 

I agree. You hear more about the bad ones then the good ones. I do not deal with them very often because I take care of automobile and keep it for a long time. Here are pics of my 10 year old Toyta 4Runner with 305,000 miles. This is the condition it was in when I sold it.

4Runner Pictures taken 09-30-09

The Prius will last 10 year and over 300,000 miles also.

 

On the Tonight Show with Jay Leno last night there was a 92 year old lady with 1964 Mercury Comet with 563,000 miles. Over the years she went through 18 batteries, 8 mufflers and 3 sets of shocks.

All the replacement batteries were free because she had a life time warranty from J.C Penny’s. The 8 mufflers were all free from Midas Muffler and the shocks were from Sears with a life time warranty.

This is a lady after my own heart. She could have leased a car every 3 year since 1964 if they offered a lease back then. She would have leased 15 cars over the life of that car. If she leased she would have made car payments over 46 years, instead she only made payments for 4-5 years. She saved a boat load of money buying the car and taking care of it. The car was in mint shape.

 

and...

You know, that experience is flipp-able. For every horrible experience, there's a great one. And, ones in between.

It sounds like you felt prepared with cash and expectations to pay and get out of there, and that request wasn't respected fully. That's a shame, but there are folks such as myself who do honor that.

Dianne

 

Wow :rockon:It looks like a 3 year old car. Somone got a great deal on that one.

 

Thanks, I miss not having an SUV. I do not miss getting 16MPG. The Prius is averaging 61 MPG. I saved $3,900 dollars in gas the first year.

I look at money in odd ways. If you make $100,000 you really only take home around $66,000 after SS, medicare, fed, state and city taxes. You have to make $5,129 gross income to pay for $3,900 in gas. The savings in gas is like getting a $5,129 bonus this year.

 

And in about 5 years your bonuses paid for the Prius :rockon: