How My Wife And I Finally Found A Toyota Prius Hybrid
My wife and I had been talking for some time about getting a hybrid car. She had done a lot of research, and we had finally settled on the Toyota Prius. Her research told her that the price (relatively low as hybrids go) and the performance (gas mileage into the 60 MPG range) would be the best for us. It's just the two of us empty nesters now, but a larger, younger family might need a different vehicle. Just to let you know, however, the Prius is surprisingly roomy inside, and a very comfortable ride!
As gas prices rose, we began an internet and telephone search in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, hoping to get a handle on prices and set up a test drive for the Toyota Highlander hybrid, the Toyota Camry hybrid (which was being introduced in the 2007 models), and the Toyota Prius.
The first thing we learned was that all but the Prius were way out of our price range (more on this later). The Toyota Prius starts in the low $20,000.00s, and most Toyota Highlander hybrids start around $35,000.00.
Hybrid cars are going like hotcakes!
We also learned that the Toyota Prius is scarce as the proverbial hen's teeth on dealer lots, and most of the dealers in and around Dallas and Fort Worth didn't even have them in stock for test drives. In fact, we learned that in many cases a Prius would be pre-sold to people who hadn't even driven one. We were even offered the opportunity by Toyota of Dallas to buy one that had been ordered for another customer, but we were given to understand that he hadn't made a down payment yet, and if we put in our offer before he did, we could have the car...even though it wasn't due in until the middle of the following week and we wouldn't be able to see it until after we had bought it!
After several phone calls to local dealers, I talked with a salesman named Charles at Toyota of Dallas. I explained to him the cash restraints I was facing, and thought that I had made it plain that I was trying to keep my payments within a specific range, and that my down payment was also within a certain range. I AM certain I made it plain that the price of \\$24,169.00 shown online was about my top figure. He told me he had a Prius in stock and if I could come in, I could test drive it. My wife and I jumped on this and drove from the South side of Dallas to the North side, knowing that we would have to battle the evening traffic to return home.
When we arrived at Toyota of Dallas, we were placed in the care of a salesperson who took us out to the one Prius on the lot, carefully showed us almost everything on the sticker, demonstrated the various features to us, and then took us for a ride...excuse me, took us for a test ride.
Upon returning from the test drive, as we were preparing to go back inside and begin negotiations, the salesman pointed out for the first time that there was an additional "premium" charge of \\$6000.00 that would be added to the sticker price of the vehicle, which would change the $24,169.00 price to $30,169.00. My wife and I both pointed out that not only was that far above what we felt comfortable with, but it was also NOT the price shown online and the price I had talked about with the salesman, Charles, on the phone.
The salesman reassured us that he could work out the best deal he could, and, despite our better judgement and negative feelings about Toyota of Dallas and their sales staff, I showed him the two vehicles we wanted to trade and gave him my keys to them. After waiting for an extended time, he returned with a deal that would have required a down payment twice what I was willing to make and would still involve payments 50% larger than I wanted to make. Once I saw that this was going to be the best they could do, I stood up and prepared to leave. As he still had the keys to both my vehicles, I asked him to give me my keys. He kept trying to talk about the deal. I asked for my keys in a more forceful voice (I had been an Army Platoon Sergeant and was still capable of generating a lot of volume). Again, he tried to talk about the deal. At this time one of his supervisors arrived and he also tried to talk about the no-deal deal. I raised my voice another notch, demanding the return of my keys, and heads turned...customers and salespeople. They STILL didn't get it and kept trying to hammer the deal. I made my last LOUD demand for my keys, and was prepared to enter rooms and go through desks until I found them or was physically restrained. Finally, they gave me my keys and we left.
My wife and I stopped for dinner at a nearby Chili's and agreed that we would NEVER do business with Toyota of Dallas again, we would NEVER RECOMMEND Toyota of Dallas to anyone, and that we felt that we had been subjected to something similar to the old bait and switch.
THE REST OF THE STORY...OR HOW WE STILL WOUND UP WITH A TOYOTA PRIUS
Upon returning home, we found a message on our voice mail. A young saleslady at Texas Toyota of Grapevine with whom I had spoken earlier that day, had told me that they did not have a Prius in stock. However, later in the day, a shipment of cars had arrived and one Prius had been delivered. She had immediately called us back, but we had been out at the other dealership which we will not discuss any more.
The woman's name is Michael (yes, Michael) Ruiz, and, when I returned her call, I learned that before calling me she had discussed my financial position and expectations with her boss and had gotten a price reduction so that she would be able to hit somewhere close to my goals.
It was late Friday evening by now, so my wife and I made an appointment to meet Michael at Texas Toyota of Grapevine early Saturday morning. Michael Ruiz was not only an attractive and personable young woman who even introduced us to her fiance (sorry guys), but she was knowledgeable about the car and the process and went out of her way to make us feel comfortable about our potential purchase. She and her boss, Mark, were able to not only take the same information that the previous dealer could not work with and make us an acceptable deal, but because of Michael and all the people we met at Texas Toyota of Grapevine, we would be happy to send anyone there with complete confidence they will be treated well and fairly in a straightforward and honest manner.
In fact, one of the major points we have to make about Michael and the folks at Texas Toyota of Grapevine is the respect with which they treated us. Not only did they go out of their way to work within OUR constraints, but they did it with respect. Michael also took us on a small tour of the facility and personally introduced us to several people we might encounter or deal with at a later time when seeking parts or service. She also went out of her way to make sure that we understood that she was OUR point of contact at Texas Toyota of Grapevine and that we should not hesitate to contact her directly any day of the week, any time day or night should we need assistance.
Another fact that really caused us to feel great respect back for this organization is that when they heard how we had been treated by the previous dealer they apologized to us as if they were in some way responsible for how another Toyota dealer had treated us, and they felt that it reflected badly on them.
Oh yes, we have a brand new Prius thanks to Ms. Michael Ruiz and the other folks at Texas Toyota of Grapevine, and we love it!
Had a good or bad toyota or prius or hybrid experience? I am thinking of starting a page for these as well.
with your story.
