Despite the rather disturbing criticisms recently added to the “Yaris Rush” thread (okay; I guess I’d better test-drive one before ordering it), I need to determine if there’s any use in getting competitive pricing from different dealers in my area. All claim they can’t go below the MSRP due to high demand, but isn’t it worth trying to get a “horse race” going? Surely one would knock a few hundred off in order to get a sale away from another.
Er, that should be “MSRP” in the title; can you tell I’m a guuuuuurl, LOL?
MSRP means Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. The dealer is an independent business man and theoretically can set his own price. With every past gas crisis we’ve had dealers padding the price and getting away with it.
The factories strongly discourage going over the “List Price”, but dealers are ingeneous and will add some stripes, or other useless device or service and charge hundreds of dollars for that.
When Henry Ford II was still he quipped that "“people will pay almost anyhting for and ‘?conomy car’”.
Dealers know the market and generally ask MSRP or higher for cars in high demand. In today’s market, I assume the Yaris is one. Sometimes you can get a dealer to “break” with the tradition or established practice, but if they all hold firm without any collusion, there is nothing you can do.
Back starting in the 1990’s, the Civic, Accord and Odyssey were all “hot cars”, and the dealer pricing was what led me to purchasing other brands like Toyota. In many cases, there were waiting lists, so knocking a couple hundred off to get a immediate sale was not necessary. They merely went to the next person on the waiting list. Mazda Miata was also sold that way when it first came out, to the tune of $10K premium above MSRP, at some dealers .
To this day, I have never owned a Honda, so they may have lost me as a customer 20 yrs ago, but never realized it.
Try extending your reach by contacting dealers outside your normal area, to see if that philosophy is holding in other markets. Judicious use of the internet may yield some good results for you.
What’s the Harm in trying?? All they can do is say no and you pay MSRP. If you can negotiate you save yourself a few hundred or thousand.
When a car is in demand you have very little room for negotiation because there is going to be someone else who will gladly pay sticker price. For example try to haggle over a Prius, you’ll get laughed out of the dealership. You may have better luck with an 08 Yaris, seeing how the redesigned 09 model is almost here. But since any econobox is in high demand these days, you’ll be lucky if they throw in free floor mats.
Here is a resource for your conundrum. It’s a video on how to negotiate a new car price. It’s the first video of a top ten list of best how-to videos.
All can go below MSRP but choose not to. I rented one and simply do not get the appeal of this car whatsoever. It does not get leaps and bounds of fuel economy over a slightly larger and much more comfortable car with essentially the same price or less. I guess its a statement to overpay for a car to save a meager MPG at the pump???
Actually, I can’t believe I’m thinking of ordering one without even having test-driven it, LOL… I was pretty much banking on Toyota quality and reliability, but now I’m wondering if that hasn’t deteriorated?
The buzz is all about how “cute” it is, but cute is as cute does. I’d better find one to try out first.
Why deal with dealers directly on phone or in person-do it online and see who makes the best offer. It’s 2008 and if you want to get low prices pit dealers in a 75 mile range against each other. Someone will always make a lower offer than another dealer.
Don’t expect a great deal though on the Yaris considering there’s not much profit margin in the car as it is-the markup is about $700 over invoice. That and it’s a hot car right now.
I would agree with you. You might also look at the Nissan Versa. At least two dealers in the Kansas City/St Joseph area have them in stock and have no waiting list. If you haven’t already done so, consult Consumer Reports for their car review info, to see if you are trading off a quality that you may deem important.
Well, the Toyota reliability is still good as far as we know, but the Yaris is very much an economy car through-and-through and features a lot of plasticy parts and a not-especially good ride quality. The point Andrew is making is that you can probably get a Corolla, which is a more substantial vehicle that gets the same gas mileage as the Yaris, for pretty close to the same price. And you’ll be more likely to talk them down on a Corolla because they’re not quite as “hot” right now.
I think I’d go with a Hyundai Accent over a Versa. My friend has a Versa and I’m just not impressed with the interior. The seats are made out of a strange, almost-velvety material and I don’t like the dash layout (I found it similar to the Yaris, which her husband has). Of course, she bought an '07 so it may have changed from the first year already.
If no one offers discounts, you pay MSRP. You have no choice. That’s the problem with wanting what everyone else wants, even if it is the incredibly ugly Yaris. Throngs demand the Yaris and you pay full price.
Go buy a Sentra, get $2500 or more off the sticker and let the suckers fight over the Yaris, wallets in hand…
I test drove a Yaris, Matrix, Fit, Rabbit, Scion, and an Accent. I bought the Accent. Nice car, great price and the warranty was the best.
Gotta have the hatchback; that limits my choices…
A 2005 Scion xA is as much as a new Yaris, so that also limits my choices!!!
As for e-mailing, no dice; I’ve e-mailed dealers in the area specifying to a “t” my wishes, including the directive that they e-mail me with their best price rather than call since my cell minutes are few, yet they insist on calling… I just let it go to voice mail and delete the messages… So getting nowhere.
The Yaris Liftback is a great little car. I bought one last year. It has plenty of room inside and gets good mileage. It’s also fun to drive. You should drive one and decide for yourself, but I wouldn’t take the advice of anyone who hasn’t driven or owned one.
Uh no…You don’t email the dealers directly when you try and buy online. That’s the same as calling because you’re dealing with one place at a time. You need to use a service like Edmunds.com offers where you simultaneously contact the sales department of 5-6 dealers and they know it. They all know that if they say “call me” they may lose the sale to a competitor. Got it?
The 2008 Kia Rio5 is available with $200 off retail on average and a $500 rebate. A 2008 Hyundai Accent has a $75 discount but a $1500 rebate. A 2008 Nissan Versa has an $800 rebate and $100 discount. Go test drive them and see if they appeal to you. Make sure to look only at the 2008s. The 2009 models will probably not have discounts or rebates, and certainly will be less than the 2008 rebates and discounts if they do.