Hold Off Buying a 2010 Toyota Prius
The 2010 Toyota Prius will go on sale in the US early next month and demand will surely be through the roof. Buying a new model when it first comes out is one of the costliest mistakes car buyers make. If you're one of those people who have got to have it right now, no matter the price, then by all means go for it. But here at RealCarTips.com, our goal is to save you the most money possible when buying a car. And if you're like most people, waiting a few months to save a few thousand dollars is worth it, especially in this economy.
Demand for the 2010 Prius is going to be extremely high while supplies are going to be very limited. This ensures you will NOT get a good deal on this car (at least for the first 6-12 months). To make matters worse, demand in Japan has been so high, Toyota will be limiting the number of deliveries to the US. Toyota had 80,000 advance orders for the car in Japan before debuting May 18th. Their original goal was to sell 100,000 cars for the entire year! Japanese buyers ordering today will have to wait 4 months for delivery.
Toyota will be working overtime to produce as many of these cars as they can. As is usually the case, the first models to roll off the assembly line tend to suffer more quality problems as engineers work out the kinks in the assembly process. This is another reason you will want to hold off buying right away.
So how long should you wait? It depends on how quickly Toyota can meet demand, but we recommend holding off your purchase until at least the end of the year.
If you're curious to see what price dealers in your area will be charging, or if you've already decided to buy no matter what, fill out our Price Quote Form and a local dealer will let you know the price they're willing to sell it for (if they have access to one, that is).
My Recommendation for Car Shoppers
TrueCar, Edmunds, and 1-800 Car Show are the quickest way to see the lowest car prices in your area. These sites show you no-haggle prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually really good. This should be the first step you take when negotiating your car price. Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.California Residents - Important:
There is a new online car buying service called Roadster, available only to California residents, which I highly recommend you try - especially if you hate the stress of haggling with a car salesman. They provide an expert concierge who negotiates the price of the car and delivers it to your home with zero hassle - you never have to interact with a dealership. Here is my in-depth review of Roadster and why I recommend it.- Gregg Fidan
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About: Gregg Fidan
Gregg Fidan + is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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