[skier6]

We were at a Subaru dealer in October of 2021. Bad experience, they wanted full MSRP for a Demo Forester with 12,000 miles on the car, and a dent in the side ! I said, "I'm not paying full MSRP for a used car", and walked. With our certified check.
There was a Toyota dealer next door, and on a whim dropped in to talk about cars. The salesperson , said they had a RAV 4 Hybrid LE "allocated" to the dealership, MSRP to be built in Georgetown, Kentucky in 2 weeks. He showed the allocated car to me on his laptop.
Specs were fixed; special paint (Ruby Red) , floor mats, cross traffic/blind spot. That was it for extras. We drew up a contract to buy the car, at MSRP with the VIN number, selling price and any dealer doc fees, etc.
So we left a $500 deposit. Car was delivered Nov 17th 2021, 5 weeks later. I had never even sat in a RAV 4 Hybrid, (no demos available) so I told dealer I wanted a test drive before I handed over check. Drove the car, with 8 miles on the ODO, and bought it.
I think if you can find a car that has already been allocated to a dealer is a better way to go. You know the specs, get the price in writing. Ask the dealer for the monroney, to be sure you are getting a car at MSRP. The monroney is a legal document, the dealer can't fudge it with "Market adjustments".

What is a monroney ?

 

[skier6]

Dan Daniel wrote,

I was offered a Venza coming in a couple of weeks.

A dealer offered us a Hybrid Venza ,at MSRP, before we found our RAV 4 Hybrid. The Venza, was coming from Japan, and hadn't even been built yet ! But somehow, it was allocated to this dealer ? After it was built, it would be loaded on a ship in Japan.
Then we would have to wait for the RORO ship, to come through the Panama canal, and find a port on the Eastern seaboard to offload. I said no thanks.

 

[skier6]

I was at the St Albans Toyota dealer for a service visit on my 2021 RAV 4 Hybrid just today.
As I left their lot, I noticed a RAV 4 Prime, parked on the grass. Called back later to a salesperson I know, about this Plug-in Prime. Turns out it's a 2021 SE model with 18,800 miles on it. Has the sunroof package with an original MSRP price with options and delivery charges, of $41,628 .

They are asking $52,000 for this used car. That's amost $11,000 above the original MSRP !

Our first RAV 4 Hybrid, bought in November 2021 only took 5 weeks from dealer allocation (when we put down a deposit) to delivery. That was from a Toyota dealership in central Vermont. Been looking for a Highlander Hybrid, which wouldn't take a year, but will probably give up, and just buy a gas Highlander, we need to tow our boat.

 

[skier6]

Dan Daniel,
I have bought a car from a Plattsburgh dealer before. Our used 2012 Subaru Tribecca from the Subaru dealer there, Bill McBride. Didn't mind the drive through Rouses Point.

 

[skier6]

zhan
Back in November 2021 , (a different century for car prices) I bought a 2021 Rav 4 Hybrid LE, from 802 Toyota in Barre Vermont. MSRP.
They had the car allocated to the dealership, so from my deposit it only took 5 weeks to get the car. I like the dealership. Ask for Jake..

 

[skier6]

I have been looking for a second Hybrid that can also tow our 17' Boston Whaler (2500 lb boat and trailer) since August. That's why I was interested in the RAV 4 Prime. Our RAV 4 Hybrid is limited to 1750 lbs towing capacity.
May have found an allocated base model, Highlander Hybrid, LE for MSRP. Just floor mats and door edge guards extra. Car is being built tomorrow in Princeton, Indiana.. Might see it by mid December.

 

[skier6]

"It was picking among dealer allocation, no true ordering. "

This is what I have been trying to do. A lot of dealers "talk" , and want your deposit (so you don't keep looking) but your best bet to actually get a Hybrid, IMHO is find a dealer who has a car allocated, with a build date coming up.
That way you may find a base model, like I did, at MSRP, without paying for extra "stuff" . You can also tell the dealer you won't pay for, and don't want that special paint treatment, or undercoating normally done later at the dealership.
But the whole process is pretty frustrating for consumers, who just want a car..

 

[skier6]

Think about talking to Della Toyota in Plattsburgh. I dealt with Jon Peacock. He was informed, helpful. And certainly struck me as honest. He never made claims that were wrong. He never assured me a vehicle would arrive shortly; he explained what he knew and what he had been experiencing. I dealt with them in May, and he said that Della wasn't going to charge extra because they didn't want to treat customers like that. After a couple of talks, we drew up a desired car, along with some alternatives, and I put $1000 down as a fully refundable deposit.

I think that they even had a new hybrid Highlander out front three or so months ago...

Thanks, I followed your lead. Della Toyota in Plattsburgh, did have a Hybrid Highlander, but it was the "bronze" edition, very pricey. Just by chance, when I called, they had just had a Hybrid Highlander LE allocated to dealership in November. Put down a deposit, and car was delivered, 3 weeks later for MSRP plus mats. I drove home, to Vermont with a New York State transit Permit in back window.

Cash sale went through fine, Dec 9th, but the dealer insisted on handling the registration, paper work with Vermont DMV. Even though I had filled out all the paperwork (to register it myself) things got screwed up a bit.
Turns out sales tax was computed wrong, and a month later I still don't have VT registration or Title document for this Highlander. Still can't take car out of State or to Canada. Della say they will take care of this..