Now that the Camry hybrid has started arriving in SoCal, I placed a couple of orders and inquired to the fleet managers of more than 20 dealers in San Diego, Orange, Riverside, and LA counties. All but two dealers emphasized that they were charging exactly MSRP for the car, with no additional dealer fees. Impressive. One dealer said they were adding aftermarket equipment such as chrome rims, etc., to pack the price. Another dealer actually offered me a $200 discount. About half of the dealers indicated they were taking orders, and there was a wide ranging number of peope on the various dealers' lists. The other half of the dealers just planned to receive their allotments and make cars available on a first-come basis. I also thought it was interesting that the dealers who had demo Camry hybrids would only give test rides on Monday through Friday. They claimed that the large volume of people that would request rides on the weekend took too much time from their sale routines. I hope my research today can help some of you plan your buying strategies. Overall, the managers I spoke with today did NOT expect the Camry demand to be overwhelming and that cars should be available within reasonable waiting times.

Steve Villatoro
www.stevenvillatoro.com
“An enlightened guide to small business mastery.”