Consider getting a pre-approved loan at your local bank or credit union and then begin your shopping. If the dealer knows you already have a loan approved they might give you a better deal if they think they can get you to opt for their financing at an even better interest rate.

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You were lucky to get one below MSRP. In my situation when I purchased my car last week, I went to the internet dealer and he was selling the cars as quick as they came in. At full MSRP. He had 1 coming in that someone had wanted but could not get financing. It was pkg #3 in driftwood. Not my first choice in color, but it actually looks much nicer than I thought - and he says it won't show dirt. I paid $25,439 - this included the 5 mat set. Another dealer was willing to give me $500 off MSRP if I went up to the option 6 package, which was over $27K. So, maybe the thing is they drop it down a bit if you are willing to get the higher package. BTW, I am in upstate NY. It does depend on where you are too - my friend in Florida has a friend who just bought a prius and she said it was thousands over MSRP. That seems like a lot, but I guess if the demand is up there, people will pay.

hello everybody. i just purchased a 2008 prius with package 5 option. it has other options ( FE, HZ, EF and CF). sticker price was $28683.00 but i got it down to $24500. funny thing is the salesman showed me a paper for the dealer invoice showing they paid $25,000 for the model. before i make my purchase (all my cars) i do intensive research on them on what really the dealership paid for it. consumer reports new car pricing report helps me a lot. the real invoice of the car is $21,335 minus the dealer hold back which is $450 which totals to $20,905 plus the options. invoice for the package 5 is $2,952 but the sticker will say $5,280, and the capet floor mats are sold for $199 but th real invoice is $ 126. so total invoice paid by the dealership was $23,983 and i paid $24,500 which gives them a profit of $517. i can say i had a good deal, the salesman and the finace manager just scrathced their heads and tried to sell me extra stuff like alarm system for $550, extended warranty for $2,200 and pre-paid maintenance for $1,700. as if they haven't noticed that i have done my assignment pretty good, these are so over price. i can get the extended warranty for $750 and the maintenance for $825. never believe the dealership when they tell you they will sell you a car below invoice. do your own research and you can save a lot of money. if i paid the sticker price i should have lost $4,183. just wanna share my experience with my purchase of my prius. by the way i also own a 2008 camry hybrid.

2 weeks ago I purchased a 2008 Prius package #6. Toyota had a $2000 discount on the window sticker and the dealer gave a $2100 discount. The dealer also matched the credit union rate which was 4.25% they said Toyota Credit had a program to match any credit union rate. I left the next day for vacation Maryland to Myrtle Beach NC about 500 miles and averaged 58.2 MPG. Sgt Tip