3 ms·

I tried to buy a RAV4 prime recently and the dealership wanted me to pay $15,000 above the normal price for the privilege of buying a car in this market

• tshaddox 5y ago
  Yes, as far as I can tell that's just how things are right now with all the pandemic shortages. Last month my local Subaru dealership mechanic told me they have exactly 10 cars on the lot, and that Subaru is telling them they'll start receiving new cars steadily in September (but he sounded skeptical of that claim). It's not "$15,000 more for the privilege," but rather "a lot of other people are willing to pay $15,000 more so we're not going to sell it to you for less."
  • oh_sigh 5y ago
    Sure, I completely understand the shortages. However, very few other consumer products in America are sold like that. Sony famously could not keep up with demand for their PS5, but they didn't start selling them at $1000/piece even though they could have. Maybe it has something to do with the middle-man arrangement of dealerships, but that is really inconsequential to me as a consumer when something is labeled as an official Toyota dealership. Particularly galling was the fact that their website advertised a RAV4 prime for $45k, and when I emailed to buy it, I was told "That one is gone. But we have an exactly similar one that we can offer to you for a $15k fee". It felt like a scummy bait and switch, and I ended up getting my Model Y for less than I would have paid for that rav4.
    • fomine3 5y ago
      I think it's better that manufacturer/dealer get profit than scalpers get profit.