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The last time I bought a car I got to screw one dealer and made another dealer's day. This was last year right after the Japanese tsunami when used Priuses skyr
by pkulak 15y ago
The last time I bought a car I got to screw one dealer and made another dealer's day. This was last year right after the Japanese tsunami when used Priuses skyrocketed in value. In one week my model-one (with no cruise control, which I HATED) shot up by about 6 grand, to a full 2 grand more than I even paid on it. I decided right then to throw it on Craigslist at KBB, and if someone wanted it for exactly KBB, it's theirs.
So, I immediately get like 5 calls and take the ad. The first guy to show up says he owns an RV dealership, but he really just works at a used-car dealership. They all sit on CL during their downtime looking for cars to buy. The guy tried for about an hour to talk me down, but I had other people literally lined up to buy for my asking price, so I wasn't going to budge a penny. He finally bought for what I was asking, but wasn't too happy about it. In fact, I'm not sure he even noticed that it didn't have cruise. That could have ended up being tricky to sell..
But, the other end of that is that I then needed a new car. I was going to buy a non-hybrid, but after calling a couple dealerships (at 8 in the morning, the benefits of having a 2-year-old son) one had one new Prius on the lot from a sale that had been backed out of the night before. So, I just went in and paid sticker. I got way too much for my used car, probably paid way to much for the new car, but on balance, I'd say I was even. Plus, I got a new car with cruise control, so I was happy.