Has anyone had recent success in finding the 5 without the advanced tech package? I'm in the Dallas/Fort Worth area looking. None are showing up online at dealerships. Is it hopeless? I don't really need the package but like the other features on the 5. Looks like I may need to go with the 4 in order to stay within budget. Thoughts suggestions? Thnx.
Pretty sure GST only brings in Fives with ATP. Most of the time, anyway. And they don't bring over that many Fives to begin with. FWIW, we bought two Prii from California, and saved a ton, even with the shipping costs to Houston. Don't be afraid to go outside the region.
Going through that right now. When you get the car, get it on your insurance and take your temporary insurance card (that shows the prius vin number) to your local tax office. Pay the 25 bucks for a 30 day temp tag for the car so you can legally drive it. Then once you get your paperwork from the dealer (i'm waiting on mine now) you can go back to the tax office to pay the sales tax, and register the car.
I have a 5 without Adv Tech. My dad works at a dealership here in CA. He asked His manager to look on dealer daily, none were showing up. This was about a month and two weeks ago. The manager ended up allocating one for my dad. It only took 3-4 weeks but the we're near the port, don't know how long it would take to get it over there.
It's not too hard to find a base Five out here. I think there are more bases than the ATP. They way the packaged the Five for 2012 isn't the best. I rather be able to just upgrade to the premium nav than having bundled with the ATP package. GST is a whole different beast for getting what you want.
Could you please, please describe the process of arranging the shipping? I'd planned on taking a train out there and driving back, but shipping might be cheaper and is sure to be easier. I'm planning on getting mine from a dealer 850 miles away. I'm tired of putting up with the games that the local dealers play.
Appreciate the feedback and guidance. I'm actually after a lease... I am not sure if it's possible or wise to try a lease from CA (for example) while in TX. I suppose D&M / AutoFlex or whoever I end up with can buy the vehicle, have it sent here, and I can lease from them. Regards, D.
Try getting out of the Gulf States Toyota region. I bought a 5 in Kansas City area, Rolling Hills Toyota in St. Joe. Cheap flight, the dealer picked me up at the airport and I was on my way home in my new car about an hour later.
Getting the Five without the AT package depends on your region. In my region (NY, NJ and CT) almost every Five is delivered with the AT package and it's almost impossible to find one without it- unless some dealer somehow got stuck in a trade for it. I ended up shopping in the next region west of NY- and found my Five without AT package in PA. If you go on the Toyota website and do the "build my car" thing- put in different zipcodes till you find one where the AT package isn't automatically added to the Five model. I found NY, NJ and CT zipcodes would automatically trigger the AT package add-on to the Five model, and with no way to remove that option. Once I started using PA zipcodes- the AT package was no longer automatically added to the option list. The PA dealership did all the DMV stuff and supplied me with 30 day temp PA plates to drive the car home. About two weeks later they fedexed the permanent NY plates and reg slip to my house. It was very convenient for me since I never had to visit the NY DMV.
Your dealer should be able to hook you up with a transport service. Our cost from south cali to east texas was around $750 per car.
You can also check with uship- I've used one of their members for a car transport from Texas to NY and a boat from SC to NY. Being a new car- you should look into covered transport too...
How does it work for the warranty? Example: if I buy in CA but ship/ first register in a state with less warranty, which one applies? CA has the 10yr/150k battery warranty while it's 8/80 elsewhere (my numbers may be wrong but you get the point I hope)
FWIW I have a 5 w/o ATP. I got it from Northridge Toyota in southern CA. All they had (when I got my 2012 in feb) was my 5 w/o ATP.
Southern California used to be the same way. Now you can get the Five with no ATP here. The base Five (with no NAV) isn't common at all around here and I don't know if it's even allocated to this region. OP, all you have to do is contact Dianne Whitmire of Carson Toyota and have her deliver one without the AT package to you.
Just FYI ... most PC buyers look to see if I have the car they want or have me trade to obtain it. http://priuschat.com/forums/dealers-pricing/106475-diannes-socal-2012-prius-liftback-inventory.html
I don't know that anybody has ever tested it and then posted the results here, but my Warranty & Maintenance Guide says that to be eligible for the CARB warranty, the car must be sold, registered, and operated in a CARB state. So you're likely to get the lesser of the warranties. I wouldn't stop you from trying to argue for it if you get a failure in between the two warranties, though.