Hey guys, I just bought my first ever Prius and I'm excited to learn more about it. (A 2008 Prius Touring) How do determine my actual trim level and all the features? and how do I really know it's really a touring model? I bought it used from a small auto dealership.
congrats! and welcome. no idea, but someone will know. maybe plug the vin into the toyota owners site? all the best!
2008 Touring: Package 2 does not have 6 CD changer. HomeLink mirror, nav & leather Package 3 adds 6 CD changer & mirror Package 5 adds nav Package 6 adds leather The 16" wheels have 7 spokes.
The only notion that I think I have a Touring is because the auto dealership I purchased it from had it listed online as a touring model. I don''t have a larger spoiler (i think), -I don't have 7 spoke wheels, i have the 6 spoke ones. -It has no nav -It has 2 toned leather seats -It has heated leather seats buttons - it has tweeters on the side pillar so I think it has JBL sount but I do not know. Can I put my VIN some where online and determine the exact trim level and details in full?
Here's a pdf file on the 2008 Prius that covers the different trim levels and options. http://www.toyotacertified.com/ebrochures/08_prius.pdf
So yeah, I went to the dealership and gave me all the details on my car. It turns out it's not a touring edition even though the small dealership where I purchased it from mentioned it and listed it as being a Touring model. It's a standard Prius with Package #2. Do you think they would honor refunding me some of the money, Since they sold me a car that was not as advertised?
Since you didn't know the difference and seem to be happy with the features, I say just leave it at that. You can ask and see if they'll give you some money back....if they say no, then you're still left with what you're happy with. Regardless if it's a touring model or not. The touring models sounds superior, but it really isn't. I think you got better than a Prius 2 if you have leather and heated seats
So, it is a package 2 with aftermarket leather and sound system. What does an upgraded sound system & (probably) better leather add to the value? If the sales contract doesn't specify that it is a Touring or specific package I'm not sure you have much of a case but ask a real lawyer. You were happy with the car yesterday. It's the same car today. Misrepresenting a standard Prius as a Touring is a pretty common occurrence on the used car lot. Next time research the car before buying. Lesson learned. My advice is to just enjoy the car.
The fraction of Prii on the used car market labeled as 'Touring' greatly exceeds the fraction actually built. This is a common mislabeling. So it boils down to how happy you are with the deal otherwise. If you like it, keep it. If you don't like it, or feel you overpaid, then be sure to keep hardcopies of all the labeling and advertisements they put out fraudulently representing it as a 'Touring' model. These will be necessary as leverage to unwind the deal in case you don't want it. If you don't want the car and can prove fraud or misrepresentation, then they can be forced to unwind the deal. But I don't believe they can be forced to simply reduce the price after the fact, especially if they can still get the advertised price from another buyer when it is represented correctly.
I added aftermarket leather to mine and except for the tedious process of stretching the covers over all portions of the seat (many hours per seat for me), the process is straightforward. Adding heated seats would be much more complex in my opinion. The wiring may be there but the heat strips and panel switches are not typical aftermarket items. I believe that the OP's vehicle most likely came from Toyota so-equipped. One element of this is the question "what year did Toyota drop animal leather and go to Softex, also called pleather?" I saw a 2012 Prius V with Softex and portions of it were perforated, a common technique to make non-leather more breathable. Is the OP's "leather" perforated? Mine is not, although even aftermarket leather has plenty of vinyl on it also, all the places you do not typically touch. And one can usually detect a difference in color between the two. Looked it up. 2012 was the approximate beginning of Softex, so the OP's car has real leather. To contradict everything I just wrote, my "08_Prius_Options.pdf" document shows leather as part of package 6 standard and package 6 Touring. No heated seats are mentioned for ANY model or ANY trim. So leather is strictly top-of-range and heated seats "not offered". This tends toward the entire package being added on the dock. Apparently any factory-leather equipped Prius WILL have navigation, incidentally (package 5 and higher).
I just bought a used prius and had the same question. If you go on the Toyota Owners website, setup an account, and put in your VIN number, it will tell you the trim level. Turns out mine is a Four even though the dealer listed it as a Three!
