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Toyota Does NOT want to Lease PRIUS!

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by djasonw, Apr 22, 2017.

  1. djasonw

    djasonw Active Member

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    Okay... the title may be a bit off, but here in South Florida none of dealers are offering ANY lease deals on the Prius (purchase is a whole other story). My beloved 2004 with 283,000 miles was in an accident with a 2017 Mercedes S600. I rather not go into the details, but I was hit from behind and I didn't have a scratch on me. The car still drives ok but practically the entire driver's side is " side swiped " and looks like the Terminator 2 after his altercation with "that police guy".

    Anyway, I have a 2016 Civic Touring (great car), but my dad needs a car down here when he does his snowbird thing 5-6 months a year here in Florida. We figured we'd lease a Prius but the dealer cringed when we mentioned lease. She (finance gal) said the residuals are horrible and they're leasing for close to $500. Purchase is another story but I did not want to buy at this time. I wanted a decent car that would only be seeing close to 10,000 miles a year. We ended up getting a Toyota iM hatch. Having driven the Gen 4 Prius a few times, I was quite impressed with the iM. They claim it uses the same chassis as the Gen4 Prius (not sure if they are bullshitting as I have not researched this claim). It also has a great deal of tech you normally would not find in such an inexpensive vehicle (pre-collision braking, Lane departure and a few other goodies).

    I guess I will have to wait till some 2016 Prius' come off lease to take advantage of a deal. I know some people aren't crazy about how the car looks, but I am getting used to it. I absolutely love the two tone interior seating and super modern instrument panel.

    At any rate, I shall be patient and eventually get another Prius again. I am committed to the technology because I know it works. I have only nice things to say about my 2004 Prius. May she rest in peace. I know I sold it to CarMax, but I doubt it will ever be sold with the damage it had.
     
    #1 djasonw, Apr 22, 2017
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  2. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    A sad end to a great car.

    I think the Toyota iM hatch is a Corolla here, Auris elsewhere - and at this stage isn't on PRIUS chassis - the next iteration of Corolla/Auris will likely be on the TNGA platform (spies say late 2018 or 2019).

    Is your iM hatch a HYBRID?

    Have you checked Leasing through a bank direct? I'm not sure about your end of the world - but here, I leased 2 cars (2006 and 2009), and it was far better to go direct to a finance company that to try to arrange it through a dealer - they want their cut too.
     
    #2 alanclarkeau, Apr 22, 2017
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  3. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    The iM hatch is the old Scion iM, not the Corolla. The Scion brand was supposedly aimed at young drivers and the cars had few options. Toyota retired the brand this year and the cars got renamed.
     
    #3 Prodigyplace, Apr 22, 2017
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  4. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    I believe the Toyota distributor in your area is the only US one not owned by Toyota but privately owned. They can set different rules for their dealers.
     
    #4 Prodigyplace, Apr 22, 2017
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  5. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    It's not on the same chassis. The Gen 4 Prius is the first vehicle to be designed with TNGA (The CH-R and Camry will follow). It *might* be built on the same chassis in the future but not at this point in time.

    No hybrid here. It was originally conceived as a Scion and no Scion vehicle was going to be hybridized (which also explains why the CH-R isn't coming as a hybrid, at least at launch this May)

    It is sold as the Corolla/Auris elsewhere in the world. The marketing name in US is actually "Toyota Corolla iM" so even though it wasn't labelled as a Corolla when launched as a Scion (because... well Scion), it actually is a "Corolla" at heart :)


    upload_2017-4-22_21-23-50.png

    That being said, it does look better than the Corolla in Australia (I prefer the bumpers on our iM than those on the Corolla). The wheels are also a great match. In the spirit of Scion, I suggest Toyota offers some more accessories like foglights, some sort of exhaust option, privacy glass (aka tinted windows - either factory or aftermarket), some sort of music upgrade (sub?) and shift knob options.
     
    #5 Tideland Prius, Apr 23, 2017
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  6. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    Yes - that's our Corolla ZR or SX versions - the "sporty" ones (they have 5 different front bumpers here!!!):
    upload_2017-4-23_15-29-51.png
     
    #6 alanclarkeau, Apr 23, 2017
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  7. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace 2025 Camry XLE FWD

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    I thought the now discontinued Matrix was the Corolla station wagon.
     
    #7 Prodigyplace, Apr 23, 2017
  8. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    And now we have a Corolla hatch!
     
    #8 Tideland Prius, Apr 23, 2017
  9. alanclarkeau

    alanclarkeau Senior Member

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    And they won't give us the COROLLA Wagon - hatch and sedan only here. I first looked for a small wagon - only 2 options VW and Peugeot (which do you choose - unreliability or high depreciation) - a Corolla could well have been the option I bought if it was available.
     
    #9 alanclarkeau, Apr 23, 2017
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    talk to todd at tampa hybrids, maybe pick up a used pip on the cheap. all the best!(y)
     
    #10 bisco, Apr 23, 2017
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  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    None here either but the small SUV/crossover is the craze here (think CR-V, RAV4, CX-3 etc). We're also getting subcompact utes (HR-V, CH-R, Buick Encore/Chevrolet Trax)

    With the launch of the Buick Regal TourX, maybe we'll see the return of the affordable wagon. (Last one was the Focus wagon. We still have a Golf Sportwagen and the Alltrack version)
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Apr 23, 2017
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  12. djasonw

    djasonw Active Member

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    I wanted to keep the deal simple and go through South East Toyota Finance. The car is really inexpensive though NOT a hybrid. It was only $229/month with zero down. All I paid was first payment and a small DMV fee to transfer the plate from my old Prius. This is a second car so in about 18 months when my Honda lease is up I will revisit the idea of leasing a Prius (or buy a slightly used Gen 4).

    Absolutely correct. All deals go through a subsidiary d/b/a Southeast Toyota Finance. I will probably end up getting the next Prius through a northeast dealer. That's where I got my 2004 Prius.
     
    #12 djasonw, Apr 23, 2017
  13. djasonw

    djasonw Active Member

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    BTW... If you are looking for a second car that's not too expensive I highly recommend the Toyota iM. The stereo sounds awesome, it has electric folding mirrors (rare in this class), automatic high beam headlights, lane departure and Pre-collision braking. It has a few other goodies too. Rides nice and quiet and gets low 40's on the highway (65 mph) and 37 in mixed driving. Certainly not like Prius mileage but quite a bit less money.
     
    #13 djasonw, Apr 23, 2017
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