Need Help Buying a Prius in Canada

I'm in Ottawa and just picked up my 2008 Canadian base on Thursday. Drove back and forth to Toronto on the weekend. We are very happy with the Prius.

Note that the Canadian base is like a US Touring package #2 with some package 3 and 4 features. So direct price comparisons are difficult.

I've read that the Prius is pretty much as good as any other FWD car in our winters. Just be sure to use real snow tires, perhaps on 15" rims.

Yes, I've heard the brakes (EBD ?) may be an issue in slippery conditions. I will see in November...

Search for my posts for lots of info on my buying and driving experience. I got an APA pre-negotiated deal for $1K off of MSRP and took delivery 23 days after ordering (was told 12 initially).


>3. The fuel efficiency isn't that great compared to non-hybrid models if I'm taking it on the highway all the time.

Yes, I found that if you drive 120 KMH or more, fuel efficiency drops off fast (5.8L/100 KM). I'd recommend 110 KMH or lower to get 4.7L/100 KM or better. This is with a new car as delivered. Raising tire pressure and lowering oil and using synthetic oil and waiting for car and tires to break in should do even better.

>if I need to do repairs on the car and how costly they may be because the hybrid system is integrated into the entire car.

I believe the TCO studies that indicate the Prius has lowest total cost of ownership in its' class. IMO, the Prius is solid for reliability. Yes, it could get expensive if something breaks, and some mechanics don't know the Prius very well, but if the car is not abused I suspect the odds favor no untoward (compared to other cars) expensive repairs in the first 8 years at least.

 

2008 Canadian Priuses all have Touring 16" wheels and Bridgestone Turanza tires, as well as touring suspension I currently believe.

 

I live in Mississauga, and just recently bought an '08 base. I don't know how it handles in the winter, so we'll have to find out together. One thing I will NOT recommend is to shop at Miss. Toyota (427 & Dundas). I still need to find some time to write a good letter about these guys to Toyota Canada. Anyway, if you're wondering I went to Ken Shaw Lexus/Toyota a couple of weeks ago for a warranty repair (again, courtesy of Mississauga Toyota and their wonderful blunders), and saw an Artic white '09 Camry Hybrid selling for $29500. Exact same price as our Prii. So, if you want a little more room, you have that option but you do sacrifice some fuel economy.

As for my personal experience, see my signature below as to how I'm doing with a 5-week old '08 Prius. On a flat terrain, setting the cruise at 90kmh, the car is pushing 4.2l/100km. You'll have to do some pretty trick hypermiling if you want to maintain that or better on our roller-coaster highways. And yes, it IS safe to do 90km/h on our 400-series highways. I've done it quite frequently before I owned a Prius. When it comes to reliability, the Prius is one of the most reliable vehicles out there currently. Taxi drivers in BC are pushing 300k kms or higher without issue with any hybrid components. You also have to factor in that 1) there is no starter 2) there is no alternator 3) the engine uses a timing chain 4) hybrid components warranty is for 8 years and 5) regen braking means you'll probably never have to change the brakes...depending on how you drive. And lastly, I've never had a problem with glare, unless I'm wearing some really dark shades, and even then it's not that bad.

Good luck with your purchase, and visit the Canuck forum when you come back.

 

Don't forget that we get a $3500 govt. rebate. It's pretty much $29500 out the door with the rebate.

 

I live in Cornwall Ontario - we have 2 prius - a 2005 and a 2008 - yes you need 4 snow tires but there is no problem in snow - 3-4-6 inches - it is just like another car. In the winter - there is no problem with battery and starts etc. We do not get the milleage that is advertised but we still get always around 5.2L/100KM per tank varied driving - city - highway. I suspect that nobody will do what is advertised - no matter what model or company. I almost bought a Camry for the second car but I liked all the high tech of the Prius - finally - you should check on US pricing before you buy in Canada. Toyota is actually pretty easy to import and you can get a package 6 - leather seats etc for about $26,500.

 

I am just coming from Toyota Canada WEB site and looked at Special edition (around 38500) and same + NAV (around 41500). Which packages would those compare to in USA??
I know that in USA you can get package #6 and that comes out to about 28.5 - 29k (no way 26.5k)and it has leather seats which I would really like. Does it still pay to import it to Canada at that price, what do you think?

 

Zack,

I already responded to your question on the other thread you had going, but in case you missed it - yes, many of us imported our vehicles from the US. There are only two issues - (1) you don't qualify for the federal rebate and (2) it is mighty difficult to find a Toyota dealer in the US who'll deal with you.

Here's all the information you require - based on my personal experience. I saved thousands in the process. Be sure to check out the comments as well. I actually had quite a few people thank me for posting this... you can plug in '08 prices to see if it makes sense:

Importing a Prius hybrid to Canada The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Importing a Prius hybrid to Canada - US Customs forms The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Importing a Prius hybrid to Canada - Step by Step Guide The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Importing a Prius Hybrid to Canada - Conclusion The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Buying a Toyota in the US - Finding a Dealer The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Buying a Toyota in the US - Importing to Canada The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Importing a Prius Hybrid to Canada - Toyota Dealers The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful
Issues with importing 2008 Toyota Prius to Canada The Mobile Net - From Useless to Useful

--- Oren

 

Yes, I already read your posts about importing Prius to Canada.
Does it help if vehicle is 6 months or 12 months old?

 

Hi Zack, I just checked the Toyota Canada site and they show base $29.5K Premium $32.5K Premium + Nav $35.2K. Or am I missing something??

 

At least in BC, you DON'T get the PST refund unless the vehicle has never been registered before. When you buy a brand new car in the US, you don't register it there, you get a temp permit for it. So you can claim the PST refund (up to $2,000). If you get a used one, you don't get the refund.

You don't get the federal refund no matter what.

--- Oren

 

Same in Quebec. IMO not worth it to import from US, unless you can find one there for really good price and you get at least an Ontario rebate. Find one you like in the US and run the numbers.

You can get $1000 off of MSRP with an APA pre-negotiated deal, or self-negotiate if you can...

 

I went to same site but clicked total price checkbox, taxes, everything and this is what shows up on the bottom line. Anyway, it looks like as in US hardest thing is to actually find one.

 

Ya sorry Zack, your right. I just looked at the MSRP without the taxes and everything. Pretty scary with all that stuff in

 

I imported mine new from Buffalo, NY May 2007 at that time CDN was US$0.88 and saved $9,579. Should have saved $11,579 but the feds changed the rules on their rebate program.

A lot has changed since then so you need to do your homework:

1. It is a lot harder now to have a US dealer sell to a Canadian. You may have to go deeper south I suggest Pa (do an INTERNET search).
2. Very tight supply in most of the US right now.
3. CDN dollar is around par now making the dollar conversion more attractive than when I bought at 88cents.
4. With the 2008 model year the Canadian Prius is "repackaged" to make it more difficult to compare to the US models. I suggest that one comparison you should make is fully loaded CDN vs fully loaded US model and then try to make a comparison for the pkg you want.
5. CDN prices did drop (in my opinion not enough), but Toyota knows that it's enough to make you think plus they made it harder to compare and import.

==> do your homework and good luck,