Thanks to a tip from a Prius Chat Member, I called Danville Toyota. They had a waiting list of 7-8 people, but all are waiting for a package #9 in a certain color and none of them wanted a white car. The salesman I spoke with, Court Simpkins, said it was mine if I wanted it at MSRP, plus $299 processing/documentation fee. I had previously placed an order with Koons Tysons Toyota in Northern Virginia in late January, but hadn't received a call and didn't know when the call would be coming in. I told Court I would take the car, and then the ordeal began. The car was turned over to the freight company that hauls cars for Toyota. Since Danville Toyota is the southern most dealership in the central atlantic region, the car "dissappeared" for a week and a half. I was originally told it would only take them 72 hours to deliver it. Everyone's guess was that it was sitting on the trailer with about 6 other cars destined for Danville Toyota. The dealership was very honest with me the entire time, always giving me status on what they had done to try to track the car down. They even refunded my deposit and said they would deliver the car to me for free (the dealership is 5 hours from my house) since they didn't know where the car was and it was a week overdue. Of course, right after they did that, the car arrived on their lot. True to their word, my deposit had been refunded and they had it delivered the next day, on a Saturday. I had the car about 2 1/2 weeks after first contacting the dealership. Throughout everything, the dealership was a pleasure to work with and extremely patient with me as I called them everyday for a status update. I would highly recommend them to anyone. If you are in the area and possibly interested in getting on the waiting list for a #7 or a white #9, you could give them a try. The general manager of the dealership said that they usually get about 1 a month.
I am one of those guys on the Danville Toyota list waiting for a #9, any color except driftwood or white. It's kind of wierd - I thought the longer I waited the more open I would be for different packages or colors, but after 4 months I've actually gotten more selective about what I will take. If I have to actually WAIT for a car, it better dang well be exactly what I want at the price we've agreed to. RANT MODE ON BTW, Danville Toyota has probably gotten more Prii than both dealers in Charleston SC together (5). 5 cars since the '04's were released - that is pretty pathetic. The Southeast Region sucks. RANT MODE OFF
I have to say, white wasn't one of my preferred choices either. I had originally wanted red or blue, might have taken a silver. After having the car for a few days, I can definitely say that the white color has grown on me. Maybe it is because I like the inside of the car so much.
Congrats on getting your car. I am number one on the list at Danville Toyota and passed on the white BC last month. Got the call yesterday that my preferred color (seaside pearl) BC was at the port and should arrive first week of May. So those of you who are in line at Danville, you will be moving up one soon!
Great News Voltswagon! Maybe the long anticipated production increase is starting to show up in the US. Admincoop, Sorry about not replying to your post earlier, I normally just read the new posts when I log in, but somehow missed your reply on Apr 7. I am stationed (military) in Goose Creek now, I'm from Southeast Texas originally. When I was talking to Kevin Kernodle (my salesman at Danville) he predicted a end of June date so so far, it's looking about right. One Charleston Dealer got one prius since my last post. Heh that dealer is no longer going by order lists, they just call 5-10 people who have expressed interest and tell them when the truck is coming in. The highest bidder gets the car. Unbelievable.
