Special Request Prius - Dealer Says Toyota Has Canceled All

To confirm what you were told, no special orders, you could ask a few more dealers. Probably an email would get you an answer.

Actually it makes sense from a business point of view. They are probably looking at limited production due to the problems in Japan and they will be selling all the Prius(es) they can make, so why bother with special orders.

PC member Dianne Whitmire who works at a Toyota dealership in the Los Angeles area will give you a straight answer. http://priuschat.com/forums/members/diannewhitmire.html

 

Also, it could be that Prius assembly line is not running until the crisis is controlled. Your local dealer may have interpreted that to mean, no special orders. Regardless, Prius availability from Japan is waiting to be determined.

Try a broader inventory search; maybe do a three state search. You can do this at Toyota.com

 

Cancelled is probably too harsh a term. I have no doubt 'special' orders are being slowed. The dealer is probably just trying to get you into a Prius from his lot - he wants a sale.

My local dealer (NW Arkansas) has two Blizzard Pearl V with ATP in stock for $35,xxx. Add a one way 7-day advance purchase airline ticket for $265 and.....?

 

"Cancelled is probably too harsh a term. I have no doubt 'special' orders are being slowed. The dealer is probably just trying to get you into a Prius from his lot - he wants a sale."

That plus other dealers in your area just don't want to let them go because it's a prime vehicle. There out there. If you want "that car", and no local will work with you, know that you can buy out of state and pay TTL at home. Call Diane or use seach on toyota.com and find a dealer that has one. Then go buy from them. It's your money.

 

I'm not surprised that special orders are being delayed. The Prius's inventory probably won't be added to for awhile, due to the crisis in Japan. I suppose since Toyota HQ in Japan can't predict when manufacturing will get back to full swing, dealers here can't know when distribution in the US will pick up. The V Tech model is a hard to find model in my area (The dealer I bought my Prius from had two Vs, but they didn't have a tech package). As long as you're willing to pay delivery charges for getting your ideal model from an inventory that your dealer finds, then that shouldn't be hard right now

 

I know the OP is probably frustrated and disapointed about not being able to get the vehicle he wants, but I don't think it's a matter of Toyota "canceling" business.

We are talking a major, major disaster hitting Japan in the form of a huge earthquake and ensuing Tsunami. No manufacturer or business wants to "cancel" commerce, but all of Japan is recovering.

I'd say, to the OP, just investigate. A white Prius V with a tech package, shouldn't be impossible to obtain, I'd almost question why back in Feburary this was determined to be a "special request" to start with...

The dealership should be agressive in doing the groundwork for you, but if they are not? Then investigate yourself. If you are willing to travel a little? You might still be able to find what you're looking for...

I'm sure demand is increasing while supplies are dwindling, this isn't the best time as a consumer. So it isn't a matter of dealerships being paitient as much as the demanding consumer might have to embrace some patience.

It might be a long time indeed before we see a surplus of Prius available.

We are all in this together, so to speak...we just have to deal with the reality as it exists..if you are looking for a car built in Japan, or own a car built in Japan, everything surrounding it, may in the short term become more difficult to obtain.

I know Honda recently sent a memo to their dealerships asking them to NOT order a surplus of parts, to order as closely to exact need as possible.

These are tough times.

 

I don't think there are many Prius 5 in the Denver region from what I have heard. Finding a Prius 5 with atp in blizzard may be very difficult.

What dealer are you working with in AZ?

 

I just bought your car in California the day after the earthquake. I love it. Keep looking and prepare for an adventure! I flew to Tenn. for a puppy to bring home to California. You can fly to get your Prius! I suspect it is going to be awhile before you see lots of Prii in the sales lots.

 

To my knowledge Toyota has never taken special oreders. The Region orders & allocates to their dealers. This is why some option package combinations aren't available in some states.

Under normal conditions Toyota couldn't keep up with demand when gas hit the "magic number".

Japan has taken a major hit. Even if every Toyota plant & subcontractor suffered zero damage resources would still have to be rationed and production will be reduced.

Welcome to the past. Only very recently was the Prius "a dime a dozen". Many owners over the years either settled for the car they found or searched long & hard to find the car they wanted. Many dealers & salesmen couldn't be bothered providing any "service" as the cars sold themselves & if one potential buyer didn't like it there were two or three waiting in line and one of them would.

 

We can special order cars here but only with the options and packages allowed by Toyota Hawaii.


Aloha,

ED

 

Yeah when we bought ours back in the day, there was an 8 month waiting list in DC, some dealers were charging $5,000 over MSRP. I'm originally from southern WV, and I had a feeling if I called a dealer "down home" the good ol' boys wouldn't be as hot on this new fangled "high-bird" car as they were here in DC. Sure enough a dealer in Huntington, WV had two #9s coming in that week, one blue and one green. Said we'd take the green one, gave them a credit card for $500 and hit the road. We had a good time driving out there and caravanning back...

 

This was why I bought a TDI in '06 after Katrina.

I just did an online search referencing the dealer I used in McKinney TX, and found several Blizzard V Techs. I am in the "Gulf States Region", which is TX, OK, AR and LA. If this is an option for you, PM me. I would gladly stop by look into it for you.

You do not have to settle.

 

Knowing Topyota dealers, I have a more cynical view: given that you placed your order in Feb, before gas prices spiked, I'm guessing you negotiated a price for the special order car that is lower than the dealer can get today (especially with the cut in production). I wouldn't put it past a dealer to lie to you so that he can sell "your" car a a hefty profit when it comes in!

FYI, all "special orders" are customized at the port of entry. In my neck of the woods, SouthEastern Toyota Distributors are know for their $500 wax jobs and $400 pin stripes!

 

I've ordered my Prius back in January and since it was Premium (Five) with ATP I will have to wait (originally stated it should be here in less than 6 months). Latest info from Toyota's order system used here is that it will be delivered on May 21st to the local distributor in Czech republic ant then they will have about 10 days to bring it to Slovakia. Latest news from my dealer is that the delivery date in the system is still the same but according to their other informations it can be postponed to max 2 weeks later.
Here in Slovakia you have three Prius equipment levels (Prius, Sol and Premium) and you can add some packets to them. They would either find what you want or they would place an order to Japan.

 

Check with dealers in Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque and Denver.
Once again, the car salesmen are like sharks and "smell blood in the water," providing them an opportunity to charge more.

Remember that Prius is not the only vehicle in the world. Do some math. You may find that a cheaper car with a somewhat lesser MPG may be a better deal in the long run.

 

Have you called other dealers in your area to see what they say?

FWIW, there really are no "special orders" with Toyota. Dealers are allocated cars by the region (from a predetermined list of regional configurations). They can "preference" a particular configuration (from the regional list), in the hopes of getting it sooner than by random luck. But there's no way to get a configuration that's not on the region's list, from what I understand (unlike other brands, like Porsche or BMW, which allow you to actually order the exact car you want).

It could be that your region decided to suspend preferencing due to the situation in Japan.

 

While I was shopping for my 2006 a couple was test driving "the" Prius with another salesman. I then drove the car upon their return. While I was sitting at the salesman's desk the other salesman came by for the fob as they bought the car. It had a bunch of PIO so I wasn't interested in that one.

When I bought my 2006 I got the impression they sold a car out from under someone. Knowing that whatever is delivered will sell Sales Depts. get lazy as it is easier to sell that car when it is delivered than it is to locate a specific car.

 

Prius-1229 I also put in a "special request" for a 2011 Black Prius Five with the Tech Package at the end of February. I got an email from my dealer this past weekend and here is what he said:
"As you are probaly aware we will be experiencing delays in Prius production due to the Earthquake in Japan. Our General Manager, Matt Pensrose, is in daily contact with our Regional Office and as soon as we have a more clear idea of availability I will contact right away. We will do everything possible to get your car here as quickly as possible."

I would recommend just being patient and getting the exact Prius you want. I'm waiting right along with you.