My Prius is finally here!

gapeach

First, congratulations. Next, post your Location in your Profile and your Prius Year/Package in your signature; it really helps us to respond to your questions.

If you're in the SE Region (gapeach) and you paid for the Toyocrap package, don't worry, you probably got everything you paid for and, if not, it's on your invoice and the dealer will make good.

I don't know what package you have so I can't help with any add-ons now. The mats, mud flaps and the rear bumper protector are all nice to have if you can afford them. Avoid the pressure of any "extras" (extended warranty, prepaid maintenance, etc.) from the delivering dealer. If you really want something later, he's be happy to sell it to you then.

Send more details, we'll flood you with suggestions.

Enjoy your Prius; the Barcelona Red with Dark Gary leather was my second choice.

 

There is a checklist somewhere on this board that I printed and took with me. My salesman was very patient and I went through the entire car with a fine-tooth comb, so to speak, before we did any paperwork. He was actually more knowledgeable about a Prius than most salespeople I have encountered and he showed me several features in person that I had only read about.

My car was freshly washed/dried and sparkled! The salesman and I were messing with all the knobs and gadgets in the car and the rear wiper made a huge mess of the back window (just windshield fluid, but it splattered everywhere). Before we could even discuss it, a guy was there wiping it down!

Be sure you check the fuel gauge and have it filled all the way up, if it is not already. My car only had 2 -3 bars when we test-drove it (and 3 miles on the ODO). I mentioned the full tank and it was taken care of without further discussion, but I wonder if I hadn't known that it was supposed to be FULL. (Yes, I am aware that FULL is somewhat variable, but 2-3 bars is far from resembling FULL.)

ENJOY!!!!

 

gapeach

Thanks for posting your Location and Year/Package; it will be a big help in the future.

Now that I know you're a Package 7 with the Bisque cloth upholstery, my only other suggestion is consider getting leather seats. I know it's a big investment, but you already have the top of the line Prius offered in the SE Region and leather is a hugh improvement over cloth in both looks, wear and ease of cleaning. I had a brand new 05 Prius loaner for 4 months, that I treated like it was mine and the (light tan) cloth seats (with protection) were a mess when I turned it in. I even kept a blanket on the back seat when I took my (80 lb) puppy with me and it didn't make a difference.

If you decide to go for the leather, don't forget to have the side and center arm rests done as well as the verticle triangular piece between the upper rear seat cushion and the door frame. SE Region charges $1,300 for just the seats, but you should be able to have the complete upgrade done locally for less.

Also, don't be afraid to pull one of the wheel trim rings off. Take a good look at your Prius with and without trim rings and I'll bet all 4 rings will wind up in the garage somewhere (just like many of us).

The $2.99 chrome tire valve caps were "cute" addition.

 

The reason they so heavily promote Toyoguard is that its MSRP is $619, but its invoice price is $200.

If you look underneath and rub your hand on the bottom of the frame, you'll probably end up with a light greasy coating on your fingers. That's the undercoat. They tell you that there is some sound deadening material there as well, but I've never seen that. You get your first oil change. There supposed to spray the carpet and seats with some form of repellent, like 303, etc. You'll never know if that was done. You should be able to put a drop of water on the seats or carpet and see it bead. Likewise, they are supposed to put a sealant on the car.

The problem is, you can never know whether they were done. Probably they were, but who knows how avidly they did. Were they low wage employees knocking out as many cars as they could to get a bonus? Was it somebody's first day on the job, having never done this before?

That's why most of us would rather save the money and do it ourselves.

Look for the oil on the bottom. That's about all you can do to be sure the Toyoguard was done, who know's about the rest.