Buying your first-choice Prius or "settling"

Boy, was I lucky! I got the colour I wanted (Driftwood) and the package I wanted (Package B with the smart key and the air bags) and I only had to wait a month!!!! Course, I got a 2005 in October ... but didn't do too badly!

 

When my mom said she could not get into my Sport Trac any more I realized the time had come. If I was going to give up my Truck I was going to get the best car possible. Ever since seeing a Salsa Red Gen ll in a parking lot in La Mesa I had been researching the Prius. I went online to request a "qoute" and test drive.

I was contacted by Toyota Carlsbad for a test drive in 4 days (after the weekend). I arrived at 9:30a Monday morning. We drove the test model and there were 2 package 6 on the lot, Salsa Red and Silver. Both supposedly sold. When we sat down to talk business I told them the Salsa Red was my first choice and Blue my second. When Gerald's partner James came back in, he mentioned that the folks who had the Salsa on hold had lost their loan. So 2 hours after arriving at Toyota Carlsbad I left with my Package 6 2005 Salsa Wonder!! Such a happy camper and I don't miss the truck at all!!

 

kicked up for new owners

 

I'm still waiting, it's been three months. I am flexible on color but not package.

Knowing that nearly half of the poll responders waited more than two months makes my wait more tolerable. I've got a lot of company.

I'd prefer on-line ordering directly with Toyota headquarters. Then at least I'd know the delay is a corporate problem, and not just a dealer padding their pockets by selling my car to the highest bidder or selling to the sales manager's relatives..

Better yet, I'd like to track manufacturing and shipment schedules of my ordered product on the internet like Dell does with computers. Doesn't Lexus have something like this?

 

Well, the 2006 dropped our favorite color (tideland) and bumped up our desired package (6 to 7). So on both counts the manufacturer negated our original choice. After being jerked around by multiple dealers I said the hell with it and found a car in Portland in 48 hrs. The next weekend I picked it up.

 

I did ... uhhhh,,, checked number 1, but I ordered last Sept for Jan/Tax benefot delivery. I don't know how long the wait would've been if I dodn't have the Jan date. So, my response was 1 with a condition

 

Didn't wait list, just called and got the second choice color in the package we wanted. I think after awhile the silver will turn out to be our favorite after all. I'm just glad we didn't have to wait. Something about instant gratification that always makes me feel good.

 

Wanted silver 1st choice...with package 3...could have had it in a week or two after walking in (I had some pull with the Fleet Manager). Changed my mind to a package 6, which now is a package 7, hopefully coming next week.

I was told by a good friend (the Used car Manager at a Toyota dealer), that each Prius deal was looked at by the General Manager and evaluated for profitability...including any potential trade-in. Basically admitting that the waiting list is not set in stone.

At his dealership, he was willing to give me $1000 more for my trade, but can not get me a vehicle.

The other dealer, where I know the Fleet Manager, is having no problem moving me to the "Front" of the list...but is going to make an extra $1000 on my trade as well!

I don't want to take the risk of losing the HOV sticker or the Tax Break...so the choice is easy...lose the $1000 to get the car now!

 

We walked in on a sat. morning with our trade in car. The dlr. had 10 Prius's. We really only wanted pkg. 1. We have tons of high end stereo, wife didn't want navigation system, and we aren't into airbags.

The dlr. had black & white with grey interiors with pkg. 1. I really didn't want to pay $620 for the exterior protection that was on the black car, but wife overruled me. So, we bought the black after crying over the trade in price-(I'm still crying).

Here is Sir Gumdrop. Everyone have a nice President's day.

 

I gave the dealer my top 2 color choices (1) Barcelona Red Metallic and (2) Silver Pine Mica. My original package choices were #3 or #4. The dealer was having a heck of a time finding a #3 or #4 in ANY color in our area. His solution was to get me a Barcelona Red Metallic Package #6 and knock off about $1,100 for me.

I had my car approximately five days after initial visit to the dealership and test drive.

 

I got the package I wanted (#1) and the color I wanted (black) but not the interior I wanted. I wanted gray and they had beige. I contacted the interenet manager on Saturday but by the time he contacted me they were going to close. I was leaving for Vegas early Sun. morning so told him if the car was still there when I got back I'd look at it. I went to see on Wed and bought it. This was April 2005. No wait list. I didn't want to wait (needed to sell my own car for several reasons) and felt the price of gas would go up, making the Prius harder to buy. While I stilll am not enamoured of the beige I love my car. My old car had a beige interior so it wasn't such a shock. But I still love the gray and my next Prius will have a gray interior. I hope by then I can also get a nice, deep, dark blue exterior. By that time I *may* go for the highest package. But I must say I am very happy with my package #1 and have no regrets.

 

Ordered Pkg. 6 on Nov. 6th from local dealership, Silver Pine Mica w/ Bisque interior.

4 weeks ago the Inventory Manager called and said our Silver w/ gray interior would be ready shortly. I was dumbfounded! How could such a major foulup occur?

Easy when you think about it, when we ordered the car the dealership had virtually no info on the '06s. No color codes, no pkg. info, etc. I knew more about the '06s than the salesman I was dealing with thanks to all of you on this forum. I guess he saw Silver and that was enough for him.

Started calling around and found, in a few days, a Silver Pine w/ bisque in Scottsdale but with pkg. 7 (nav system). I took it. $2000 premium but I wasn't about to go to the back of the line here, as I was told by my friendly salespeople. By then I had resolved not to reward them with anything other than necessary or mandatory maintenance.

 

called dealer in nevada, had the color and package within 5 minutes. Car came in on 12/22/05 picked up 1/13.

 

A lot of us early 06 buyers will skew this - our wait times were partially self-imposed if we insisted on an 06 delivery.

I was actually waffling on buying any new vehicle, but my Camry practically ticking at me, I put my name on a list either late 2005 or early 2006. I needed a package #4 (no flexibility) but I was very flexible on the color - especially since the color I wanted wasn't arriving for at least 4 months. My second choice was silver,but I told them I'd take anything but white or silver pine mica. I was told to expect a 3ish month wait - at which point I could delay if I wanted to hold out for metallic gray, and I'd be at the top of the list.

I was surprised to hear from him less than two weeks later - with the news that a package #4 in driftwood pearl would be available in 10 days if I wanted it - everyone on the list that wanted to be offered #4s said no, so he called me. I accepted, since my previous car was tan and I liked it a lot. The only problem was when I arrived to see my car, I realized the interior was in shades of tan (duh!) and I had expected grey. The salesman didn't push, he said he could always offer it down the line. I was continually given the impression that he was just giving me the opportunity to buy sooner than my window, and would have had no problems calling someone else, or letting it go on the lot.

So I got the package I wanted, and was flexible on the color, so waited less than a month. I think the three months I 'expected' to wait was fair for a high demand car - but I'm certain this isn't the most efficient way to produce and deliver

 

Too damned many black Priuses. Soon the Mafia will be buying them and garroting people in them. (Look it up.) B)

 

But the Prius looks so gorgeous in black! Perhaps I'm just a bit biased...

I got my black Prius after 5.5 months of patiently (mostly) waiting and couldn't be happier with my selection. I would not and did not settle on the exterior color, the package #, and the interior color and I would do it all over again if I had to. The wait made the final delivery of the car that much sweeter to me, it was so worth the wait and then some. I love this car!

 

That silver/silver pine mixup happened in Davis, CA, too, resulting in darell getting his silver one. And THAT means it's happened elsewhere, possibly a LOT.

Lesson for Toyota: don't offer two colors with the same color name somewhere in it, whether it's the first word or the second.

 

I completely agree. In my area, black is hard to get. I got the only black in stock and it was #3 that I wanted (how lucky). The dealer I got it from had too many silver in stock.

 

I urge all buyers, insist on package and color details you want and do not back down. Mention that you understand their allocation process, know they can trade with other dealers and that they can get you your car choice if they jump through just a few limited hoops.

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I completely agree.
I would also suggest using the toyota carbuilder and send that info to all the dealers in your area. I did this and within 2 weeks I had exactly what I wanted.
The dealer ,Carlock Toyota in MS, actually traded an Avalon they had coming to
another dealer who had my Prius in transit. It happens.