I really don't like how the options are grouped in the different levels of Prius, hence I bought a 2. Is it possible to order one with just the options I really want? A friend did that with her Volvo, including a trip to Sweden to pick it up, which turned out to be a good deal. I would totally be a fan of picking options. There are several high end options I would like, but also several that I think are plain silly and I don't want in my car.
As "The" major automobile manufacturer in the world, Toyota doesn't really sell on a specialized or special order basis. My observation is Toyota likes to offer their trim levels and package options. Yes, that sometimes means sacrifice of perfect exclusivity as far as what you would want. But there is also advantage. Even my base model Prius II came with "packaged" options that I had to pay extra for as individual options on my Honda Fit. In 2010, I had to go all the way UP to the Honda Fit Sport, just to get some basic options such as keyless entry and cruise control. I had to buy a separate center arm rest console, as a separate product. IMO...something that should just come with the vehicle. So there are plus's and minus's to both approaches. Toyota it seems tends toward the Trim Level and Package approach.
I can't imagine anybody actually wanting to order a car by the old Detroit model where each option is a separate item with it's own price. The individual items cost about 4 times as much that way, compared to when they're bundled into a package. What does it matter if there's a feature included that isn't used? The total cost ends up being less than if the 4 or 5 items you actually want were ordered individually. I have no need for channel 5 on my TV; should I try to order a TV with only the channels I watch?
My 2 cents: I know when I bought my 2010 III and I wanted the sunroof (I have had one on ever car I have owned since 1979), it only came with the (way over priced and incredibly expensive to update) GPS (at the time, $199 to update the maps), solar package and backup camera for $4,000. Surely no one here would ever think that this "package" deal is anything other than a profit center for Toyota. I did get used to all of the extra options in the package but I would never have ordered them. I too would prefer a ala carte option list.
Some cars from the Big 3 can still be ordered with many individual options - especially trucks. One of my friends ordered an early base GMC Terrain with only heated cloth seats, then a new option for GM, and she had to wait 4+ months for the SUV to be built and shipped from Mexico. Toyota and, especially, Honda, seems to stick with established trim levels and accessories. I don't understand why Honda even has a "Build it" section on their website. I grew up in a GM family and we used to get larger employee discounts by ordering a car from the factory with exactly the options you wanted rather then buying one off a dealer's lot. Depending on the model, the car showed up at your local dealer in 4-12 weeks.
In the Toyota model - I had to buy the $5,000 Package V when all I wanted was the Touring option. Some sections of the country have port installed options.
I also never understood the build your prius thing on Toyotas website. You get it exactly like you want, get a price then it pretty much says "yours design is great and all but here's what dealers have, which may or may not be what you want".
Just for fun, and it is fun..to me... You should check out the Mini-Cooper website. They have absolutely the best "Build Your Vehicle" interface. A seemingly endless amount of choices and options and going through the process of "building" your virtual mini-cooper is damn near close enough to buying one. Sometimes I build one, admire it and then drift off into the internet. So much cheaper than actually purchasing one.
It's not really custom, but on the current model three, you can get the solar roof for around $1500. For comparison, to get the solar roof on the model four you have to get a package that also includes HUD, upgraded NAV, Upgraded audio, and a couple other things I don't want/need. WAY more expensive. There is also a 'Persona' model that, I was told, is essentially a three with faux leather seats (they look different than the seats in the four though). But no real customization options I am aware of.
Bundling. Making you pay more for one option, when it comes grouped with other options you're not the least bit interested in. For example, I want the JBL Sound System, please. Toyota says, sure, here's your JBL Sound System, but to get it you have to also add all this other expensive stuff. A truly brilliant bit of extra profit making by simply connecting a bunch of expensive and generally unrelated options along with the one single option you can't live without and then telling you that you're actually getting a great discount after paying an extra 2,500 bucks or more for the 500 dollar JBL!! (not real prices, but you get the idea!) Pure marketing geniu$. And look at all the money you just $aved! Ka-ching!
I'd love to have an a-la-carte option. When I got my 2014 Three I only wanted the sunroof.. don't really want that garbage GPS that they bundle with it.
