Shouldn't lose the deposit, unless there was something special about the order that makes it otherwise unsaleable. For vehicles such as Prii that are not custom ordered from the factory, but simply allocated from the pipeline, this should not happen.
Consider this. Adding 17" wheels+tires and foglights+stalk is easier and more doable than adding the HUD and aftermarket sunroof. Also, adding an aftermarket sunroof jeopardizes the structural integrity. You're unknowingly lowering the crash rating of the car. Adding factory HUD is like adding radar cruise control. Too many parts need to be replaced including the windshield. With all that said, I would get the fully loaded P4 and add the 17" wheels and tires and foglights myself later. P4T+PCP+DPH=32540 P4+ATP+PCP+DPH=33125 Price difference is 585. That's really good deal considering that you get factory sunroof and factory HUD. More importantly, the car is fully crash tested and it won't leak when it rains and the headliner is in perfect condition. Not to mention 3 years, 36K miles warranty. 17" rims and tires would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2000-2500. There's currently a Gen 3 17" rims and tire on ebay that cost $1200+180=1380. Fog lights would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $100-450 for lights and stalk. P4 is looking better and better than P4T everyday.
With 3rd gen at least, models that came with 17" wheels also had different steering setup. May or may not still be the case with 4th gen.
Wasn't that just an initial MY-2010 thing? My hazy memory is that putting the better system on all models was one of numerous mid-year changes, starting about October 2009. Adding USB was another.
I believe the setup is universal. You're thinking steering feel. That was standardized before production (but wasn't at the L.A. preview in March 2009 so the 15" and 17" models were different if you could feel the difference). What Mendel is talking about is the steering ratio. That is different between the 15" and 17" models. The 15" had a ratio somewhere around 3.2 or 3.4 while the 17" had a quicker 2.7 turns lock-to-lock.
Not that sure myself what I'm talking about. Our 17" model was manufactured in August '09. Would be good if the 17" steering was adopted for all models. We test drove both 15" and 17" (which we bought) at the time. I don't know if it was purely circumstance, but to me the second drive, in the 17" model, steering felt better, less vague.
A car can be ordered from the factory in Japan? and whether it will be cheaper than in the store of the country, after all tax deductions and transportation?
They don't necessarily lose the deposit. The cars are not 'made to order' for the customer. The guy says, I want this and puts a deposit to get first dibs when it arrives. Dealers knows they can sell it to someone else if dude doesn't like. Any dealer that keeps the deposit it a joke and I wouldn't be surprised if by law, they cannot keep money for delivering nothing.
akhare, Glad to hear you are getting a deal based on the sticker price. IIRC, when Gen 3 came out, there were several months before prices came DOWN to MSRP, and I bought when they finally got a little bit below in my region--about 6 months after the first folks on Priuschat got theirs. I know this is purely a supply/demand issue, but does anyone have info whether dealers are planning markups from MSRP?
Don't buy cars they don't have in the lot. You have no negotiation power. Wait until they have it in stock.
These things will be selling for less than MSRP much sooner than when the Gen III was released. Fuel is half as much as it was back then.
They're US prices. Canadian prices have not been released. (There hasn't even been a media release yet to the same extent as the U.S.. Someone mentioned that they'll arrive late Feb/early Mar on the west coast which means we won't see pricing/packaging publicly until Feb).
Go see the "Dianne's Deals" thread for more info on her comments around pricing. She stated she has discounts available but is not able to reveal publicly due to what I would assume is a Toyota gag order. lol
My Prius 3 with ATP "pre-order" information is HERE. (In the PriusChat Marketplace Forum). The $500 USD deposit is fully refundable. The below MSRP pricing I got in writing from the dealer. As others mentioned, you are not ordering anything but rather are getting first right to purchase a specific car that has been allocated to the dealer. When the car arrives at the dealership you can test drive it and if you are not satisfied with the vehicle you can get your deposit refunded.
Don't feel "pressured" by the "experts" on this forum on buying a car. I pre-ordered a new "SUV" years ago, -before- even the dealer knew how much it would cost, based on how good the previous Toyota of that model was, and how great it looked on TV. A deposit was put down. When it came in, they tried to play games with me, by raising the price. Trouble was, they had put the price on the "contract" (sales order), so it's legal. I told the "sales manager" who phoned me to have my deposit check ready as I drove by to another dealer to buy it. He backed down immediately. And I loved the vehicle. As for "driving it to see if you like it", I have NEVER bought a car/vehicle like that. You can't tell how it drives on a 30 minute test drive. How will you feel after driving it all day? What about a drive through the mountains (if you don't live close to them)? How will it drive in other seasons? You can't tell!! You'll love the 2016. It's a new Prius, better than any previous one. Safer, better handling, slightly better mileage, more "toys" inside. -I- love the look, including the white console. You do too, as you bought one. Those who don't are welcome to not buy. To steal a Nissan marketing quip, "relax and enjoy the ride"! And congratulations! At least someone lives by their convictions.
