I'm thinking about buying a Prius

Yes you have to put down a deposit to get on the waiting list.

As to whether or not you can get it back if you don't like the car, that will depend on the dealership you are working with.

I would insist on locking into a price, but still be flexible as you may find yourself adjusting your options package down the road. The first thing to look for is, if they are charging over MSRP due to market demand. IMO, they are gouging, just like the Dodge stealerships did with the PT Cruiser, and VW stealerships did with the Beetle. If they are overcharging, then I'd walk, but that's me.

Maintenance isn't going to be much of anything over and above a normal car. Oil changes for the '05's are scheduled for 5k miles, and there is no maintenance of the hybrid system beyond the occasional fluid change for the PSD, same as would be any automatic tranny. The only "extra" bit is the cooling system for the inverter/controller. It's liquid cooled, like the engine, and is listed as part of the schedule. Thus far I've only had to buy oil as I've been demanding synthetic. Toyota is othewise paying for my services at current. I have one left on them. Otherwise, I'd expect the car to roughly match your Echo in maintenance costs.

On the last quesiton, I cannot help you there, I took a huge hit on the trade for my car due to negative equity.

 

Hi Molly,

My dealer told me that legally they must return a deposit if you change your mind.

That said, I can't imagine your not liking this car. The more you drive it, the more you discover about it that makes you love it all the more.

I locked into both price and trade-in value when I ordered my car (trade-in value: under the stipulation that I don't over-drive mileage wise or damage the car between order time and delivery time). When the car came in 3 1/2 months later the deal went exactly as initially negotiated.

If you read the various 2004 Prius forums, you'll find that it's a rare occasion where anyone has had to spend any more than the cost of an oil change every 5,000 miles ($25 at my dealer). Some folks have their tires rotated now and then (another $25). Other than that, that seems to be about it.

Assuming you aren't dealing with an unscrupulous dealer, you should end up paying the list price which you can determine at, for instance, the Kelley Blue Book web site (www.kbb.com). That site will also give you an estimated trade-in or private sale value on your current car. You can also click on their payment calculator to determine monthly payments for various interest rates and years 'til payoff.

 

A quick note on deposits - many dealers (to save hassle in case you change your mind) won't even cash the deposit - so if you write them a check, they'll more than likely just hold onto it until the car comes in and everything's finalized. I suggest finding a dealer willing to do this, most of them should.

-m.

 

The gas engine will turn on in a number of situations:

#1 - the gas engine comes on during initial start-up and will run to "warm" the engine.

#2 - if the battery goes below 3 bars, the engine will come on to charge the battery.

#3 - if the electric motor doesn't have enough torque to deliver what acceleration you are trying to achieve, the engine will kick in to provide a boost as well (As an aside note, it takes quite a slow start to stay in electric mode when starting from a stop)

Hope this helps!

-m.

 

>I remember reading recently that the gas engine
>does not turn on until you reach 42 mph.

What you read was oversimplified. The car can go up to 42 without the gas engine, but it will make up its own mind about if and when to do so.

>My job sometimes requires me to drive on downtown
>streets for 2-3 hours at a time, very rarely do I reach 40mph
>on a downtown street. Would that be a problem?

The main problem is that your friends will be insanely jealous
about the milage you get doing this. It's a good town car.

>Would I be using the battery too much?

No. You can't misuse the battery. It won't let you.

 

Hi Molly.

It is nearly certain that you'll have to put down a deposit. usually $500. I've never heard of a dealer refusing to return the deposit if you don't buy the car. While a few dealerships just hold the check (as rflagg mentioned) you should expect them to cash it. The deposit is to assure your seriousness about the deal, but does not obligate you to go through with it.

Maintenance: your dealer can tell you what he'll charge for the scheduled maintenance. The car has an excellent warranty, and Toyota is one of the most dependable car makers, I'd say, only Honda is as reliable. (Wolfman has been getting free maintenance because he drives a "Classic" and Toyota was giving free maintence on those. The rest of us have to pay. But it's the same as any other car for an oil change, and if you change your own oil now you can do it on the Prius also. I don't. I'd rather pay someone else to get his hands dirty.)

You can find out MSRP for the various options packages at toyota.com, and your payments will depend on what kind of financing you can arrange. Pay a visit to your bank, your credit union, and the dealer, and see who'll give you the best deal. It'll depend on your credit rating. I paid $24,353 for package #7, which was MSRP plus a $149 "document" charge. Since I paid cash, I have no payments. You can lock in the price when you make your deposit by demanding that your dealer give you the price in writing. If there's a question of which package might be available, and you are open to some flexibility, you can ask the dealer to agree in writing to sell you the car for MSRP, whatever that is for the car you end up getting, and be sure to include that you will not be required to pay for any dealer extras that you do not want.

Without an explicit agreement on price, the dealer can charge you anything he likes. A verbal agreement is binding, but impossible to prove. So get it in writing. Make sure the agreement is simple, and that you can understand it. If it's full of legalese, beware. If the dealer wants more than MSRP, it's up to you whether you want to accept that or not.

The battery takes care of itself. The car decides when to run on the battery alone, when to run on the gas engine alone, and when to run on both together. It does this to maximize fuel efficiency and battery life, and to minimize pollution (it's the cleanest car on the road, other than pure electric cars). The battery (and the rest of the hybrid system) is warrantied for 100,000 miles or 8 years. No worries here.

While a lot of folks (including most of us here on Prius Chat) like to play around with how we drive, there is no need for you to do anything special with the Prius. And although it does not actually have a transmission, you can drive it exactly as you would drive any other automatic car. (Except that you have a Power button instead of a key to start it, and a Park button instead of a Park position on the gear lever.)

Slow stop-and-go driving around town is where the Prius really excells. Because of the regenerative braking, the ability (at the car's discretion) to go all-electric for short periods, and the fact that the engine stops when you stop the car (and starts itself when you go again) the Prius is about twice as efficient for city driving as any other family sedan. And because of the high torque of the electric motor, the car has plenty of power for acceleration, whether in towm or on the highway.

The only disadvantage to the Prius is it's going to make you look down your nose at everyone who's still driving an obsolete gas-guzzling "conventional" car. If you need a mid-size family sedan, you can't go wrong with the Prius.

 

You said you might want to start looking in a month or 2.
Here is what happened to me.
To make a long story short I can't afford a car payment until the Spring of next year. So I was going to wait and buy the Prius. I had an extra minute during the day and went to get a brouchure on the Pruis and found it was going to be 9-12 months to get it, about the time I wanted to actually buy it. So I got on the list now. Even if your name comes up you can pass wait until you want to get it. So go ahead and throw you $500 now and do your research later you can always get your deposit back if you change your mind.

Alpha

 

That's for sure, I don't even have one and I look down on myself Why is your stupid engine idling when you aren't even moving??

At least I'm not as bad as some. Went to Circuit City last night. There was a car in the lot idling. NO ONE in the car. It was MAYBE 75 degrees, overcast and 6 PM so I can't even grant the idiot owner "well it IS really hot out so maybe they are keeping the car cool while they are in the store" ( For which there is no excuse anyway).

 

Everything you asked about can be negotiated. To minimize the chances for grief, get the agreement in writing. Also review the free car buying advice from Consumer Reports at http://www.consumerreports.org/main/home.jsp

I negotiated and ordered my Prius over the phone and fax machine, quickly separated the weasels from the decent sales people, and got a good price. Of course it helps to have a dozen local dealers and to be patient. At this time you might still wait six months and/or pay a significant premium.