"they do not make that package in our region" (#5)

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(omahajim @ Aug 7 2006, 10:56 AM) [snapback]299037[/snapback]</div>

I think you are getting a lot of hype from the dealer. I would try several states around you and find one on the lot, consider flying there and driving it back. There was someone in Fort Collins who wanted one and several were on the lots in Salt Lake City. He arraged everything on the phone, flew up and got it. There may be some somewhere else in Nebraska, but I would just put in several zip codes and have it find you toyota on the web site. Thats how I found mine. Good Luck, you will love it when you get it.

 

Yeah, it is true that certain packages are available in certain regions. If you go to Toyota.com and build a Prius, they'll ask for your zip code and when you're in the midst of building the Prius, they will show you the available packages for that region. Like pcflorida mentioned, try playing around with different zip codes and see if there's a nearby region that has the package you're wanting. You can even check with a local dealer to see if they're willing to swap a Prius with a dealer in another region and get you the one you want. Don't give up!

 

Additionally, its often best to do these things face to face instead of over the internet. I've found taht it's much easier to convince sales people to do what you want when you can look them in the eye. It's just too easy to see an e-mail and say "well, that requires extra work, i've got enough easy sales right here in front of me".

Instead, go in and tell them you want a prius and they'll think "Easy sale, he's already convinced". then as you start going through it with him, it'll come out that you want package 5, but by that point he'll hopefully already be reeled in and willing to do waht it takes.

 

Well, I know what he meant but I'm still LOL. They don't make any of the packages in that region. They're all made in Japan.

 

Yep, it's not like they don't make them, they don't DELIVER them to that region.

What you'll need to do is find out what is the closest region where they do deliver the package #5, decide if you're willing to go there and drive back, then contact some dealers in that area to get your car.

It's that, or move up to a package that has everything a #5 has that is delivered in your area. Probably a 7 or 8. You'll basically get (and pay) for more than you want.

 

A trade-in would definitely be the easier thing to deal with when getting rid of the Avalanche, but consider that you'll be likely getting significantly less from the dealer on the trade than the vehicle might actually be worth. If that's worth getting rid of the potential headache of dealing with a private sale, then by all means go for it.

I had a 10-year old Saturn with 180K miles on it that was still in driveable condition when my Prius came in. The day I was heading over to pick up the Prius, I listed the Saturn on Ebay...that evening as I was driving home from the dealership in my shiny new Prius, my husband called me to say he'd checked my Ebay listing and the Saturn had sold via the Buy It Now function. It was to a local buyer who paid the deposit via Paypal and paid the balance in cash the following evening when he picked up the car and pink slip. It was the easiest transaction for me and no headache at all. I would have been lucky to have gotten $500 for that old thing via a dealer trade, I made almost 4X that amount via the private sale.

 

My 10 year old Saturn had less than 50k on it and I got over $2500 for it private sale. Dealership wouldn't even take it in trade. Don't blame them.

If you really want a #5, find out what the dealer would charge you if he trades to get it. You don't want to pay a market value mark-up if the #5 will end up costing the same as an #8.

 

In Utah they never get #1 and #2.... Go figure.... I bought a #3 instead. Just compromise a little. What does that 5 have that the 4 doesn't? How much more expensive is the 6 then the 5?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(omahajim @ Aug 7 2006, 06:01 PM) [snapback]299271[/snapback]</div>

Keep in mind that #4 has VSC as well.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(omahajim @ Aug 7 2006, 06:26 PM) [snapback]299282[/snapback]</div>

It's confusing as hell..... I would look at a 4 or a 6 if it were me.... Or fly to Salt Lake to get the 5....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(omahajim @ Aug 7 2006, 06:01 PM) [snapback]299271[/snapback]</div>

I disagree The jump from 5 to 6 seems like a very small one to me given the added value of the HID. Consider the conclusions drawn in Sivak at al. 2003 (which I dug up from google):

... approximately 2,300 pedestrians are killed in the U.S. annually because of drivers’ inability to see at night.... current low-beam headlamps do not provide sufficient seeing distance for common highway speeds.... HIDs, with their greater luminous flux, could make a difference.

The paper also presents evidence that while HIDs seem to result in added subjective glare for oncoming drivers (i.e., they may bother oncoming drivers who may think your lights are too bright), that this effect is illusory and does not result in greater objective glare (i.e., the oncoming drivers are not actually impared). This argument suggests that HIDs provided added safety by providing the driver of the HID vehicle with extra light without the dangers posed by leaving the high beams on (blinding oncoming traffic). See paper (PDF) for details.

I can see how someone who doesn't want all of the gadgets in package 5 may not want to pay $4k
to jump from 4 to 6 just for the HID. However, I can't imagine chosing the 5 over the 6 just to save $625.

In my region the packages available are 3, 5, 7, and 8. This seems like an amazingly bad set for consumers mainly interested in price and safety: there is no way to get VSC without paying for all the gadgets in 5, and there is no way to get HID without paying for the GPS. Consequently, I am strongly considering buying out of region.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Enqueue @ Aug 7 2006, 07:03 PM) [snapback]299299[/snapback]</div>

Can HID be added after market? I have a #4 (and I did add the leather just for my own comfort and the ease of cleaning and care due to fuzzy dogs). You have convinced me about HID - fog is some dangerous stuff.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(snowbird01 @ Aug 7 2006, 09:22 PM) [snapback]299364[/snapback]</div>

Maybe; I would be very careful about this. My impression is (1) there are a lot of inferior HID aftermarket solutions out there, many of which are actually more dangerous than normal headlights, and (2) the Prius HID system is complex and interconnected with other portions of the car, e.g., to support autoleveling, which is important in preventing excessive glare. Safety laws regarding headlights are complex (for good reason), and you could potentially wind up with a car that is not technically "street legal" and is actually unsafe.

Does anyone out there have any expertise or experience in this area? If so, can that person comment further?

 

When I shopped for my '05 I found that the local NJ dealer's region doesn't order group 4, but the nearby Phila region does. Dealer could possibly arrange a swap with a Philly dealer, but with the tight delivery situation odds were not good of that happening. NJ dealer's delivery promise for any group was 4 wks at best. Solution?: Went across the river to a volume dealer in Phila. region (Faulkner Toyota) who had cars on hand, and a group 4 in my color due in a week. Deal closed.

As to the strangeness of Toyota's marketing/distribution policies, this is one of the inscrutable mysteries of the orient.

 

If you want a package 5, give TJ Prayner a call in Chicago. See his recent post in the "Sponsored Commercial Sales" forum. He recently posted a number of cars that are available on his lot. He had my name on a Seaside Blue package 5 that he hoped would be in before Oct 1. I called him yesterday to release that since I got the car in Salt Lake this past weekend.

TJ was great to talk to, knew how do work a purchase over the phone and deal with state tax implications, etc..

While your at it, call around, you may find a car on a lot, or one or two incoming that don't have customers lined up for them.

I agree, the package 5 arena seems to be a really good balance of features vs. cost. I was originally thinking #5, but we too only get #6 in our region. It's only $600 more for 6, so not a big deal to just get a 6 instead of a 5.

Good Luck,

Joel