New Prius Buyer... A Teen?

Oh my young friend...great choice, but bad info so far and poor luck. You will be very very lucky to get a car before summer. In fact, word has it that dealers have been instructed to not take any more orders for the '04 model--they can start taking names for the '05, which no one expects to roll out until Sept. or Oct.

There are cars out there to be had, but they're hard to find and/or marked up WELL above MSRP. The best price you're likely to find is MSRP, and be very very cautious to get in writing that you do not want any port add ons that you don't specifically request. Watch out for financing rip offs and warranty rip offs.

If you wanna be a really really smart young man consider a '01-'03 Prius. Still great cars, if not on level with the '04, but available a lot cheaper. You can save the rest of your $$ for college.

 

First of all, welcome to PriusChat!

Actually, depending on who you talk to, actual MPG might be better in the Classics than in the 04. I agree that the 04 offers a lot more "goodies" than the classic, but the functionality of the Classic has never come into question. Ask Wolfman, he took his on a 1,500 mile trek recently.

Finally, good luck finding your Prius - hopefully your part of the country is not a Prius-hungry area, but your area dealers did well selling the Classic Prius (that's how allocations are determined for the 04s). The rest of your questions can probably be answered by doing some poking around the forums and searching some on the site.

 

I've got both a classic ('02) and an '04. At this stage in the game, I'd say mileage is comparable, with the '04 edging out by 1-2mpg. When it comes to the availability time as well as amount of money spent, that 1-2mpg may not be worth it - especially for a first car. Given that statistically you're very likely to be involved in an accident with the car, perhaps the safety of the '04 would be a plus. But if you were considering the loss amount, the classic would be the better financial gamble.

One feature I enjoyed in the Classic that isn't much mentioned is that the MG2 torque seems more readily available when I stomp it, where as w/ the '04, there's a slight lag until the engine comes up to speed. I've learned to compensate, but in general, still feel the '02 is more "responsive" to the pedal. The '02 also has a longer oil-change interval, and after just checking the dipstick on my '04, it doesn't seem to dirty the oil as quickly (the '04 was a light brown, but I could smell the gas in it, where as I don't recall that w/ my '02 at 4500 miles).

Don't get your hopes up on getting a #9 anytime soon at any rate. You may need to settle for a lower package. It may not be "the best", but most kids your age don't get "the best" first time around either.

-Rick
'04 w/ 4600 miles and '02 w/ 35,000 miles.

 

Buying out of state, yes, you do have to pay Florida taxes, but not sales tax of the state where you buy it.

As far as finding one, I would do what Riffraft suggested - get on Toyota.com and start calling or faxing dealers. There are people on PriusChat who live on the East Coast and have ordered from Carson Toyota in Southern California and other far away states. Just call around and see what you can find. A couple of hours on the phone might save you a couple of months of waiting.

And we know you're not trying to sound mean, you just sound really really excited - :multi:

 

Re: 4-6 weeks?

Haven't dealt much with car dealers have you!! The SE is WAY behind on orders. Look at Dianne's recent posts on this forum--someone just inquired about a package #3 I think it was--50 orders at HER dealership alone in line for just that package, and she gets 4 cars total in her next allotment. The numbers are smaller but the ratios the same around the rest of the country.

You'll not get a car in 4-6 weeks by getting on a waiting list unless you pay WAY over MSRP....you're being swindled....if you believe them get them to put it in writing.
--evan

 

My point wasn't whether the parent could afford it, but more about the sense of value that I feel should be instilled in our children as well. IMHO, our children should be taught to take care of and pride in what they drive (or own). In some cases (not neccesarily anyone here), when a parent hands their child a brand new $26,000+ car, it's easy come, easy go. I watched friends in high school who got new Corvettes, wreck them, then get another one, courtesy of Bank of Daddy, instead of being required to "earn" a car - either by good grades or a part-time job. It was sad that such values of conservation and responsibility weren't being passed along.

For those who can afford it (and the insurance/liability consequences), and for those who's children have said values of responsibility, I'm all for it! There are such 16-18 yo's out there. I'm sure Thomas (Dianne's son, whom I've met - nice kid) will be one of them.

But to others - we can encourage the same thinking by obtaining a healthy pre-owned Prius for our new driver. It encourages values of reusing by consuming a pre-existing car looking for a new home, while still making a more environmentally sound/technologically advanced/Toyota supportive decision The monetary outlay will be less, and you still achieve most of the goals. That, and by not giving them a "rocket" of a car, they'll be more likely to bring home less speeding tickets to boot :-D

I'm digressing, however, and this is becoming more of an ethical/moral digression than a 16yo getting a Prius thread. This is all IMHO, of course.

::: stepping off soapbox :::
-Rick