Does anyone know what the base MSRP for the 2005 is? Has the cost of the option prices also increased? :?
Here's the deal: The base price increased by $580 but it includes the rear wiper, which was the $180 option package #1. Option packages #1, #2, and #8 were dropped. All the rest of the packages are $180 less than last year. Since it was pretty impossible to get a 2004 Prius without a rear wiper, the actual increase of the 2005s is $400 (2%), not $580 (2.9%).
I got a slightly different answer from my dealer in Greensboro, NC. The price increase is the same, but the packages they would be receiving would be different. It went something like this (There are the 2004 package numbers. The percentages are their allotment for 2005.) : #2 (GY) 10% #5 (AI) 57% #8 (BC?) 33% I think he might have told me wrong or my midwestern tuned heard the salesperson wrong. He told me 'BC' later after mentioning package #8 and looking back at his brochure. #8 should be BG.
Don't look at the option packages as #s anymore, look at the letters. The BC was the #9, but because of the consolidation of packages, the #9 is now the #8, but still the BC. Did I say that right?
If I may dare to correct a founder... BC is #6 for 2005 (still on the list for one, for now) -Jim (2004 BC9 in 3 more weeks!)
Okay, I double checked with the dealer. It is actually BC (the package formally known as #9.) So, the only three packages they are telling me they are getting are GY,AI, and BC. What does someone do if they really want a different package than any of these? Do I have no other option than to look in other areas? I really would like the AM package.
Maybe, maybe not. I think the packages shipped to a particular region changes sometimes. Don't know how you would find out if/when this would be happening in your area. If you don't live in an ice and snow area, VSC may not be a big deal for you. I think more of the reworked packages for 2005 have side airbags than in 2004. All new Prii have traction control.
Re: MSRP for 2005's option pricing http://carsontoyota.com/html/requestprius.html The info there is accurate. Dianne
In this state here (NC), they get more ice than snow in the winter, so I think VSC would be a worthy option to have. So, of the three packages the dealer is telling me they will be getting, only the BC has the VSC. To me, the stuff that comes with the BC package is not worth another 5K, but the AM package is closer to being worth the extra 2K.
I have the "AM" and I am extremely happy with it. According to my old brochure, the "AI" in 2004 did not have SS/SE, and Dianne's web page says it does have it for '05, so the packages are not identical. I agree that VSC is very good to have if you get ice. Maybe you should check with other dealers about available packages. Does Toyota lump NC in with the southern region? If so, you might want to check the next region north of you.
Maybe I should call around some and see. One thing Danny mentioned to me when I told of the long wait was to look at smaller dealers in VA or even WV. Maybe I'll do that and see what packages they are getting as well. (It might even be a whole east coast thing. Someone on this forum in NY found the AM package unavailable there and just went with the BC package.) Speaking of the AM package, do like like the HID lights? Are they much of an improvement over the regular lights? Oh, nice cat you have there also.
HID lighta are a tremendous improvement. It is such a pleasure to drive at night with them, no strain on the eyes. They illuminate the (both) sides of the road as well so one can see if there is anything about to enter the road etc. Now I love driving at night. They actually relax my eyes. Make sure you get them if possible.
I had my first night drive and I would have to and my vote for HID. You can really see well. I live in mega deer habitat and I never want to hit a deer. I had one hit me once. It literally jumped on my car hood. 2800 dollars later it was fixed. The deer limped off. I like lots and lots of light at night. Thank god it was not a Elk.
I have never driven on the highway at night, so I have never used the bright lights, and I'm probably the wrong person to ask about the HID lights. My big concern is that I don't want to blind the on-coming drivers. I am often blinded by the headlights of other cars, so I try to avoid driving at night. (Fortunately, Fargo is small enough that if I go to the most distant movie theater I still only have a 15-minute drive home.) I would have chosen conventional headlights had I had the choice. But VSC and the full complement of air bags were my highest priority, and the HID headlights come with those.
