Sign that the Prius market is cooling off?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(scoot @ Jan 15 2007, 01:55 PM) [snapback]375937[/snapback]</div>

The market is clearly shifting from a seller's market to a buyer's market.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: "You never get the deal you deserve, you get the deal you negotiate..."

Regards,

Keith

 

Wow, 4k off list. That dips into the holdback on the car. they must've had a gaggle of them on the lot. 06 or 07?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ Jan 13 2007, 07:03 PM) [snapback]375282[/snapback]</div>

The most amusing and ironic thing about the whole situation is that if it weren't for the completely 'free market', unfettered by any government regulation that corporate America and the Republicans loath so much, the current low price of gas would have been the death knell of the entire hybrid market and the domestic big SUV market would still be thriving.

As it is, because gas prices were allowed to fluctuate unchecked due to 'market demand' during Katrina (which I still suspect is patent bullshit), consumers remember quite vividly how extreme and almost instantaneously gas prices can rise. This lingering concern is what has maintained the hybrid market at a stable (albeit diminished) level with the high prices that some dealerships think they can still charge.

If there had been artificial price controls in place during Katrina which would have dampened those dramatic price increases, consumers wouldn't have that same dread over the possible overnight doubling of gas prices, and hybrid sales would now be all but evaporated.

 

Gas goes up. Gas goes down. Last August $3/gallon. Now $2/gallon. People have short term memories. It'll go to $3 again for one reason or another. I agree that this may well be the best window of opportunity for buying a Prius. However, what happens to demand when the tax credit is gone and gas is "cheap"?

 

Here in Hawaii it seems to be cooling off too since the toyota add in the newspapers now lists the Prius as being available. they haven't been advertising the Prius the past couple of years because of the backorders.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeffn @ Jan 15 2007, 04:28 PM) [snapback]376090[/snapback]</div>

07. There aren't any 06's left here (to my knowledge). Doesn't matter if the dealer takes a bath on 2 cars. They probably got several other more profitable sales off of the ad.

 

The problem with the Prius is competition. The new Camry Hybrid can be ordered for about $2K more than the Prius with similar equipment. It is larger, quieter and for many people a more "normal" car - at least looks wise versus the Prius.

Yes, for me it suffers from utility loss - no hatchback - and isn't a "pure" dedicated hybrid. But face it, those of us who own the Prius are "early adaptors", and like the high tech look/feel of the Prius. We also tend to be a bit more obsessive about driving - "pulse and glide", coasting to a stop, etc. - things the "average" car owner won't do.

For all of them the Camry is the better choice. Couple that with large Prius production, falling gas prices and lowered tax credits, and the buildup of Prius cars in dealer inventory is perfectly logical.

 

Here in San Antonio the dealers are offering $3000 off MSRP on the Prius. Each has at least a dozen Priuses on the lot. The Camry hybrid is a much better car than the Prius--better ride, quieter, and a real car interior instead of the "office furniture from Pluto" look, and both fully equipped are about the same MSRP.

 

I think this is a GREAT development; now, more people who might not have considered/been able to afford a Prius may!

I think it's funny when folks who aren't so hybrid friendly use stats like these to show that the Prius is a fad...actually, it's like computer hardware, where it'll just keep getting more and more capable for the price. To me, it signals a transition to the mainstream, not the end of a fad.

I for one, hope that the prices continue to plummet. It's good for the environment -- and the Country, too -- if Prii replace older, less fuel efficient/emissions friendly vehicles.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Pinto Girl @ Jan 19 2007, 02:14 PM) [snapback]377983[/snapback]</div>

I think most people who can afford to buy a Prius, and who would consider buying one are already driving reasonably new, fuel-efficient, low-emissions vehicles. The ones you really want to get off the road are the gross polluters - older cars which were built before catalytic converters were required, or those that are so old they no longer have to pass emissions tests. You know, the ones that burn oil and spew smoke while driving down the freeway.

Just getting one of them off the road is probably as beneficial (for air quality) as having a dozen 2000+ model year cars replaced with Priuses.