At first I was really nervous since I have NEVER spent this much a car or truck before, but now I am getting very antsy and wishing I had told the dealer I could come on Friday so it would be mine for the weekend. I got in just under the wire for the tax incentive ... is it a credit or deduction? Any special things I need to know so I don't freak out??
Credit, not a deduction. Don't freak out...you'll love it! I traded in a 15mpg Ford Explorer on my first Prius. You are going to save a ton of money on gas! (and you will be pleasantly surprised as to how much stuff you can haul in a Prius...10' length pvc/etc. and hatch will close.) call your dealer back...they will be happy to get it prepped by Friday...they would rather close a deal sooner than later, believe me! rpm
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(onerpm @ Apr 5 2007, 01:09 PM) [snapback]418273[/snapback]</div> Welcome onerpm . . . You'll likely never regret it. We traded TWO gas Guzzlers for TWO hybrids: Ford Exploader & Range Rover for the Prius and a Lexus 400h SUV.
I'm 21, I make $1,850 (after taxes) a month. I put $7,500 down, on a $17,500 Prius. Naturally I got freaked out later that night when I was thinking about the APR and if I'd be able avoid it (My plan is to strictly save and pay it off by the year). I had buyer's remorse, but that only lasted a couple of days, I love my car! You're probably older, wiser, and overall have a better income and knowledge of money than I do. You'll be fine. Not only that, i'm sure you're taking advantage of the 0% interest for 24 months, and get the nice warranties and everything.
Actually, this car is a god send but not for the same reason as most probably. I am a father of two and live in one town, work in another, and my kids live in a third one. My commute to work is around 50-55 miles each day and my kids live in the opposite direction from work about 30 miles away. Weekends aren't so bad but the visitation day miles of of nearly 120 miles were killing me at 18 MPG. Plus, I play drums at church and occasionally have to take the set with me when we play other places. The cargo room is a huge plus ( I think it has pretty close to the cargo room of the Blazer) and Honda lacking a hatchback hybrid made the decision very easy. In case anyone wondered Honda's hybrid can't even fold down the rear seats. Apparently, their battery is located in the back of the rear seats. I did notice the fade out of the MFD when I test drove the one the dealer had. Does anyone have any information on if tinting the windows along with using the MFD hood might help more? Too bad Toyota doesn't offer privacy glass as an option. I'd rather give Toyota my money than a local glass company.
Good point. They said they could do all rear glass and the two front door windows for $220. I'm not sure if that is comparable but I will probably wait until the temp moderates again until doing something like that.
Congratulations, and good luck with your new ride! I traded in a Honda Element, and it's been great to spend less than half what I used to for gas. That should make the car payment a little easier to bear. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RinMI @ Apr 5 2007, 03:09 PM) [snapback]418349[/snapback]</div> Other folks here have quoted similar prices so that is in the ballpark. I'll probably do it before the summer.
The MFD hood works great. I'd try that before tinting the windows, as it seems to me that it is the sun coming through the windshield, not the tintable windows, that most often washed out the screen. rpm (ps, get the hard plastic MFD hood, not the leather one, which will sag within months.)
Welcome, congratulations, and I'm pretty sure you won't miss it. Please post your impressions/comparison after a few weeks.
RE: the hood. I actually tried to get the salesman to add it on for me even though it is not "official" Toyota gear. He said he tried to contact Robin and had no luck. He seemed interested and willing to let other local Prius owners know about her products. Truth is I think he was looking for a niche that maybe they as a dealership would buy those parts from Robin and install them for owners that want to have "pros" do it. What is the best way to get a hold of Robin? Just use Ebay? I think she also lives in Michigan and figured if worse comes to worse I could just go take my car to her if I had to.
