found one in NC/VA - may be 1 or 2 available

Incredibly, I drove a new Prius home yesterday -- the package and color I wanted, & with no markup!

It did have the following accessories: carpet/cargo mats, cargo net, security system, wheel locks, rear bumper applique (I wanted most of those anyway, except maybe the applique). We were not charged anything over list price, for any of these things.

I found this Prius after only about 2 weeks of (real) searching. I had put one deposit down (for $100), although I did call/email a number of other dealers & watched 3 Internet boards like a hawk. So I had put some time/effort into it... in fact I am very relieved that I can go back to doing other things now, because I had serious "priitis"... I also didn't have a car, so I was real motivated.

Anyway -- it is possible -- although I think that luck was definitely involved.

We were going to visit Martinsville, VA so I called their dealership & they had an unclaimed #4 on the lot! It was the first unspoken-for Prius I had come across anywhere, but I needed a #7 or #9 package. They managed to swap their #4 for a #7 with a dealer in Farmville, VA (who apparently had 2 identical #7s on their lot, so this way they could offer more variety).

So -- for people who are still looking, there may be 1 or 2 in Farmville, VA. I want to commend Martinsville Toyota (our salesman was Nick Bello, "Captain Credit"!) for their excellent, fair & friendly service. I also recommend checking with Cloninger Ford/Toyota in Salisbury, NC (where I had placed a refundable deposit -- my salesman was Ashley Powell, & you could mention that I referred you) and Mid-State Toyota in Asheboro, NC (ask for Dwayne or Heath). Both of these NC dealerships had very short lists (approx. 3 people) and were friendly & no-pressure. I got a real good feeling from the people at both of them, & they seemed to think they might be getting a few cars in the next couple of months. I would also like to thank Mario Crim, a dealer in the Pittsburgh, PA area (email [email protected]) who was kind enough to try to help me find a Prius closer to where I live, & whose waiting list may also be fairly short.

Anyway, that's my (long) story! I hope maybe it helps one of you to find your Prius!
:mrgreen:

 

Thanks Danny! (I thought about calling them shout-outs) & yes I'm looking forward to reading more of the topics now that I can apply them to a real live Prius

fyi all I think I misspelled Mario's email address in my post above,

but in any case you can find him at Mel Grata Toyota in Hermitage, PA.

 

Hi MadCat,

I'm sorry those Prii were already gone although unfortunately I'm not surprised, because even in a small town I think these cars go very fast. I would just like to reiterate here that I was very optimistic about my chances at the 2 dealerships in NC (which are much closer to you than Farmville VA), in case you are looking for a place to get onto a short list. I have referenced both of those above (one is in Asheboro, one in Salisbury). They both had very short lists & seemed like very nice/reliable dealers. I was lucky to find a Prius quickly at another dealer, but I was also very happy to find those 2 dealers; they seemed to think they'd have some Prii coming in this spring although the package/color was unpredictable.

Best of luck!