I live in Gainesville, FL in northcentral part of the state. Shopped dealer inventories online Fri pm/Sat am; Emailed several in a 70 mile radius who had 2008 pkg#2's in stock. Color not a big issue. Some dealers were prompt to reply. some not. Some called and sounded like typical car salesmen, if you know what I mean. Tony Tindol from Coggin Toyota at the Avenues was different. He sounded like a caring sincere guy who wanted to deal with me on my terms, ie no pressure, no nonsense, no bs. He made a very competitive offer which I decided to accept after comparing to the others. Coggin had just taken delivery of 10 new Prius' on 1/15/08. They had the best selection of pkg#2s of all the dealers I checked. They really seem committed to this car. He said pick a color and I'll have your car ready when you get here. So I said heck give me a red one. We drove over and the weather got worse the farther we drove. Thought about turning back at one point but decided to persevere. Glad we did! Tony was the genuine article and an example of what I wish all car sales people were like. He had 90% of the paper work done when we arrived. We signed the required documents, went out and looked at our little red beauty. Wow! Went back in for the obligatory Extended Warranty spiel from a nice young man (I declined), settled up, then went back out to the car with Greg from Mass. for a drive in the rain and cold (48 is cold for FL). Greg personally owns a Touring Prius and is an unabashed fan of the car. He knows pretty much everything there is to know about the Prius (has read the Owner Manual cover to cover) and enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge. He actually bought his own Prius before he ever went to work for a Toyota dealer! I swear he would have hung out with us all night but we had to get back to Gainesville for the UF vs Kentucky B-ball tipoff at 9:00. Averaged 45.8 mpg for the trip home in the rain and cold doing mostly 65-75 mph. A totally cool transaction from start to finish. No pressure, no nonsense. I highly recommend these guys to anyone who values this approach to car buying.
Wow! Finally someone from Florida. I'm searching for a red prius package 5 in either touring or non-touring. Our dealership in town is horrible so I plan to buy outside Tallahassee. I'm glad to hear you found a good one. I'll definitely check them out! Go Noles (sorry, I had to)
Man, I know what those storms are like! I discovered hydroplaning in G'ville twenty years ago at the corner of 13th and 13th NW. Good job braving the storm for the Prius! Your experience sounds very similar to mine this weekend. Go Gators! I'm descended from Gators, both sides. My mother's back in G'ville. I visit every spring. Think I should drive kitty-corner cross-country this year instead of flying? She and one of my sisters drove out here from Texas a couple of years ago in my sister's Prius.
Good luck Gregsgurl. I know what you mean. I'll just ignore that last comment Senket- that is a very long drive, but if you can afford the time off...at least your fuel bill shouldn't be too exorbitant Dipping a toe into owner mods, I ordered the rear bumper guard and the gray decals. Decided on function over form and did not get the sharkfin antenna, even tho it does look very cool.
Bought gas for the first time- 10.0 gal, 450 mi, $30.70. A very cool feeling. I am curious about one thing. According to the Owner's Manual, once the low fuel indicator begins to blink there remain 3.0 gallons. This should easily be enough for another 100-150 miles, no? But I got nervous and went to the gas station the next evening anyway. How far has anyone driven after the blinking light begins? Thanks for any feedback! RB
Anywhere from 2 to ?? miles. Do not trust the Guess Gauge! There are threads here about how many Prius owners have run out of gas, believing that there is still X gallons when that last pip blinks. Keep it full.
