Dealer tacking on "appearance package" and vin etch

tell them 'no' to both options.
if they refuse, then go to another dealer.
don't let them push you around.

i don't know why you'd want the VIN etched on the windows.

and you can buy aftermarket moulding and trim much cheaper, if you later decide you want these item.

 

Extra profit for the dealer with a relatively small extra investment on his part. With the lack of availability of Prius Automobiles the dealer can do almost anything, and people will pay it. At least you didn't mention the dealer just plain adding on a couple of thousand more dollars to the MSRP just because they can.

When and if the supply catches up with demand the extra added charges will start to go away.

Here is what happened to my son a yesterday. A friend was on the waiting list for an 08. She already owned an 05. She was offered $14,800 as a trade-in when she ordered the new one about a month and a half ago. She told them that she planned on selling the car herself. My son told her that he would buy her car when her new one got here.

Well the dealer (Toyota of Muskogee) called her yesterday and said that her new car would be ready for her to pick up last night. She told them that she would be there and that she was selling her old one.

That is when the s**t hit the fan. The dealer told her that SHE COULD NOT HAVE THE NEW ONE UNLESS SHE TURNED IN THE OLD ONE. (They probably already had a buyer for the trade-in.) She protested and said that she had a buyer for it, but they said that is the way it was, take it or leave it, and that they had a dozen people waiting for the new one so they didn't care what she did.

To make a long story short, she got the new one and my son didn't get her old one. He was really looking forward to it too.

 

The supply will never catch up with demand, not until most of the auto manufacturers are producing equivalent cars to the prius in high numbers.

 

Keep an eye on the dealer's webpage for the "rest of the story".

 

u cant order a prius, you put your name on a phoney list with a deposit and hope something comes in. the deposit will be refundeed when u realize it isnt coming. the apearence pack is known in the SE as toyoguard and window etching is part of it, they charge extra for the etching insurance which is another story.

 

VIN etch on the windows helps with theft recovery... not that the Prius can be stolen easily...

also, i got a discount on my insurance for having the VIN etch

 

When I got my prius 4 months ago, I was able to tell the dealer "NO" on the VIN etching, though obviously the market has changed considerably since then, as we got the car for invoice price in late Feb...I am not sure how much the VIN etching helps in theft recovery, as I would bet the VIN is already in numerous hidden places. Also, considering the type of vehicle (low theft rates?), and the built in security / smart key, I would think it is very difficult to steal the car without doing some serious damage, and if it is stolen, I don't think I'd want it recovered...If you really do want a VIN etch, there are do-it-yourself kits available for about $20...

As an added note, VIN "etching" has been quite popular around africa for a long time, though the VIN (or license plate#) is crudely engraved with characters 1-3 inches high on all glass