Soon to be Prius owner

Hi and Welcome.

The 2009 will not be any much of a difference from the 2008.

The 2010 that will be the next generation model. It is expected for early release somewhere in the May-July timeframe next year.

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sharblu,

I think you will have to wait longer than the 3 wks your dealer is tell'g you. The factory in Japan isn't scheduled to start producing the 2009's until August (at least a week & 1/2 away) & then you've got the trip across the ocean & through the Panama Canal to get to your region. First Prius deliveries aren't due (according to the Toyota build sheet) to arrive until mid-Sept (probably only on the west coast for that date) through the end of Oct [probably for the east coast (the northeast)]. So for your region, I'd say early to mid-October is more likely for your car. If your dealer is tell'g you only 3 wks, then you may actually get a leftover 2008 model.

They stopped taking orders for the 2008's in early April & started taking orders for the 2009's in early June, but since the 2009's won't start arriving until mid-Sept there are a fair number of 2008's still trickling in ffor delivery. I assume that unless you make a deposit & get on a list you won't see a (2008) Prius in 3 wks, but more likely a 2009 Prius in about 2-3 MONTHS. You aren't actually order'g a Prius from Toyota. You're just preferenc'g your choice of acceptable option pkg's & int & ext colors with your local dealer to help him try to match what you will accept from him to what he gets in his allotment (he may be able to work a swap with another dealer to get what you want if he has something the other dealer wants in return). If your dealer gets nothing another dealer wants, then no dice on a swap to get you your best choice. Just more wait time then.

You say you haven't put down your deposit yet, Do you at least have a place # on a wait'g list, or do you have to make the deposit 1st to get on your dealer's wait'g list? A long list of wait'g people before you will certainly add more time to the "more than 3 wk wait" that I already think you will be facing.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

Hello "soon to be." I'm in the same boat as you. I put $500 down on Friday for an 08 or 09 Prius and was told that I'd see the car by early November (I'm in BC on Vancouver Island). Since Friday I've spent hours scouring the postings and releases trying to find out more about the 2009 Model year Prius. To be honest after reading hundreds of items here is what I may or may not know: The 2009 Model year Prius may or may not get better mileage. The 2009 Prius may or may not be a plug in. The 2009 Prius may or may nor use Lithium Ion batteries. The 2009 Prius may or may not have a solar panel on the roof which may or may not supplement A/C. The 2009 Prius may or may not have a 1.8 Litre engine. The 2009 Prius may or may not have a minor facelift. The 2009 Model Year Prius may or may not be actually the 3rd generation Prius, and finally the 2009 Prius may or may not even ever be released - Toyota may or may not actually skip the 09 and release the 2010 early.

 

The dealer in our area is no longer accepting deposits on the 2009 model; only the 2010. All of the 2009s are spoken for around here.

Tom

 

sharblu

Please don't use my post as a reliable source of information. My point was that noone seems to have a clue about the 2009 Model year Prius. It's all speculation - and that's perhaps a good thing. Toyota needs to protect its product lines. But I am fairly certain that Toyota won't leave its customers with no options. My vehicle is also in its death throes but I am willing to wait until November or later if needed.

 

qbee42

Are you certain that your dealer is now only accepting deposits for the 2010? Can you verify that? If this is true then there may be some substance to the speculation that the 2009 model year Prius will be a very short run indeed and that the 2010 will be released early - very early.

Intriguing!

 

Toyota dealerships already have the 2009 brochure and you can see a copy of it here on Prius chat (do a search for 2009 brochure). Bottom line is it is being released and it will be exactly the same as the 2008. All of the changes you mentioned above will apply to the 2010, which ironically will be released in 2009. (And the 2009 will be released in 2008, as always happens with cars).

Ah - here you go - http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/50294-09-prius-brochure.html

So really the only advantage of having a 2009 over a 2008 is a higher KBB value when it comes time to sell.

I'm guessing around October, around the same time the Venza hits the Toyota lots. That's just my uneducated guess though. In reality it will depend on the size and the location of each individual dealership. I bet Hawaii and Guam gets 'em first.