The Prius Waiting List Support Group.

Maybe I gotta stop going by the dealership and asking so often... Today the guys says maybe February (previously said sometime between August and December)...

One thing is for sure. We're #1 and #2 on his 2009 Prius waiting list (hubby and wife)... and the minute we're done signing up on the two new Prii... I'm going to give him another $500.00 (each) for 2 new 2010 Prii. We'll be #1 and #2 when they hit and if the news reports are accurate that will be mid-year 2009 (June / July).

Let's hope so !

By the way - anybody interested in my current 2008 red Prius pkg 2 (24k mi) once these new 2009's finally show up? Or my wife's '06 Accord EX-L4 Carbon Bronze 46k ? Sure don't wanna give them away to the dealer !!

: )

 

I picked up my gray package #2 tonight! I was on the list for nearly 2 and 1/2 months and it was well worth the wait. I was glad that my old passat held out until the prius arrived. Drove 25 miles home, mixed highway, hills and stop/go and got 49 MPG. I'm very very psyched and just had to share! Photos of my new baby are attached!!

 

Does anyone know usually how long does it take until a salesman calls you to let you know where you are on the list? We ordered it last week and since there was no deposit, I'm not sure if we are even on the list or not.

 

Tomorrow is 12 weeks for me. Ordered on May 20th. Black pkg 3 or 4

Wedge

 

Call and ask! Make it to your mutual benefit. Explain you would like to know how often to expect to hear from him so that you won't be calling him unnessarily, wasting his time, or get over anxious an go to another dealer. If he/she's on the square, they should be more than glad to keep you undated and avoid a gazillion calls a day asking "Is mine in yet?". I have an agreement while mine to call me once a month to let me know where we are on the list. If I don't hear from him for a month, I don't mind calling. When I get to next, we already agreed on a call after each allocation, about every two weels.

 

This will be week 12 since we put down a deposit... last thursday our salesman called and said he expects delivery "in the next few days". FYI, we were told a couple weeks ago that Toyota had "accepted our order", but no one had any info regarding a production date...My wfie refuses to get excited until we get the call that is is in etc...
I try not to pester my dealer either, but try to check in every month or so.

 

I really feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place. Please! Please! Please! Do not let this discourage your enthusiasm. But I think it will be better if you know the facts. We've been on the a wait list since May, and are happy and anxiously awaiting a Prius. I highly recommend that you read all of the posts in this thread to get and understanding of Toyota's policies and, what being on the wait list, may actually mean, which can vary from dealer to dealer, or even salesperson to salesperson.
Just make sure that you understand what the salesperson means by what he has told you. Most Prius dealers have a wait list with months wait times.
First, If he expects delivery "in the next few days", he should be able to give you model information and VIN#'s that they should have received when they got their last allocation. I suspect he may mean that they get their allocations twice a month a one is coming up. But is there a wait list and if so where are you on it.
Secondly, I have no idea what the salesperson meant by "Toyota had accepted your order". Toyota does not take orders. They give out allocations to each dealer twice a month. These allocations are supposedly offered to the customers on the wait list in sequence. At least that's how it is supposed to work at the reputable dealers. However, as you will learn as you read the posts in the thread, that's not always how it works. I hope your salesperson is just young and used the wrong terminology by accident. I suggest after getting a better understanding by reviewing the thread that you call him to make sure you are talking the same language.
Good luck. We'll be anxious to hear how you make out. Hope it's all good.

 

Just got the call today after exactly 1 month of waiting that my Prius will be here in 2-3 days! So excited for my Silver Pine Mica #2!!!

 

Congratulations PriChik. How did you get so lucky to get your car so soon? Did they tell you? I am curious because that is my exact car and I am a couple of days short of one month. Do I dare hope?

 

Update: I Got my Vin # today !

My dealer wasent kidding last friday when she said she might call me soon if something came up. I was pretty flexiable on colors and a Spectra Blue #2 became avaliable for months end. Of course id said id take it - the blue was on my list.

If it gets here on the day she is anticipating - it would be roughly 12 weeks to the day i got on the wait list.

 

I am unspeakably glad to see this thread. I've been lurking for six weeks since I put down my deposit on a #3 with a gray interior and any of the dark exterior colors. Today I got told that Toyota sent one that meets my every demand except for the interior color so we've all got our fingers crossed for the second allotment of the month.

Sigh.

I started to say I'd take the tan interior but my partner talked me down with a reasoned reminder that I'd probably rather wait a few weeks to get the car I actually want when I'm going to be driving it for years. That doesn't make it easy for me, though.

 

Read my post "Unsavory Car Dealers". in the forum. Buyers Beware!!

 

I'm back on the waiting list for one. I don't expect it to get here any sooner than October.

Hubby and I had bought one last October (it was so beautiful) which got totaled almost 3 weeks ago (not my fault). So, for now we're stuck having to borrow my mom's Explorer. Ugh, such a waste of gas.

I miss our Prius.

 

I was given a timeframe of 2-4 months, do dealers just say this for fun or is this actually for real? I mean, like, can they go over 4 months by making up some excuse?

 

It's been answered many times by many members but 64 pages of posts is a lot to go through. Here's a brief recap! You can search for details.

First! Toyota, the company, does not take any orders. They build to speculation, based in their crystal ball.
Second: They distribute their production units to the various U.S. Toyota Regions. I believe there are 12 and you are probably in the Portland Region.
Third: Buyer finds and makes deal with dealer, gets on allocation list. If a buyer drives it off the lot, it was probably for Mucho Lira over MSRP, and everyone on the list just got bumped.
Fourth: Dealer somehow makes Region, not Toyota, aware of orders.
Fifth: Region matches vehics in pipeline to requests from dealer and allocates units to dealers.
Sixth: Salesforce gets allocations, roughly every other Thursday, and match allocations to their allocation list. Presummably, some form of sequence/order is followed, and cars are offered to buyers on the wait list, with rejections bumping to next person on list.
Seventh: The Wild Card! Does special favors happen, are cars sold to the highest bidder, are deals made under the table. Of course, but if, and to what extent, surely varies by state and by dealer. There are really bad ones and there are reputable ones. Just do your due diligence.
Finally: To try and answer your question. It's all a S.W.A.G. They are having trouble estimating based on past experience, because of the huge jump in demand coupled with problems with Prius parts supply at the manufacturing level.
So when you ask if "this is actually real?". Your guess is probably as good as the dealers, if you follow the "wait list" threads.

Disclaimer: This may or may not represent the actual process. This is strictly my oprion, based on calls and conversations with Toyota Reps, dealers, salespeople, my CU AutoAdvisor Rep, and reading posts on PC and other web sites, news articles, etc. I hoped this may help take some of the mystery, thus frustrations, out of the waiting.
Well, I guess I lied when I said a brief recap. Please feel free to correct, debunk, clarify, or add to, any of my comments. I promise, I will not be offended.

 

So I guess then I could be seeing 4-12 months or even more as well?

 

See if your salesperson will tell you the following:
Specifically, how many people are ahead of you on the Allocation List. Be sure to use that term.
Verify their allocation schedule. Should be bi-weekly, every other Thursday.
Find out how many Prius units they have been averaging per allocation and whether they think that is what they expect in the future.
Finally, how many of the bi-weekly allocation units meet your criteria.
Do the math yourself. When your salesperson updates you or you call, you should be able to get a feel, if they're being honest with you or not.
For example: I spoke with my salesman today. There are supposedly 11 people left ahead of us. We've been on list since May. They recieved 8 units last allocation. A couple more than usual. We want a Touring, Seaside Pearl, W/leather interior, Pkg#3. Touring represents less than 7% of units made. Lucky if 1 per allocation. 2 of the 11 buyers are waiting for Touring. Next allocation. Hopefully, there should be less than 11 people ahead of us on the list; and if at least 1 Touring comes in, 1 less Touring buyer, or maybe it will be ours if those ahead of us don't want the configuation and we do. That's as close I can define a window. But the tracking also should let you know if they are BSing you, since there's only so many ways they can play with the numbers. Sooner or later you've got the work your way to #1. If they are reluctant to share the info, then I'm afraid I would be suspecious. Hope this might help. Helps us. Good luck.

 

If your desires are general (many colors and packages acceptable) the dealer may be able to predict. If you're insisting on, say, a Red Package 4 the dealer really has no idea. Could be next week, could be 2 months. Could be longer.