My brother has a 2004 prius, and now my mother wants to buy one. She is convinced that there must be 2008 models left over at some dealers, but no one will tell her that they have one. She thinks a 2008 must be priced lower than a 2009. Does anyone have an idea how to try to buy one (new 2008)? We can't believe that the 2008 models are suddenly all gone. We live in SF bay area. Thank you!
I can tell you, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that every single 2008 model has found a home somewhere. In fact, 2009 models were a 2-3 month wait last summer.
The 2008 models were sold out when gas was about $4.25 a gallon in CA. There was a wait list for the 2009's when they started arriving at that point. Of course no one's got any new 2008's. There might be 2009's around now that the 2010's are arriving...
hi - not sure you want to come out to new jersey, but autoland (springfield) where i got my 2009 last week, had about 3 or 4 BRAND NEW 2008, package 6 cars - 2 i think were gold, and one was i think white? the manager told me he got a steal on them but then they've just been sitting - zero miles - he wanted roughly $24k (i didn't negotiate, i wanted a lease and there was no leasing specials on the 2008s) - if it's worth it, you can call them and if the dollars make sense (i crack myself up) you could fly in and drive one back. i laughed when i saw the other posts where folks were "guaranteeing" there were no 2008s - there realy truly were!
I wouldn't laugh too hard After checking my source, the cars that your dealer told you were brand new are not. They may very well have no miles, but they have been reported as sold to Toyota at one point or another and the warranty has started ticking away. So your brand new 2008's on your dealer's lot only have 1-1.5 years left on the warranty. If I had the VIN#, I could tell you the exact date in which it was previously sold.
According to Clearwater Florida Toyota website, they have a new Silver 2008 for $18,881. It may be worth a call, 1-800-677-6099, to see if it is true.
The website shows the following VIN JTDKB20U087705966. Can you determine, from the VIN, if it is new and untitled?
From carfax.com: VIN: JTDKB20U087705966 Vehicle: 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS Records: 5 records found in the CARFAX Vehicle History database 5 records sound too many for a new car. I will wait for Jabber's professional answer though. Good luck finding your new car.
I cannot disclose buyer info by law, but I can tell you that it was reported as sold to the first owner on 11/9/2007. The car has used up half it;s warranty already regardless of miles. It is a 2008 silver one with gray cloth seats. It has the package #2 on it. This is so you know that I am pulling up the correct vehicle.
FYI, the number of records has no bearing on whether it is new or not. In fact, even brand new cars have at least 3 records. 1) Vehicle built by manufacturer 2) Vehicle Shipped to dealer 3) Vehicle pre-delivery inspection complete. and if the dealer advertises it anywhere besides his own website (autotrader, cars.com, etc): 4) Vehicle offered for sale at dealer. So that can be four records and the vehicle has never even sold. Just wanted to point that out to clarify any misgivings about carfax.
At what point of transaction should the reporting happen? What if the customer canceled the order at the last minute and never picked up the car from the dealer? In this case the car has no miles but the warranty still expires? Thanks in advance.
We don't report a car sold until the vehicle has actually left the dealership. I have had cases where someone bought a car, didn't like it, and traded it in. It had less than 200 miles on it, but it is still considered used.
