White #5, Fowler Toyota, Dallas, TX

What I ordered and when: Silver #3, Oct/Nov 2004
What I got: White #5 with carpets and mud flaps (19 May 2005)
Where: Fowler Toyota, Dallas, TX
Name: Darwin IV a.k.a., Darwin (it's my fourth car; it'll have the Darwin emblem on the back; and it's a step up on the evolutionary ladder).

I was getting tired of waiting for my car and I was near the top of the list. After I had turned down another #5 about 2-3 weeks ago, I said "screw it" and told the dealer that I'd take one of the cars that came in. Although I hadn't planned on the carpet and mud flaps, I'm not going to pitch a fit because they're installed.

The not so good: It's white with ivory interior. Yuck. A white exterior and an ivory interior is fugly . . . but I'm inside the car and will be getting gray seat covers.
The front of the car. When I was test driving it--waiting for my dealer to finish up with another customer--I was going Wth? I think I'm going to follow Bob in Seattle's example and get a mini-antennae for the front end.

The good: It's a Prius (duh). Driving it is truly a zen experience as many others on the board have said.
Despite it being as lily white as G.W. Bush (not a good thing), it's the best car in the world. On a decent length drive (about 12 miles), I was able to achieve an average of 49 mpg. Woo hoo! Once I get the tires properly inflated (42/40), I think summer driving is going to be fantabulous.
On the way to work I was wishing that I lived out in the boonies (like Allen, McKinney, or Frisco), so I could have a longer commute. My commute is around seven miles, so my mileage is going to be pitiful.:-( But this just gives me an excuse to do a lot of driving.

As the oft-repeated saying goes, this car is worth the wait. I love this car. While I was waiting to receive my car, I was having dreams about it. If that isn't love, I don't know what is.

My experience with Fowler Toyota was pretty good. They're one of the few dealers in the D/FW area who aren't charging over MSRP, which is why they probably still have a list that numbers close to the 100 range. Of course, the finance guy tried to do a spiel on the extended warranty. I should've just let him do his spiel, looked like I was pondering it, and then turned him down. But no, I interrupted him and turned him down; so I unnecessarily lengthened the spiel.
I did forget to check the tire pressure before I left. When I went to check it before work, it was 37 in the front and 34.5 in the back. Not great, but I'm willing to live with it until I can properly inflate it.

BTW, does anyone know if the black Toyota book cover (the one that holds the manual) is made of leather? As a vegan, I eschew any animal products and its by-products. It was making me nauseous thinking about that possibility.

Thanks for listening to this excited new Prius owner.

Esther

 

That's what I figured from other posts.
I do know that some dealerships have
included the black leather (?) cover for
the manual. However, I don't remember
seeing a definitive answer.
But thanks anyway.

Esther

 

That sounds like the one that was given to me.
It was rectangular and looks like a big children's
book (with a Toyota logo granted).
If it's vinyl, that'd be a major relief for me.

Thanks,
Esther

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(michael180\";p=\"92324)</div>

Even more reassuring then. I was about
ready to ebay the manual cover, if I found
out it was leather.
Now I can finish reading the manual.
I had to stop because I was getting
nauseous thinking it was leather.

Let's hear it for cheapie dealerships!

Thanks,
Esther