O.K. so I have been prowling around on this website for the last two months. Gleening every little ounce of wisdom I could out of these pages. I have had the opportunity to test drive a Prius at our local dealer in Kennesaw, Ga. So I am sitting at home today and I get a call. Seems they got a silver package 6 in and the people wanted to take delivery next Tuesday. The dealer said they couldn't keep it on the lot that long with so many people wanting them so they decided to wait until the next batch came in. Now I wasn't planning on taking the plunge for a couple of months but this came up and the numbers worked out o.k. so guess what is sitting in my garage right now!!! So far it is a gas. I have to admit it is a bit overwhelming. I have decided not to even try to learn about the Nav system until I get used to the car a bit more. I drove it about 45 miles since picking it up, and so far it is reading 48.6 MPG. I will definitly take that considering it is right off the boat and I haven't had a chance to inflate the tires. My nine year old son is totally impressed with the OOH AAh factor of the MFD. Anyway, I just had to come on and let everyone know that there is one more proud owner in Georgia! By the way, any hints for new car break in I should know about? Also, I turned down the repeated sales pitches for the extended waranty. I asked if it could be purchased after closing on the car (thinking all the time about getting it through this site but not saying anything to that effect) and he said that Toyota would not allow it. Is this for real? I have a hard time believing that Toyota would turn down the money at any point. I look forward to driving everyone crazy with questions in the near future. Thanks Again, Dan
Congrats! Gee, the dealer wouldn't hold the car for a few days for the other couple. Well, their loss, but still. I contacted local dealers through the internet and within an hour had replies about several cars. I called one dealer about the color and package I wanted but it was Sat. night and they were closing in an hour and I was leaving for Las Vegas the next day. Well, I called the following Wed when we got back and the car was still there. Test drove it and bought it. As for the extended warranty, you have time. Yes they sell it after you buy. And if your dealer is telling you different...buy from Troy here, because it sounds like your dealer will $crew you over on the warranty. You can get 7 yr/100,000 miles/ 0 deductible from Troy. But don't tell your dealer that. I hope you didn't pay the $200 for the protection either. You can get a few cans of Scotchguard for carpet and upholstery fabric from Home Depot for a lot less. Put the rest of the money into doodads like Exactmats, dash covers, decals, bumper protectors, etc.
congrats on the car! you can purchase the extended warranty anytime up until the 3rd anniverary of the date it goes into service. OH Aaa factor? is that some sort of Prius speak enjoy.
WELCOME fellow geek! I've had the car for almost a month now. It's the best car I've ever owned. I've had SAABs, VWs, a HCH, a Jeep, and a Mazda RX-7 and I like this car the best (the RX-7 is a CLOSE second! VA-ROOOM!) Good deal on the warantee. You can get an extended one from this site. Your sales guy could have been misinformed but after dealing with enough of these SALES SCUM I suspect that he lied to you. You have up to three years to buy an extended warantee. Take a long trip this holiday weekend and report the mpgs!
Congrats Dan! Enjoy... Your experience mirrors mine almost exactly. Having made the decision to purchase a blue PKG-6, I contacted ALL the Toyota dealerships within 200 miles of me and was told 4 months. (Which I think is actually shorter these days, but that's what they said...) except for a small rural dealer out in the middle of nowhere about 112 miles east of me. His response, "Funny you called today, I might have something available later today." Shortening the story, I picked it up yesterday. After signing the paperwork I asked "Why was this was available?" Their story was it was ordered by someone whose purchase was dependent upon selling their current vehicle, which they had not yet accomplished when the Prius arrived. Moral of the story? If you order a Prius, make sure you have your ducks lined up before delivery as the dealer won't hold your hand on acquiring this car, the demand is such that he doesn't have to.
[font=Comic Sans MS:0414e87747] Congratulations! You've got good advice about the warranty. My advice about "break in" driving is just don't push it too hard for the first few hundred miles, but don't worry either. Since the car is so computer controlled, it won't really let you hurt it; it takes care of itself. Just don't drive in front of any fast moving trucks or practice engaging the ABS and VSC... Oh, and get a good digital tire pressure gauge and make sure your tires are properly inflated (lots of discussion about that on here).[/font:0414e87747]
Thanks for the congrats. I think I will start with 42 PSI in front and 40 in the rear and see how that goes. My wife and I did have our first "discussion" regarding the car last night. The beep for reverse drives me nuts and I want to disengage it but she thinks it is a must for safety sake. To be honest, since we have a three year old, she is probably right. So, as I have learned to do so often during our 19 years of marital bliss, I found myself uttering the words: "you're right dear". So I guess we'll beep. In all honesty there was a news story down here (Atlanta) where a lady backed over and killed her 18 month old neice just last week. What a terrible tradgedy. Hope everyone out there stays safe and happy in their little electric marvels. Dan
I made the decision to buy mine very quickly also. I went to the Denver Auto Show on Thursday March 31 (to look at Jags and Infiniti M), went to Boulder Toyota to test drive a used 2004 that they had on the following Monday, and took delivery a week later. My sister went with me to test drive the car and also bought one one the spot. My salesman (who I've known for several years) was a really happy guy. So, am I happy with my decision. Yep!! It's was definitely a great decision - I really love the car.
Dan, Keep in mind that the reverse beep IS NOT heard outside the vehicle. It is simply a reminder that the vehicle is in reverse since the shifter does not remain in the R position. You still need to be very aware of pedestrians and children who may not hear the car, especially in "stealth" mode.
Keep those questions coming, Dan -- we're here to help! (Actually, we're here to natter on incessently, but we help as a sideline.)
[font=Comic Sans MS:8c658e0420]As viffer_pilot noted, the backup beep is only for the cabin occupants, not a warning on the outside. Take a look at http://priuschat.com/forums/reverse-beep-m...ons-vt8867.html and help your sanity and your child. [/font:8c658e0420]
I got THE CALL today and mine is IN! I saw it tonight and pick it up tomm! They offered what I think is a fantastic deal as they go on the Platinum warantee. $690.00 if I buy it right away. As tempting as they make it sound, I think Im going to pass. From what Ive heard about Toyota and the Prius, I'm not expecting any problems. I do follow the schedule of service and have had no serious problems on my '97 Mazda 626.
If that's 7 year/ 75,000 miles/ 0 deductible that's a good deal on the warranty. I'm a better safe than sorry person. And I knew if I didn't buy it the day after the warranty was up on any given part, I would be one of the small percentage to have trouble. Now that I've bought it, I don't anticipate any problems at all. It's a karma thing.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chrisus\";p=\"93231)</div> I am a long time subscriber and reader of Consumer Reports and normally I follow their advice on the subject of extended warranties. In this case, I did buy the Extended Care Plan. The Prius has many systems based in new technology that would cost a small fortune to fix, should anything go wrong after the expiration of the standard warranty. Not all of those involve the hybrid system which is warrantied for the ten years or 150,000 miles (in California). Recently, there were discussion on PriusChat on failure of the transmission in the Classic Prius which costs close to $9,000 to repair. The new electric air conditioning compressor could cost upwards of $3,500 to replace. There is the navigation system, the MFD and numerous other components which would cost several fold the cost of the Extended Care Plan to fix or replace should anything go wrong. For me, this was a no brainer.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius\";p=\"93282)</div> It's an insurance policy paid up front. Some people won't carry collision insurance on their cars (when they don't have to) either...You measure risk versus reward and then make your decision. About the only difference is that the rate doesn't go up for the "warranty insurance" (and you don't get cancelled) if you end up making a claim against it. it's a personal choice. I decided to carry the "Warranty insurance policy." I had one vehicle that hardly used it and another that I've gone over what I've paid. It's nice peace of mind to me that I can just go to the dealership, get it fixed, and not having to worry about how much it will cost up front. In the end, it will be better for the car, because I won't "wait" to fix problems... BTW, congrats Dan...apparently, judging from this board's membership, it's a requirement for Dan's to buy a Prius...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Chrisus\";p=\"93231)</div> P.S. Nothing is required other than what is specified in the maintenance schedule in the Owners' manual.
I rented a Prius last weekend and called the fleet sales guy with the go-ahead to place the order on Tuesday. He called today (Friday) to say they'd gotten a car matching my request through their allocation on a shipment that just hit the dock in LA. I could have it early as next week here in Tucson. He had quoted 30-60 days typical wait time. I guess things sometimes just line up.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Lizard\";p=\"93407)</div> [font=Comic Sans MS:1fe685e9a5]Congratulations, Lizard! What color/package did you get?[/font:1fe685e9a5]
