Does anyone have a sense of when Package V's will start appearing at dealerships? I'm hearing in the NJ area from multiple dealers that they will be very hard to come by unless special ordered with a deposit, and even then its 6-12 weeks. I'd prefer to wait until a couple arrive rather than paying probably MSRP for an order (I assume), and am willing to wait until August which is my guess as to when they start pumping them out and the initial burst of premium pent up demand subsides to influence price, but haven't heard or seen anything to confirm this.
Availability varies a lot by region. You can use cars.com (or something else like edmunds.com) to search online listings in your area, which is what I used. Right now, looking at MSRPs above $30,000, I see one likely Prius V in Louisville, and a couple in Cincinnati. If you're looking to pay much below MSRP, I'm doubt that August will be enough time. Higher end packages - any solar roof and the V - seem to be in short supply in most parts of the country. In California and the West, Priuses are below MSRP, but not most other places, based on reports I've seen here. Some people have gotten 3-5 MONTH lead times. It might be December.
They are already here. The ships bring them in to Newark every week. I got one last week. Not all are sold but it is difficult to track down what dealers have them sold or which ones just have them as floor models. You'll have to check with dealers, possibly get away from the metropolitan areas. I did ask for mine and the dealer put in a preference for his allocation. No deposit was required from my dealer (they sell all they get). I wouldn't expect any significant discounting anytime soon.
Northern VA gets them. Just not very many of them. We test drove one that was exactly the car I wanted and the dealer would not sell it. They were using it as a test drive car. The dealer originally wouldn't even take a deposit until they new when a V with AT and one of the colors I would take was coming in. About three weeks ago we made the deposit. I should have the car sometime around the end of July.
Just stopped by my dealer in Bayside, NY to get an update on my order status (23May, V with nav in blizzard pearl). He told me I was first on their list for a V, but he wouldn't even hazzard a guess as to when. Said they were in very short supply with only 3 allocated to 40 regional dealerships. No guarantee on color choice. When any V comes in they'll offer it to me, if I don't want the color, he has no idea how long it might be till my exact choice comes in. I went through the same experience when I ordered my 2004 package 9 in Dec. '03. Finally got it in March '04, but had to settle for silver when I wanted white, or else wait till who-knows-when. I love the car, but hate Toyota's marketing system. Hope I'm in my new ride by Christmas!
They are allocated by region and very few are being manufactured. I put down a deposit and did a preference contract, not an order. That was 5/25/09. A couple of days ago I got the call that a package 5, not with my interior color choice, was being allocated to my dealership and I was asked if I wanted it. I had to commit right then. Still don't know where it is or when it will arrive. Toyota thought the big sell would be the basic packages, rather than the higher end models so they did not manufacture many of the higher end ones. A VP from Toyota was at our dealership. My salesman told him of the number of people waiting for the higher end models. The VP said he would increase production/allocation of those models. This is all that I know.
I placed a deposit on a Prius V with ATP on June 26. The dealer told me yesterday that they had an allocation, no VIN yet. I will probably get the car late in August or early September. As far as I know at this time it will be equipped exactly as I ordered it, ATP in silver with dark gray interior. So it sounds like things are about the same in this region as others. I looked at several dealerships around here and there were no Prius Vs, quite a few of the other 3 models available though. My V will most likely be the first one I have ever seen.
I was lucky. I was able to get a V/NAV in Blizzard Pearl on July 3rd, in Richmond, VA. It had just arrived that day!
Funny. The 5 or so Vs with AT at the dealer in Los Angeles where I bought my V a week ago are just not selling. Guess I was the only one who bought it in the last two weeks according to their new car inventory. Meanwhile, other dealers in my area don't have any Vs, only II through IVs
