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
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eastercat\";p=\"91468)</div> No such cover came with mine, so I presume that's something the dealer did.
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
Mine was a black vinyl book/pouch to hold all the manuals. It fits perfectly in the glove compartment back slot.
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
