I'm the guy who didn't want to buy a new car until my road was paved. It's been paved now and I'm back looking at the Prius (prob II, maybe III). Unfortunately, since I'm doing this right after the huge success of cash for clunkers for Prius (and Corolla, as I understand it), there isn't much on the lots. My local dealer has only one, in a color I don't want, and other nearby dealers are similar. Anyone have an idea how long it will be before a good selection is back?
No idea, but what you may want to look at is an internet purchase. You'll get a better price typically and you can get exactly what you want. The only downside being you have to travel there to get it and drive it back.
talk to your local dealers. They can usually give you a decent idea, of when their next allocation is and what might be on it.
Where are you located? Someone here might have some insight as to which dealers still have a few more. I think a Sept. buy will not be an option, maybe late Oct....
Assuming time is on your side, simply pick out the exact colors/options that you want, put a $500 refundable deposit down, and have them "order" it for you. They don't actually place an order (there's no such thing), but they should keep an eye out on all incoming allocations to your region and then snag it once it becomes available. Depending on the color/options you pick out, it could be anywhere from a 4-12 week wait (on average). It also doesn't hurt to do this with 2 or 3 dealerships, assuming that you don't mind traveling a little bit. Just make sure that your deposit is refundable... Bryan
I've done just exactly that; a IV with a solar package. Dealers around here in the Gulf States Toyota region are virtually useless. Their big-talk-no-action approach to customer service is really turning me off. I can't tell you how many dealers I have had call me back, give me the canned "customer service is #1 to us; we want to earn your business" speech, promise to find the car I want, and then I never hear from them again. I've never dealt with this before; my first Toyota and my first Japanese car. The Mercury Milan hybrid is looking better every day.... Joe
Well, I think to some extent you have to accept that you are looking for a sought-after car AND just after a hugely successful program designed to move new cars off the lots. I know it is a huge purchase, believe me, and you want the dealer to bend over backward for you (in action, not just talk), but again, the availability of the product and timing are not in your favor on this one. So it is less like trying to get an Accord or a Corolla than like trying to get the latest gaming system in the weeks running up to Christmas. Some dealers are probably just talk, or going to try to take advantage with mark-ups, but even a good one who just wants to find you something and make a deal for MSRP or around there will have trouble finding exactly what you want, especially if you are picky too on top of the rest. Again, not that being picky is a bad thing in this situation, but you have to understand that the level of pickiness, the number of dealbreaker conditions, is going to effect your ability to get a Prius. You can go to a different car, and I've heard good things about the Milan hybrid, but you are the only one who can decide if that meets your needs as well or better than a Prius. However I think right now you might find some of the same problems with availability. Personally, for you and the OP, I would decide what is negotiable and what isn't and then hit the phones. That's how I ended up with mine, driving mine off the lot during the last weekend of Cash 4 Clunkers after basically just two days of looking/phone calls. I ended up with not my ideal color, but not a dealbreaker color either, and I knew this because I decided in advance which were my favorite colors, which I could live with, and which I did not want. Same for package level etc. Put an order in as described above by all means, but what worked for me was just letting a few dealerships know that I was looking for one, and what my parameters were, and to call me if a deal fell through with someone else. They knew I was a quick and easy sale (and all my C4C stuff was in order) so when a deal did fall through, they called me up and had a new sale within a few hours and I had a new Prius within a few hours.
Just wait a few months. As we head towards the holidays and gas prices head down for winter, there will be plenty of Prius's for everyone. There is a lot more competition for customers' money during the holiday season, so there isn't as much focus on buying cars.
