2023 Prius xle order. Did I get lucky or am I getting yanked around?

If the car has been allocated to the dealer and they have a specific VIN, then it's a real car that is either being built right now or is already on a ship headed this way. If you've put the money down, ask for the confirmation in writing that you've reserved that specific vehicle and get its complete VIN.

Timeframe should be between one to two months. Closer to two months if the zip code in your profile is accurate(you're far away from the port).

You should be able to get any of the accessories(as opposed to options) changed as long as the car is in the build phase. But it's actually up to the dealer to make those changes. Mine was more than happy to do that, others have reported dealers refusing to make changes. Your milage will vary.

All Priuses are built in the same factory in Japan.

Once you get the full VIN, you can either use the Search Inventory page on Toyota.com or Toyota-Tracker.com to track its progress.

Definitions of the terms on each website:
1. Build Phase(Toyota.com) or Allocation(Toyota-Tracker.com): The car is being built in the Japanese factory or has been loaded onto a ship and is on its way.
2. Transit(T) or Freight(TT) with no date range: The car has arrived at port and is being processed, including the installation of any accessories.
3. Transit(T) or Freight(TT) with a date range: The car has been loaded onto a train and is on its way from the port to the dealer.

 

My dealer was allocated a few Primes on June 2nd and I got the pick of the litter, and chose White. Car arrived at port on the 17th. Car was delivered on June 23rd. Fortunate that my dealer is about an hour away from port, no train ride needed. This is in the west coast.

 

It’s your car buddy! In around two months time it’ll be in your driveway! Use Toyota tracker to follow progress throughout, good luck to you!! Are there any extras that you know of?

 

Just be happy that you got one. Ppl have waited months, and years to get theirs.....It took me over a year to get a Prime, I got the same options,,,,the door edge car is pricey, but it's color matched. The weather floor mats are really nice, no need to get Weathertech with these. The rear bumper sticker is a total rip off. Enjoy your new car....

 

I really hate this waiting game monkey business car makers and dealers are playing lately. is this some sort of jack-up-the-price game? or part of the covid supply chain mess? My general feeling is to tell Toyota (and any other company like tesla, etc.) and their dealers to go to hell if I have to wait more than a week or so for a new car. It seems like artificial manipulation.

And the unfortunate side effect is that it jacks up the price of all the desirable used cars, the category of which I'm actually a buyer. So its pretty unwelcoming. I feel lucky to have a few good Gen3 prii but want to trade one off for something newer but cannot seem to find a good deal these days.

the last sad piece is the Prius keeps getting smaller and smaller, cargo-wise. I know the actual numbers don't reflect true cargo space; and I haven't seen a G5 yet, but it seems they are smaller than the G4, which is smaller than the G3.

Last story: I went to a Honda dealer during Covid and the saleperson kind of laughed at me when I expressed my frustration. he said the dealers are still selling the same amount of cars with this hurry-up and wait strategy, but they don't have to carry inventory. I guess they got burned during the Covid downturn and this is now their strategy.

Ill probably be fixing my G3's for the next 10 years until these vendors start losing sales and start offering a "quick car".

 

My quick experience... I put in a deposit for a unicorn, Reservoir Blue, XSE premium, but it was 100 miles away with a hefty markup, but I was willing to do it to get that combo. The car came in about 2 weeks earlier than promised. Once I got there, it was blue, and it was XSE, but it was not the Primum trim. I took it because I knew finding another blue XSE was going to be difficult, but I complained to the General sales manager. He says he's going to try to get me the Premium and do a swap, but I don't think it is going to happen. The original sales guy just said, "Sometimes they come in a little bit different than the original configuration". I think it's BS, and they showed me the wrong paperwork, maybe intentionally, maybe unintentionally. I'm happy with what I got, but a little disappointed in the missing Premium features.

 

my guess is that it started with covid, and while it is still a problem, buyers are now being played for all they're worth.
i have considered other companies, but most are in the same boat, especially for fuel efficient cars.
i keep saying tesla is not right for me, but they are in stock and only 30k after tax credits

 

Well I am virtually sure I got lucky. Up until two weeks ago I was going to buy a BEV (Kia EV 6 or Hyundai) and then I got cold feet because of dealer shenanigans and the Ioniq recall. So it was just two weeks ago I became aware of the 2023 Prius PHEV and got interested. Gave my VW away to someone who really needed a car (I have driven VWs for a long time) and starting Wednesday this past week began my search for a 2023 Prime. Contacted local dealers who appeared to have it for sale, and they would say it's already sold. One even said "yes it is available" and when I contacted them about an hour later to put down a deposit, lo and behold the GM had unbeknownst to the sales guy promised it to a "client". So, there is A LOT of yanking around by the dealers, they seem to think they have the upper hand.

Later that day I contacted a dealer, after closing, about two hours away to check on a 2023 XSE they had on website, and incredibly I got an email the next morning asking when I could test drive it. Went up same day, drove it and bought it! Love this car, so far, but I have a lot to learn (haven't bought a new car in about 10 years). Both about driving a PHEV (never had a hybrid) and the technology - whew, it is unbelievably complicated, hope it is reliable with all that new tech. I did figure out how to turn off the driver monitor thing, and finally got the app to work (not impressed).

One thing, widely discussed here, is no spare tire. I did take the plunge, knowing that is something I am not comfortable with - you have to make compromises sometimes, and I needed a car. This car does fit most of my needs. I'm now considering getting some kind of workable spare, with a jack and tire changing kit, and just leaving it behind the passenger seat in the back. I rarely will have passengers in back. Wondering if anyone here has ideas on the spare tire parts? Not looking to do anything right away, but I don't think living without a spare is a good idea. I have no idea if the "tire repair kit" does much. I will post on this issue down the road. Still recovering from the car in my driveway!

 

I am with you on the Tesla. My friends and family ask me why I am not considering a Tesla which is cheaper than the Prime after tax credits. I guess it is brand-affinity in my case. My GenII Prius still averages 50+ miles in summer and 45+ in winter. I put down a deposit on a specific VIN# a couple of months ago. My dealer informs me now it is out for delivery. I am hopeful I can close the deal in a week's time.

 

Not trying to sway you either way but here is why I traded my Model 3 SR+

When I had my Model 3, I had numerous instances of almost being stranded.. Tesla tested my batteries several times after my many range complaints. They even sent the data to the mothership a few times to appease my complaints. They continually said the battery was fine and the car was preforming as it should.

My final straw, and why I eventually traded it:

I was leaving my sons house after Christmas and driving home. Total distance about 210 miles. My Model 3 was the SR+ which had a 240 mile range.

About the mid point of the trip was a Tesla Supercharger station.. I believe from my sons house to it was something like 110 miles then another 100 miles from it to my home..

Car was charged to 100% before leaving my sons house, weather was freezing cold so I ran the heater and had the radio for music during the drive.. There were high winds and the route also has a mountain pass to contend with...

About 40 miles into the trip, the Model 3 told me to reduce speed to 60mph so I would make it to the charger.. At about 60 miles into the trip (about 50 miles from the Supercharger) it told me to reduce speed to 50mph to make the charger...

So a 240 mile ranged car can only make it 110 miles IF I reduce my speed to turtle levels.. I had little old ladies blowing past me on the freeway and I could swear a few of them flipped my off since I was going so slow...

I had to turn the heater on and off to try and preserve battery. When the cold got unbearable, I'd turn it back on to warm up a little then back off to save battery in the hopes I'd make it. I made it to the supercharger, a whopping 110 miles away, with something 2 percent battery left...

This was not the 1st time this happened to me but it was the final straw and was the main reason I decided to trade it..
During the fiasco described above, I did call Tesla and ask what I'd need to do since I didn't think I was going to make it.. They said if I ran out of juice on the trip to call them and they'd send a tow truck free of charge.. All fine and dandy but since it was freezing cold, no juice left to run heater, I assume I would have had icicles hanging off my nose when it arrived.. Luckily I made it to the charger... Barely...

Now imagine the above except I didn't make it and needed to wait for a tow. Probably an hour wait maybe longer. I was by myself but what if this happened to a family with small children. Freezing on the side of the road with no means to heat the inside of the car could have been very dangerous..

Anyways, that's my sad story of despair and why I would NOT buy another EV only vehicle.

Range anxiety is real and it should be because there are many factors that play into your range and if you'll even make the next charger.

If I had been driving my Prius Prime, I could have ran the heater, been comfortable and had plenty of gas in reserve to easily make it without even having to stop.

I personally would not purchase another EV only vehicle until they reach at least a 400+ mile claimed range and fast chargers are more readily available. Gast stations are everywhere, fast chargers are not.

City ONLY driving? The base M3 would be fine but for anything other than that, I'd personally take a hard pass on the base model..

My .02

 

Range anxiety and charging times are an issue for me too. I like driving from point A to B with as few quick stops as possible and the idea of hanging around for 20 ~ 40 minutes waiting for the battery to charge does not appeal to me. Hopefully, in a few years when solid state batteries gain currency and charging times improve further,I might be tempted to go all EV.

 

I hear you there. Waiting at Superchargers didn't really bother me considering the M3 had Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and other media apps for use. I used the charging time to get caught up on episodes or just watch YouTube videos..

My main issue was the range, or the lack thereof that's dependent on conditions that are beyond your control, and the lack of widely available superchargers.

I would not recommend that anyone buy a base M3 unless it's for City use only.. But that's just my opinion.

 

Before ordering the Prime (in europe), I was seriously considering Tesla M3 or Y. I dont have range anxiety but the "private pleasure" long distance drive seems to be different in europe compared to the states. Its not a secret - everything is quite compact here so every stopover in a longer trip might be an interesting castle, some restaurant or medieval village. I could not imagine having Tesla mapping my trip based on supercharger networks - sounds super boring.

Long business trips might be different but then I usually take the train/airplane anyway...

 

i am considering the base m3 as a second vehicle at 29k after tax credits, it's hard to beat.
for long distance travel, one must be fairly committed to 'ev thinking'. plus, it's nice to have one vehicle that can go 6-700 miles without refueling

 

Picked up my Guardian Gray XSE today. First impressions - the color looks even better than what I saw in pictures. The car is roomy both in the front and rear seats. I am 6'1" and did not feel cramped for head room or leg. The dealer hadn't charged the battery so I could not test its EV. ICE seems pretty responsive as I drove the car for 30 miles. Trunk space seems smaller than my old 2008 Prius The cargo cover is annoying, wish Toyota had kept the retractable cover from the earlier models. Storing the charging cable in the Styrofoam well takes some effort as you have to hold up the floor mat with one hand and stash the cable neatly with the other hand. It seems a full charge takes 9+ hours. I charged for a couple of hours this evening and plan to charge again in the morning.

 

@raqball

I personally think EVs aren't ready for prime time yet, despite the fast adoption rates. Most recently, take a look at all the manufacturers switching to Teslas plugs. Next few years it might be something else. I think Toyota is brilliant for going hybrid/PHEV route. They will be the only company really doing so. Every other company is making a straight jump to EV because they didn't want to waste money on hybrids when EVs are the future.

I'll probably be in PHEV of some sort of another for the next 10 years until we hopefully see other manufacturers EVs hit their stride. I don't like that Tesla is the only real viable option right now.

 

I am two days into owning Prime XSE (res. blue), my first non-ICE vehicle, and so far - great! I do agree the cargo cover is cheap and pretty useless. I have already removed it, and it will stay in my attic until/if I sell the car. Also agree with the charging cable storage, although I just stuffed it in, not too bad. I plan to just leave the charging cable outside plugged in at my house, once I figure out how to cover an old style outside electrical box that protrudes 3" from the wall (need to get an in-use bubble cover that will fit over the old box, if this is possible). Anyone see any issues with just leaving the charging cord plugged in, ready to go? I do not have a garage. Also, what are people doing about no spare tire? Just living on the edge?

 

I agree, and that's why I ended up with Prime XSE. I think the stabilization and options for BEV will be fast, probably within next 5 years. I looked at the Kia EV 6 and the Ioniq 5 and 6 and liked them all. But got cold feet when the Ioniq news that it may be subject to a safety recall and didn't like the Kia dealer tactics, plus they cost quite a bit more. And, decided I wasn't ready to move from driving an ICE to a BEV, even though we do have another ICE vehicle. So the PHEV option became the one. Feel good about it, even if it doesn't make full financial sense. I think Toyota is somewhat uniquely positioned because of their deep knowledge and history with PHEV, so I don't know if they are brilliant or somewhat had such sunk cost and advantage to continue with hybrid rather than full transition to BEV. I do think long term they need to, or they will fall behind. They already are not really competitive in the pure BEV space and that is the future.