Best bet for fall '04 purchase?

Hello and welcome to PriusChat - I see that this is your first post.

IMO, I don't see why you don't get on a waiting list now for an 2004 AND one for the 2005 at several dealers. It seems to me that many times, it is a matter of luck and how how picky you are about the color and package you want. The more dealers that you are in contact with, the better your chances of getting what you want when you want it. Some dealers don't ask for a deposit and most that do, don't actually cash your check until the deal is done with the car. Just make sure you get this in writing about the refundability of the check if you get the car somewhere else first. I thnk most dealers will do this. Good luck.

 

Get an order in now. If you wait until October of this year, you could be waiting until October of next year before you get one. Many dealers are no longer accepting orders for 2004 Prii; any orders they receive will be forwarded to the 2005 model year. 2005 production starts in July, but there will likely be a continuous stream of Prii coming off the assembly lines with little or no break. I think Toyota will probably do what VW did with the Jetta: a seamless carry over from one model year into the next with little change except, perhaps, colors and trim packages.
The frustration, of course, is having no idea where you are on a list or when (if?) you will ever see a car. This makes it really hard to figure out when to sell your present car. I'm self-financing my Prius when it comes, using 401k funds as a loan. If I get enough notice that my Prius has arrived, I'll sell my present car before making the purchase; if I don't get enough notice, I'll sell the present car later on and deposit the funds from that back into my 401k.
Be as flexible as you can in what you'll accept in terms of options and colors. Things will improve, though, as Toyota ramps up production to meet what they claim is unexpected demand. If they had done any serious market research, they'd not be so surprised and would have been more prepared to meet demand.
Good luck.

 

Would it not be a bit difficult to order an '05 before the packages are announced? And when DO they announce that info? I'm thinking a #7 would fit my needs best. Of course they don't even sell them NE of Virginia (a mere 10 hour drive). Who's to say that even if the packages don't change, they will all be available in all areas? :?

 

I think your best bet is to speak to the dealer (as many as you can so that you can verify their stories). I placed my name in December and was given a 9 month to 12 month time frame (number 19 on the waitlist). They called in February stating that the car I wanted was on the lot and asked when I could pick it up. It came with an alarm and the Z1 package which I didn't ask for and when I began to haggle he stated that I could stay on the waiting list and continue to wait for the car I wanted. The deposit that I had would continue to roll over to the car I was waiting for.

 

Ryan,

I'm in a similar situation....due for a new car, wanting a Prius, but not able to buy until later this year. I have a '93 Corolla wagon that is nudging 150K.

I've been speaking to a couple of local dealers and they are all telling me that I'll be looking at a six month wait. One told me that the word they are getting from Toyota is that cars ordered now will have a delivery time of approximately September and would be 2005 models. This particular dealer is in the Washington DC area and I don't know if that estimate is limited to that particular dealer, or this particular area.

Most likely, I'll order one in the next few weeks and just wait it out. I want a particular package and will just stay on the list until I get the one I want.

Good luck!

Linda

 

Watch out for the creeping impatience

I also wasn't planning on buying a car until the fall (assuming my '94 Civic lasts until then) because we had just bought my wife's new car in August '03. When the '04 Prius was announced, I decided it was finally a hybrid worth the $$. I heard about some shortages, and figured supply would quickly catch up with demand.

In January, I saw a dealer ad (Prius "in stock & ready to drive") and figured it was time to test drive to make sure it was what I wanted. With an old car, one needs a ready back-up plan.

However, the dealer said "sold out" and "6 month wait" and "no car to test drive". I called around and found one to test drive & put a deposit down in January. I thought I'd be patient until late summer, but now find myself impatient after just 1 month.... :roll:

I've promised myself not to call the dealer to check my place on the list until after I receive the CR auto issue....

 

thanks to all of you for some hints and prompts...
i just voicemailed my dealer to remind him that he didn't answer my email asking where i was currently on his list, and added questions as to whether he'd be rolling the '04 orders into '05's if '04 production ended before the order list was filled, and whether or not he'd have a new order list for '05's......

and my red or driftwood option 9 has been on order since january 12th of this year, and i got impatient some time that afternoon!!!!!!