Great time to get an '09 - Just brought mine home - Cheap!

If anyone here finds one for that low..tell them you will take two and call me........
In the end I came so close to buying the Pkg#3 2009 last Friday for 25k out the door.......but we did not.

I'm bummed about it, but my wife did not feel comfortable with us spending that amount right at this time........so after researching Prius's for the past month or two, we are back to square one. I know we would have loved it, but we are a 30 year team, and both have to be comfortable with what we buy.

Some common sense compromise or deal will come our way as we keep our eyes peeled........

Frank D.

 

Frank, sorry I am coming to the party late. To get your #3 for 25k out the door is a decent deal. I'd jump on it. Here in Illinois, with our current incentives, I couldn't do that deal.

Edit... just saw your post: Sorry to hear that. But a 30 year deal is better than any you can purchase.

 

The base 2010 with package 2 (keyless, backup video and stability control) is pricing out at $22000 plus $750 transportation at the Toyota website. That's $22750. I'm sure you can order that car from a good Toyota dealer for that price. $21K is OK on an 09, but in a month when the 10s are on the floor, older models will be a year older and cheaper.

 

I see your good point, but I'm not sure if that is entirely true. While true that a 2010 Pkg#2 has an MSRP of $22k, to get the backup video I believe you need to buy the navigation pkg, which according to my book costs an additional $1800, and is not even available on a Pkg#2.

That is the rub. The 2009 Pkg#3 gave me everything I want without paying one dime more for the things I do not want. I want the backup camera, but you need to buy at least a Pkg#3 to get it, and then only if you buy the Navigation system for an additional $1800. I have not read stellar reviews on the Navigation system, and think I could do better buying a good Garmin. Also, I want the self dimming mirror, but you can only get that on a Pkg#4 with the 2010's, and then only with leather heated seats, which my wife does not want when we move to Florida.

So to get the features I want in a 2010, i'd have to buy a Pkg#4 with the Navigation system.....at a cost more like $27600 + $750 = $28,350.....after taxes, etc you are well over $30,000. At that price you still do not have power seats..not a big deal, but one of the many options I have had on cars much less expensive....but not available on any Prius.

Don't get me wrong, I want a Prius......but at least for me, the 2010 packages are more frustrating that enticing.

So I'm not sure what I'll do. I want a Prius, but perhaps I might have to wait a couple of years and see if Toyota changes the option packages down the road.

I love leather, but my wife does not, and I think that some southern states may lean to cloth seats. I wish the seats were power, perhaps with memory. I wish one could get the solar roof package without paying for Navigation. I wish the back up camera, a safety feature, was standard like on the 2009's. I wish there was not a $2800 difference between Pkg#3 and Pkg#4 for only three additional things....leather heated seats, water repellent windows, (I own a bottle of Rain-X), and the auto dimming mirror I want, and currently have on my 11 year old 1999 Jeep.

I'm not trying to stir the pot...I'm just stating why the 2009 Pkg#3 gave me more for the money...hopefully I can still get one, or hopefully Toyota reads this and listens.......

Thanks!!

respectfully, Frank D.

 

Toyota has taken features that normally wouldn't cost much but that people feel they have to have and mixed them it with package tiers in a way that requires you buy an expensive tier with options you don't want just to get the lower cost options you need.

From a business standpoint, I can totally understand why they'd do this. It allows them to say the car is cheaper than a gen II when in fact, for most people, it will end up costing them more and in the end, after the confusion and frustration, they'll pay it.

 

My impression is the video and stability control were in the base package. I have the backup video, and could do without it, since it isn't real distance. I prefer to look out the back window backing up. The stability control I have and would want. If you have to overspend on extras to get a simple option you want which is available in the base 09 model, then I think the latter is preferred.