My (good) purchase experience

Maybe I just got in early enough.

I'd planned to buy a Prius this spring (i.e. now). However, my previous car, a Focus, was totalled at the end of October. Rear-ended by a cement truck, on the highway...

Anyway, I went to the Toyota dealership and put in an order. I was told 6-12 weeks to wait. I would a rental car (I was renting from the dealership) for that whole time period, but I really wanted the Prius, so I rented and waited. I ordered the minimum of the three available packages.

Two days later, I got a call from the dealer. Someone's Prius had come in and they failed to qualify for financing (!). It was the middle package (HomeLink, CD changer), so it was more expensive than the one I'd ordered, but I was going to save $1500 or so in rental fees, which made the decision obvious...

I came into the showroom about 4 hours after they called me and grabbed it. They didn't try to mark it up or anything else. I paid list price. They offered it to me (presumably out-of-order) because they knew I was stuck renting a vehicle until my order came in. Now that's a good dealership.

And I love my Prius Even though I don't have a garage door opener and don't use the CD changer (much).