new order moratorium??

Hi: (Dianne??) I'm about to place a second order at another Seattle area Toyota dealer, Toyota of Kirkland. This one is the first dealer who contacted me after I put an on line request for Prius info. I did not place my original order with this guy (went to Magic Toyota instead), but he contacted me again after I tried doing a search for possible unclaimed Prii in my area.
According to this gentleman, there is no moratorium on new orders and, he says, he took an order the day before he called me.
I won't place an order unless I get a signed statement that my deposit is fully refundable if I cancel for any reason.
So, is there a moratorium? If you know for sure that there is a nationwide halt to Toyota's accepting new orders, please respond to this ASAP before I go and make a fool of myself. I suspect this guy may be taking orders that will be covered in the 2005 model year production, in which case I would be sitting around for months longer and which is why I want positive reassurance my deposit would be refunded.
Magic Toyota or my car finder may come in first here.
Take care,
Bob

 

Jeff: The company I work for is a small engineering office. Two of the partners and one of the employees have used the services of a lady named Diane Howe. She is an actual car dealer, but does not keep inventory or operate a physical plant the way most dealers do. A client, such as I, calls her and tells her what kind of car he/she wants, what options, etc, and Diane does a kind of global search.
My fellow employee wanted a Sebring Convertible, used (he couldn't afford a new one). Diane combed the western states and found three that were within his selection parameters. She actually had one shipped up here from California, but the top was beige and very dirty. Finally, she located the right car and everyone was happy. The senior partner of the company has had her locate two Ford Escorts over the years, and the other partner got his Ford Exploder from her.
She charges 250 bucks for the service if she gets the car for more than MSRP, and 450 bucks if she comes in significantly under. Because she is a licensed dealer, she can negotiate for "fleet" prices on cars, i.e. what the manufacturer would sell the car for if it were being purchased wholesale by a company rather than a single buyer.
She is looking for a Prius for me, and we missed a Salsa Red by half an hour. That led her to make an unusal request of me: to give her authorization to put money down on a Prius without calling me first because they are usually gone in half an hour. She is a delightful lady whom I have not met personally, but with whom I have had some fun conversations. She has been great helping me negotiate the uncertainty of waiting and was adamant that I not pay the exorbitant surcharges being tacked onto cars by greedy dealers.
If you'd like her number, let me know. I have no idea where you live. Diane works out of the Seattle Area, but has connections in the western states with a dealer network. Dealers are always swapping cars with each other.
Take care,
Bob