I am new to this forum. I'm on the hunt for a Slive Pine Mica Package #8 in the Southern California area. Can I get some tips on the best way to obtain one. In the last week I have called all the delears within 100 miles with no luck. Any advice would be appreciated. THANKS!
That's exactly the model I have - got it in northern california which seems a lot easier than the long SoCal waits. I got mine in Dublin, close to where I live. Palo Alto had SPM#8 in early Jan. You're not planning to fill it with Ethyl, are you?
:lol: :lol: You've called ALL the dealers, from San Diego to, say, Fresno? I did that a week ago and came out with a Prius. There are many more dealers than I realized. What list(s) are you working from? How far will you travel to get one? My calls went north through Portland and E to Salt Lake. Bet you lunch you can find one in you hang in there with more calls/e-mails. I called for 3 days (51 dealers) and found mine on the 3rd day. Good luck. I'll help you some if you ask.
I went off the Toyota.com list and called about 30 dealers. I called as far as San Diego and as far north as Lancaster.
You'll probably find more information in the Dealer section from others who are also looking in So Cal.
Today, I drove by the dealership where I got mine from and saw a white 2006 sitting out front so I stopped and talked to the Prius salesman. The 2006 white is a package 4 and he said that no one on the waiting list wants it. They're all holding out for package 8. Since 8s are what most people seem to want, it's pretty easy to get a 4. He's not worried about selling it though. He says that it'll probably get sold tomorrow (Saturday) and that even though the waiting list never wants a 4, they don't discount them because someone off the street, so to speak, is always willing to buy a 4 since they can take delivery on it immediately.
I don't know this as a FACT, but it has been my experience that there are more Priuses around in San Diego on Fridays and Saturdays than any other day of the week. I have called every dealer in the county on at least four occasions now for various things relating to the Prius. Inventory is low mid-week and on Sundays. I get oodles of calls on Fridays and Saturdays. I have gotten to see and test drive everything I wanted (with one exception) on Saturdays. Those exact vehicles were gone by Sunday! Therefore, I suggest starting all those calls again today and tomorrow. There are three pages of dealers in San Diego county on the Toyota site I used. Good luck!!!
Many dealers are asking for $500 refundable deposit. They claim they can trade if they knew I was serious. Has that helped others? Is it just a waste?
$500 deposits are the norm in CA, though some ask less. State law protects us against their not being refundable. Very few dealers in CA are willing to trade, but a few do (if you're talking trading out-of-region). Most dealers will do in-state trades (usually within a fairly small radius) to get the combination of color/package you want.
Yes, the $500 refundable deposit is very common. However, I gave my name and number to three dealers in my area with no deposit and I get phone call after phone call for random Priuses (various colors and packages). We did give one place a $500 refundable deposit and that is where we are buying our Prius within a couple days. I gave my name and number to the others because, at first, we wanted a Prius as soon after 1/1/2006 as possible. We later changed our minds and decided to wait for awhile. Now our car is due any day and we have everything ready. Meanwhile, I think the shipment is running later than normal this weekend because I have not gotten the typical Friday night and Saturday phone calls seeing if I want the Prius they got in and someone changed their mind on. Our car is also due any day and has not arrived, yet. In any case, I know San Diego is not in your backyard, but I will let you know if any salespeople call me with an unsold Prius in your requested color/package.
I paid almost 3 dealers almost 500$ and one dealer close to $1000 and another dealer 2500 in a desparate need to get first hands on 2006 Prius. Well all that paid off and I was in the first few to get hands on 2006 models when they arrived in LA, CA. Good luck with the search. With gas prices on the rice it becomes little difficult to find one specially in California where carpool is available for single drivers with HOV stickers.