The Wait

I'm having to wait also...like most of us. I ordered (put my name on the list) middle of November. But I'm told it may be Spring before I have it. But, I knew this going into this so no problem. I wait patiently yet with anticipation. Dan in Indianapolis, IN

 

I concur. It's not just the wait, it's the uncertainty, the misinformation, disinformation, contradictory information and lack of information that is frustrating. When I ordered a BC silver (first pref. or just about any other color except black) back in October, it was a 2-3 month wait. OK I could deal with that. Then in November it was a 3-4 month wait. As of last week, my salesman said a 5-6 month wait. The salesman said last week I'm 1st on the list. Today the sales manager said I'm 3rd on the list. The national Toyota people said contact the regional sales people. The regional sales people can tell me nothing except the demand exceeds the supply (duh!), and repeat what the dealer sales manager says, and so on, and so on, . . .

As the Kung Fu master said, "Patience, grasshopper",

82 days and still waiting

 

Waiting to in Indy

My wife and I have had our names on the waiting list since November 17th and we are beginning to wonder when we will take delivery. I went so far as to write Toyota,who responded quickly, that they were surprised by the overwhelming success and raised their output to meet the demand. No component shortage exists as some has stated just not enough time to meet the great demand for such a great vehicle. I have received "the call" from one of the other Toyota dealers here in Indy when someone backed out on a car. It was the right color but wrong package for us.(AF but we want BC). Judging by what I am seeing on Yahoo's site looks like wait is a minimum of six weeks unless you are "lucky". I was quoted four months at time of ordering my vehicle BC-Z1-3Q3. I believe that Toyota will deliver but when is anyones best guess. :| Signed Jan B.

 

If anything, this is the kind of (excuse the expression) crap that, I suspect, drives some people to go out and buy a Ford, GM, or Chrysler product; a lot of folks won't put up with waiting ad infinitum without any hard information regarding when their vehicle will be delivered.

I mean, it's one thing to order a car for a customer and say it will be a couple of months but quite another to tell a customer it might be a couple of months or it might be 6-8 months.

But the main issue, for me at least, is the deal. I really don't mind the long wait but, in my opinion, it's just flat wrong to expect someone to pay MSRP after a 6 month wait. Put another way, I don't think it's fair to lock a customer into paying MSRP for a 2004 model to be delivered in June or July. At that time, Toyota may have ramped up production and there may be 04's all over the joint with a lot of people already having ordered 05's. So, if the 04's are selling at a discount, do these dealers expect those of us who ordered "way back when" to stick to those deals and pay MSRP?

 

:wink: I ordered my car right after it was announced, sight unseen. Wanted Option 9. When dealers got their first car to show in October, mine came in the next monday. Good service if you ordered early. :tomato:

 

re:wait in NY

I just put 2 deposits down at the local dealer just to get IN LINE for a prius. He said that he doesn't expect me to get a car for 6-9 months!! Is the rest of the country like that? Are they allocating more cars to California? My dealer showed me a december allocation sheet and it only showed 107 cars or so for the month of december. Was that for NY only or the whole country?

thanks.

 

re:thanks

Thank you Evan. I am flexible, so if the wait drags on, I will definitely hold out for an '05. As of now, I have just sent out a bunch of emails to various dealers and we'll see what happens.

Thanks again,

Scott

 

Waiting for 2005

After test driving the demo #9 at Fred Haas Toyota in Spring, TX and learning that the wait was 6months, my wife and I are going to see about getting one of the first 2005 model years that come out. We will probably go and get on the list in May and hope for the best. I sure hope they don't raise the price by then.

Atoyot

 

efusco, thanks for the info. I am a little unique in that I have only owned Toyota's in my life and have three dealerships that I could buy from and get a great deal due to family and close friends. I am currently driving a 2003 Matrix, and am a bit upside down, so that is why I want to wait.


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Warning....the below is long and boring....read at own risk....
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My history is that I started at age 16 in 1988 with a white 1973 Celica that was rusting apart but I only paid $450 for it. Drove it until I totalled it, like all young men do, and then bought a slightly nicer 1979 white Celica for $750 in 1990. Got married and then bought a 1985 white Celica and a 1993 extended cab Toyota truck in 1993. Sold my 1979 Celica for $500, and then the wife decided that she HAD to have a 4Runner, so I was forced to sell my lovely 1985 celica for her 1990 4runner in 1996. On Dec 31, 1999 I bought a 2000 Limited Tundra Extended Cab and sold my 1993 truck. In July of 2002 I picked up a 2003 Matrix XR and sold the 1990 4runner that was still going strong with 196,000 miles. Somewhere along the way I also picked up a 1987 MR2 that is still in my garage.

Only Toyota's for me as they haven't given me much trouble. I'm kinda know as a Toyota Bigot at work, but hey, whatever works right? I keep telling them that I will get the tattoo removed off of my forehead if I ever decide to buy something else.....just kidding.

If you made it this far on this post, then you need to get a life, or maybe it's me that needs to get a life :wink: ......hopefully my long boring post doesn't cause any long lasting brain damage for anyone. Bye.

Atoyot

 

Scott wrote:

I just put 2 deposits down at the local dealer just to get IN LINE for a prius. He said that he doesn't expect me to get a car for 6-9 months!! Is the rest of the country like that? Are they allocating more cars to California? My dealer showed me a december allocation sheet and it only showed 107 cars or so for the month of december. Was that for NY only or the whole country?

Hey Scott,

I am in NYS too. One thing you may want to do (changing the subject slightly) is to write to NYS Assembly and Legislature about renewing the tax credit law for hybrids. Currently slated to end tomorrow, you can get a $2000 tax credit for the purchase of a hybrid. I ordered Nov 1st. I wasn't in a hurry to get the car; I had seen the Bill extending the tax credit to 2006 and I have a car to drive meanwhile. However, this Bill is in Committee and has NOT yet been passed. Letters from NYS residents may convince them that it is worthwhile to continue spending that money. I am not political and this will be the first letter I have ever written to a government official. Just trying to figure out to whom I should send it.

Also, if your car actually arrives before the end of February (snicker snicker), you can get a sales tax deduction, too. :lol:

See the thread for NYS tax incentives here on Priuschat (I don't remember the exact title) if you are interested in more information.

Sharon

 

The problem you have here with the Prius allocations is that the car's a completely different ballgame than the old car, but it's still being allocated as if it's the old one. That's where Toyota's allocation system breaks stride with LOGIC. This, in my opinion, is where Toyota's biggest error of Prius allocation judgment is.

Spending so much time, engineering dollars, refinement, ad dollars, ... and then treating the dealers/buyers as if they were still selling the old cars, well, it's nuts. If your local dealer was not focused on Prius and travel rate and sales figures for the last 2 years then you are screwed. It's been almost 2 years now - they brought the 2002 cars off the internet request-only system and into the mainstream, regularly allocated cars system in Feb of 2002. For the last almost-two years, we have been selling the Prius as regularly allocated cars like Camrys, Corollas, and Tacomas, etc. Anyone who did not typically sell many Prius got their allocations slowed down and perhaps even to zero. Those of us who always sold a lot still got a lot of them anyway. it's known as travel rate, and sales to availability.

Here we have a car that's completely different than the old one, and we all know why! It's gotten more excellent press than any other car in Toyota's history that I have seen. It's gotten more hype and flash - and definitely is THE car for the decade. Is rewarding those dealers (like me) who sold tons of the old ones with more 2004's a better idea, and keeping the allocations of the dealers who were unable to sell many Classics small a good idea? No, because ultimately, the consumer gets the short end of the stick. You are faced with having to seek out a larger, more aggressive dealer or a dealer in a different town than where you might want to buy. You are also faced, in many cases, with paying a markup over window sticker due to poor availability. I am sure that many a buyer prefers to develop a relationship with a dealer they choose, whether it be about pricing or trust or even geography and closeness. The Prius breaks that chain completely, because it's very possible that folks will not be able to buy close to home unless their local dealer gets enough cars to satisfy their demand. A demand that was not really there till a few short months ago.

I have advocated the internet order system for all across the country so that the cars can go to where they are wanted NOW - not where the 2001, 2002, 2003's "were" selling best. I gotta be honest here -- do I think that 48 Pioneers wanted to buy from me, over 1/3 of them from out of state, because I am charming? No way. It was about pricing, and it was also about thinking that the car WOULD come right, and as quickly as expected.

Because of the internet order system for the pioneers, I was able to offer some very interesting pricing for the "sure bet cars" and that benefitted the buyers. Imagine using that logic to make sure cars went to the people across the country, and to the dealers a few months after being ordered. A sure bet! Then, if 8 people in a small town in WV want a Prius with package 9, then they will get their car a few months later, regardless of how their dealer sold the 2001-2003 models. Even if the cars are so popular that the wait time extends out for 6-8 months, at least you know YOUR car is coming in a certain time frame and can pretty much plan for it. What you pay is between you and your dealer. And, if something happens and you find a car sooner well, the car would drop somewhere or to the next folks in that region who wanted that combination and perhaps they can fill a need with it.

I have a small suspicion that they also are little mistrusting of their dealers, and expect lots of cars to be ordered without *real* buyers intended. There are ways to ensure this isn't a rampant thing. Copies of buyers' driver's licenses, some phone #'s and verbal verifications from folks at regions. That way, the right cars go to the buyers wherever they reside. From the smallest dealership to the largest. No matter how strongly a dealership has embraced the technology IN THE PAST, the buyer makes the choice. Orders their car, and waits. We all know this car is worth the wait, if you can hang in there.

Di

 

:idea: :| :wink: :x I talked to my dealer today. So far he has received 2 cars, mine and another one. He still has orders in for an additional 18 but since he is allocated only 3 cars a month and didn't get 3 in November or December, he is considering stopping order taking for 2004's and instead, take orders for 2005's. :guns: :guns: :guns: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :cussing: :cussing:

 

Well, I saw three new Prii today, and now I really want mine! I haven't called the dealer lately...I'm trying to be patient and just chill. ('8)')

 

You people don't know what it is to wait....

I have noticed that most of you/us wait around 2 months for your car. I preordered a 1998 VW New Beetle in January of 1998, and did not get the car until august. When I did get it, I got the wrong color and wrong options. Now the Beetles are a dime a dozen. simple supply and demand.

But god how I hate waiting!