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Comments
We both like the idea of hybrid technology, and I really loved the styling of the Prius. So we decided to try one out on a test drive. We didn't think that it would be that hard.
Called the first dealer in the Boston area. Asked, "Do you have a Prius available for a test drive?" Answered, "Sure do! Come on down!". So we pile into my wife's car (2000 CR-V), have a 20 minute drive, get to the dealership, say, "We called about test driving a Prius," and are whisked away to a cubicle.
After about 25 minutes of stupid questions, forms, etc. (they had some form with stupid questions about "what made you interested in the Prius?), we finally got the the photocopy driver's license stage. Meanwhile, my son is getting really bored with climbing over the cars in the showroom, and my wife is starting to loose patience.... but the salesperson goes out to get the key.
5 minutes later, "Oops. It's been sold. Do you want to sit in it?" Oh, well. I'm a bit more trusting than my wife is-- she is convinced that they knew that that car was sold or almost sold the second we walked through the door.
So we try another dealer. Same basic thing, although certainly better, less "stupid forms". Salesperson gets the key, walks out, comes back, says, "Ooops. We must have loaned our test drive car out to another dealer. We'll call you back next week." :mad: Come on, that's why we CALLED FIRST!
So, finally, on Father's day, we end up trying a third dealer. They have one ON THE LOT! This time, my wife stays in the car. I go in, find a salesperson, and say, "Okay, look. We've tried twice to test drive a Prius, and failed every time. I don't want to fill out forms. I don't want to talk about what drew me to the Prius. I just want to test drive it!
Salesperson nods. "Well, okay, then, let's go get the key!" Five minutes later, we're in a Prius driving off. It's a 2004, but since there aren't any MAJOR changes, that's fine with me.
I really like it, and so does my wife. So we decide we want to buy one-- a 2005, Seaside Pearl (or whatever the blue is called), with package #3 or #4.
Salesperson says that Prii are going for MSRP. Fine. 6-8 week wait. Fine. $1000 deposit. Fine. Even better, the only things that he tries to add to the package are the wheel locks, the floor/cargo mats, the cargo net, and the rear bumper applique, all things that I don't mind, and don't add that much cost.
So, hopefully by Aug we will be in our new Prius. We'll see if it continues to be a good experience.
But definitely-- my advice to anyone looking to test drive a Prius: Don't take any BS. Car dealers want to get you in, want to get your name in the database... especially at bigger "factory assembly line" dealers. Call first, but try to get the person on the phone to MAKE SURE that they have on available. When you get the dealer, really try to push them on "I really don't know if I like the Prius-- I HAVE to test drive it first."
And don't pay over MSRP.
Just wanted to put my bit in there....
I ADORE my Prius, and never want another car, so happy ownership!
I had sent out emails to 3 or 4 local dealers through edmunds and they all got back to me within 48 hours. Some dealers had a 6mo waiting list some had 1 or 2 6's on the lot. YMMV. Boch called me the next morning.
Out of curiosity, what dealers did you deal with? Each seems to tell a different story. I didn't much care what color I got so I was able to get one right away. Good luck
At least here in the San Francisco Bay Area I think supply is beginning to catch up with demand. Very happy with the car so far.
What is the justification for photocopying your driver's license?
I haven't shopped for a new car in almost 20 years.
For example, just a few months ago, one of the sales consultants here was let go. They had someone that wanted to test drive a Tacoma (first of the new body style that came into the dealership) and the truck happended to be up on a ramp with railings. The sales consultant gave the keys to the customer to test drive the truck, but didn't make a copy of the driver's license. When the customer tried to take the truck off of the ramp, they turned the wheel too soon and got the truck caught up on the cast-iron railing. There was a crease from the front wheel-well back through the door and ending where the railing caught up on the seam between the bed and cab. (Over $10,000 in damage to the truck) The customer took off so we didn't have any information for the accident report or ability to file the accident under the customer's insurance.
Now I personally think it was irresponsible for the sales consultant not to at least take the truck off the ramp for the customer and that's probably why they were let go, but there was some responsibility on the part of the customer rather than just taking off.
BTW, the truck was auctioned off as we didn't think it was responsible to sell a truck with such extensive damage, repaired or not to a customer purchasing a new truck.
Ken
Anyone made changes on their own?
Decided to test drive a Jeep Cherokee. Drove up, got out, asked about the Cherokee... the sales guy reached into his pocket, handed us the keys, and said, "It's the red one." Didn't even come with us!
Woburn Toyota said that they could get a Black package #3 or #4 (I forget which) relatively quickly, because someone ordered it and then decided that they wanted a package #6. So if I had wanted black, I could probably be driving a Prius today. (I want blue, PERHAPS would take some other colors, but black is the one color that I absolutely do NOT want.)
Now that's service (plus some good insurance...)
Dealer called this week with a Silver Pkg 5 with leather seats that was available and said they would see what they could do when I didn't want to pay extra for leather and that they would also consider taking over my CRV lease. Bought it for 24,553 before tax, reg, doc fees. No charge for the leather, but they got me for the Toyoguard. But when you consider that leather usually adds $1298, I came out ahead. I wouldn't have splurged for leather seats, but I love them. During the negotiation, I complained that the center console top wasn't covered in leather also so they put into the contract that they would do that. I also didn't have to make the final payment on my CRV lease. I am very happy with my Prius!
(And can you name it here ...?)
I'm still not set on a Prius because of the long term costs of ownership after 90K especially the $2800 Cat coverter and the $300 12amp battery! Seems Toyota has us over the barrel with their monopoly on Prius parts.
That is nearly $3600 of PROFIT for selling at MSRP!
So let's just say that there is quite a bit of wiggle room there.
Keep in mind you are not going to re-coup the extra 5-6k extra you pay to drive a Hybrid for about 8-10 years in gas savings (assuming $600per year savings) plus that tax deduction is at best $600 for most folks.
Not to mention the potential long term costs Cat converter $2800 and 12a battery $300. They have you over a barrel once the warranty runs out.
So quit being MSRP fish in a bowl... start negotiating off MSRP on these cars, the newness has worn off and the time is right for the consumers to right this overpriced market on these cars.
$1000 off MSRP should be a minimum, tht still leaves the Dealer of every Pack #6 Prius with nearly $2600 profit!
What a racket Toyota's got on this car.
I still like the Prius but only at a fair price.
I ruled out the other hybrids for various reasons (I thought the interior of the Honda Civic hybrid looked cheap and I want a hatch back, the Insight is too small, the other hybrids are out of my price range).
I test drove a 2005 Prius several months ago and have been saving up for a down payment. I was going to purchase this month but now am scared because of everything in the news with the stalling/shut downs at high speeds.
I was at a Toyota dealer last week and looked at the Prius again and voiced my concerns to the salesman. He showed me a recent Consumer Report magazine that rated the Prius as excellent, but the last time CR had reviewed the car was in May of 2004, before the recent news. I persisted in asking for some explanations and he then told me that the problems were only in the 2002 and 2003 model years, which I knew was a lie because I read the reports myself and they are for 2004 and some 2005 models. If I do buy a Prius I definitely won't go with that dealership.
This will be my first new car purchase and I don't want to get a bad car. I like the Prius a lot but am now thinking that I should look at something else. I test drove the Toyota Matrix which was nice and I am looking at Scions, too.
Any suggestions/advice?
The Scion TC is actually larger than the Prius in certain measurable dimensions. I did not realize that:
2006 Scion TC Dimensions
Exterior
Length: 174 in. Width: 69.1 in.
Height: 55.7 in. Wheel Base: 106.3 in.
Ground Clearance: 5.2 in. Curb Weight: 2970 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 37.6 in. Front Hip Room: 53.2 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 54.3 in. Rear Head Room: 36.6 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 50 in. Rear Hip Room: 47.3 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.6 in. Rear Leg Room: 33.6 in.
Luggage Capacity: 12.8 cu. ft. Maximum Cargo Capacity: 60 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5
2005 Prius Dimensions
Exterior
Length: 175 in. Width: 67.9 in.
Height: 58.1 in. Wheel Base: 106.3 in.
Ground Clearance: 4.9 in. Curb Weight: 2890 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 39.1 in. Front Hip Room: 51 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 55.3 in. Rear Head Room: 37.1 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 53 in. Rear Hip Room: 51.6 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.9 in. Rear Leg Room: 38.6 in.
Luggage Capacity: 16.1 cu. ft. Maximum Cargo Capacity: 16 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5
BTW, if anyone is worried about performance in the mountains... I saw several Priuses taking on the mountain passes on I-5 in SoCal and around Yosemite in NoCal, and they didn't seem to have any problems keep up to legal speed and then some.
Stuart
1) When other vehicles burn gas in stuck traffic the Prius usually runs in electric mode.
2) The A/C in the Prius is phenominal!! I don't know how Toyota did it but I never, I repeat, never saw A/C on any other car work so well and not plunge the gas milage down 20 or so percent when "ON". Another disappearance is the cold air to warm when sitting in traffic. It just doesn't happen.
3) Servicing my own Prius still! Yeah, thats right. The basics can still be done by the owner. Oil,Filters, Brakes, Wipers, etc. The Prius is still just a car w/ an electric motor.
4)The digital dash (after learning to embrace its ways) is simply a delight. It teaches you to be frugle in your driving habits. The benifits....better mpg's.
Final note: I'm looking forward to the future hybrids ...be they Toyota or otherwise. I see a bright future ahead for the cars of tomarrow. Gas prices today in my area are $2.30 and appear to be going up now that a barrel of oil has close at over $60.00.
Thanks for the opinions. It will be interesting to see how the car is performing at 200K and 8 years.
The AC works well because it is electric and runs off of the main battery. It is possible on they hybrid because of the higher voltage available. I suppose it isn't too surprising that it is efficient, since all home AC units are electric.
The service concerns are not with routine maintenance; they are with the special components of the hybrid systems, including the unique drive system.
Since railroadjames implied that he drives about 12K miles per year, he will only have driven 96K miles in the 8 years that you presumed in post #4387, not 200K miles. So those extra 104K miles that you also presumed are a non-issue.
Probably only the most diehard amongst us will be driving their car past Toyota's eight year 100K mile "Hybrid-Related Component" warranty, and their 150K mile High Voltage NiMH traction battery warranty coverage. Here's what Toyota says:
"Basic: 36 months/36,000 miles (all components other than normal wear and maintenance items).
Hybrid-Related Component Coverage: Hybrid-related components, including the HV battery, battery control module, hybrid control module and inverter with converter, are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. Refer to applicable Owner’s Warranty Information booklet for details.
Powertrain: 60 months/60,000 miles (engine, transmission/transaxle, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, seatbelts and airbags).
Rust-Through: 60 months/unlimited miles (corrosion perforation of sheet metal)."
I meant either / or, either condition (200K or 8 years) would be well out of warranty...
I had the unfortunate luck of having someone back into my left side pass door while leaving a parking lot last month. It was in the shop for 2 weeks (during which ins co rental was an '06 Absolute Red Solara) and just got my Prius back yesterday. Body work was excellent and looks original. However, the VSC dashboard light stays on. I've tried to reset it using the "maint req'd" method and the method of turn off the back beeper with no success. Body shop said batt died and they had to recharge it. I suspect that some glitch occured in re-booting the computer that signalled the VSC light to come on. I stopped by my dealer and was told that a diagnostic check would be needed to clear the alarm and it wasn't a warranty problem. Anybody have any suggestions? I'm going to appeal to my claims adjuster that the problem surfaced during the body shop's repair time frame and that my ins should pay for the diagnostic check at the Toyota dealership. I would greatfully appreciate any input I can get.
Thanks,
Rich
Toyota Ken
Toyota Ken
With a sealed gas tank (my CR-V has such a system, though some older cars have vented tanks), how would the gas evaporate?
Toyota Ken
Not sure about your second point; here is CA, all gas stations have specially designed pump nozzles to recover the fumes as the tank is filled.
2) Safety: Bladder safer than a hard tank? I don't see how. The issue is how easy it is for the tank to rupture in an accident. A blunt poke would probably favor a bladder (if partially full), but not a sharp edge "cut". Probably a wash overall.
3) Capacity: A hard tank's capacity doesn't seasonally change by 10%.
4) Probably the #1 reason I can't stand the bladder is the uncertainty in how much fuel is actually in the tank when I think its full. The distance I go on the first fuel guage block varies by a lot. From as little as 40 miles to as much as 130. I don't need a perfectly linear guage to be content - but I would like a little consistency...