There are TONS of informative websites on the net regarding the Prius. YES, you can turn off the reverse beep. The mileage resets after each fillup. Sorry.........
> On my 2001 model I hadn't reset the mpg for over 13,000 miles and my average was 44.6 when I traded it in.
Actually, it did reset. The display only shows 4 digits. So after 9999, it rolls back to 0000.
The MPG continues, but it isn't accurate anyway. All vehicles showing MPG suffer from estimates & rounding, so they are off by a little. After 9999 miles, that margin-of-error becomes more pronounced that the actual value itself.
The margin-of-error for the Classic (01-03) Prius is about 2 MPG. And since most owner's data beyond 20,000 miles on the odometer doesn't fluctuate beyond just 1 MPG over the course of a year, what you see is clearly not accurate.
In other words, calculating on-paper would have revealed your actual value was around 42.6 MPG.
Fortunately, the margin-of-error for the HSD (04-06) Prius is less, about 1.4 MPG. But even so, it still suffers from that "flat line" effect. As shown by my data spanning between 34,842 and 23,317 on the odometer... 48.5, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.3, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.5, 48.6, 48.6, 48.6, 48.7, 48.8, 48.9, 49.0, 49.1, 49.1, 49.2, 49.3, 49.4, 49.4, 49.5, 49.4, 49.4
Does anyone know how much the price for a new 2006 Prius will be going up from the price of a 2005 Prius? Has anyone heard want the new model will have? Has anyone bought a 2005 Prius with "NO OPTION" package in the Chicago area? What is VSC? Thats all my questions Thanks
It seemed no one answered your "VSC" question... VSC is vehicel stability control. A vehicle with VSC usually comes with a yaw (rotational) sensor that could senses abrupt change in rotation of the vehicle and intervene by -cutting engine output power - selectively and quickly braking proper wheels independently to retard the yaw change in an effort to maintain a smoother transition in yaw (just a smooth turn, for example) A vehicle with VSC usually also comes with traction control and ABS because VSC replies on them at a lower level. They basically all brakes wheels but have different levels of IQs, so to speak.
VSC will automatically kick in (even if you are not touching the brake pedal) to help you keep control after turning a corner too hard.
It's pretty cool. In fact, it works so well that if you might not even realize the computer interveened with your oversteering mistake if it wasn't for the 3 beeps that sound off when it engages.
Why would anyone trade a Civic with only 1,300 miles for $10,000 ? That is a loss of at least $3,000 on the base model. I guess you really really wanted a Prius
cruis'n in 6th,
MidCow
P.S.- Prius are now available in Houston on the lots at MSRP
Hi gang, I just completed a 1400 mi round trip from San Francisco, Ca to Boise, Idaho. I learned several things on my trip. First lets get some questions answered.
John1701a informed you what VSC is. You'll find it'll kick in before YOU know something is amiss. Nice feature..good technology. Back-up beeper - Look back on previous posts and in less than 2 mins you'll have that annoying little sound eliminated. I've read that the beeping only occurs "inside" the car and doesn't warn anyone else around. True?
The tankful odometer will reset everytime. I've carried a little "butcher book" (small notebook) in my console and have recorded every fill-up and miles per gallon entry since I bought my '04 Driftwood Pearl Pkg #9 Feb of last year. It can be a nuisance, but not that difficult to live with. I use my trip odo for total miles on a trip.
The TSB's (Toyota Technical Service Bulletins) advice dealers what problems has surfaced and what to do about them. I don't think the dealer is going to call you up and invite your car in for an update, but forums like this one alert everyone on what to be aware of. My car goes from 3 bars to a flashing last bar within 50 miles or so. I'll bring this to their attention.
A couple of weeks ago, someone backed into my left passenger door and rear panel and has to be replaced and some repainting done (the car, not the someone). I'll let you know how it went. My Toyota dealer doesn't have a body shop so I'm using the next door Chevrolet dealer body shop who I've had work done by before.
When I got out of California and into Nevada I experienced a difference in gasoline blends. California creates these exotic blends for pollution control and really cuts into mpg. (I thought it was my driving habits or terrain driven) I filled up in Nevada and throughout my stay in Boise, my mpg was over 51 compared to California's 47 mpg. My driving in Idaho was downtown and some freeway and still stayed above 51 mpg. Now here comes a surprise. I topped of in Winnemucca, Nevada and got 48 mpg with highway driving coming back from Idaho. From Winnemucca, Nv to my hometown in Calif is a distance of 360 miles. I filled up when I got home and it only took 5.6 gals to fill up!! That comes out to 64.28 mpg !! Driving back from Reno, Nv (I-80) there is a long 40 mi downgrade from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Sacramento Valley (from Donner Summit elev 7,239 ft to Sacto valley ~100 ft elev). I "cruised" down the mountain at 60 miles per hour until I got down to 2,000 ft elev where I drove 65 mph the rest of the way. I can hardly believe my calculator. Does anyone else show mpg like this? My fuel gage shows full and I couldn't get more than 2 extra clicks of the fuel pump. Wow. My normal driving with the Calif blends usually only yields 45-47 mpg. Did someone add a couple of gallons while I was staying in Reno??? Hmm......... Thanks, Rich
I doubt that was his objective. I've bought cars before that I ended up trading in 6 months after I bought them. Sometimes a test drive is not enough. If he ends up not liking the Prius, he won't lose his shirt if he sells it privately.
"Hey, he didn't say it was a late model civic. Maybe it had been in his garage for 5 years?"
Original poster mtransu1 said it had 1,300 (Thirteen Hundred) miles on it. The post was wrong it should have said 13,000 miles It was a 2002 Civic. See Prius meet new members post #51
One possible benefit to trading in is that in some states (you'd need to check for Ohio), the sales tax on the new car is calculated after the value of the trade-in is deducted. Of course, this is offset by getting less money for a trade in than you could selling the car yourself.
Welcome to the Forum. The first thing is check for your car here on Edmund's they will give you several dealers in your area. If you like they will send an email to all of them requesting a price. This works pretty well. Depending on your area or where you may like to take a vacation is another option. Us the zip from that area and get the local dealers. Google their websites and send them an email. It is the easiest way I have found to get the best price on a new vehicle. Most dealers will pick you up at the airport and make your purchase a pleasure. Get an out the door price in writing before you travel. If you are financing have that all done prior to getting on the plane.
Although I agree with most of what has been suggested by others, I would point out that you might heed this advise. Find a dealer near by....Why? Convenience and THEY will endeavor to keep you as a customer, where as a distant dealer will have figured you bought for price and will probably not be back due to distance. As to trading.....unless your unloading a lemon trading leaves you on the short end of trade value. How much? You ask. Well figure a minimum of $750.00 and as much as $2,000.00...all this depending on what the heck your trading. In my area we have about a 1/2 dozen avenues to sell your vehicle. I've found much success doing a little work to sell my cars and bikes. How much? Thousands. Culliganman(be smart and do the homework)
Are you taking mostly short trips (5 miles, 15 minutes) from a cold start? Someone on another site explained that the Prius doesn't operate at maximum efficiency until the gasoline engine warms up fully to a "normal" temperature. There was a detailed explanation of what is changing as the engine warms up.
I took a longer trip yesterday over the same and similar roads, and, voila, just as predicted, my fuel economy was dramatically better.
I'm new here today, shopping for Prius, told by Hollywood Toyota we could NOT get package #4 in socal. Have to pay $4k for navigation and stereo in order to get a safety feature!!! So, I said, lets take a vacation! Maybe get the package we want and also not pay sales tax. Its 8.25% here in California. Anybody bought a Prius in a state with no sales tax/not too much hassle? Such as NM? Research is taking some time, but looks like in Colorado you have to live there to get the sales tax rebate. Ditto NY. Can't find the NM info, so am working on hearsay right now. Welcome any info re the sales tax incentive in other states. And the link to the hybrid incentives page is helpful, but is not comprehensive at all. Thanks!
Unless you have an address and residence in a state that does not charge sales tax, you will have to pay it. They will collect when you go to get your title and plates. Oregon has no sales tax and are very good about you taking care of your own registration. The only other choice is to buy used from a private party. Even then they will get the tax I am sure.
As far as options you can read through this and get an idea of what is offered as options in different areas of the USA.
An easy way to find dealers in different areas is to get a zipcode and load it into Edmund's for a given car and several dealers will pop up.
Enjoy the car! Hope you got a great deal! Even though you don't have some of the goodies, you're going to enjoy the wonderful mileage and reliable service you get from Toyota. Too bad GM can't build anything like the Prius. If they did, it would NEVER be as reliable! Enjoy!!!
Does anybody know of any chronic problems of a 2004 & 2005 Prius.?I've been to several message boards and I haven't seen any. On the other hand, the car the I am trading in a VW cabrio convertible had tons.
Welcome to the forum; You may want to read the article and search for the 2004 & 2005 Prius complaints on the NHTSA site. You can also check to see where your VW stands as far as troubles.
There are tons of Prius message boards which will give you all the information you need. Some owners have not had their software updates as prescribed by Toyota which CAN in rare instances cause problems. As a percentage, it is very, very low.
I sympathize with you on your problems with your Cabrio. I owned a 99 but never had any problems for 17,000 miles before I traded it. I found the seats terribly uncomfortable. The dealer service was awful, as most people will tell you, their network of dealers ranks at the bottom.
You can program the reverse beep to off. I did that and then installed a new beeper in one of the taillights. Now the beeping is in the back of the car when I'm in reverse and it can be heard very well outside the car when backing up. I actually tried a beeper and then changed to one that makes a up and down sound so it is unique for me and the people outside the car when backing up.
This is from one of my little birdies that has been keeping its ear to the ground about changes that Toyota USA is thinking about for the 2006 Prius. News flown to me from Southern CA.
All info is preliminary, not etched in stone yet... The high-up Toyota people are still deciding on what they want to offer, so things may still change... Consider this a better than rumor, but can still change...
Do feel free to comment - maybe some of the Toyota folks may read these groups and your thoughts may help them with their decisions...
New 2006 Prius will be out in November (not until sometime after Halloween)
exterior colors: Super White (color code 040) stays same Black (color code 202) stays same Seaside Pearl (color code 8S2) stays same Driftwood Pearl (color code 4S2) stays same Millenium Silver Metallic (color code 1C0) is replaced: changes to either Silver Millenium (like Highlanders) or Silver Streak (like Tacomas) Tideland Pearl (color code 6S9) is replaced: changes to the new Avalon color known as Silver Pine (a lightish silvery green) Salsa Red (color code 3Q3) is replaced: changes to a new red metallic... no idea on color +Add a new gray metallic exterior color, probably Flint Mica (like the Scion tC or the Rav4's)
add a leather option in ivory and grey in most models
no decision yet on any interior color/exterior color combination changes
Package content changes are certain, unknown what the changes are at the moment...
Maybe a driver's power seat option
The front headlights, grille, foglamps area (fascia) changes, rear taillights change.
The audio system will change for better sound.
May also change the wheel design... but a BIG maybe on that.
No decision yet on a special edition car in White Pearl (Arctic) with tan leather...
Thanks for the update, even if it is still somewhat speculative.
Actually, I saw a 2005 Prius over at my local Lexus lot this weekend (was in the used area - had 1500 miles on it) that had tan leather. I'm guessing it was aftermarket, but whoever did it, did a fantastic job. Really looked nice.
I'm still hopeful that there might be a "sportier" option. No, I don't mean hot-rod 0-60 in 5 seconds or something. Just a little stiffer suspension and disc brakes all around (similar to the specs they offer in Europe).
I made an error. My Civic had 13.000 miles on it. Purchased in 2002 it was immaculate... Driven only by me and I am 74.. and keep the car pristine.
I took the ten thousand trade in on it because I advertised it and could not sell the Civic. I thought that I would have a month to see it but the Prius came in and I had to move.. The Dealer later sold it for over $ 12.800 or so they told me.
Yes I am old enough to want a Prius NOW. At my age, who knows. It's like buying green bananas.. I don't..
I hang around to see if you or one of the automakers come up with a worthwhile hybrid vehicle. You may want to head up to Oregon or Washington. I understand the dealers up there are awash in hybrids that are not moving that fast. Just a rumor! You could get a nice vacation out of it and save time waiting on your slow dealer.
" Yes I am old enough to want a Prius NOW. At my age, who knows. It's like buying green bananas.. I don't.. "
Enjoy your purchase! Be sure and start up the car at least every other week to keep the secondary battery charged. It sounds like you don't drive it a lot.
I'm thinking seriously about getting a 2005 prius, but I'm a little worried about the hill climbing ability. I do a lot of mountain driving (high sierras). Any help will be appreciated.
I read an interview of the head engineer of the prius. He mentioned that the first generation prius can loss charge and will show a turtle sign on the dashboard. This was corrected on the prius II. In fact they tested the prius II on the most challenging mountanous roads in the US and did their best to drain the battery so that the turtle sign will appear. They failed. So now, as the engineer said, "the turtle has been retired". They eliminated the turtle sign on the prius II.
If you drive sensibly at or near posted speeds, mountain driving will give you no real problems. I've taken my Prius to Reno from SF several times with no loss of power. I don't bomb over the hills at top speed, just maintain with the flow. You will see a drop in batt level that's to be expected, but as soon as you level off for even a quarter mile recharging will occur. Don't forget what goes up, must come down. Last time I came down from Reno (2 wks ago) I cruised along down from Donner Summit at 60-65 mph and got over 60 mpg!! As long as you don't overload your vehicle with people and stuff, there shouldn't be a problem. Regenerative braking is a wonderful thing.
Through internet search, I found 2 new Prius' on lot for immediate delivery. One is a Tideland Pearl Package #1 at MSRP of $22,351. The other was a Silver Metallic Package #1 at MSRP of $22,400. The dealership is Riverside Auto Mall at Marquette, Michigan 49855. This dealership sells Prius' at or below MSRP and I was able to negotiate a price on the phone and confirmed by email for the Silver Metallic. Upon arriving at the dealership, the Prius had been prepped and ready to roll with only a brief time involved in paperwork. Unlike some previous auto shopping/buying experiences, at this dealership there was no "bait-and-switch", "additional dealer markup", "vehicle protection schemes", or attempts to intimidate buyers. The sales and management staff were thoroughly professional, intelligent, informed, and enthusiastic.The Tideland Pearl remains unsold.
Smart move. That probably saved you a lot of time with the finance man. I like to walk in give them a check for the pre-agreed on price. And drive off in my new car. Talking to a salesman and waiting for them to get approval from management is an archaic form of car dealing. Get the price via email and spend that wasted face time at home with your family.
I don't own a Prius but I know someone who does. She doesn't have any problems driving the I-5 Grapevine in California, or the Teton Pass between Idaho Falls and Jackson, Wyoming. Come to think of it, she didn't have any problems on Donner Pass recently when she went between San Francisco and Salt Lake City. Based on her experience, I'd say that hills aren't a problem.
Has anyone heard if there has been any change in the rate of sales or waiting list for Prius? I put in an order for one expecting to wait a few months or so for one to be available. After I put in an order I received a call about a week later saying they had one almost identical to the one I ordered. As this was much sooner than I expected I wasn't ready to take delivery and told the salesman that. Since then it has been several weeks and the car that he had available continues to sit on his lot for several weeks. Am surprised by this as I heard the demand for the car was extremely strong.
"Am surprised by this as I heard the demand for the car was extremely strong."
I think your information is about 6 months out of date. Since Toyota has increased production, and many people are still wary of buying hybrids, the demand has gotten a lot less than before. I find many Prius listed at dealerships on the Internet here in LA; 6 months ago there were none listed. I think it is now possible to find them in stock.
It appears that supply has met up with demand. The dealers are getting list price, but if you're smart, you can get some money off with the right dealer. Demand for hybrids is not waning, but consumers are being given much more choices now. I think in July Ford is starting to take orders for their sedan hybrid. By virtue of the sales, no one seems weary of the technology, especially with the handsome warranties.
Supply is finally catching up to demand. Don't let the dealer trick you into believing otherwise. Pretty soon it will be common place to see them discounted.
Hi all! I've been reading this board for a while as I have been wanting a Prius for some time. Yesterday, I stopped at a dealer to see what was available on the lot (their website listed about 5 new and 1 used). In talking to two salesmen...one was a manager...I quickly figured out that I knew much more then they did about this car (not too surprising). No big deal, as I knew what I wanted.
Two stories: First, on the used Prius, a 2004 with 20K miles and from what a could gleam, a package 1...very scaled down. I looked at it and asked for the price. I'm told "about $25K!" I couldn't believe it! I told the "manager" that this was clearly a USED model which sold for $20K new! Who in their right mind would pay $5K over the original MSRP?! I offered him $15K (which he promptly said was way too low), and walked away from the ya-hoo.
As for the new ones, they had 4 package 6's and 1 package 3. I told him I was really interested in packages 4 or 5. I know package 5 isn't available in my area, but the sales manager didn't, so I thought I'd give it a go anyway.
About 3 hours after I get home, the salesman calls and says he talked to his manager. Since they didn't have a package 4 available, he is willing to give me a package 6 for the price of a package 4! Mind you, only hours earlier he was explaining to me how "demand is still strong and people on a list are paying a premium." This must be why he has 5 on his lot!! I'm going to pass, since I am not yet ready to buy, but I thought some of you may find this story useful in your negotiations. I'm sure he would have tried to make up the difference somewhere, but apparently, you can indeed negotiate at least $3000 below MSRP!
I'm thinking of getting this quote in writing. Maybe in a few months when I am ready to buy, I can use it to my advantage!
I think $3000 below MSRP is below dealer cost. I doubt you can get it that cheap. I am glad to hear it may eventually be a buyer's market. I get quite annoyed at the cavalier attitude dealers have these days.
Comments
It does. EPA's definitions of "City" and "Highway" don't translate to what people think. "Suburb" driving is the most efficient.
> The only truly annoying thing I have found on the Prius is the incessant "beeping"
So, turn it off.
JOHN
Actually, it did reset. The display only shows 4 digits. So after 9999, it rolls back to 0000.
The MPG continues, but it isn't accurate anyway. All vehicles showing MPG suffer from estimates & rounding, so they are off by a little. After 9999 miles, that margin-of-error becomes more pronounced that the actual value itself.
The margin-of-error for the Classic (01-03) Prius is about 2 MPG. And since most owner's data beyond 20,000 miles on the odometer doesn't fluctuate beyond just 1 MPG over the course of a year, what you see is clearly not accurate.
In other words, calculating on-paper would have revealed your actual value was around 42.6 MPG.
Fortunately, the margin-of-error for the HSD (04-06) Prius is less, about 1.4 MPG. But even so, it still suffers from that "flat line" effect. As shown by my data spanning between 34,842 and 23,317 on the odometer... 48.5, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.3, 48.4, 48.4, 48.4, 48.5, 48.6, 48.6, 48.6, 48.7, 48.8, 48.9, 49.0, 49.1, 49.1, 49.2, 49.3, 49.4, 49.4, 49.5, 49.4, 49.4
JOHN
Did not get navigation system or multiple C.D. player.
Love the car. Salsa Red in Metallic... The above were out the door prices, tax,dealer charges etc.
What is VSC?
Thats all my questions
Thanks
It seemed no one answered your "VSC" question...
VSC is vehicel stability control. A vehicle with VSC usually comes with a yaw (rotational) sensor that could senses abrupt change in rotation of the vehicle and intervene by
-cutting engine output power
- selectively and quickly braking proper wheels independently to retard the yaw change in an effort to maintain a smoother transition in yaw (just a smooth turn, for example)
A vehicle with VSC usually also comes with traction control and ABS because VSC replies on them at a lower level. They basically all brakes wheels but have different levels of IQs, so to speak.
It's pretty cool. In fact, it works so well that if you might not even realize the computer interveened with your oversteering mistake if it wasn't for the 3 beeps that sound off when it engages.
JOHN
cruis'n in 6th,
MidCow
P.S.- Prius are now available in Houston on the lots at MSRP
Hey, he didn't say it was a late model civic. Maybe it had been in his garage for 5 years?
I just completed a 1400 mi round trip from San Francisco, Ca to Boise, Idaho. I learned several things on my trip. First lets get some questions answered.
John1701a informed you what VSC is. You'll find it'll kick in before YOU know something is amiss. Nice feature..good technology.
Back-up beeper - Look back on previous posts and in less than 2 mins you'll have that annoying little sound eliminated. I've read that the beeping only occurs "inside" the car and doesn't warn anyone else around. True?
The tankful odometer will reset everytime. I've carried a little "butcher book" (small notebook) in my console and have recorded every fill-up and miles per gallon entry since I bought my '04 Driftwood Pearl Pkg #9 Feb of last year. It can be a nuisance, but not that difficult to live with. I use my trip odo for total miles on a trip.
The TSB's (Toyota Technical Service Bulletins) advice dealers what problems has surfaced and what to do about them. I don't think the dealer is going to call you up and invite your car in for an update, but forums like this one alert everyone on what to be aware of. My car goes from 3 bars to a flashing last bar within 50 miles or so. I'll bring this to their attention.
A couple of weeks ago, someone backed into my left passenger door and rear panel and has to be replaced and some repainting done (the car, not the someone). I'll let you know how it went. My Toyota dealer doesn't have a body shop so I'm using the next door Chevrolet dealer body shop who I've had work done by before.
When I got out of California and into Nevada I experienced a difference in gasoline blends. California creates these exotic blends for pollution control and really cuts into mpg. (I thought it was my driving habits or terrain driven) I filled up in Nevada and throughout my stay in Boise, my mpg was over 51 compared to California's 47 mpg. My driving in Idaho was downtown and some freeway and still stayed above 51 mpg. Now here comes a surprise. I topped of in Winnemucca, Nevada and got 48 mpg with highway driving coming back from Idaho. From Winnemucca, Nv to my hometown in Calif is a distance of 360 miles. I filled up when I got home and it only took 5.6 gals to fill up!! That comes out to 64.28 mpg !! Driving back from Reno, Nv (I-80) there is a long 40 mi downgrade from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Sacramento Valley (from Donner Summit elev 7,239 ft to Sacto valley ~100 ft elev). I "cruised" down the mountain at 60 miles per hour until I got down to 2,000 ft elev where I drove 65 mph the rest of the way. I can hardly believe my calculator. Does anyone else show mpg like this? My fuel gage shows full and I couldn't get more than 2 extra clicks of the fuel pump. Wow. My normal driving with the Calif blends usually only yields 45-47 mpg. Did someone add a couple of gallons while I was staying in Reno??? Hmm.........
Thanks,
Rich
"Hey, he didn't say it was a late model civic. Maybe it had been in his garage for 5 years?"
Original poster mtransu1 said it had 1,300 (Thirteen Hundred) miles on it. The post was wrong it should have said 13,000 miles It was a 2002 Civic. See Prius meet new members post #51
YMMV Throttle On,
MidCow
First, does anyone have any experience in Ohio, preferably somewhere near the route of Cleveland to Cincinnati?
Second, is there any benefit to trading in besides less work?
And my last question is what is the best way to search the dealerships for prices and all that?
Thanks a lot, I really appreciate any help. Corey
As to trading.....unless your unloading a lemon trading leaves you on the short end of trade value. How much? You ask. Well figure a minimum of $750.00 and as much as $2,000.00...all this depending on what the heck your trading. In my area we have about a 1/2 dozen avenues to sell your vehicle. I've found much success doing a little work to sell my cars and bikes. How much? Thousands.
Culliganman(be smart and do the homework)
Are you taking mostly short trips (5 miles, 15 minutes) from a cold start? Someone on another site explained that the Prius doesn't operate at maximum efficiency until the gasoline engine warms up fully to a "normal" temperature. There was a detailed explanation of what is changing as the engine warms up.
I took a longer trip yesterday over the same and similar roads, and, voila, just as predicted, my fuel economy was dramatically better.
As far as options you can read through this and get an idea of what is offered as options in different areas of the USA.
An easy way to find dealers in different areas is to get a zipcode and load it into Edmund's for a given car and several dealers will pop up.
You may want to read the article and search for the 2004 & 2005 Prius complaints on the NHTSA site. You can also check to see where your VW stands as far as troubles.
http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/01/Autos/toyota_prius/
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/ComplaintSearch.cfm
I sympathize with you on your problems with your Cabrio. I owned a 99 but never had any problems for 17,000 miles before I traded it. I found the seats terribly uncomfortable. The dealer service was awful, as most people will tell you, their network of dealers ranks at the bottom.
Toyota Prius Owners: Problems & Solutions
Toyota Prius Software Problems
(And no, I'm not expecting any body changes this early in the cycle)
ground about changes that Toyota USA is thinking about for the 2006 Prius.
News flown to me from Southern CA.
All info is preliminary, not etched in stone yet... The high-up Toyota
people are still deciding on what they want to offer, so things may still
change... Consider this a better than rumor, but can still change...
Do feel free to comment - maybe some of the Toyota folks may read these
groups and your thoughts may help them with their decisions...
New 2006 Prius will be out in November (not until sometime after Halloween)
exterior colors:
Super White (color code 040) stays same
Black (color code 202) stays same
Seaside Pearl (color code 8S2) stays same
Driftwood Pearl (color code 4S2) stays same
Millenium Silver Metallic (color code 1C0) is replaced:
changes to either Silver Millenium (like Highlanders) or Silver Streak
(like Tacomas)
Tideland Pearl (color code 6S9) is replaced:
changes to the new Avalon color known as Silver Pine (a lightish
silvery green)
Salsa Red (color code 3Q3) is replaced:
changes to a new red metallic... no idea on color
+Add a new gray metallic exterior color, probably Flint Mica (like the
Scion tC or the Rav4's)
add a leather option in ivory and grey in most models
no decision yet on any interior color/exterior color combination changes
Package content changes are certain, unknown what the changes are at the
moment...
Maybe a driver's power seat option
The front headlights, grille, foglamps area (fascia) changes, rear
taillights change.
The audio system will change for better sound.
May also change the wheel design... but a BIG maybe on that.
No decision yet on a special edition car in White Pearl (Arctic) with tan
leather...
They better not do that or PETA take back the award and boycott the Prius.
Actually, I saw a 2005 Prius over at my local Lexus lot this weekend (was in the used area - had 1500 miles on it) that had tan leather. I'm guessing it was aftermarket, but whoever did it, did a fantastic job. Really looked nice.
I'm still hopeful that there might be a "sportier" option. No, I don't mean hot-rod 0-60 in 5 seconds or something. Just a little stiffer suspension and disc brakes all around (similar to the specs they offer in Europe).
Anyway, thanks for passing that along!
I took the ten thousand trade in on it because I advertised it and could not sell the Civic. I thought that I would have a month to see it but the Prius came in and I had to move.. The Dealer later sold it for over $ 12.800 or so they told me.
Yes I am old enough to want a Prius NOW. At my age, who knows. It's like buying green bananas.. I don't..
Enjoy your purchase! Be sure and start up the car at least every other week to keep the secondary battery charged. It sounds like you don't drive it a lot.
Smart move. That probably saved you a lot of time with the finance man. I like to walk in give them a check for the pre-agreed on price. And drive off in my new car. Talking to a salesman and waiting for them to get approval from management is an archaic form of car dealing. Get the price via email and spend that wasted face time at home with your family.
I think your information is about 6 months out of date. Since Toyota has increased production, and many people are still wary of buying hybrids, the demand has gotten a lot less than before. I find many Prius listed at dealerships on the Internet here in LA; 6 months ago there were none listed. I think it is now possible to find them in stock.
Two stories: First, on the used Prius, a 2004 with 20K miles and from what a could gleam, a package 1...very scaled down. I looked at it and asked for the price. I'm told "about $25K!" I couldn't believe it! I told the "manager" that this was clearly a USED model which sold for $20K new! Who in their right mind would pay $5K over the original MSRP?! I offered him $15K (which he promptly said was way too low), and walked away from the ya-hoo.
As for the new ones, they had 4 package 6's and 1 package 3. I told him I was really interested in packages 4 or 5. I know package 5 isn't available in my area, but the sales manager didn't, so I thought I'd give it a go anyway.
About 3 hours after I get home, the salesman calls and says he talked to his manager. Since they didn't have a package 4 available, he is willing to give me a package 6 for the price of a package 4! Mind you, only hours earlier he was explaining to me how "demand is still strong and people on a list are paying a premium." This must be why he has 5 on his lot!! I'm going to pass, since I am not yet ready to buy, but I thought some of you may find this story useful in your negotiations. I'm sure he would have tried to make up the difference somewhere, but apparently, you can indeed negotiate at least $3000 below MSRP!
I'm thinking of getting this quote in writing. Maybe in a few months when I am ready to buy, I can use it to my advantage!