I got a 2008 Package #6 from Toyota of Santa Monica for $26,250 in mod-April. Don't ever buy through the salesmen, always go through the internet fleet department. They are much nicer, faster, and you can settle on a price before you even get to the dealer. They had my car waiting when I arrived and all I had to do was sign the paperwork.
The car industry must do something. I was just watching Bloomberg and car sales are running at an unbelievably low 10 million or so per year. That's down from the recent high of 17 million per year. That something will be to offer a bunch of inexpensive minis with conventional engines that get as good of mileage as the Prius. There are dozens of them for sale in Europe. Fiat makes an 80hp turbo that emits 69gm CO2 per km, compared to the Prius at about 104gm. That should pencil out to 66 mpg or so. (I might have that wrong). Call Honda or Toyota customer service and tell them you want to buy a 1.0 liter, 70hp conventional car, or a 50 realworld-mpg Fit with the Insight hybrid drivetrain. First automaker to bring it on gets your business. Credit crunch, housing collapse, $4/gallon gasoline. They have the cars. Demand that they sell them by waiting/boycotting.
For those who are interested in more buying experience info and pricing data... I ordered a silver "standard" style (the lowest priced style) from Galaxy Toyota in Eatontown, NJ on May 10. I was told there would be a 4-6 week wait until it arrived. I got it yesterday (June 6), which was one day short of 4 weeks. Here is the price breakdown: MSRP - 21,500 Carpet Floor Mats - 199 Destination Charge - 660 Dealer Prep Stuff (pinstripe, wheel well covers, some other stuff I've forgotten) - 50 7% Sales Tax - 1568.63 NJ Tire Fee - 7.50 Registration Title Fee - 57.50 Documentary Fee - 209 Online Registration Fee - 8.30 Total 24,259.93
There were a couple points where we were able to negotiate. Even though I didn't want any of the Dealer Prep stuff, they said they were under contract to Toyota to provide it. The starting price I was quoted for that was $450, so even though I didn't want it at all, I guess $50 is not too bad. Plus they do some ID number window etching for vehicle protection as a standard practice, but I said I didn't want that either. So even though the car came with it, they did not charge me the normal $189 for that.
I had done an internet inquiry and talked with a couple of other area dealers who made it sound like it was impossible to even get the "standard" style. When I went into Galaxy in person, they worked with me to get me what I wanted. And based on what I've seen here and from what I heard from the other dealers I talked to, I think the price I paid was reasonable given the demand for this vehicle. At least I hope so.
Based on my experience in buying this Prius, I would recommend Galaxy Toyota and the salesman and sales manager I worked with, Asad Kahn and Mike Kelerher.
BTW, when we picked up the car last night, they told us that there is now a 4 month wait at that dealership to receive a Prius after ordering it. They are only allocated 2 or 3 a month. I'm glad I ordered mine when I did!
I put down my $500 deposit on Memorial Day and received mine (base + Package #5) in Metallic Gray on Friday, June 6 from Darcars in Silver Spring. I was expecting to wait *at least* 4 weeks, maybe more, so I was pleasantly surprised. My salesman was Joe - friendly guy and not intimidating (esp to a first time new car buyer). Here's the breakdown:
MSRP - 22475 Package #5 - 5280 - 2000 (extra value package discount) = 3280 Glass Breakage Sensor - 165 Wheel Locks - 67 Accessory Package (Floor mats, cargo mat and net, first aid kit) - 279 Destination Charge - 660 Dealer Prep - 100 Extended Warranty (7/750000) - 1845 MD Tax - 1591.56 Registration Title Fee - 237 Total 30699
Gasoline could go to any price whatever in any time whatever. $10/gallon by next summer is by no means inconceivable. They pay that in Europe--why not here?
The main reason for higher gas prices in Europe is their extra taxes. Their Euro itself goes further than the American greenback in buying $140/barrel oil.
...... an 08 Prius will lose less value than any new car you can buy today.
You could be right, but it remains to be seen what the future lithium battery will do to the resale of today's hybrids.
There is no reason for the lithium battery to do anything to hurt resale of the current Prius. The current Prius will still be the next best thing and they will all be in short supply unless gas prices were to drop back down below $3 a gallon or there were to a be a massive production increase that more than made up for increased demand.
There is no reason for the lithium battery to do anything to hurt resale of the current Prius
Potentially, sure it would, just as newer computers do to older ones. Improved battery technology would mean better battery life, lower weight and smaller size.
I went to a fantastic renewable energy conference at UCBerkeley, March 1-2. I spoke with the lithium battery researcher, Venkat Srivassen, at length after his presentation. Currently, lithium batteries in quantity cost about $500/kWh. One kWh would take a PHEV Prius about 3 miles. For a PHEV Prius with a 40 mile electric-only range the batteries would cost about $7500. He said to expect steady, but not particularly fast improvement in lithium batteries. The big elephant in the room is that battery expenditure for PHEVs might be in the range of 12-14 cents per mile, plus about 3-5 cents or more/kwh for the electricity, for a total of 15-20 cents/mile. That equates to gasoline at $6.60-$8.80. Hard to imagine that used 44 mpg Priuses will be even moderately depreciated even if gasoline over $10/gallon and PHEVs getting 70mpg-equivalent and costing under $40,000 were available. They'll be like used Civics and Corollas are today--still highly desirable and pricey.
Back on topic, I paid $1100 for a platinum 6yr/100k warranty with my Prius in Oct. You might find one online for a little less but I sure feel better about getting my warranty at the point of sale, bricks and mortar.
A car is not like a computer that's about useless to may people after 6 years.. It's not as if the values of the first generation Prius have dropped for any reason other than pure age and high mileage they may have at this point.
The resale will remain high for as long as there a is low supply of the Prius on the used car market.
I think he was referring to what the earlier poster had said that the Prius would be as obsolete as an old computer processor is to a newer one when the electric and other NEWER hybrid vehicles come out. The current Prius gas/electric hybrid technology will NOT stand the test of time. No technology does. Mankind always finds a more efficient/better way of doing things. Up til now, the most efficient way was with gasoline because it was cheap and readily available. In 5 years the new hybrid technology will be taking it's hold as the newest, most efficient way of doing things.
You are saying that there won't be current generation Prius' flooding the used car market in the near future??? I don't see how there wouldn't be. As soon as the new hybrid vehicles come out, people will be ditching their Prius' just like they ditched their 1st generation iPhones for the 2nd generation iPhone and iPods for iPod Touch. Ever hear of keeping up with the Jones???
I didn't even like the Prius enough to buy one and I know it will not be "obsolete" or comparable to an old PC when the 2010 Prius debuts. The resale value will remain good for as long as there is low supply and high fuel prices and few used alternatives that get the same or better gas mileage. There is little demand for used PCs and there is plenty of demand for used vehicles with high MPG which will include used Prius cars even without having the newer battery from the upcoming redesign. It was a ridiculous comparison. A car is not an iPod that is thrown away every other year. eBay is flooded with more used iPods than the market can bear and the same is not true with the Prius. Are used 2003 first generation Prius sedans overflowing used car lots?
At some point in the future there will be plenty of used cars that average 45 mpg plus on the used car market, but that is many years away. The used car market will quickly soak up the used Priuses that are replaced with new ones unless there is a major drop in gas prices.
Do you have a learning disability? First of all, I said THE GUY WASN'T COMPARING IT TO A COMPUTER'S RESALE VALUE. Rather, he was saying when the Core2 Duo came out it still made the Pentium 4 just as obsolete as the Pentium 3, Pentium 2 etc etc. When an all electric or hydrogen fuel cell hybrid car is introduced which is cheap and well marketed, it WILL make the current Prius a dinosaur. Does that mean the Prius will be worth the price of Enron stock? NO!!! Will it make current Prius owners jump ship to new technology? Probably some. If the current models of Prius flood the used car market, it will make their value decrease. Supply and demand, ever heard of it?
Yes, there will still be demand for the Prius but there will be MORE DEMAND FOR THE NEWER TECHNOLOGY. Anyone who thinks the current 2008-09 Prius will out demand ANY future hydrogen or electric or even gas/electric hybrid is just plain ignorant. People want new technology. That's the reason so many Prius's have sold. New technology attracts buyers. Necessity is the mother of invention. Invention is the mother of sales.
YOU ASKED, ARE USED FIRST GENERATION PRIUS FLOODING THE USED CAR MARKET?
Hmmmm....no...I wonder why? Ever hear of Wikipedia???
Toyota announced on June 7, 2007 that it had sold 1 million hybrid vehicles globally, nearly 345,000 of the first 1 million hybrid cars made by Toyota were sold in Japan.
U.S. sales of the Prius began in August 2000. By 2001 sales there totaled 15,556, and by 2002 had reached 20,119. In 2004 sales there were 53,991.
ACCORDING TO A 2004 SALES REPORT, THERE WEREN'T EVEN A COMBINED TOTAL OF 54,000 PRIUS SOLD IN THE U.S.
You don't seem to understand the the demand will remain very high for vehicles that get 45 mpg regardless of any new redesigned model when fuel prices are high. Even the previously nearly worthless older Geo Metros are in demand now and values have skyrocketed. Mass market hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles in the price range of the Prius are a long way away. With the economy the way it is I bet there will not be a mass exodus of current generation Prius owners replacing their cars with the new model with the same flippant whim they would dump last year's hand held electronic gadget. Some people will still trade for the new model, but not the high percentage that would if the economy was booming The added demand caused by the very high fuel prices is going to support the values of high mpg vehicles more than what's historically typical when car models have been replaced in the past when gas was cheap.
I agree with this point of view. I think the outlook for Prius resale is the highest of any car currently being sold and I reiterate that my 30 mpg 02 Honda Civic EX hasn't even depreciated $1,000 a year, while my 19 mpg 02 Honda Odyssey has depreciated $4,000 per year. However, if the car industry would start selling 60-80hp cars like the Metro, the iQ, or any of the dozens of similar European cars those would be at least the equal of the current Prius in terms of depreciation. Say, in 2012 do you want a 60mpg PHEV Prius for $45,000 or a used 45mpg Prius for say $20,000-25,000? The fuel difference is 72 gallons per year. Remember fuel efficiency is a diminishing return. To go from 60 mpg to 100 mpg only saves 80 gallons per year and it becomes very expensive to eke out those few gallons of savings--lithium batteries, components, carbon fiber body, expensive metals and fabrication. At the UCBerkeley energy conference, March 1-2, the expert on hydrogen cars said that they are way far from feasible: 1) on-board storage is very difficult, dangerous, expensive. 2) Hydrogen is very difficult to obtain--microbial manufacture or hydrolysis of water are hugely inefficient. Both edmunds and Consumer Report project Yaris, Civic, Fit and Prius among the very cheapest cars to own over the next five year period, taking into account gasoline futures, depreciation, maintenance, insurance, etc. The difference between Prius and Fit or Yaris is about 90-100 gallons per year.
Here are some mpgs and gallons used over a 60,000 mile (5year) period. Just add your own estimate of fuel prices to get an idea of the value of buying a fuel efficient car. I threw in a few dollar figures which represent the cost/month for gasoline at $20/gallon (five years from now?). From this you can see that the "sweet spot" is 50mpg inexpensive conventional cars like the Metro (but nowadays with much, much better quality). Anyone remember the 50hp, 60mpg diesel Rabbit from the 70s? Call Honda and Toyota and tell them to bring em.
Hi, I'm new to the forum. I'd like some feedback on a few used priuses i've located recently, specifically regarding the prices. I understand that sale prices from dealers and 3rd parties are very hard to predict in this sellers market with limited product, but any feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks to those who post their deals on here...most helpful.
2008 touring (not sure which package), 12K, asking $28,500 2008 touring (not sure which package), <500 miles, asking $30,000
obviously much of this depends on the condition of the cars (and the packages), but let's assume they pass toyota inspections and that warranties transfer (a dealer told me they do).
I can justify the payments but I'm about to pick one up for sticker: >27000.
$520 per month lease at $500 down, 15K miles per year. this is a package 2. 6 weeks ago a package 6 was less than this...not feeling thrilled about the payments, esp since my last car was twice as expensive and cost the same to lease.
Are there any dealers in SoCal not marking up/accessorising the cars? I've talked to several people who were going to get a Prius but were turned off by the dealers sticking it to them on markups.
Here's a recent cost comparison between Prius, Accord and Civic. I'd quibble with things like the actual mpg, the failure to include sales tax costs and the failure to include battery expenditure of about $300/year but it shows that Prius is now the cheapest car to own. However, if they were to compare Fit or Yaris I think theyd win. Also, a theoretical 40mpg, 70-80hp Fit or Yaris would easily win, if only they'd sell them. http://green.yahoo.com/blog/amorylovins/43/rethinking-the-cost-of-hybrid-cars.ht- ml
This week I am looking to purchase a 2005 prius with 84k miles on it. The guy is asking near $15,999 and it blue books for $15,250 in excellent condition so I'm going to try and talk him down but recent demand is making bargaining difficult. The Prius is from a business fleet and has had regular maintenange and has good tires.
What advice or considerations would there be for buying a semi-hi (84,000) mile 05 used prius? Is the warranty tranferrable from the original owner? Is it an 8 year 100k mile warranty?
If there are similar ones available for less or better ones available for about the same price, you can negotiate the price down, but if not, you will need to pay or pass on it.
The battery warranty depends on the state. In California, the battery warranty is longer than that. The warranty on the rest of the car is over unless there is an extended service contract.
Here's where I don't get it. $27,000 for a Prius that gets what, 46MPG? A decent Toyota Yaris can be had for $14,000 and gets 31MPG.
At 15,000 miles a year at EVEN A WHOPPING $7.00 per gallon of gas, that would mean.... Yaris $3,387.10 Prius $2,282.61 WOW!!! WATCH OUT BILL GATES, WE HAVE AN ANNUAL SAVINGS OF $1,104.49 IN GAS MONEY!!!!
5 year loan at 6% plus 8% sales tax for $27,000 Prius = $563.74 per month 5 year loan at 6% plus 8% sales tax for $14,000 Yaris = $292.31 per month
Prius costs $271.43 more per month but saves only $92.04 in gas money AT $7 PER GALLON!!! That's a NET LOSS of $179.39 per month for 60 months = -$10,763.40 FOR THE ENTIRE LOAN. HMMMM...WE COULD BE INVESTING THAT $179 PER MONTH AND MAKING MONEY (MORE ON THIS LATER).
The media has brainwashed us (except me) into thinking we must all drive a Prius. Again, these numbers were assuming $7 GAS. It's realistically even sadder for the Prius assuming $4-$5 per gallon.
And since it's now 2013 after you pay off the loan, the market is now flooded with the Prius and other Hybrids and 40-50MPG vehicles, you can bet that resale values after 5 years are NOT going to make up for that almost $11,000 LOSS. Plus, as I said earlier, if you had invested that $179 you would have saved per month with the Yaris, even at 5% gains you would have a small fortune which would be impossible for the Prius' resale value to compare to.
Consumer Reports puts Yaris at 33mpg and Prius at 44mpg. That's a 125 gallon/15k-year difference. But 5 years from now the price of gasoline is likely to be way over $7/gal. Why would gasoline not be, say, $20/gallon? That works out to 45cents/mile for Prius. Same price to currently drive a medium RV. Plenty of people will still pay it. As a positive to Prius you need to consider the difference in resale between Prius and Yaris. As a negative to Prius you need to consider battery expenditure. I've long thought the same about Prius vs. small conventional car. But I think we're now pretty close to Prius becoming the more economical choice. The trick is in predicting resale and gasoline prices 5 years out. However, if you research Toyotas sold elsewhere youll find the 1.0 liter, 67hp Aygo sold in UK, toyota.co.uk, gets the same mpg as Prius and costs less than half as much with similar features. It's smaller and goes 0-60 in 14 seconds vs. Prius' 10 seconds, but they are both rated about 100mph top speed. The Aygo gets better mpg than Prius at highway speed. Now those are the numbers that are hard to dispute. Contact Toyota customer service,http://www.toyota.com/help/contactus.html, and tell them to bring the Aygo to the US. Tell them you'll buy a Honda Fit if they bring it over with 1.0 liter, 67hp. Then contact Honda and tell them you'll buy a 1.0 liter Toyota Aygo if they bring it first. Tell them you're putting off buying a car until that day. I'm tired of marketing execs thinking Americans are power-addicted brutes (even if most of us actually are).
In San Diego, there are 2 dealers that I've been working with who is selling the Prius Touring model with Package 6 at just below MSRP (go see Poway Toyota or Mossy Toyota). Kearny Mesa Toyota insists on selling Prius with aftermarket Lojack, interior & exterior teflon, and vehicle security (blinking lights, siren, engine immobilizer), even though the Prius Touring w/Pkg. 6 already comes with a anti-theft system.
I paid $1100 for exactly that in Oct.. Platinum, bumpertobumper except for wear items like tires, battery, windshield, oil change, 6 years/100k miles. Be careful during the negotiation to avoid giving the salesman a clear idea about how much you drive. For example, if you drive 20,000 mile a year the salesman will try to sell you a "7 year" warranty, that will run out in four years because it was a 7yr/75k mile warranty. The warranty I got is pretty well balanced--I should reach the mileage at about the 6 year point. Ask for various prices, saying you don't know if you'll be moving much closer/farther to work. Tip: Get a quote for the warranty but decline it saying you'd do it for, say, $1100. Finish the contract on the car. At settlement time they'll offer you the deal again, probably at or near your price. That's what happened to me. Saved over $1,000 from the initial quote. I am delighted with my warranty and feel certain it will more than pay for itself when I go to sell the car before the warranty is up as mine is transferable one time.
QUOTE: "But 5 years from now the price of gasoline is likely to be way over $7/gal. Why would gasoline not be, say, $20/gallon?"
Some of you guys are way too pessimistic. Gas will not be over $10 per gallon in our lifetime. There's no way. It's a media fear tactic. It's just a fairytale just like Y2K, imminent nuclear war, acid rain, the ozone layer, etc. If you look back at history you will see all the "for sure" disasters that were supposed to have happened.
You just made up that $300 a year battery expenditure. The battery warranty is 10 years 150,000 miles in California and will likely last quite a bit past that or they will have many claims from marginal batteries that fail a year or 2 earlier.
I have never kept a car for 10 years 150K miles and wouldn't start if I were to buy a hybrid. Many conventional cars will start having major problems before 150K miles and you didn't suggest budgeting for new engines and transmissions.
Maybe you're right. I saw today, but can't find it on the internet, that Toyota will have a PHEV Prius for 2010. That means that gasoline will have to compete with electricity to fuel your car. Currently, it costs 15-20 cents/mile for the battery/electricity to run a Prius, and that may come down a little as batteries slowly improve and we go to inexpensive nighttime electricity metering. So that's a tradeoff point of $6.60-8.80/gallon of gasoline (15-20 X 44mpg). People will be able to turn to electricity as a substitute good instead of gasoline and that should strongly moderate the price of gasoline for some decades.
The last I read it's $3500 to replace a battery and they are warranteed 10 years. Giving the batteries the benefit of the doubt I impute a $300 maintenance/repair item, just like one would for a roof repair set aside on a rental building. This is a special item, unlike a/c, brakes or transmission, which are commonly considered maint/repair items. Since few Prius' have reached the limit of the warranty people are generally ignoring this cost. This may change as older Priuses are resold. A rule of thumb when buying an electric bike, for example, is that the battery is nearly dead and you'll have to buy a new one very soon. But, yeah, if I had a car with over 100k on it I'd make sure I had $2,000 in the bank to cover a major repair item. And if I bought a Prius near the end of battery warranty I'd have an additional $3500 set aside for the battery.
Amen. Someone finally gets it. All these Prius Huggers think the value of their $27,000 yesterday's technology is going to somehow increase as time goes on. It's simply not the case. Toyota is abandoning the current Prius system in favor of electricity and so is every other hybrid car maker. Yes, the majority of cars produced in 2013 will still be gasoline powered vehicles but they will all be Prius competitors and will overtake it as a more economical solution. Unlike today, Prius will not be the only green alternative. Expect Toyota to start gradually decreasing the sticker price on any gas/electric hybrid it produces, Prius or otherwise. In 5 years gas/electric hybrids will be yesterday's news and you won't see people paying $27k for a car worth at best $15,000 brand new regardless of what technology it uses to get 45MPG's.
What's wrong with warrantyshack.com? It's supposed to be the same extended warranty from Toyota.
When I bought my Prius, the dealer sold me the 7-year/75K-mile plan for $975, and I cancelled it a few days later. I got confused with all the different warranty options and thought I was buying the 100K-mile plan. BTW, the extended warranty can be purchased anytime before the 3-year factory warranty expires. I probably won't buy it.
Hasn't the Prius repair history made it about the most reliable new vehicle you can buy plus the the battery is what most people are worried about and that's covered longer by the factory warranty than the longest available extended warranty anyway?
It makes even less sense to get the extended warranty on a Prius than the average car (where it still is usually not recommended).
"Toyota is abandoning the current Prius system in favor of electricity and so is every other hybrid car maker. "
That is a new one for me. So far as I know Toyota is considering a plug-in hybrid, which is still gasoline electric. The usefulness of this technology depends upon Li-Ion battery technology being able to support it.
"In 5 years gas/electric hybrids will be yesterday's news and you won't see people paying $27k for a car worth at best $15,000 brand new regardless of what technology it uses to get 45MPG's."
I see no reason for Toyota to decrease the price. With gas prices as high as they are (and unlikely to be lower), I think that they will keep the price about where it is. If anything, the lower cost cars may have a hybrid option - and would would cost more.
However, I do agree with you. As the batteries age and the cars near their 150K / 10 year warranty on the hybrid parts, plus the fact that newer models will most likely have better technology, the resale values are likely to be depressed, at least somewhat. Right now there is an anomaly, as people experience gas price shock...
Thank you host - all are debating battery life, future developments etc. all influencing the overall cost of ownership but what price are people paying for the car???
"Thank you host - all are debating battery life, future developments etc. all influencing the overall cost of ownership but what price are people paying for the car???"
Read back through the forum, the prices are there. I think that most are paying from 300 below MSRP to 3K above MSRP (IIRC from my reading this forum). Depends on the dealer, the part of the country (SE US is more expensive), and if the dealer managed to get add-ons put on the vehicle.
Toyota of Santa Maria, CA. Current quote: Prius6 with mats, $30,800 OTD, 6week-6month wait. Extended warranty, 6yr/100k, was $1100 in Oct, probably higher now.
First NEVER buy a warranty not backed by the manufacturer. When it comes to factory warranties, you have the piece of mind that Toyota or Ford is backing the warranty.
Second, consumer reports stated in the april issue that most people come out behind on a warranty purchase by about $300.00 (ie the cost of the repairs or benefits they received during the life of the warranty was $300.00 less than the cost of the warranty.
Third, never forget that EVERYTHING you pay for at a car dealership is negotiable.
SO just make sure you get a $300 discount of the price of the warranty
I work for Don Joseph Toyota in Kent, Ohio. We are selling the Prius MSRP @ Delivery whatever the window sticker says is the price. There was talk that we were going to start charging $1000 over MSRP like the other dealerships around here but I don't think we will be.
Comments
Call Honda or Toyota customer service and tell them you want to buy a 1.0 liter, 70hp conventional car, or a 50 realworld-mpg Fit with the Insight hybrid drivetrain. First automaker to bring it on gets your business.
Credit crunch, housing collapse, $4/gallon gasoline. They have the cars. Demand that they sell them by waiting/boycotting.
I ordered a silver "standard" style (the lowest priced style) from Galaxy Toyota in Eatontown, NJ on May 10. I was told there would be a 4-6 week wait until it arrived. I got it yesterday (June 6), which was one day short of 4 weeks. Here is the price breakdown:
MSRP - 21,500
Carpet Floor Mats - 199
Destination Charge - 660
Dealer Prep Stuff (pinstripe, wheel well covers, some other stuff I've forgotten) - 50
7% Sales Tax - 1568.63
NJ Tire Fee - 7.50
Registration Title Fee - 57.50
Documentary Fee - 209
Online Registration Fee - 8.30
Total 24,259.93
There were a couple points where we were able to negotiate. Even though I didn't want any of the Dealer Prep stuff, they said they were under contract to Toyota to provide it. The starting price I was quoted for that was $450, so even though I didn't want it at all, I guess $50 is not too bad. Plus they do some ID number window etching for vehicle protection as a standard practice, but I said I didn't want that either. So even though the car came with it, they did not charge me the normal $189 for that.
I had done an internet inquiry and talked with a couple of other area dealers who made it sound like it was impossible to even get the "standard" style. When I went into Galaxy in person, they worked with me to get me what I wanted. And based on what I've seen here and from what I heard from the other dealers I talked to, I think the price I paid was reasonable given the demand for this vehicle. At least I hope so.
Based on my experience in buying this Prius, I would recommend Galaxy Toyota and the salesman and sales manager I worked with, Asad Kahn and Mike Kelerher.
BTW, when we picked up the car last night, they told us that there is now a 4 month wait at that dealership to receive a Prius after ordering it. They are only allocated 2 or 3 a month. I'm glad I ordered mine when I did!
MSRP - 22475
Package #5 - 5280 - 2000 (extra value package discount) = 3280
Glass Breakage Sensor - 165
Wheel Locks - 67
Accessory Package (Floor mats, cargo mat and net, first aid kit) - 279
Destination Charge - 660
Dealer Prep - 100
Extended Warranty (7/750000) - 1845
MD Tax - 1591.56
Registration Title Fee - 237
Total 30699
Good luck everyone!
The main reason for higher gas prices in Europe is their extra taxes. Their Euro itself goes further than the American greenback in buying $140/barrel oil.
...... an 08 Prius will lose less value than any new car you can buy today.
You could be right, but it remains to be seen what the future lithium battery will do to the resale of today's hybrids.
Potentially, sure it would, just as newer computers do to older ones. Improved battery technology would mean better battery life, lower weight and smaller size.
The big elephant in the room is that battery expenditure for PHEVs might be in the range of 12-14 cents per mile, plus about 3-5 cents or more/kwh for the electricity, for a total of 15-20 cents/mile. That equates to gasoline at $6.60-$8.80. Hard to imagine that used 44 mpg Priuses will be even moderately depreciated even if gasoline over $10/gallon and PHEVs getting 70mpg-equivalent and costing under $40,000 were available. They'll be like used Civics and Corollas are today--still highly desirable and pricey.
Back on topic, I paid $1100 for a platinum 6yr/100k warranty with my Prius in Oct. You might find one online for a little less but I sure feel better about getting my warranty at the point of sale, bricks and mortar.
The resale will remain high for as long as there a is low supply of the Prius on the used car market.
You are saying that there won't be current generation Prius' flooding the used car market in the near future??? I don't see how there wouldn't be. As soon as the new hybrid vehicles come out, people will be ditching their Prius' just like they ditched their 1st generation iPhones for the 2nd generation iPhone and iPods for iPod Touch. Ever hear of keeping up with the Jones???
There is little demand for used PCs and there is plenty of demand for used vehicles with high MPG which will include used Prius cars even without having the newer battery from the upcoming redesign.
It was a ridiculous comparison. A car is not an iPod that is thrown away every other year. eBay is flooded with more used iPods than the market can bear and the same is not true with the Prius. Are used 2003 first generation Prius sedans overflowing used car lots?
At some point in the future there will be plenty of used cars that average 45 mpg plus on the used car market, but that is many years away. The used car market will quickly soak up the used Priuses that are replaced with new ones unless there is a major drop in gas prices.
Yes, there will still be demand for the Prius but there will be MORE DEMAND FOR THE NEWER TECHNOLOGY. Anyone who thinks the current 2008-09 Prius will out demand ANY future hydrogen or electric or even gas/electric hybrid is just plain ignorant. People want new technology. That's the reason so many Prius's have sold. New technology attracts buyers. Necessity is the mother of invention. Invention is the mother of sales.
Hmmmm....no...I wonder why? Ever hear of Wikipedia???
Toyota announced on June 7, 2007 that it had sold 1 million hybrid vehicles globally, nearly 345,000 of the first 1 million hybrid cars made by Toyota were sold in Japan.
U.S. sales of the Prius began in August 2000. By 2001 sales there totaled 15,556, and by 2002 had reached 20,119. In 2004 sales there were 53,991.
ACCORDING TO A 2004 SALES REPORT, THERE WEREN'T EVEN A COMBINED TOTAL OF 54,000 PRIUS SOLD IN THE U.S.
Even the previously nearly worthless older Geo Metros are in demand now and values have skyrocketed.
Mass market hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles in the price range of the Prius are a long way away.
With the economy the way it is I bet there will not be a mass exodus of current generation Prius owners replacing their cars with the new model with the same flippant whim they would dump last year's hand held electronic gadget. Some people will still trade for the new model, but not the high percentage that would if the economy was booming
The added demand caused by the very high fuel prices is going to support the values of high mpg vehicles more than what's historically typical when car models have been replaced in the past when gas was cheap.
However, if the car industry would start selling 60-80hp cars like the Metro, the iQ, or any of the dozens of similar European cars those would be at least the equal of the current Prius in terms of depreciation.
Say, in 2012 do you want a 60mpg PHEV Prius for $45,000 or a used 45mpg Prius for say $20,000-25,000? The fuel difference is 72 gallons per year. Remember fuel efficiency is a diminishing return. To go from 60 mpg to 100 mpg only saves 80 gallons per year and it becomes very expensive to eke out those few gallons of savings--lithium batteries, components, carbon fiber body, expensive metals and fabrication.
At the UCBerkeley energy conference, March 1-2, the expert on hydrogen cars said that they are way far from feasible: 1) on-board storage is very difficult, dangerous, expensive. 2) Hydrogen is very difficult to obtain--microbial manufacture or hydrolysis of water are hugely inefficient.
Both edmunds and Consumer Report project Yaris, Civic, Fit and Prius among the very cheapest cars to own over the next five year period, taking into account gasoline futures, depreciation, maintenance, insurance, etc. The difference between Prius and Fit or Yaris is about 90-100 gallons per year.
I threw in a few dollar figures which represent the cost/month for gasoline at $20/gallon (five years from now?). From this you can see that the "sweet spot" is 50mpg inexpensive conventional cars like the Metro (but nowadays with much, much better quality). Anyone remember the 50hp, 60mpg diesel Rabbit from the 70s?
Call Honda and Toyota and tell them to bring em.
15mpg (SUV) 4,0000 gallons
18mpg (minivan) 3,300
23mpg (Camry, Accord or similar) 2,600
30mpg (approx. Civic, Corolla) 2,000 $670
34mpg (certain Yarises, Fits) 1,760 $590
38mpg (used Echo, manual) 1,580
42mpg (Prius, touring) 1,430
44mpg (Prius, base, standard) 1,360 $450
44mpg (various inexpensive
conventional European cars, iQ) 1,360
50mpg (50-60hp conventional car) 1,200 $400
mpg-equivalents, speculative
60mpg (theoretical PHEV Prius
costing extra $10k over Prius) 1,000 $330
100mpg (Popular Mechanics
concept car, PHEV, expensive) 600 $200
Does Toyota make a bicycle? If so it probably costs $1,000 more than a similar American bike.
2008 touring (not sure which package), 12K, asking $28,500
2008 touring (not sure which package), <500 miles, asking $30,000
obviously much of this depends on the condition of the cars (and the packages), but let's assume they pass toyota inspections and that warranties transfer (a dealer told me they do).
any thoughts?
$520 per month lease at $500 down, 15K miles per year. this is a package 2. 6 weeks ago a package 6 was less than this...not feeling thrilled about the payments, esp since my last car was twice as expensive and cost the same to lease.
Are there any dealers in SoCal not marking up/accessorising the cars? I've talked to several people who were going to get a Prius but were turned off by the dealers sticking it to them on markups.
However, if they were to compare Fit or Yaris I think theyd win. Also, a theoretical 40mpg, 70-80hp Fit or Yaris would easily win, if only they'd sell them.
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/amorylovins/43/rethinking-the-cost-of-hybrid-cars.ht- ml
What advice or considerations would there be for buying a semi-hi (84,000) mile 05 used prius? Is the warranty tranferrable from the original owner? Is it an 8 year 100k mile warranty?
Thanks!
The battery warranty depends on the state. In California, the battery warranty is longer than that. The warranty on the rest of the car is over unless there is an extended service contract.
Even if you added your sales tax to the loan it would only be $490.
At 15,000 miles a year at EVEN A WHOPPING $7.00 per gallon of gas, that would mean....
Yaris $3,387.10
Prius $2,282.61
WOW!!! WATCH OUT BILL GATES, WE HAVE AN ANNUAL SAVINGS OF $1,104.49 IN GAS MONEY!!!!
5 year loan at 6% plus 8% sales tax for $27,000 Prius = $563.74 per month
5 year loan at 6% plus 8% sales tax for $14,000 Yaris = $292.31 per month
Prius costs $271.43 more per month but saves only $92.04 in gas money AT $7 PER GALLON!!! That's a NET LOSS of $179.39 per month for 60 months =
-$10,763.40 FOR THE ENTIRE LOAN. HMMMM...WE COULD BE INVESTING THAT $179 PER MONTH AND MAKING MONEY (MORE ON THIS LATER).
The media has brainwashed us (except me) into thinking we must all drive a Prius.
Again, these numbers were assuming $7 GAS. It's realistically even sadder for the Prius assuming $4-$5 per gallon.
And since it's now 2013 after you pay off the loan, the market is now flooded with the Prius and other Hybrids and 40-50MPG vehicles, you can bet that resale values after 5 years are NOT going to make up for that almost $11,000 LOSS. Plus, as I said earlier, if you had invested that $179 you would have saved per month with the Yaris, even at 5% gains you would have a small fortune which would be impossible for the Prius' resale value to compare to.
As a positive to Prius you need to consider the difference in resale between Prius and Yaris.
As a negative to Prius you need to consider battery expenditure.
I've long thought the same about Prius vs. small conventional car. But I think we're now pretty close to Prius becoming the more economical choice. The trick is in predicting resale and gasoline prices 5 years out.
However, if you research Toyotas sold elsewhere youll find the 1.0 liter, 67hp Aygo sold in UK, toyota.co.uk, gets the same mpg as Prius and costs less than half as much with similar features. It's smaller and goes 0-60 in 14 seconds vs. Prius' 10 seconds, but they are both rated about 100mph top speed. The Aygo gets better mpg than Prius at highway speed.
Now those are the numbers that are hard to dispute.
Contact Toyota customer service,http://www.toyota.com/help/contactus.html, and tell them to bring the Aygo to the US. Tell them you'll buy a Honda Fit if they bring it over with 1.0 liter, 67hp. Then contact Honda and tell them you'll buy a 1.0 liter Toyota Aygo if they bring it first. Tell them you're putting off buying a car until that day.
I'm tired of marketing execs thinking Americans are power-addicted brutes (even if most of us actually are).
Tip: Get a quote for the warranty but decline it saying you'd do it for, say, $1100. Finish the contract on the car. At settlement time they'll offer you the deal again, probably at or near your price. That's what happened to me. Saved over $1,000 from the initial quote.
I am delighted with my warranty and feel certain it will more than pay for itself when I go to sell the car before the warranty is up as mine is transferable one time.
Some of you guys are way too pessimistic. Gas will not be over $10 per gallon in our lifetime. There's no way. It's a media fear tactic. It's just a fairytale just like Y2K, imminent nuclear war, acid rain, the ozone layer, etc. If you look back at history you will see all the "for sure" disasters that were supposed to have happened.
I have never kept a car for 10 years 150K miles and wouldn't start if I were to buy a hybrid. Many conventional cars will start having major problems before 150K miles and you didn't suggest budgeting for new engines and transmissions.
Since few Prius' have reached the limit of the warranty people are generally ignoring this cost. This may change as older Priuses are resold. A rule of thumb when buying an electric bike, for example, is that the battery is nearly dead and you'll have to buy a new one very soon.
But, yeah, if I had a car with over 100k on it I'd make sure I had $2,000 in the bank to cover a major repair item. And if I bought a Prius near the end of battery warranty I'd have an additional $3500 set aside for the battery.
When I bought my Prius, the dealer sold me the 7-year/75K-mile plan for $975, and I cancelled it a few days later. I got confused with all the different warranty options and thought I was buying the 100K-mile plan. BTW, the extended warranty can be purchased anytime before the 3-year factory warranty expires. I probably won't buy it.
It makes even less sense to get the extended warranty on a Prius than the average car (where it still is usually not recommended).
Stick with the purchase experience please... There are plenty of forums for comparison discussions....
Thanks!
kyfdx
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That is a new one for me. So far as I know Toyota is considering a plug-in hybrid, which is still gasoline electric. The usefulness of this technology depends upon Li-Ion battery technology being able to support it.
"In 5 years gas/electric hybrids will be yesterday's news and you won't see people paying $27k for a car worth at best $15,000 brand new regardless of what technology it uses to get 45MPG's."
I see no reason for Toyota to decrease the price. With gas prices as high as they are (and unlikely to be lower), I think that they will keep the price about where it is. If anything, the lower cost cars may have a hybrid option - and would would cost more.
However, I do agree with you. As the batteries age and the cars near their 150K / 10 year warranty on the hybrid parts, plus the fact that newer models will most likely have better technology, the resale values are likely to be depressed, at least somewhat. Right now there is an anomaly, as people experience gas price shock...
Read back through the forum, the prices are there. I think that most are paying from 300 below MSRP to 3K above MSRP (IIRC from my reading this forum). Depends on the dealer, the part of the country (SE US is more expensive), and if the dealer managed to get add-ons put on the vehicle.
When it comes to factory warranties, you have the piece of mind that Toyota or Ford is backing the warranty.
Second, consumer reports stated in the april issue that most people come out behind on a warranty purchase by about $300.00 (ie the cost of the repairs or benefits they received during the life of the warranty was $300.00 less than the cost of the warranty.
Third, never forget that EVERYTHING you pay for at a car dealership is negotiable.
SO just make sure you get a $300 discount of the price of the warranty
Mark