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2004-2009 Toyota Prius Prices Paid and Buying Experience
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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