Getting ready to buy a prius

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 1 2007, 12:29 PM) [snapback]369295[/snapback]</div>

Hello, I'm sure you'll get a lot of answers. I got my Prius online as the dealer had it in stock vs waiting on a list (at the time). Personally I wouldn't look for the "free" incentives. Ballpark depends on what you want; you can go to http://www.toyota.com/prius/ to see what options cost.

I have the cloth seats, but I have seat covers. This broadens your choices as there are several types of seat covers to get. Leather is probably good too.

The security system is pretty good. We haven't heard of a theft by hot-wiring. You pretty much need the fob to start the car, or put it on a flat bed. There's an optional glass sensor.

I never had a GPS navigation system before and I really like it. It does have a night mode. My original plan was to get one without a system as you can get an after-market for far less and is cheaper to upgrade (the built-in costs about $250 for a new DVD). My next car will have a NAV system, whether it's built-in or not is still up in the air.

Welcome to the group!

 

I'd avoid any of the dealer stuff like LoJack, Etching, undercoating, etc.

I'd recommend the side air bags and the VSC. Beyond that, buy what you like and can afford. If you want leather and can afford the entire leather package, go for that. Otherwise, you can always add leather after market.

I like the cloth seats. They clean amazingly well. I mean truly amazing. I got road tar off of a seat and you can't tell. They are also a lot more comfortable in summer and winter. I had leather in my last car. Never again. I did put a Wheelskins leather cover on the steering wheel though.

You can use an aftermarket GPS system if you don't want the Nav. (I don't have Nav and don't miss it.)

As for theft deterrent, you need the fob to start the car. I have heard of no instances of a Prius being stolen by hot wiring or hacking. I suppose they could haul it up on a flatbed and carry it away. But you can do that to any car with any theft deterrent system.

I'd be wary of the free incentives your dealer is offering. It may be that you pay more for the car so you're not getting anything for free.

Call all of the dealers within a reasonable driving distance to see what colors/options are in stock. You may find what you want without any waiting.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 1 2007, 03:29 PM) [snapback]369295[/snapback]</div>

Dealer choice is up to the individual. I get Consumer Reports and the Prius's of all years have an excellent rating from them. I have leather seats in my Accord & love them. Cloth seats soil easily. Leather seats feel good to me. Unless toyota changes their ways you can't just option for the leather seats. You will need a much more expensive pkg. to get them. I have an '06 with pkg. 1 and have no alarm or navigation system. My car is garaged and never gets parked in undesirable places. If I was putting an alarm system in I like Viper. I had 1 in a Camry once. I would only spring for navigation if I traveled alot, but I rarely leave the area. My next Prius will probably have pkg. 1 again as I don't need or want anything other than the factory alarm & leather seats. Good luck.

 

Welome to PC.

Any "free" incentives will be worth too little to be a real consideration. It sounds like you are concerned about price. In that case, I would stay away from leather. I hate leather anyway. Cloth is much more comfortable. The built-in NAV is much more expensive than an after-market GPS. I have the Garmin StreetPilot 2720 and I love it. It sits more in my line of sight than the MFD does, and leaves the MFD free for its own display stuff.

I very strongly recommend the LOWEST options package that includes VSC and all the side airbags. These are both safety features that every car should have. Everything else is luxuries that you can well do without if price is a concern. If price is no object, go ahead and buy the top package. But if price was no object you wouldn't be asking us about where to get the best deal. If you are going to borrow money to buy the car, that's all the more reason to skip the luxury items (leather, Bluetooth, NAV, upgraded sound system, etc.) and just get the base car plus safety features.

Whatever you do, do not buy ANY dealer add-ons. These are all greatly overpriced, and may be sub-standard quality. Anything the dealer will add on can by purchased from after-market suppliers cheaper, and equal or better quality. Some things the dealers add on are actually harmful, such as additional rust-proofing. The car is already rust-proofed, and the after-market stuff can actually trap water and accelerate rusting.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 1 2007, 06:01 PM) [snapback]369342[/snapback]</div>

No, but if you put in after market leather your auto upholsterer could add heat and even lumbar support. Others have done it.

 

Speaking of seats....if you can, rent a Prius for a couple of days. Some people are in pain after driving for 30 minutes while others have no problems. You can make aftermarket changes to the seats, but it's good to know right away.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 1 2007, 04:29 PM) [snapback]369295[/snapback]</div>

Just in regard to what you should be paying. I bought in mid-Nov in the Chicago area (package 3) and paid MSRP because we could drive the car off the lot with no wait in our preferred colors (black out, grey int). If we'd been able to wait until December, we could have saved about 2k, as many of the other dealers I'd shopped at have continued sending me prices with about a 2k under MSRP markdown. Priuses seem to be a bit abundant at the moment, so I would think you ought to be able to do some bartering and bring the price down. And if money's no object, I'd suggest joining Consumer reports for a month (like $2.95 I think) and buying their new car shopping package (about $20-30 I think). You can build whatever configuration of the car you want and see the dealer invoice prices of everything.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 1 2007, 07:01 PM) [snapback]369342[/snapback]</div>

Not quite sure of your question, "how is the leather really" ... but (and forgive me please Godiva for the contradiction) I'll presume you are asking how is the leather.

I WILL say this: Both my wife and I HATED the cloth. We had it removed from our '04 and installed really nice aftermarket leather (it didn't come from the factory back them) My wife and I found the cloth material cheezy, because in less than a year, the armrests and center console looked like they had 10 years of wear on them. We switched to leather and never looked back. The cloth / leather dialogue has been talked about ad infinitum in various threads on priuschat, and you WILL read about a 50/50 split.

We have 2 big dogs, and even though we wash them weekly, their slobber gets into the cloth. Soda gets into the cloth Spill coffee ever? You think you cleaned it off? Forget about it. When we had the cloth removed you wouldn't believe how much junk gets soaked into the foam. Oh, I suppose you could put plastic seat covers over the cloth, and never eat in the car ~ but for many that's a cheezy solution.

And if you worry about the leather feeling cold/hot on those extreamly cold/hot days (not that it's been a big deal to us) you can always put sheep skin covers over the leather, I suppose. It just creeps us out thinking about how many dust mites live in cloth upholstery. For folks with allergies, or their friends, dusty cloth upholstery is no good. With leather you don't have nearly as much junk sinking down into the foam upholstery.

More importantly, welcome to priuschat, and enjoy your new prius! We bought ours with all the options available in '04 ... and it had about 5K miles on it so as to save a few thousand. Anyway, if you use the search function, you WILL find that your topic has most likely been talked about ... a lot!

 

<_< As always... Your choice of 'extras' is a personal preference thing within your budget.

When we decided to upgrade from our '04 Prius, we wanted leather and would not accept the 'port added' leather feeling that the factory installed would be a better fit [and... included the leather-wrapped steering wheel]. We are pleased with the leather. We found a nearby dealer who had both factory and port leather, so we could compare them before actually buying. The fabric in our '04 lasted well with minor exception on the center concole cover and armrests. The fabric must be good in the '07 since the wife got a smear of rouge on a visor and it wiped off easily leaving no stain.

We went for the 'whole enchalada,' Package 6 having had NAV in the '04 and enduring the 'learning curve' I note how Toyota seems to have paid attention to Prius drivers' modifications since introduction of the '04 by making factory leather available, larger wheels with better tires, mudguards, a better suspension, improved surpaces on the glove compartments and upper door panels and a higher-resolution MFD [Multi Function Display]. It appears Toyota actually paid attention to their customers.

Prepare yourself to enjoy your driving experiences when you get your Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 1 2007, 03:29 PM) [snapback]369295[/snapback]</div>

I'll bet even Bill Gates rarely utters the words "money is no object"!

Seriously, the consensus here seems to be that the leather wears lots better than the cloth; I've always preferred leather if I could afford it/was available/was worth re-doing the interior for.

I think the NAV system is okay but lots of folks who know more about it than I think it's not very good (lacks capability, places certain functions off limits unless the car is in park, not terribly intuitive).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 2 2007, 02:52 PM) [snapback]369679[/snapback]</div>

Regarding the NAV, I'm referring to the basic setup of the command screens, etc. Not any software workarounds. But, like lots of the stuff we're discussing, it comes down to what you prefer. It works for me, and it's LOTS easier to use than the Furuno differential GPS units that I used to have on my boat.

I'm not aware of any port installers doing heated seats, but supposedly they come with some sort of "liquijell"(??) inserts or something that isn't mentioned with the factory leather seats.

I've heard positive things about them, but I'm skeptical...then again, I always am.

 

I was in a hurry and did not want to wait for factory leather. I went for the leather upgrade. They have this luquid gel in them. I love the feel as oppose to my 2004 Prius cloth seats. My wife hated to ride in the 04. If it was more than a short drive, she would shift around and try to get more comfortable, but you could tell the seats bothered her. Our port installed leather do not have the stiff leather feel our Suburban leather has. They are more comfortable than our Murano leather also. How durable the gel will be over the long haul, I don't know. But the new leather upgrades are comfortable. I give them a thumbs up.

Like others have said take a test drive. Ask lots of questions. I am sure you will love it.

 

Welcome. Do go to the dealers to see what the cars look like. If you can, rent one and drive it for a couple of hours. When it's time to buy, contact the Internet Sales Managers at the dealers. Personally, I would avoid dealers that automatically add stuff to the sticker. Reported prices are about $2000 below sticker now. I found www.carbuyingtips.com full of useful information.

I started out wanting a package 7 (everything except leather) but am happy with my package 3 as I don't feel I'm missing anything and there are aftermarket solutions that are better and cheaper. For example, my portable GPS unit cost less than Toyota's map upgrade and is more functional.

When you go to the dealer ask the Parts Dept if there is a discount offered to those who purchase there. If so, don't pay list for the floormats or other stuff bundled with the car.

I'm sure you will be happy with whatever trim level you choose.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 7 2007, 07:52 PM) [snapback]372284[/snapback]</div>

They are different cars. It all depends on what you want. The thing I love the most is the hatch ability to haul items that will not fit in a Camry. My wife just had to have this folding table and we picked up a number of other items at Costco, Central Market and Michials today the would never fit in a Camry. I still had plenty of room. You would have to pass or go back a second trip as there is next to no trunk on a Camry. I did not mention the MPG did I.

I have not regretted not getting a Camry. The fact I drove my 2004 Prius for 3 years a actually no cost would be my third reason for buying another Prius. That does not mean the Camry is not the right car for others.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(setheriah @ Jan 7 2007, 08:52 PM) [snapback]372284[/snapback]</div>

While it's good to attempt to forecast things like this, what's most important is that you buy the right car for your needs now, as well as those you may realistically have in the future. Then plan on driving it until it's dead.

This, and not being quite so concerned about resale value, is (in my opinion) the way to get the most out of your new-car-buying dollar.