Hopefully New Owner Soon...Need Help/Advice

Hey guys, i'm a 19 year old male and i currently drive a 2005 Toyota Tundra Regular Cab V8 Automatic....my gas mileage sucks as i fill up my 26.4 gallon tank and that lasts me a week...i'm looking into getting a Prius just cause of its fuel thriftiness and also helping the Earth doesnt hurt either...a dealer here has a Base without Smart Key and backup sensors for $21k and change or $22 and change for one with package 2....what would be the best bet?

Tis my belief the standard base model has no luggage blind or cruise control so get the package 2 and you will have a nicer ride for not a lot more. If your budget wont stretch to package 2 then a base is still going to give you a nice car with the best fuel efficiency.

I enjoy my package 2. You will enjoy the $$ savings in whatever you decide. I am pleased with the ride and power and comfort as well. My first tank I averaged 46.4 MPG and now I am averaging over 50 MPG in mixed driving, which I know will improve as the new car gets broken in and I perfect my hybrid driving.

I can't tell you how much I like not having to fish around for my keys when I approach my Prius (maybe I just did). Also, I don't think the AUX port for the iPod is included in the base version so you should be aware of that.

I would also tend to agree for not much more the package 2 is definitely worth it, (backup camera, smart key, and Vehicle Stability Control). The VSC is worth the price alone, it engaged once on me this past winter and probably saved my butt (er car) once with the entire family inside.
Try to tell them that you will take the package 2 if he halves the difference from the quoted base model. So if its $1000 difference tell him to knock $500 off and he has a deal.

two new cars in three years at 19 years old.... not bad...

well, the Tundra was purchased in May 2005 by my parents and as a first car for me, killin 2 birds with 1 stone, needed the capabilities back then...its a regular cab V8 auto loaded.....they had been advertising V6 reg cabs for $14,995, and when i went in they said they would give me the V8 for the same price....sticker on it was $21,000...i'm going down to Carmax tomorrow to see what they can offer me, if its in the double digits, they got a deal.....sadly...its been fun buildin it up and taking it offroad but i no longer need to haul/tow things and off roading is expensive....

Welcome (potentially) to Prius ownership, it'll be a very different from the Tundra, but hopefully not too much of your personal identity and sense-of-self is tied up in what you drive. Vehicles are tools, not spiritual beings, although, having said that, they often do reflect some of what we are about.

Oh jeez, now I've got a headache from trying to get all philosophical so early in the morning!

More to the nuts-and-bolts, I'd definitely affirm what others have said about preferring the package 2 over the base. I wanted a base, tend to be disinterested in 'bells-and-whistles' on vehicles, but the dealership didn't have one so I ended up with a 2, and couldn't be happier. The VSC made a difference this past winter on a couple of occasions, and I love the SmartKey system as well. The backup camera is not a big deal to me, more of a distraction than anything, but I guess I would rather have it than not although I tend to ignore it and do reverse in the old-school way.

You really ought to be able to get $10K or more for your Tundra, I would think, assuming that it's in good condition. Those are pretty popular still, at least around here. I just bought my third Tacoma (well, the first two, and '89 and a '93, were pre-Tacoma, but same basic truck) and the dealer here told me that they were selling about three Tundras for every Taco. I'm not sure why with gas prices being what they are, and on the rise, but that's what he told me.

Good luck and welcome.

ya, i took my truck down to Carmax today.....$6,000? WTF? i'm going to take it to a place called Miramar Trucks by my house and see what they can offer cause i found what is either a steal on a Prius or a scam...anyone on here live in the La Jolla area and is selling a Prius?

They are going to give you a price that they can sell your truck and make a couple of bucks. Lets face it, the generation 2 Tundra is not really selling like crazy. Nevermind that yours is a regular cab and that they are still selling 06's off the dealership lot. With the thirsty 4.7 and gas prices where they are going, that truck will probably sit on their lot.

Your best bet is to sell it privately.

Btw, I have a Tundra Access Cab TRD Limited and I know what you mean about gas mileage.

Really??? I'm not familiar with Carmax and do know that selling outright to a dealer for cash is a pretty rough way to go. What does Kelly Blue Book say it's worth? As with the previous poster, I would try to either sell it privately, or find a friendly Toyota dealer who'll give you a half-way decent trade-in on a Prius.

Haha, Kelly Blue Book says my truck is worth $14,000..on TRADE but they dont factor in gas prices, or supply and demand which is why i'll be happy to get anything in double digits

SDTUNDRA,
I just bought a package 2 from Toyota of El Cajon for $21,809, plus taxes/license. My father bought the same vehicle last year from them for $21,489. I requested quotes from dealers in southern CA and AZ and the El Cajon dealership has offered the lowest price two years in a row for us. I asked the salesman about it and he said what I suspected: High volume, low profit margins. Plus it's a family-owned dealership and not a corporate chain.

Hope this helps!

Stan

holy shit dude, thank you for that....i'm going there tomorrow to have them appraise my truck...thats where i bought it from back in 2005 and i got one of those letters in the mail sayin WE WANT TO BUY YOUR VEHICLE!! hahaha

Good luck! I'd venture a guess that if you let them know you're interested in a Prius, they'll do a bit better than $6000. Let us know how it goes.

hi stundra,

good move to think about a prius, but i do want to tell you that in order to get these great figures in gas mileage, you do have to be aware and make a mental commitment to get the most out of every drop...........i
bought my PRII about two weeks ago, and i'm just north of you in hollywood hills......(not that hilly) and i'm averaging 40-47 mpg.......thats
with a committed mind NOT to floor it, blast around town and some sacrifices not to use air con.

also, i heard of a dealer in mission hills, ca. that outright quotes you a price on the car and package. my dealer that i bought it from charged me
over the fair price, i paid about 1000 above, so i'm not going to recommend them.

you will be happy with your PRII, no doubt, just be aware of what i'm saying cuz it's the absolute, real world truth. last note here, whenever you can, try to buy the best car possible. in this case, try to buy the highest package you can. it will be a great convenient to you and it will also hold it's value a bit longer. all this within your financial limits.

cheers.

:flame: