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Prius Prime won't be available in FL ?

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by TX Engineer, Aug 26, 2016.

  1. TX Engineer

    TX Engineer Junior Member

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    I visited my local Toyota dealer in FL to be put on a waiting list for the new Prime. I was promptly informed that they would probably not be getting any Primes, since they were all going to be sent to green states like CA. I don't think this is true from what I have read; aren't they supposed to be shipped to all States?(*I am a little suspicious, as they immediately tried to talk me out of the Prime and tried to sell me one of the 20+ standard Prius which were on there lot). I am a newbie to Prius and need someone to give me the straight scoop???
     
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  2. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    Never believe anything you hear at a car dealership. They either lie or often are just not well informed.

    Unlike the original Prius Plug-in, Toyota has said the Prime will be distributed nationally -- and this time they mean it. I'm guessing, but the previous plug-in may not have been available in Florida and whoever you talked to is assuming the same will be true of the Prime. Or maybe that person just wanted to sell you a car now rather than later.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed. and also, florida is the southeast franchise or something? i've heard they make their own rules.
     
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  4. TX Engineer

    TX Engineer Junior Member

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    I think you are right, never trust a dealer, especially one who has a lot of inventory on his lot. They gave me a whole litany of reasons "not to wait for the Prime" and instead look at the great deals they were offering on their 2016 Priuses on the lot.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    it's funny, iirc, someone else from fl posted the same thing.
     
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  6. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    I was told by the local dealer here (Chicago suburbs) that they wouldn't get any, and if they did it might be only two per year. Very encouraging.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that will all change once toyota is finished 'reengineering' the dealership sales associates.
     
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  8. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Sadly, a salesman is never judged for lining up sales when a new car becomes available. It is all about the current 30 day period.

    So the dealer kill their own sales.
     
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  9. DavidA

    DavidA Prius owner since July 2009

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    As I've mentioned before, I'm not at all opposed to flying out to Dianne Whitmore's dealership and picking up a Prime from her and driving it 100% gas (urp) all the way back to Illinois. I have little confidence with anyone at the couple Toyota dealerships I frequent.
     
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  10. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    My purchase from Dianne was entirely remote. We arranged to have the car shipped, right to my driveway. It worked out great.
     
  11. KokomoKid

    KokomoKid Member

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    The Toyota dealer in Merritt Island, FL told me that the crooks at Southeast Toyota Distributors would not be selling the Prime, at least not yet. I'll call a big city dealer or two, and see if they say the same thing.
     
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  12. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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  13. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Just for the fun of it, I called the closest dealer to us, Sun Toyota in Holiday, FL. The guy seemed pretty up on what's going on. He said Toyota sent them one, which sold right away. (It might be the one I saw on the road last week.) But they don't expect any more for about six months because they are having a hard time making enough to keep up with demand in the states with the super strict emissions rules. I think he even said there are fines if the company doesn't sell enough Primes in those states to keep their average down. Not sure, because I'm not in one of those states and never looked into it.

    FWIW, I commented that that was too bad because there seems to be a lot of demand for them. He agreed. He did say that you could call and they would dig deeper to see what they could do. That may or may not be a ploy to get you in so they can talk you into a hatchback.
     
  14. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Ugh. It's the same old dealer problem Toyota corporate faced back with the Classic model rollout in 2000. They'd deliver a "fleet demo" model to the dealer with explicit instructions not to sell it for 6 months, that it was to be used exclusively for education purposes in the meantime. Some dealers respected that, using it for customer demos and salesperson training. Others sold it without any regard for what it was intended.
     
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  15. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    If he was talking about CARB's ZEV program, that could be true.
     
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  16. phredt

    phredt Junior Member

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    I talked to a dealer a few years ago here in Atlanta when I was looking to buy a Prius Plugin. He said that the Southeast District Manager was very much against plugin cars and swore that there would never by a Toyota Plugin sold in the Southeast Region. Today if you look at Toyota's build app and try to build a Prius Prime in any of the Southeast Region states (GA, AL, FL, NC, SC) you get an error "We're sorry' Our servers are experiencing high levels of traffic, or may be down for scheduled maintenance." If you pick a zipcode right next door in Chattanooga TN. You can build one just fine. I am planning to talk to that same dealer sometime in the next week or so and see if their story has changed. If not I may have to take a ride on the Chattanooga Choo Choo!
     
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  17. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Curious, I wonder if that is still their policy:
    Newsroom


    Who would we ask:
    • Ed Sheehy
    • Brent Burns
    • Colin Brown
    Bob Wilson
     
  18. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    The Chattanooga Choo Choo is a different hotel.
    Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Attractions | Historic Hotels
     
  19. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    I believe the plugin was not sold nationwide, though. They may have been correct about the plugin.
    Since many dealer allocations are based on past sales, that makes the distribution of the nationwide Prime more challenging.
     
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  20. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

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    Ok, that makes a lot more sense. We don't have any CARB credits from sales in the South East. Just we've got Kennedy Space Flight Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and several engineering heavy DoD facilities. All places where engineers love to have modern transportation . . . especially if great globs of fire come out the back end.

    Bob Wilson