Leased Prius III from Upstate New York

'Bought' Prius III in Upstate New York

Hey everyone! Long time reader, first time poster. It's been an interesting past few weeks here for me.

I'm a proud driver of a 17 year old Mercury Grand Marquis (hand me down) and while I love that car to death, it's just about ready to be brought into the garage for good. So, no perfect time to start looking for a new car.

Naturally, going from gas guzzlers (I'm no stranger to 4x4's and gas hogs) to a great piece of machinery like the Prius would have a bit of a learning curve for someone like me. But even with high expectations going in, I was pleasantly surprised by my test drive of an '09 Prius that I was almost ready to take it off the lot then and there. That was about 2 months ago though. And I'm happy that I waited. Since February, I've been reading up about the 2010 updates and I can't WAIT to get into one and drive it around.

I drive about 3x more than the average person since I do a lot of traveling from Brooklyn to Upstate, New York every week/bi-weekly. So I thought I'd try a few dealers both in the city as well as in the Catskills to see where I could get the best deal.

I first stopped by Johnston's Toyota in Monticello (Exit 107 off Route 17). The salespeople were very helpful, and gave me information right off the bat on how long of a wait, what cars they were getting, etc. Not one complaint I have with these guys. Professional to say the very least.

Going around Brooklyn was a complete waste of time. It was sad to see the salesperson not even be able to SPELL Prius correctly on their call sheet. As well as being completely uninformed by the package changes of the 2nd & 3rd gen Prius. (Seemed to be an on-going thing among 'big' dealers in the Tri-State area). I even stopped by a few of the 'big boys' in Jersey, since I work near Woodbridge. They were even LESS helpful. And they couldn't give me any information, aside from giving me a 'good price' on a Prius II that was actually closer to the MSRP of the Prius IV. A head shaking moment for sure.

So I head back to Johnstons' and am pleased to find out that they have a Prius III Blizzard Pearl coming in from the Kentucky Highway (Thanks PriusChat for the info ), and that pretty much sealed the deal for me. Waiting 3 weeks for a car instead of 3 months sounded like a stroke of good luck.

At this point though, as much as I would've liked to purchase the car, I really need to spare every penny possible. So I went with a 36 month lease for 15k miles. I think I got fair price,considering it's a new car. As well, the Prius III was modified somewhat, with some Port installed options added. And I really need a new car soon, and not some time after Summer. If anyone in the New York area is having a difficult time finding the new '10's around, try giving Johnston's a shot and see if they can help you out.

So in about two weeks time (hopefully less), I'll be the proud driver of a new 2010 Prius! Can't wait!!! And I just wanted to say thanks to everyone on here at PriusChat. You all really helped out a lot with information that seems to have alluded many a salesmen in car dealerships! Thanks again! And good luck to everyone hoping to get their hands on a new '10!

--Dan

 

No, I haven't driven it as of yet. I was so impressed with the '09 drive (given my expectations), that I thought I'd wait for the '10 to arrive. (Since I'm usually the one to jump the gun RIGHT BEFORE something new and improved comes around.)

I am aware though that the feel of the car is different, especially with the steering, but I'm sure I will do just fine. Been driving with many different vehicles over the years (despite my age), so I don't think I'll have any difficulty adjusting to any minor difference. Can't wait to get behind the wheel, I'll tell you that much!

 

I hear what you're saying SageBrush, and I agree with you in that regard. Guess I should clarify. I was really on the fence between buying and leasing, and in the end decided to lease. As this will be my first hybrid, I want to 'try before I buy', so to speak. Hearing some folks complain about the batteries dying out on them and costing lots of $$$ to replace them got me a bit worried. Also, having had a car that's been 'drivin' around the block', really starting to bring up maintainence costs. Of course, with the Prius I know that those costs are smaller, but even so. I guess it's just a bit of the 'cold feet' factor for me, and I just want to see how this car handles for the time being. Taking a test drive is one thing, but driving months down the road is another.

As well, I forgot to mention that I carpool with with my family sometimes while traveling upstate. And my folks have an SUV that gets an average of 16 MPG. So with the back and forth that I'd do on that for traveling, plus what my Dad uses it for with his business = to about 3x more driving than what most people would do with that car. Sorry for the confusion.

If I like the car well enough, when the lease is up I can go for a newer model from the dealer and perhaps go with a purchase then. And hopefully the economy will be better so I will have some more pennies saved up. I was debating on whether I should go with a 15k or 20k lease, but after doing calculations on how much I'd drive this particular car in a year, even with the carpooling every now and then, 15k sounds like it would do me just fine.

 

After thinking long and hard (yet again) on what would be best for me, I decided to go ahead and purchase the car instead of lease. I think in the long run it will certainly work better for me. Nothing like peace of mind while on the road. And perhaps I'll take a few cross country trips while I'm at it. No better vehicle to do it with I'd say! Thanks everyone for you thoughts/comments!!!!

 

Re: 'Bought' Prius III from Upstate New York

I have to say that I am extremely satisfied with the service I've gotten from Johnston's. With all the dealers that I've been to regarding the 2010's, they were the most knowledgeable and friendly. Almost felt like I was dealing with old friends, rather than some bozo behind a desk trying to 'win me over' with stale jokes and more questions than answers. I still can't get over this one guy in the city who couldn't even spell Prius correctly on his callsheet. Wow.


Thanks again for all the news and information here everyone! PriusChat is most definitely the source for all you could ever want to know about our favorite Hybrid!

 

Hah. Well, when you drive folks from Brooklyn/Manhattan, a lot of them would consider Monroe to be 'Upstate'! I hear ya though. And I just might have to take you up on that offer! Thanks again everyone. Can't wait to get behind the wheel in the next few days!

 

Yes, it most certainly is! I've been meaning to go to Maine sometime for some good ol' lobster for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Perhaps I'll stop by and pick you guys up in my new Prius and go for a 'test drive'!

And I've just got one thing to ask you...have you ever 'picked your feet' in Poughkeepsie? :thumb:

 

Well, in that case we'll just have to take a couple days off from work and just cruise around. I wouldn't mind. I need to get away from the Tunnels and Bridges around NYC/NJ anyway! Just point which direction to go to, and let's ride!