How I got my Prius in 198 days (long)

Here's a synopsis of my buying experience in North Carolina, for whatever it's worth. In November I took a test-drive and decided I wanted to buy a Prius. My local dealer had what appeared to be a "slip-shod" process for trying to get one. You didn't specify anything other than the fact you wanted a Prius and they would allegedly call the list and it appeared the first one who came in and agreed to the money got the the car. It was pretty clear they would probably try to load up the cars with expensive options and there would be no ability to decline any of those options. (Subsequently this proved to be true as I saw them listed with cars having $3-4000. in extra options beyond the package price.) I got only one call from my salesman saying a car was due in but it wasn't anything I wanted. Since I'm basically cheap, I didn't push it with him.
Searching the inventory listings we have for the Southeast region, I found a small dealer in Boone, NC (yes it's named for Dan'l) that had one coming exactly as I wanted. Being naive at that time I contacted the dealership and was told it was sold, but that they only had four or five people on their list and I could get on the list by giving them a credit card for a deposit not to be charged until the car was on the way in. So I got on their list.
That was November 25 and the estimated wait was six to eight weeks. They seemed to be getting one car per allocation. By the end of January I was down to about number two on the list, but they only got one car in the next ~12 weeks. Nobody knows why. Then finally in the end of May I saw that they got another car, but it was a package 6 and I was looking for a #7. But by this time I was becoming less fussy and agreed to take it.
Those things illustrate the problems in dealing with a small dealer. Now the good things. My salesman (also Sales Mgr.) said he would try to find someone to swap this #6 for a #7. I didn't have much hope, but a day later he called and said after a huge number of phone calls he had made the switch. He then told me when the car was due in port and that I had up until a couple of days before that point to tell him exactly which options I wanted added to the car and he would remove all the others. I only wanted mats.
Thursday June 10, I traveled the 100+ miles to get the car and it was exactly as I'd been told, the price was MSRP and they have no administrative charges (zero, zilch, nada). Before I got to the Finance guy, I had the check all made out for the price of the car and he jokingly said, "what if I'd sold you the extended warrantee package?". I said, "that's why the check was already made out!" He laughed and that was the last of any extended warrantee discussions.
In summary, you'll have to wait a long and indeterminate time, but at least this small dealer was an absolute pleasure to deal with and I got and paid only what I wanted with absolutely no pressure and I'm really happy !
Carl
PS I got 54.7 MPG on the first 125 miles coming home. However this is a little deceptive since Boone is in the mountains (yes, for you midwesterners and left coasters, North Carolina has mountains ). There was a net elevation change of 3000'+.
CK

 

Since it was mostly down-hill, the elevation was no problem at all, I even got to use the "B" position on the transmission. But I can't speak for how it would do going up-hill.

Carl

 

I expected a comment from the Colorado folks, I didn't expect this remark from a "Texan".

Carl