Confused about which trim level I have

I looked at a very definite unmistakable IV that was advertised as a V (15" wheels, no fogs, halogen headlights, and the solar ventilation, which was not available in trim V) ... and when, out of curiosity, I plugged the VIN into some actual Toyota web site, it was shown as a V.

So there was something funky about that web site. If the seller had looked it up the same way, I wouldn't blame them for listing it the way they saw it.

 

People make mistakes. From your description, at the least, it seems like a confusing situation.

When I bought a BMW several years ago, it was not until they emailed a photo of the title before completing the sale (following which I looked up the VIN) that I found that it was actually a late-year 2001 vs. a 2002 that they had advertised it as. In that case, there was no design difference between the two model years, but after I called them on it, they dropped the price a little. My MY2001 was made in June 2001. MY2002 production started, with an identical design, in August 2001.

Similarly on that car, it had the bigger wheels that came on their "Sport" version with stiffer suspension, different steering wheel, etc. The seller had NO IDEA (about a lot of things, as I found from going through the service receipts). I'm sure they honestly thought they had the sport version due to the big wheels (the obvious characteristic in that situation).

Perhaps the seller thought that leather seats meant V, just like my BMW seller thought the bigger wheels meant Sport. It happens.

In most states that I'm aware of, car-sale laws tend to favor "buyer beware" unless blatant fraud is involved. So unless you can prove that they intentionally misled you (and you probably can't; and even if you could ...), it is a done deal. Sounds like a good car. Hope you can enjoy it.

 

Does your vehicle look like a station wagon or sedan?

Toyota made a Prius V which looks like a hatchback or station wagon. That the sales document indicates "prius hb V" suggests that maybe you have a Prius V, hatchback (hb).

If it's actually a third-gen Prius and you were "lied to," you might have a problem with demonstrating damages. It's not like they hid anything from you. Whether they called the car "V" or "23" or "turd," how it was configured and what options it had (or didn't have) were plain to see. You examined the car, thought it was worth $x and paid accordingly. If they did lie, I'm not saying that you don't have a case, but you have a car with all the options that you saw at the time you bought it.

As Shakespeare wrote: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose / By Any Other Name would smell as sweet.”

 

Weren't Roman numbers for trim level only on 2010s? By 2011, they went to either Arabic numerals or English words, preparing the path for lowercase letters 'v' and 'c' for variants in 2012. And the multiple uses of V/v did cause confusion.

The wagon version is not possible on a 2011, as those didn't come out until model year 2012. And the 'v' in official Toyota materials for the 'wagon' must be lower-case, though third-party listings often ignored this.

 

Go look on car gurus or cars dot com and you'll see a ton of wrongly identified Prius. If you want the quick way to see mistakes set definition to Prius V hatchback. Big easily identified mistakes even at Toyota dealerships. Toyota didn't help themselves or us too much when adding identification markings on these cars. There basically aren't any except on the Persona series.

Then you have nutty people like me who add fog lights and 17 inch Persona wheels to a 2011 Solar IV. We now have a 2014 Solar IV that will probably end up the same way. Plus we're going with HID low beams for even more future confusion fun and games.

 

Not to mention the fact that you can plug the VIN into Toyota's own website and have it come back with the wrong answer for the trim level.

 

Any car made in the 6th month is sold as the next years model.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

If it was a model with the stock LED headlights, it would also have the headlight washers. Just an inch or two below the headlights on the front bumper, there'd be small body-coloured, rectangular pieces (roughly 3/4"x1") with rounded edges/corners, about 1/8" proud of the bumper surface.

Addendum, took a pic:

 

Sorry, but that is definitely false. It depends on the model, etc.
I've seen where the switchover is as early as April. Tradition in Germany is to do the switchover around July-August.
But there is no law / rule / tradition that all cars follow.
And the info about my car is 100% correct.

 

I dont know about germany but here in the u.s. it starts in june and any month after so any 2020 car made after 6/2019 is sold as a 2020

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Do you believe that there is some sort of rule or law that dictates this? My understanding has been that it is up to the manufacturer.

 

In the U.S., emissions regulations depend on the model year, so the EPA requires that any model year “must always include January 1 of the calendar year for which it is designated and may not include a January 1 of any other calendar year” (40 CFR 85, Subpart X); the actual dates are up to the automaker. NHTSA requires that the model year be encoded in the tenth position of the VIN (49 CFR § 565.15).

 

Not true. My Prius is a model year 2013 (sold as such to me in February 2014 and confirmed by VIN), manufactured in September 2013 per the label:




This varies not only by manufacturer but by model. 2014 Corolla production began in August 2013, while the 2014 Prius didn't start until after September 2013.

 

Whenever I read your info-dense posts, I say a little prayer: that you never "go to the dark side". If you ever decide to become an evil mastermind, we're all screwed...

And if you ever want an avatar, if I may suggest:

 

You proved what I am saying your car was produced in 9/13 but sold as a 2014
I will post a pic of my 2010 produced in 6/2009. Check your title

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.