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Weird question about 2005 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by TrillingThrows, Mar 19, 2021.

  1. TrillingThrows

    TrillingThrows New Member

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    Hello guys , this might be a shot in the dark , but I used to work at a shipping company in SoCal in my teens that sent products to somewhere in Asia (I know didn't really narrow it down much lol) , and there was a guy who would sell Priuses to the shipping company I worked at. I talked with him one day and he said that for some reason there was a massive demand for specifically original white color paint 2004-2006? (can't remember what year it was ) priuses , and they also HAD to have a little black button right on the driver's door handle. He was selling even salvage title horrible condition priuses , some even without Hybrid batteries which would otherwise cost $2-3k for $5k. My boss also employed quite a few "finders" who would literally scourge the internet or junkyards for prii with the specs I listed above , he would pay them a hefty finder's fee to whoever managed to procure them for him. He would then ship them off on containers to somewhere in Asia. Does anyone know what in the heck was going on here? At first I thought that prii were in high demand somewhere in Asia , but the fact that that they HAD to be original paint white , they also HAD to be a specific year and HAD to have the little black button was kind of peculiar to me.
     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    That's the second time I have heard this on this site. Exactly the same except the white color and black button. It was because the Prius has very low emissions and meets strict emissions laws in that country..
     
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  4. Sanchan

    Sanchan Junior Member

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    Interesting!! Why "black Button" and "White"???
     
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  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Black button means it has an SKS key system. But don't understand white. The SKS is the best feature of this car so i can see that.
     
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  6. Sanchan

    Sanchan Junior Member

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    Ok! Thanks! I am thinking that "White" is a popular color in a place like Japan(at least it was when I lived there..)so it might be that....Don't know much about other Asian nations though..
     
    #6 Sanchan, Mar 19, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 19, 2021
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  7. TrillingThrows

    TrillingThrows New Member

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    I had no idea about the SKS system , thanks for bringing that up to my attention!
    You're most likely right surprisingly enough in China(50%) and Asia pacific(41%) the predominant car color is white compared to 27% in the US .
    Thanks for the help guys this definitely makes the most sense , I wonder if they are still doing this though , it's a great money-making opportunity for all parties involved.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    trolling thrills?
     
  9. TrillingThrows

    TrillingThrows New Member

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    I don't understand what you're trying to say , can you explain?
     
  10. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    rolling hills?
    dark satanic mills?
     
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