Prius Shopper with questions

I bought the standard with everything but leather. Unheated leather gets very cold up here in the winter. I like the softer ride of the standard Prius, but then I'm no longer a young aggressive driver. Handling has been great, even on the highway. I did switch to Micheline MXV4+ Energy tires, and that improved road noise, ride, handling, and winter traction. I don't much like the OEM tires on the standard model. The standard model is also much easier to find and comes in a variety of packages.

Tom

 

I bought the standard and haven't regretted it and I haven't felt like the suspension was mushy like some of the more proficient drivers report.

You are correct concerning the rebate -- it is a rebate that the manufacturer applies for and it goes towards the puchasers until a specific number of qualifying cars are sold by that manufacturer. Toyota did so well that the rebate and the partial rebate ended last year. I bought my Prius knowing the rebate was gone.

 

It's still a good buy without the rebate.

Tom

 

Main reason I got the touring was that I would have had to wait longer to get the standard model. However, since I've had it, I've not been sorry to have the brighter headlights, the bigger (and better) tires, and firmer suspension.

 

I test drove both and liked the Touring better ... it felt more connected to the road and wasn't as "floaty" and cornered better. When I say all these things, I am not saying that the Touring is rough and sporty, but moreso that I felt the base/standard ride was just not that great imho.

I just felt more comfortable in the Touring from the get go after driving the base model first. I liked the idea of having a little bit larger wheel as well and preferred the look of the plastic wheel covers and slightly larger spoiler as well.

If you are wanting Pkg 3 & below, you would have the benefit of getting HIDs in the Touring in ANY package since HIDs only come on Pkg 4 & above on the base/standard models.

 

my pkg #6 standard (went with pkg#6 for leather, because it cleans up so nice) was $25,892, msrp $27,884 (and sticker price) about $2,000 under msrp...

 

Doc and CVR are probably junk fees. I don't know what they are specifically. They should be able to include those fees in their quote.

You should be able to get $2k + off MSRP for a package 5 or 6. It seems like you already know this, but only deal with the "internet department".

 

I looked at my paperwork and found two items that might be what you described: documentation (DOC) cost for the loan and a small piece of dealer insurance coverage (CVR) for the time the vehicle was on the lot (I think).

 

It definitely seems that experiences vary from market to market. In the Chicago area, I concluded that $1500 off sticker was a good target. I was waffling between the Touring and base. In the end, Lombard Toyota would give me $1400 off the base model, but not the Touring. They only had one Touring on the lot and just weren't as interested in dealing on that. I bought the base with Package 2 yesterday and I'm very happy.

This is the most confident that I have ever been when purchasing a vehicle that I made a smart choice. Then again, in 1985, there wasn't an Escortchat to reinforce the brilliance of that purchase!

 

I also purchased from Fox Toyota last year and I agree, they are very good with pricing. I would like to warn you and others not to use their body shop as I had a very bad experience. I had to take my car in 7 times for a small repair they could not get right. It has to do with the employee's attitudes. I believe many of them are now fired and the manager has been replaced.

Congrats on the purchase. Magnetic grey was my second choice but Barcelona Red sticks out more. Prius sales in Michigan are rapidly rising. Every tenth car on my drive to work is a Prius. I am now seeing 20 per day compared to 1 a day last year. Every Michigander I talk to is buying a Toyota or Honda. People are getting smarter!

 

A big part of the Touring or Standard decision should be road conditions in your area. The standard suspension is pretty stiff and gives you a bumpy ride on the winter damaged roads. If I was still living in California where the roads are smooth, I'd say get the Touring. Here in winter ravaged roads, get the standard suspension. Happy motoring.

Rotorhead