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No solar paneled sun roofs?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by justslappy, Jul 25, 2009.

  1. justslappy

    justslappy Junior Member

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    I put a deposit down on a Prius III with the solar panels/sun roof in late June, only to get a call yesterday from the dealer that he was refunding my deposit because, he said, Toyota said they were halting production of the solar panels/sun roofs "indefinitely" because of a problem with a supplier? I am mad as hell. What's the real story?
     
  2. ridegsxr714

    ridegsxr714 New Member

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    i just wanted to let you know that i talked to the sales manager of wilson's motors in bellingham washington this morning and he has a prius package IV with the solr roof available and on its way. his name is Shawn Gregory the phone # is 360-676-0600. good luck, i hope you live near by and tell him that Ryan Smalley refered you please.:)
     
  3. LoraJ

    LoraJ Active Member

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    Are they maybe just not available in your region and they are telling you a story so that you will buy a different model?

    I am on a list for a Prius III w/NAV at my local dealer. These cars are not available in the region and he said it could take at least two months to get one.

    I did another inventory search in my area today and thought by price listing that one dealership may have one. So I called them and they said that was a P-IV. They told me that the PIII does not come with NAV (my local dealer told me that at first too but I told him that's baloney) and that I have to get the IV. I told him I did not want to spend that much so he told me that many of his customers have been getting the II and just get a Garmin. I told him I wanted the NAV for the backup camera. He told me they could install one for $400. I told him I would think about it and hung up.

    I just cannot understand why certain options are not available in different regions.
     
  4. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    That actually is a story. I think he may have too many sunroof orders and doesn't feel confident enough in his ability to obtain a car.

    Widen your search. Check out some states close to you. Yes, there are some very neat folks in other states having me send cars to them, but they have exhausted their efforts close by and of course feel secure in sitting back and letting me make sure they get the right car quickly, and the docs correctly. I'm splitting the shipping costs with most everyone as I am able, and in a few cases, am comping the flights if someone wants to come for their car. It's a case by case. I'll do what I can.

    There are a lot of states surrounding your regional area. Surely someone must have a III with sunroof? They are hard cars to get where I am too, but they are not impossible to the point where I'd send someone's deposit back with an excuse attached that's really untrue!

    Dianne

     
  5. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    Lora, yes, that's a regional thing.
    It may be temporary depending on the region's ability to shift the Japan build to the demand they have for models they didn't know would be popular. Of course, I have III's with NAV coming out my ... well, we get many here. That surprises me, because in the previous gen, a III with NAV is a little like the old NL package (package 5) and that was nowhere near as popular as a NW (package 6) which would be a lot like a IV with NAV... your region is either a learning curve that they will make adjustments in -- or perhaps there really are not many asking for this III with NAV - and you are one of the few?

    A good example of that? I had folks in early June asking me to locate them a V package with no AT. That was a scarce car! I found three for folks out of other regions and had them drop here from port. Fast forward to the last allocation, when I managed to get 2 more traded for in GREAT colors, a blizzard pearl and a winter gray. The gray one sold to a local gentleman who used the C4C program and he actually came in for an IV with NAV till we drove the V, and he fell in love with the wheels... and the car's solidness. I still have the blizzard white one on ground... so in truth, you never know who's looking for what till they 1. find it 2. ask you for it 3. order it and make you go looking for it.

    I sure hope you find what you're seekin! :pray:

     
  6. Tamyu

    Tamyu New Member

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    I`m sitting within 20 miles of Toyota, have family and friends working to make these... And, that`s a piece of fiction. :) There is no problem getting the sunroof stock, and they are still making them. At worst, there could possibly be some doubt with getting enough of the parts to fill all current orders, but they definitely haven`t halted orders or manufacturing.

    Perhaps the dealer cannot get immediate access to them, and as it could become a specialty order from Japan wants to steer you to one that could be purchased sooner and more definitely?
    That sounds a lot more realistic as they are definitely still in production at this time. Doesn`t excuse the dealer making up some sort of lie to cover the reality though.
     
  7. LoraJ

    LoraJ Active Member

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    I'm really seeking a winning lotto ticket so that I can get the fully loaded V. ;)


    I really wish I was in CA. :)
    I think what bothers me when I call some of these dealers is their denial that a III w/NAV even exists, like I made it up.
     
  8. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    Today I stopped by a dealer just for larks to see if they had anything. When I asked the saleswoman if they are getting any in with sunroofs she told me no they aren't making any yet - it would be 5 months. I told her they certainly are making them and I have already seen two right in this area she was genuinely shocked and said she'd have to ask her manager why they haven't gotten any.
     
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The sad part is, they might not even be lying. They truly don't know it exists (like the one in PriusRos' story).
     
  10. LaurieTx

    LaurieTx Proud new owner!

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    My local dealer also changed their story recently and fessed up that it would be 3-6 months to get one for me, so I went looking elsewhere. While the sunroofs do seem to be very scarce in parts of the country, the west coast apparently has no shortage (thanks, Dianne!!!). :)

    When I went in yesterday to get my deposit refunded from them, the salesman asked me to bring mine in when I get it next week because they haven't even seen one yet, and they don't know when they will get one in. And this is in Austin--there are TONS of Gen II Prius on the roads here, so if they aren't sending sunroofs here, I can well believe that other areas aren't seeing them either. It's a shame that Toyota and/or the regions so grossly underestimated the demand...
     
  11. rachaelseven

    rachaelseven New Member

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    Don't salespeople get that they only reason they have any value in the process at all is because they are supposed to make themselves knowledgeable about the things they sell? When I go in to make a purchase and a few hours of research was enough to make me smarter than every salesperson I run into, it just makes me wonder why on earth the price needed to include their commission. I mean, if they don't tell you anything you don't know, or even feed you blatantly wrong information as keeps coming up in this thread, what the *&^%$ are they there for? :confused:
     
  12. LoraJ

    LoraJ Active Member

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    .

    The dealer I talked to today said that Toyota did not make them that way. He may truly believe that they don't, but I agree with the poster above that it is amazing how little knowledge some salesmen have.
     
  13. Rest

    Rest Active Member

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    So yet again another "Stealership" is making up stories to customers. :mad:
     
  14. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    Couldn't agree more.... if I were in the business of selling one of the hottest cars ever, I would certainly take time to do some basic research on it. It always surprises me how little they know but it only annoys me when, instead of admitting they don't know something, they just make up up stuff. It seems that it's not only the fault of the sales staff, but it apparently their managers and even the Toyota reps (whoever these people are) are giving them erroneous or conflicting information.
     
  15. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    There are just too many people to teach too many things to.
    Use this perspective, ok? Reality check.
    We sell Yaris, Corolla, Camry, Camry hybrid, Tacoma, Avalon, Matrix, Tundra, Sequoia, 4Runner, Rav4, Highlander, Highlander hybrid, Landcruiser, Solara, etcetera.... and of those models, there are a variety of models within them too.. and packages and nuances as to how they come.

    When one person doesn't know everything about ONE vehicle - as far as packages and their own regional availability, it's both forgiveable and understandable.

    Things change SO much in one model or another with respect to how all regions decide to build. We cannot know it all. Pair that with the transient nature of salespeople, and business models that encourage all salesmen to sell what they have versus what YOU want, and perhaps one bad trait in them: not being courageous enough to say "I don't know" and a willingness to look things up or find out... or, even the power to change their fate in getting a unique car. All of these things combined are the big picture.

    If I go into a store and am seeking something, and someone says "We don't have it".. and I look anyway and find it, did that person 1. lie to me? 2. Make a mistake? 3. piss me off because they didn't offer to find me one? 4. not offer to find me one because the last 5 people they offered it to walked out the door anyway, so why try a 6th?

    My advice? Find your own Nordstrom's of car salespersonnel. Work with someone you feel comfortable with, and can trust. Someone who can say they don't have the answers to it all but can look it up. And, remember, you are educating them too. You only have to know everything about the car you're buying and investing in. They have to know a little bit about a FEW HUNDRED cars at any given time. Have you seen how many Tundra models there are? Camry? Even Yaris! And, split to different packages and motors... yikes. If YOU only knew what we really have to go thru.... you'd chill on the one yutz somewhere who hasn't seen a specific model Prius and thinks it's not possible to get. There is nothing wrong with sharing that you know it's built, and would like them to find it for you? That's being proactive, isn't it? I mean, after all, don't you want a car? What's wrong with putting forth a little effort. At some point, everyone needs a little kick in the a$$ and some education! ;)

    Dianne
     
  16. TKY

    TKY Member

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    Hi Dianne,

    Thank you for all you do to help the car buyers on PriusChat, although I haven't needed to use your services.

    What you say is certainly true and may be the reason some sales-persons give. Car models is a complex and dynamic subject matter. However, so is medicine, yet doctors have to stay current on medical trends, new research, emerging diseases, and new pharmaceuticals as well thousands of drug interactions and the reaction to medications by different patients.

    Pharmacists have to know and stay current on drugs, their interactions, applications, off-book (not the correct technical term) applicability of some drugs, new drugs, and the doctors and medical offices to whom they sell.

    Lawyers have an equally complex and dynamic field. They have to know the laws and changes that are legislated every year, the state court decisions, and US Supreme Court decisions that impact their clients and our lives.

    Information technologists have to stay current on technical trends, the compatibility of new hardware, new software, and new functions added to the WorldWideWeb that are released or published on almost a daily basis.

    What I hear you describing is the difference between the transient sales person and the automotive sales professional. The automotive sales professional takes the time to learn about the product they sell. They don't limit their training to the mandatory training offered by the factory and limit their scope to just their region. The automotive sales professional may subscribe to Chats like PriusChat, other blogs, Edmunds.com, ConsumerReports.com, and other sources of information.

    Those of us who are not in the auto-industry, who buy one car every three, four, five, or in my case every ten years may have an unreasonable expectation that sales people who do this day in and day out should take time during their day to become more knowledgeable, if not subject matter experts, on the product they sell.

    I agree with your bottom line. As consumers, we should become knowledgeable about the one product we want and share the information we have learned in a way that doesn't put the sales person on the defensive. If we come across a sales person who doesn't treat us and our knowledge with respect, then we have a responsibility to seek a sales person who does and remember that sales persons' name the next time we want to buy a car.

    I suspect the business model for car sales makes it a tough business that has not done enough to overcome some previous practices (and some practitioners still practice) that resulted in a negative reputation. --TK
     
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  17. clooch

    clooch Junior Member

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    I picked up my pkg lv w/ solar and nav last week it was a lucky find. I know this is not a pkg lll. however My salesman said did say that finding a lll or Iv with solar and the nav is hard to come by lately. :(
     
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  18. raygundan

    raygundan New Member

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    Not knowing (occasionally-- after all, knowing is the job description here) is fine, and I don't think you'll find a reasonable person who would disagree with you. The problem arises when salespeople decide to pretend they know and make up some random stuff. "I'll look that up for you" is a reasonable answer, but it's not a very common one.
     
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