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Chose a different car?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Ptpiz, Apr 3, 2004.

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  1. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    Well, I got a call from my dealer yesterday offering me a white package 7 prius, but I want SPECIFICALLY a BLACK with PACKAGE 9. They offered the car to me because I am NUMBER 1 on the waiting list. I then asked them how long it would be before my car came (I ordered it Feb. 7th), they told me "anywhere from 6-9 months, because I have reqeusted a SPECIFIC color and package". Now I am thinking about getting a different car!

    Being 17 and anxious to get my first car, I dont think I will be able to last for THAT long. Does ordering a SPECIFIC package and color matter THAT MUCH in how long your car will take?
     
    #1 Ptpiz, Apr 3, 2004
  2. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Either

    • 1) start looking for another car

      or

      2) start a statewide, regionwide, or nationwide search for one. Not sure if you've been reading a lot of the posts lately, but lots of people are finding them for msrp in other parts of the country and having them shipped to their location.


      • I'd sit down one day and call around the country looking for a black 9 before you decide to get a different car.
     
    #2 Danny, Apr 3, 2004
  3. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    How do you suggest I find a Prius in a different area? Do I have to go call every dealer and ask, or is there a way I can find them by going onoine or something?
     
    #3 Ptpiz, Apr 3, 2004
  4. pino

    pino Junior Member

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    #4 pino, Apr 3, 2004
  5. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    Ray Moore would probably be a good person to ask. He spent one afternoon calling dealers and found the car he wanted, hopped on a flight that afternoon and returned back the 1,000 miles the next day.

    I'd PM him
     
    #5 Danny, Apr 3, 2004
  6. Bob Allen

    Bob Allen Captainbaba

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    Not sure where you live, but you may have better luck calling dealers in small towns in your state. I found my car that way. Small town dealers may be getting more Prii than customers for them, AND they'll not likely jack you around like big city dealers do because their customer base is so (relatively) small that they would quickly go bankrupt if they got a reputation for gouging people.
    Second option: use a car finder service. They usually charge you several hundred dollars if they locate a car, but their reach is huge and they can find cars you might miss.
    Be flexible. There are 200,000 people nationwide on the waiting list, and Toyota can only make 40,000 cars annually, so go figure. If you are willing to accept any Prius, you have a much better chance.
     
    #6 Bob Allen, Apr 3, 2004
  7. Raenstoirm

    Raenstoirm New Member

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    Call every dealer in your state and in neighboring states. I put my order in last week and I should have the car at the end of this month (hopefully!!!). You need to pick which is more important...the color or the packages because you could be waiting till christmas if you insist on both.
     
    #7 Raenstoirm, Apr 3, 2004
  8. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    We told you it would be like this...you didn't believe it.

    IIRK, you were pretty adamate about package #9--I'd hold out for that with your dealer. If he's getting even 1 or 2 cars a month most certainly one of them will be a #9. Also, and I think I tried to reinforce this, the color really isn't that important in the long haul. When you're driving you can't see the color. I, personally, would take any color Prius but white.

    You can call around, as suggested, but it's a bit too late for that to be really practical if you're really #1 at your dealership. I say, just call them, tell them you really want package #9 and tell them what colors you'd accept and plan on a couple more months wait.
     
    #8 efusco, Apr 3, 2004
  9. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    A couple more months even at #1 on the list? Damn.... I really thought about swittyching to the Acura TL, which I can go purchase TODAY!
     
    #9 Ptpiz, Apr 4, 2004
  10. jeffrey

    jeffrey New Member

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    Personally I'd stick it out. You;'ve already been waiting months, what is another few weeks on top of it?

    Besides, if you go with an "ordinary car" like the TL, you will lose out on the most remarkable car to come out in decades.

    :)
     
    #10 jeffrey, Apr 4, 2004
  11. plusaf

    plusaf plusaf

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    i tried that last night.... found "several within 30 miles of my home"...
    wrote an inquiry to one of them and got this reply.......

    LOL.......
    i sent a polite reply and did NOT inquire as to whether the delivery time was for an '04 or for an '05....
     
    #11 plusaf, Apr 4, 2004
  12. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    THAT is EXACTLY what every dealer says when I call them. They all have a LONG waiting list that far surpasses my #1 spot. I have finally made up my mind though. I think that if I do not get my car by the summer (may), then I am going to go purchase the Acura TL. It is my first car anyway, so EVERY car is a GREAT car for me. I just love technology and want to get a car LOADED with it. I just hope that Toyota ships mine...
     
    #12 Ptpiz, Apr 4, 2004
  13. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    i forgot to mention... that is the difference between ME and the rest of you posters. I am 17 and getting my FIRST car ever and I am SOOO ANXIOUS. Any teen would NEVER wait for a car like this. That is why when you say, just wait it out... I am sure that is what YOU did/or are doing, but you have to remember you stll currently have a car to get you places, I DO NOT!
     
    #13 Ptpiz, Apr 4, 2004
  14. 8AA

    8AA Active Member

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    I hope he does buy the Acura, it might mean that I'll get my Package 9 that much sooner. :D
     
    #14 8AA, Apr 4, 2004
  15. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    Pete,
    Hang in there...we tried to warn you to be patient, we tried to tell you there'd be a wait, we tried to tell you to be flexible and consider other options....remember all that? Remember how adamate you were that you had to have Package #9 and had to have the latest technology?

    If you go for a TL you'll just have another car and it will never come close to living up to your hopes that you have for the Prius. Go through this board and look at all the "I finally got mine" posts. Without exception they all say "It was worth the wait, hang in there!" It's good advice.

    You've gotta do what you gotta do, but May is not really a reasonable time frame--essentially limiting yourself to the next 2-4 allocations depending on what your dealer knows already. If you can't wait until late June or early July then go buy your TL today...and think about it each day how short 3 months really is in the grand scheme of things and how you could have had a Prius.

    Your Choice.
     
    #15 efusco, Apr 4, 2004
  16. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    thanks for the support. But, you also are not focusing on what i am getting EXTRA if I get a TL! I love the prius and all, but the only advantage it has over the TL is MPG. The TL has EVERY feature that the Prius has, and some are better-done (navigation, bluetooth).

    The only TECH feature that the prius has, which the TL does not is smart entry and smart start. But when i look at all the advantages of the Tl (leather 10-way seats, 8 INCH navigation which is much more advanced, DVD-AUDIO system with TRUE surround sound, better speaker system, horsepower, "regular" car that can be serviced anywhere, better warranty, better safety rating, the list goes on...). See, if I got the Prius I am sure I will be VERY VERY happy and such, but with my first car, I think that the hapiness level will be the same, IF NOT MORE because of some more features and a COOLER LOOKING car with spoilers, and a wing!

    So, you see..... I am in a very difficult situation
     
    #16 Ptpiz, Apr 4, 2004
  17. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    Well, I just thought of something....

    My mother has to get a new car right away. She could buy the Acura TL for us to share UNTIL my prius comes in! That would be GREAT! I hope that we can do this, because it will eliminate my IMMEDIATE need for a car.
     
    #17 Ptpiz, Apr 4, 2004
  18. rflagg

    rflagg Member

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    Well, I hope you end up with the Prius - trust us all when we say once you have a car like this, you'll never want another car that's not similar. Great, the TL has all that cool stuff, but, man, it freaking *runs* while stationary. How silly and wasteful. Not to mention, you're a better and safer driver in the Prius. The TL has a bigger screen, but what good is it if it's not constantly telling you how the car is performing and how to better achieve higher mileage?

    And, SS/SE is hands down something you should not live without. I find it amusing that they send us keychains for a car that has no use for them anymore!

    Just my 2 cents.

    -m.
     
    #18 rflagg, Apr 4, 2004
  19. Danny

    Danny Admin/Founder
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    I remember reading Road & Track's review of the TL when it first came out. They described it as an upgraded Accord and a poor attempt at trying to compete with the 3-series BMW.

    The TL and the Prius are two totally different cars, directed at totally different markets. Obviously the Prius is on a waiting list for a reason and the TL/Accord is sitting on lots across the country below MSRP.
     
    #19 Danny, Apr 4, 2004
  20. Ptpiz

    Ptpiz New Member

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    I see your points. I seriously ope that the dealer can ship my black package 9 prius before the summer. Because, I NEED it by the summer. I NEED some kind of car by the summer, so I guess I might have to compromise on color.

    Maybe I can just RE-PAINT the car when I get it? How much would it cost to REpaint a PRIUS with black?
     
    #20 Ptpiz, Apr 4, 2004
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