A Car is Born! (1/19/2006)

My wait for a Prius must've been one of the longest on record. I first became enraptured by the Prius and its siren song when the 2004 was announced around September 2003. I studied the car, read every post on the Yahoo group, joined this group when it was formed (see my low number) and pestered sales critters at several dealers.

I put my name on not one, but TWO waiting lists, which was fashionable at the time. Still, 12 weeks later neither sales critter could tell me IF my Prius would arrive letalone WHEN. I became discouraged and despondent. It appeared my Prius would never come and in a blind rage I took myself off of both lists and bought my boss' $80,000 Audi A8 luxury car (for about the price of a Prius, BTW).

The Audi is a magnificient piece of engineering. But it isn't a Prius. I kept hearing the siren song in my head, even as I tried to concentrate on the luxury and comforts of my A8. It wasn't easy when my around-town FE was about 12-15 mpg. (Although my road trips averaged a respectable 27-28 mpg.)

In September <s>2006</s> 2005 I couldn't bear it anymore. The Feds had decided to stuff $3100 or so into the pockets of people who were already so committed to buy a car that they'd wait in line for the privilege. And the state wanted to let me drive solo in the HOV lane to drive purchases into an even greater frenzy. I think both programs are somewhat ill advised as public policy, since hybrids are doing quite well without the incentives. But if my government wants to encourage me to buy the car I already want, I'm compelled to do my patriotic duty!

I put myself on a list at the dealer I liked from my previous experience, Toyota 101 in Redwood City, CA (ask for Bob Romeo). They are very low-key and focused solely on customer satisfaction, since they don't get commission but rather bonuses based on how well their customers say they liked the experience. The price was straight MSRP with none of the extra drama thrown in at the end (e.g. bumper appliques, Toyogard, etc.). Even the warranty was offered, not "sold" to me. I figured I had a good shot at January delivery by placing myself on the list in September.

And sure enough, I got the call today. Bob came in on his day off to finish the sale and get me into my new Super White package 8 Prius. What a thing of beauty! It appeals to every aspect of me -- I love the way it looks and I adore the careful thought and engineering that went into the product.

So today I picked up my Prius, two years and four months after first placing myself in the queue!

As a funny aside, after I got the call about my new Prius, I went to the garage to drive my A8 to work. For the first time since I've owned it, it refused to start! The battery just wouldn't turn over the engine. I suspect the Audi has a sense of impending change and is refusing to give up its warm spot in the one-car garage!

 

No... I have SIX. My own pack. (But I'm not crazy... my friend has a herd of 56.)

Oops.... back to the original topic, my CAR!

 

Ha -- I wish! It's "private party resale" value is something like $16K. For that price I might keep it as my "beater". The power and acceleration of that thing is nothing short of amazing. I astonish myself that I'm so attracted to both of these cars, which couldn't be more opposite. More likely I'll sell it to a friend or coworker (for a very good deal) who would appreciate the car as much as I have. We have a tradition of trading cars for good prices where I work. It's sort of a "trickle down" effect.

The boss' current car is a Mercedes SL500 convertible. He'll be driving it for the next 2-3 years but the line for it is already forming...

 

LOL! :lol: I'm old enough to remember that commercial. Yep, that's pretty much my story w/respect to the Prius!