Somebody Stop Me! (from buying CT200h)

I'll bet that would work well for computers too!

 

I googled it last night and found a version that seems to indicate a plug in AFTER 2012. Hard telling. Haven't seen any phony markups, but haven't really pushed it that far. Trying to talk myself into a low end version to make it more palatable. Wasn't real thrilled with the mousey thing or the recessed screen anyway.

 

I've been laying low, since I didn't want to continue to dither in public until I had made up my mind. I took another too brief test drive. The stars are out of my eyes, but I may still buy or lease one. Due to the higher than expected demand, and the earthquake delays, there is now a 3 month waiting list, or 4 to 6 months if you special order. People are suddenly getting religion again about low mpg cars, and there aren't that many luxury options for them. If I go ahead, I may lease, so I can invest the cash from a sale of the Prius, and flip the CT in 3 years. I also still need to decide whether to go high end or low end. I just don't like the mouse controller for the nav, but I can't get PCS without getting nav. Of course, getting PCS automatically means a long wait for a special order.

I've let some air out of my Prius tires and am now tending to use my wife's Camry for weekend driving. I'm considering replacing my Prius wheels with 15" inch wheels and regular profile tires, and getting some cushy seat padding. I'm not sure that will really satisfy me at this point. I'm also considering waiting to see what the new hybrid Camry looks like, but I sorta want at least one car in the stable that's capable of hauling larger items. on the other hand, a fully loaded hycam is a bargain compared to CT. I could also wait to see what price they put on the electric RAV4, but the early demos sure make it sound like it ain't ready for prime time yet.

 

Thanks for commenting. I guess I could get used to the mouse, but I don't understand why Lexus thinks it's a luxury item. Simple touch screen seems better to me.

Yeah, too bad. I'd like to try changing wheels with someone, just to see what it did to the ride, handling and MPG.

Test drove the HS the other day too. Wife liked it, because she likes sitting up higher. Driving smaller cars like the CT makes her nervous on busy Houston freeways. Camry seems like a better value to me. Not sure if or how the HS is any better than Camry, which also absorbs potholes pretty well. The HS ride was stiffer than I expected. Somewhat similar to CT ride, but CT seemed more pliant (less vibration) and planted. The low center of gravity really affects one's perception of handling in the CT.

 

And not get greasy fingerprints all over it?

Moving the screen further away may not be the best idea for those of us with aging eyes...

 

Disclaimer - I haven't actually driven a CT with nav, just sat in one. I could see the screen fine, as long as the driver's seat was cranked up high enough, but I still felt like I was having to peer around a corner at it, due to the way they embedded the screen in the dash. As others have pointed out, the resolution "seems" better than on the gen III prius. However, I'm not sure the line of sight (i.e., keeping your eyes onthe road) is really any better on the CT than on my Prius or my Camry.

 

I've looked in Houston and Omaha. Pretty much looking like a 3 month waiting list everywhere. 4 to 6 months if you want to special order. Due to low % being produced with nav, and even lower % with PCS (requires Nav), special order may be the only practical way to go for people that want those options.

My Houston dealer said lexus expects to pretty much run out of all models, other than some really low demand ones, during May, June, July. Salespeople are being told to plan on taking vacations then, even though summer months are usually the hot sales period. Lots of uncertainties about supplies of accessories and options.

My last test drive was a pre-sold car whose owner had negotiated a lower price in exchange for allowing limited short trip test drives.