to wait or not to wait?

Bugs? there's fewer bugs in the Prius than mosquitos at the north pole.

 

Maybe, but there is that little 'guess gauge' issue, which truly seems to be the only problem that is VERY common.
My "first model year" '95 Odyssey has brake issues, gets expensive. The following years don't have it. Just trying to let Toyota find and have a chance to fix any big ones that come up in the first year of major redesign
Of course with regular gas pushing hard on the $2.00 mark, it would be nice to be getting mid-40's and up instead of low 20's However, I would save only about $500 in gas since I'm not a high mileage driver. Any major, recurring repair issue (say, rear disk rotor and ABS sensor replacement ;-) ) chew that up pretty fast. I consider waiting for the 2005 the cost of 'insurance' there won't be any big repair items.

 

I may end up getting an '05, simply due to my place in line; but I have to agree with daniel -- none of the "known bugs" for the Prius are significant enough to make me want to wait for the 2005 model if I don't have to.

As to the gas gauge, it's a definite problem -- but I just don't see it being significant to me. I mean, it goes on, I will go and fill up within 30 miles of it going off.

Not a big deal for me. Now, if I were living in the middle of nowhere, and the nearest gas station is 60 miles away -- that's a problem. But the Chevron I frequent is 2 blocks from my house.

 

Well, I suppose if you want to wait a year in hopes that they'll fix the gauge, someone will be happy to be one step higher in line. As for me, I'm enjoying the coolest car in the universe for that extra year, and the "guess gauge" is a small price to pay for that. Especially since all it really means is I have to fill up a few days sooner than I might otherwise, if I really knew exactly how much gas I had.

And it's not all that certain they'll fix it for 2005, since determining the exact amount of gas in a flexible bag is not a trivial problem.

 

I agree. But by the time I decided the "guess gauge" issue was an survivable annoyance (based on posts here), not a recurring high cost repair item, it had gotten to the point that the generic 4 month wait would put me in range of a 2005 anyway. So why not wait a couple more months expecting to be able to order one in July or Aug and get the color/package I want. HOPEFULLY, ordering a 2005 when they come out won't ALSO mean a 4 month wait!!!

 

Yeah, but take a look at Dianne's "Late May allocation is horrible, be warned" post. Makes me wonder if the 2005 MY is going to be similar to 2004 with those on '04 wait lists taking the place of the "Pioneers".

 

Get yourself on a list, or on several lists. If you are not picky about color and options, you have a better chance. If you don't care whether you get a new 2004 or a new (probably unchanged)2005, you can't do wrong by getting on a list. If you wait until the 2005's show up in the dealer showrooms, you will still have to get on a list; many people who signed up for 2004 cars will be moved to the 2005 model year. You will probably get a 2005 as well. I think the 2004 year will close in July while they tool up for the 2005's. Given the sheer numbers on the waiting lists, and Toyota's conservative approach to marketing, I doubt there will be a noticeable change between model years.
There are 200,000 people on the list nationwide, I was told, and it will only get worse (or better, depending on your perspective) as gas prices continue upwards.
Good luck.

 

I just got on the wait list at a Chicago area dealership, they told me I'd be getting an 05 model later this year, late fall or early winter probably.

Although the car I'm getting is an 05, all of the paperwork and option selection was based on the current information for the 04s, which leads me to believe they're not significantly altering any of the packages. The sticker price is going up $300, I was told. (I'm getting the #7 package, the price hike may be more on other packages?)

Of course, small improvements could be made in certain areas, such as the stereo, the car's core software, etc.

 

FYI, word is the gas gauge problem will have a software fix during the summer according to meetings out west with the Toyota crew. A good deal of the newer 2004's are not having a gauge problem at all, so it's possible they already fixed it in the newer models.

-m.

 

The difference in trade-in value from one model year to the next diminishes with age. The difference in the Blue Book between a 1994 and a 1995 of just about anything is small. So if you're going to keep your car for a while, it doesn't make that much difference. Sure, if you are at the end of a model year, you could wait for the next model year, but you'll probably pay a couple of hundred dollars more, killing the trade-in advantage. A bigger reason might be the hope of improvements. I still see it as a question of enjoying the car that much sooner by buying it now.

Of course, it's really a moot point because, from what we're hearing, if you put yourself on a list for a Prius now, you'll probably get an '05 anyway. And in fact, if you wait until fall to get on the list, and they don't solve the supply & demand problem, you could end up waiting another year and getting an '06 instead.