We took the plunge!

Hi! DH & I have been casually thinking about buying a hybrid for our next car for a couple years now. The time has come to buy a new car. I have a '95 Corolla with 120K miles on it. It has been a good car, but I am ready to move on now. We test drove the '05 Prius by sheer luck and decided to wait a bit. That was in early October. I spent a few days seriously researching and we decided to wait until 1/1/06 for the tax credit since we are not in a big hurry. Two weeks ago, I test drove the '06 HCH and liked it a lot! On Saturday, DH & I both test drove the '06 HCH and the '06 Prius. The Prius won out! I'm so excited!!! We put down our $500 refundable deposit and are officially on the waiting list at the same dealer where we purchased DH's '04 Camry. We like the 'product consultant' (that title cracks me up everytime), but the sales manager was annoying. SM told me we would not get into our new Prius until the end of April 2006 and we would not qualify for the tax credit. I know it doesn't work that way on several counts, but that really isn't the point. I want the '06 Prius as soon after 1/1/06 as possible.

So...here are my questions:

1. Did anyone here put deposits down at several dealerships and then take the first one that produced what you wanted? How did that work out for you? Is it generally advisable? We live in an area with three viable Toyota dealerships within easy distance of our home. I've contacted the other two via email. One says they do not require a deposit and can deliver in early January at MSRP, but this is via email only and seems too good to be true. The other says they take a $500 deposit (didn't mention if it was refundable or not) and delivery runs about 3-4 weeks. Both are better than what the SM at the first dealer said, though. I wonder if they can deliver that once I go down there to sign papers and whatnot...

2. We have a 4 year old child and need a new car seat for the new car, as she has outgrown the one in my car now. Are there any issues or challenges with fitting car seats into the Prius? For example, my Corolla is a challenge due to the female end of the seat belt being very long. Most car seat belt paths are too low and we could not get a good fit with most and had to stick with Britax (pricey) models. I cannot take any potential car seats out to test them in my imaginary Prius. LOL I have been searching online for this type of info most of the day and keep getting sidetracked on all the cool new features and topics on our future Prius!

Thanks in advance!!!
Karin

 

Thanks! Good to know.

To clarify...is that the passenger side?

I plan to put the car seat behind the driver for the 40/60 split maximum usage factor.

 

Hi frankie_delaware!

Thanks for the welcome! Yep, sunnysandiegan does indeed mean what you think. Mossy is the place we are on the waiting list (Mission Bay). Kearny Mesa Toyota is the one who said a $500 deposit and 3-4 weeks. Toy of SD is the place that says no deposit and 0-1 month. All three said MSRP.

TSD is very odd. We physically drove there Saturday afternoon and as soon as the salesguy walked up to us, I told him exactly what we wanted to do (test drive a 2006 Prius). No hesistation, no 'or', straight out clear as day. DH was getting DD out of the car and he heard me. The guy asks, "Does it have to be an '06 Prius?" He said they didn't have any Priuses (or is it Prius'?), so we left. We had no power at home, so I dragged out the 'old-fashioned' (LOL) phone book to call every Toyota dealer in the county. What a useless endeavor! LOL First, our phone book doesn't have anything North of Mira Mesa/La Jolla/Scripps Ranch. Second, no matter what they told me at first, in the end no one had an '06 we could test drive that day. However, our 'product consultant' at Mossy came through for us later in the day and we were the very first consumers in that particular '06 Prius. Mileage was 2 and apparently the future owners had turned it down sight unseen.

Anyway, the SM annoyed me with his 'scare tactic' while DH was elsewhere. I suppose I shouldn't be annoyed since it is such a common thing. DH handled it with humor when he found me and I was explaining how the tax credit works. The SM backed off, but did not change his estimated arrival date. How could he, though, without looking like an idiot??? LOL

Oh, in general, we dislike KM Toyota due to several unpleasant experiences. Just an FYI.

OUscarb ~ Thanks for your input! I think that makes a lot of sense. We are not in a hurry for a new vehicle. *I* am just in a hurry now that I made the decision. But, I am waiting until 1/1/06 because the new tax law will help us out.

 

Thanks everyone!!!

 

I took your advice and have already received a phone call about an '06 Prius for sale now. No deposit given at the place that said $500 deposit and he left me a message this morning. I called him back and got his voice mail. I left him a message saying thanks for letting me know and I'd like to purchase an '06 Prius on 1/1/06 (and I left my color and package choices).

The guy from the no deposit place still hasn't replied to the email nor made any phone calls.

There are Prius' everywhere in San Diego!!! Do we get a higher allotment than other areas? Or are these owners buying them elsewhere? The dealer where we are on the waiting list (Mossy) told us they are the number one seller of Prius' in San Diego. The other guy (Kearny Mesa) alluded to his delaer having the highest sales of Prius'.

My DD is taking a nap right now, so I am going to call Poway and Escondido and see what they have to say.

 

The reasons are varied. LOL I liked the Civic Hybrid, especially because it drives pretty much like my current car ('95 Corolla)...although admittedly newer and such. I also prefer trunks to hatchbacks and SUVs. I may be the only one, but I worry more about the objects flying around INSIDE the car in an accident hurting my child than the impact itself. She's in a top-rated car seat and we always buckle her in correctly and have the seat professionally installed. Not to mention all the airbags in newer vehicles. My older Corolla has more trunk space (with equally non-folding seats) as the '06 HCH. Maybe not cubic feet in technical terms, but in everyday life comparisons. However, we have an '04 Camry that provides plenty of trunk space for our lifestyle.

The comfort level, IMO, was better inside the HCH than the Prius, but they were not that far apart. The little touches, like cupholders, were better inside the Prius. Our DD is not old enough for this to matter yet, but she'll eventually be out of a carseat.

Drivability, from my perspective, was easier in the HCH. HOWEVER, the two-tier instrument panels were distracting in the HCH. Conversely, the '05 Prius was a huge distraction to me with that 'flashy computer screen' directed at the driver. The '06 Prius, however, seems to be a perfect blend. Lastly, the brakes on the HCH were more 'normal' and the Prius brakes are rather grabby.

We really could have gone either way. In order to get my DH out of his Camry for his commutes (50 miles a day), I went with what he thought was the 'cool' car. If it rings his bells on the 'whiz' factor and he'll drive it more, then I'm all for it. I don't actually drive that much right now because I work from home three days a week and walk our DD to and from preschool on those days for exercise. We take his Camry everywhere on weekends since it is our family car. I drive 2-3 times a week. So, even though we are replacing my car, the Prius will be a shared car and I will end up with his Camry during the week. I'm not really happy about it, but the reason I want a hybrid is still being fulfilled...reducing emmissions and buying new technology and saving fuel.

Oh, the other big factor for me was we can actually drive the Prius as a family car on road trips and camping due to the hatchback design and 60/40 split folding rear seats. We would have been hard-pressed to do that in the HCH on road trips and it simply would not be feasible for camping. We are basically gaining another family car with the Prius and the HCH would have just been a commuter car.

Hope that answers your questions!

 

I forgot to mention the color choices of the HCH were meager and unattractive to us. Also, I wasn't sure how much Honda had caught up to Toyota for '06. I want a 'full hybrid'. After researching that, I think they are close enough now, but I like the longer track record of the Prius (gen 2).

Thanks kidtwist!

aaf709 ~ No, I did not know there is a San Diego Prius club! How fun! I just know I see them on the road everywhere around here and most service places I have spoken with do not bat an eye when I mention buying a Prius. They don't seem all that 'futuristic' around here and average people do not seem 'afraid of it' here. Most of my local friends found out today we are getting it and they are all excited and seem to fully understand the technology just fine. I have family across the states and they are all hesistant and worried for us. Then again, LOL, they say I do live in California...