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A "Non-Specified" Prius Story
5/09/05

When last we left my hybrid-buying story, you’ll remember that Honda rejected my attempts to purchase the cleaner version of their Civic Hybrid.  My wife, while still enthralled with the idea of cruising to work alone on I-66’s HOV lanes, did not want to wait 6-8 months for a Prius.  So she felt it was worth calling around. 

On about her third dealership call, she gleaned a little nugget of information that I listed in our buyer’s guide, but will go into more detail in here.  One of the dealers said that, yes, the current waiting list is 6-8 months, but Toyota is sending a number of “non-specified” models to dealerships across the U.S.  What this means is that these models are coming in with colors and option packages “as is” (The Prius currently has 3 option packages, with 1 being fairly “bare bones” – as much as the Prius can be bare bones – 2 adding on side-air bags, and 3 having all the bells and whistles including the neat GPS mapping system).  If you’re okay with the options and color, you can buy it and pick it up the day it arrives—no fuss, no muss.

With that information in hand, we went on down to our local Toyota dealership and sat down with one of the dealers (not the one who told us about the non-specified models).  Now, I don’t want to besmirch car dealers as a whole, but even though you’re heading in to buy a great, clean vehicle, that doesn’t mean that a dealer may not try and play a little dirty pool with you.  First, the dealer we talked to didn’t even mention the non-specified models.  He just told us that we needed to lay down $500 for a deposit and then it would be a 6-8 month wait.  When we brought them up he said, “Oh, yeah, but the thing people don’t know about those is that unless you’re on the waiting list, it’s a $2,500 extra charge for a non-specified model.”  As he raced back to see if they had any non-specifieds coming in, Kirsten and I gave each other the “This guy must be kidding me” look.  We quickly told this guy that we’d have to think about it, got the requisite “don’t wait too long, I can’t put a hold on anything without your deposit!” – and we left.

Our first call to another dealership quickly proved our suspicions well founded.  This dealer said they had a silver Prius, type-2 package (we wanted the side-air bags for the little ones, but we’re not the gizmo-happy types that needed the whole megillah) coming in 3 weeks.  “Any $2,500 surcharge?” we asked.  The woman had no idea what we were talking about, just pay the out-the-door price like everyone else.  We said “okay” and three weeks later, we zipped home in our new Prius.

We didn’t even try bargaining, as it seems kind of silly given the demand and short supply for the vehicles.  I’d be interested to hear if any Prius owners out there have actually tried to bargain with the dealer on their vehicle, and if they had any success.

So, that’s my story.  If you’re looking for a Prius and you don’t want to wait for it, I’d suggest hitting the phones and the web and contact all the Toyota dealers in your area to see if they have a non-specified model coming in.  It seems to be “catch-if-catch-can” so I hope your timing is good!

Posted by: ScottN 5/09/05

Original post and comments can be found on Hybridblog.org.