TRUE STORY: Last week I called the toyota dealer to ask what the waiting time was to get a PRIUS, to my surprise he said 'one' had come in today unexpected on the delivery truck, I was at the dealer in 15 minutes and purchased my 2008 'SUPER WHITE PRIUS', My new toy...
WOW You were very very lucky, I am sure you are the envy of all the people still waiting on long lists,, how is it that the dealership did not already have a waiting list?, Did you ask them, or just not bother to rock the boat. You probably thought to yourself, Keep mouth closed, make the purchase and get out of there as quickly as possible just incase the salesman made a mistake and gave you a car that was already promised to someone,, oops,,,
It doesn't mean anything if a car is 'promised' to a customer or if you're on a waiting list. My bro-in-law ordered a Ford Explorer about 7 years ago with the options he wanted and put the 500$ deposit down and the stealership still sold the car to someone else because the other party paid more for it after they've seen the delivered car sit in the dealers lot.
And that my friend is just another reason why we the people have decided that American made cars/dealerships are not what we want. I have not owned an American car (GM, Ford, etc) for years and will not until or unless they catch a clue and compete with the Japanese auto manufacturers. Aside from the product it is business ethics too.
I went to several dealers all over the St. Louis area, and was either told that they had 50+ people on their waiting list, or just laughed at when I asked about the Prius. I went to the dealership where I bought my 06 Camry from and they only had 5 people on their waiting list. I was placed in the #6 position and was told it would be about 90 days, as opposed to 8 to 9 months at the other dealerships. Less than 2 weeks later, my salesman called to tell me they were receiving 2 unannounced cars the next week and all I had to do was to tell him I wanted one and he would put my name on it. I am now driving my new black 08 Prius with #6 Package, XM installed, and loving it. This was really close to "no waiting".:second:
Welcome to the Prius world! Sometimes you "luck out". I dropped into the Toyota dealer's new place in Courtney BC last week. They had six brand new Prius in stock. They did not, however, have any customer parking spaces! So I just drove through the lot and left. They -may- have sold me a rear bumper protector had they thought out their customers needs (like we have to park our cars to shop!) Here in Edmonton the dealers I have visited in the last month have always had a few Prius in stock. Of course none of this helps Americans, as our Prius costs a bit more than yours.
Congrats on the new car! I think your experience is more the exception lately than the rule. Lucky, Lucky YOU!
We bought our 2nd Prius about 2 months ago. I put in online for quotes from local dealers and had 3 responses within an hour; went out that night and picked up our seaside pearl 2008 package 6. Admittedly, this was just before the current shortage really hit; 3 weeks later the same dealer had only one Prius left on the lot, used for demo rides. They had several in stock when we bought ours. Try the online thing: Edmunds.com.
Congratulations!!! You're gonna love your new toy!! It's really the most fun I've ever had driving a car. I just spoke with the salesman that we worked with and he's projecting about a 3-4 month wait, so you must have timed it just right.
I agree it don't mean a thing if a car is 'promised' to a customer, if someone walks in with money in hand the deal is done, those on a waiting list get to wait some more.