i noticed there's a $400 charge just for the white paint. Why is that? Is there something in the white that makes it last extra longer?
It's a pearlized color, conceivably extra steps in the creation of it. But I personally think Toyota should offer the colors they offer and the pallet should be the pallet and forget the "premium" for "special" colors. It has metalic flakes in it..but IMO it's not so special as to warrant an up charge. If I'm going to pay extra for a color, I want something really unique and different...not just "sparkly white".
It's just about the only option (IMHO) that's worth it. Hides scratches, dirt, etc....and when it's clean it's orders of magnitude deeper and more brilliant (IMHO) than flat non-pearlescent paint. Pearlescent coating - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Grey (some call it silver) is almost as good at hiding dirt and dings, but if you drive to work in the morning, you can have visibility problems - meaning others seeing YOU visibility problems. After a few years, you kinda get that 'battleship grey' thing going and the only reason it's good at hiding dirt is that nobody notices the car either. I don't actually mind that, since I don't WANT (my car) to be noticed. My 2010 has the usual battle scars for a 5-year-old company car, but the white still looks pretty good. After 5 years, regular paint looks like.......5 year old paint. YMMV. If you're going to get a "C-type" there are some pretty vibrant colors to choose from. With the adult-sized Prius, you have fewer choices. If you're only going to keep the car for about 4 years? You can pretty much get any color you want.
Yeah, but my Sea Glass Pearl is ALSO pearlized, and Toyota doesn't charge extra for it. Probably because it simply isn't as popular. The Blizzard Pearl White IS popular so I think Toyota knows they can stick it to those that want it. I'm not saying it's not a good color, I am saying I don't think Toyota should up charge for it. Toyota's Standard Prius color pallet choices are pretty limited. I just don't find "sparkly white" to be something I would consider special enough to warrant an up charge. So I guess the answer to "Why Extra Premium For Blizzard White?" There's an extra step in the paint process...and Toyota knows those that want it...will pay for it.
When we bought in 2010, that colour was "only" an extra $200 or $250 Canadian. Sounds like they're milking it a bit. Tell them you'll check with other dealerships and I bet that number comes down. Worth a try.
It's one extra painting step. I know some other colours are too, but they have always charged extra for that colour on most cars I've looked at, and they have always stated it's because it's one extra painting step. I know when Pearl S gets the new rear bumper cover next week it was listed as a three step paint on the estimate. And it's not the "pearlescent white" (one of the many names used for it). Maybe it's "tradition".
To provide another data point, Mercedes Benz charges $1,515 extra for the Diamond White Metallic color. There is an extra charge for any metallic color, but the White Metallic costs more than 2x the price of most of the other metallic colors. Mercedes-Benz - Home of C, E, S, CLS, CL, SLK, SL, R, GLK, M, GL, G Class
The extra charge isn't because it's metallic (I have a Sandy Beach Metallic 2010), but due to the extra (third) pearlescent coat.
AFAIK, $395 is still the price on Toyota's website, so I don't think it's the dealership raising the amount. The only price that really matters though is what they want to charge you out-the-door for the car. If they want to charge you $400 more than the "same" car in a different color, then you have to decide if it's worth the upcharge. I wanted Blizzard Pearl from the moment I first saw the color. When we went to buy, there were none available in Arizona, but there was one on the way, so we grabbed it. As you'd expect, white is a popular color out here, not only because of the heat, but because of the constant dust. The BP "looks" cleaner much longer than my blue truck and even longer than my daughter's silver Pilot.
