I was working multiple dealers over a 2 month period. I had made no commitment to any of them over that period, just stringing the dealers along, talking to them on a weekly basis, seeing how much information I could get out of them about specific dates, allocation numbers, package/color availability etc. The dealers that were reasonably open with me were the ones that got most of my attention.

However, one dealer impressed me and as such I, in earnest, got him to acquire my specific package and color choice through and allocation trade. He never asked for a deposit, and because the car was earmarked for his dealership upon arrival in the U.S. the wait was very short. I think it was about 2.5 weeks from first contacting the dealer until delivery. Considering that last December the wait was still supposed to be about 3 months.

I always advocate visiting multiple dealers and working multiple angles on any vehicle purchase. If you do, you usually can get a good deal or a short delivery time.

It has been said:
Hybrid drivers come in 3 flavors, greenie, techie and cheapie. Pick any 2.
2005 Prius, Melinium Silver over gray, package 5 (AI)