Hi all,

I have not had a car for over six years (have been a public transportation-reliant urbanite), but am now planning on getting a hybrid vehicle when I move in August to Palo Alto, CA. I have read through some of the older threads comparing the Prius and CHC and have found them incredibly informative.

I am planning on buying a 2006 Prius or CHC sometime in late August or early September. I will probably opt for a more basic package, though I am pretty set on getting a navigation system. I imagine the factory-installed systems are preferable (and I realize that this will certainly push me beyond any of the basic packages), though I have not done any research yet to fully appreciate the cost difference and pros/cons of a factory-installed vs. off-the-shelf nav system.

With that background, here are my questions:

(1) What should I expect for cost of an '06 Prius with navigation system vs. an '06 CHC with navigation system post-federal tax credit (I'm assuming that I will still be able to get the credit for both at the end of the summer)?

(2) While I will certainly be doing a lot more research and test-driving, I would also greatly appreciate anyone's opinions on which car I should get, all things considered (i.e., cost, style, latest reviews, differences in reliability, personal biases, etc. etc.). If you had to make a choice, which would it be?

(3) If I go for a Prius, does anyone have any sense of when I would need to put my name on a waiting list to get one in a specific color (probably either the blue or silver-green) by end of August/early September?

Thanks in advance for any replies and apologies for my long-winded post. I'm definitely very glad to have come across such a great resource as I start gearing up for my new car purchase!