Thought I'd provide a counterbalance to all the stories about near-infinite wait times. I placed a deposit at my local Toyota dealership in Kitsap County, Washington on Feb. 25, and my white Prius #9 will be in by the end of this month (March). I was not flexible on color or package; the only concession I made was that I originally wanted grey interior, took beige. Paid MSRP.
This may have to do with the Toyota allocations we hear so much about. First generation Priuses were not rare around here- we wouldn't consider seeing one a 'sighting'. We were pretty green long before the latest Prius awards. The dealership has a demo Prius which they are not selling no way no how, so you can get a test drive any time. The salesperson showed me their allocation for the remainder of the year, and they have 77 Priuses coming to them. From what I've seen on this list, that's more than some entire regions! Even so, there is a waiting list. I'm still on the list- for a white #7 for my wife!
If you're within a reasonable distance of the Seattle area, you might contact Heartland Toyota and see what they can do for you. Salesman named Dixon Baker did a good job for me.
Sorry for length of post, I'm just feeling pretty happy at this point. I babied a 1985 Camry for over 300,000 miles waiting for a car like the 2G Prius to come on the market. The Camry finally gave up the ghost in '01, and I ended up with a Highlander. While it is a great car, and I had occasion to use its towing capacity, I'm going to be real pleased to trade it in on something that will get nearly 3x the mileage, and also satisfy my 'gearhead' side.
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