I admit to not having done a whole lot of research but for the Prius atleast the dealers are making me put down a deposit and paying full MSRP. Is that what most people are expecting to pay?

I was looking into getting the HCH but with only a $2,100 credit AND no folding rear seat which I'd use all the time for my snowboard, bike, surfboards, ladders, basically a ton of things I'm looking into the Prius. I don't see a huge amount of difference in speed, functionality etc, between the Prius and the HCH but with the folding seats and an extra $1,000 off it is making it more attractive to me.

I've owned Honda my whole driving life (15 years) but they messed up big time with no folding rear seat in the HCH imo.

P.S. If it helps I am in San Diego, CA but work in Orange and Riverside County and have been to a few dealerships.

Thanks in advance!

You could always get the Escape hybrid. That will cure all your cargo problems. Well, mostly. But the big problem comes in the difference in cost over the Civic or Prius. I know several thousand more dollars in purchase price can be hard to swallow.

FWIW, it was stated in another thread that the Camry was going to have a fold down panel in the rear seat. If they do that, the other cars (Civic and Prius) will hopefully soon follow suit and have the same feature.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

I purchased my 2005 HCH MT right about 2 weeks before the current gas boom, and paid a little less than MSRP.

If you have access to a credit union, I used Autoland (kind of like a brokering service) and I couldn't have been more satisfied. I purchased two vehicles from Autoland and made out pretty well in my opinion.

Oh! Reading about using a credit union triggered my memory. Try emailing the fleet/internet departments at dealerships around you. Even up to a 100 mile radius! From my experience, and the experience of others, the fleet/internet department is a good place to start. You can do most of your shopping my email, receive quotes from several dealerships, and save you a lot of driving time going from dealership to dealership!

I did exactly this and was able to find my HAH for a great (at the time) price. No haggling, no dealer add-ons, no pressure.

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

I am paying MSRP for my 2006 HCH. I emailed a number of the fleet departments. Of the ones that responded (I emailed all the way to Las Vegas), either nobody would deal straight with me or they wanted over MSRP (frankly I didn't spend a lot of time because it's just not worth it to save a few hundred dollars. I rather get great service). I've worked with this great guy at Right Honda in Phoenix and I am very satisfied with the deal. There just aren't a lot of cars in this area and the demand is very strong.

When we were putting the downpayment on mine, there was another person asking to purchase. When we got back from our test drive, there was another couple looking at the hybrid.

Support the Troops - Drive a Hybrid!

Go to Ebay and search for the vehicle you are interested in. Then look at the "Completed" list and map out the successful and unsuccessful sales. This is the closest you'll get to 'free market price.'

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

I bought the first HCHII that showed up at Family Honda in Rancho Santa Margarita in south Orange county. I was initially #11 on their list, but I ponied up $2k deposit and moved to #1. Now the bad news: They tacked on $1,995 "market adjustment". And I paid it. So, without navi, and no extras except the interior/exterior treatments I paid $27k out the door. On top of that, I won't get the tax credit for '06 but got the deduction for '05. So, my impatience cost me a lot of money. Do I regret buying the car? Hell no. My fuel costs went from $400/mo to about $100/mo because I was driving my Dodge diesel truck 42 miles each way to work. Now the truck is parked and only used when we take out the trailer for camping.

Good luck on your purchase,

Don

Search in the Prius section for 2006 pricing posts. There is at least one poll there that has over 20 responses to what people are paying.

Personally, I got my at almost 1000 below MSRP in Jan 06.

Jeremy

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When I walked into Toyota the car I wanted was $25,000 I dropped $3,000 down then had to another $3500 hidden in the fine print (3500 for supply / demand) ended up with a $440 monthly pymt.. All in all Im really paying 29,000 for my 04 (I felt like I had left the KY at home) Am I sorry too? Nope I went from filling up every week to twice a month and have seen the gass savings the first month. I too did not get the tax credit for '04,'05 the gov said I just missed the break as I purchased my car after the deadline..(More KY) its ok I will buy another one when its time..

just as a price comparison, I had to pay $3500 over sticker another guy I spoke to said he had to pay $5000 over .. (Ouch) anyone else?

04' # 5, W/leather & JBL omitted.
"Prius, Just ask the person that drives one"
04' Tundra, 18mpg city & 22mpg hwy.
04' Prius, 60mpg city & 53mpg hwy.

Kenstyle NHW20 AERO Kit

I have owned GM, Mopar & ford I have had desent luck with them but when the warr would run out, then the repairs would start and the reliability would fade. So I did my research and found Honda,Nissan & Toyota had the reliability with little repairs needed even after the warr runs out..

I then set out looking for a roomy hybrid as I am 6'4" (Nissan was out no hybrid) That left Honda & Toyota.

I checked out the civic and found it was a cramped compact car for me.
So then I checked out Toyota the Prius looked really small but I test drove one and found that it had the same leg room or close to the camry in the back seat with the front seats slid as far to the rear as they would go.
I also noticed it was very peppy 0-60 in 9-seconds. with a top speed of 125 miles per hour ( not that I will ever do that again)! So I purchased it . and have found the hybrid to be a good investment.. My wife drove it for a month and ony filled it once driving localy.

04' # 5, W/leather & JBL omitted.
"Prius, Just ask the person that drives one"
04' Tundra, 18mpg city & 22mpg hwy.
04' Prius, 60mpg city & 53mpg hwy.

Kenstyle NHW20 AERO Kit