Remember, you MUST NOT run your new engine at a constant speed for more than a few minutes at a time during its break-in period.

Steve Villatoro
www.stevenvillatoro.com
“An enlightened guide to small business mastery.”

Sorry,,, I guess you gotta be a little faster....... GOING, GOING, GONE Seriously you might try calling them(Louie Gomez), and having him call you when the next one arrives. He called me on that one, I'd told him I knew someone in my hometown who was interested in buying a TCH. Being a small dealership, they told me that they only get one after they sell the one they have. Only drawback,,, they don't have a choice on what they get, options, color, etc.

I've heard so many different stories on how to break an engine in - it's going to be all highway driving and I figure I will have to adjust my speeds by 5 mph increments for the first 500 miles - then go from there.... Any other suggestions.....

When I bought mine they told me the same thing, so having 250 miles to drive home, they said not to use cruise control for awhile that way it'd be harder to maintain a constant speed,,, it worked, I did this for the first 500mi. Do it till you get home and you should be OK. Good Luck

I realize how it works but I'm kind of bummed because I've been consuming all my excess time with searching for a car and finally decided to ask for help on this forum. I started this thread in hopes of getting some leads and then I return to find that one of the possibilities suggested on this thread has already been snapped up. This whole TCH search is a little nerve racking is all and that was just one more straw on the camel's proverbial back I suppose.

Break-in should involve different engine loads and in-town driving is best. Highway driving should be avoided as much as possible for the first 500mi due to likelihood of constant engine loads which don't seat the rings/cylinder walls as well as varied loads.

Jer.... It looks like Toyota on Western in Chicago may have one available. They don't usually post their inventory on pre-sold. Not sure on the color. This one has moonroofbut no leather or Nav. They sell for MSRP with no games. If interested, call tomorrow and ask for Robert McMurtry. He is their internet sales manager. If you fly in to Midway he will pick you up at the airport. I bought mine their and drove it back to Florida.

You might also try Priority Toyota in Chesapeake Virginia. 757-366-5000. Ask for Bob Fogarty. He is definately somebody you can trust and he drives a Prius. Very knowledgable.

Thanks for the heads up but I'll be selling the Audi A6 which was a $60,000+ car when it was new in 2000 (I bought it almost two years ago for nowhere near that) so it has TONS of creature comforts that both my wife and myself have become accustomed to. The TCH already is giving up some of those even when loaded so anything less than that would be too much of a step back for us to really want to do it. Sorry for the extended reply but this way you'll understand why I'm searching for a TCH w/every available option (save for that shift knob that looks silly IMO) and if I can't find it then I'll just keep the Audi until I can get what I'm looking for because the reality is that this Audi is truly a great car and we love it to death. Just looking for something that gets better fuel economy for our commuter/road trip vehicle plus the Nav/bluetooth and remote sensing system would be a nice addition. It would also be nice to make the garage an all-Toyota affair.

Jer,

Sorry I beat you to the deal.........I have been following this thread a lot and calling around too.... From what I have seen already - It's all about being at the right place at the right time.....

If your interested - I was working with Tami Myers at Auto Ave's in Lakewood and she was working kind of like a broker for me and put in a request on the Fleet side with CamelBack in Arizona.... She was saying 2-3 months instead of the dealerships standard 5+ months wait time.... Her number is 303-231-2667.... Maybe you take my place on her list as she called it in about 2 weeks ago.....

I can get one from my local stealership in about two months but was trying to beat the Sept 30th deadline. If this doesn't pan out it will probably be quite some time before I buy one since there's no longer a rush for any reason.

fitzmall.com -- ask for Hank -- you'll have one is service prior to 9/30 for the tax crwedit.

P.S. -- I got mine in one day -- over the internet click -- 'loaded' at $699.00 off MSRP

Can be done if you do your homework.