No, I did not get my car. I am such a horribly impatient, worry-wart person. I don't want to sit on this waiting list for weeks if my dealership isn't ever really going to get any jasper pearl TCH. This morning in another fit of car waiting insanity I spent an hour looking at the inventories of dozens of Toyota dealerships in the northeastern US. None of them had Jasper Pearl. One dealership in PA had 5 TCH listed in their inventory and, guessing that they might be the PA highest volume dealer, I called them. The very nice salesman with whom I spoke said, yes indeed he had 5 TCH, of which 2 were sold. None of them were Jasper Pearl, of course, which I knew. He told me that they are the highest volume dealer and they have not yet even seen Jasper Pearl either.

So, I called Toyota's 800 number, and they couldn't give me any info except to say that sometimes Toyota does designate a color to a specific area and it will take longer for the color to get to other areas. She said she couldn't say one way or the other whether this was the case with the TCH, because she didn't have that kind of information. She also said she has no access to the inventory information either. She said I should speak with the Customer Relations Manager at my dealership and ask her about the odds of getting the car before Sept. 30.

So, I called my dealership. First I called to talk to our salesperson, but he was with a customer, so I left a message. Then I called and asked for the Customer Relations person, but she wasn't in today since it's Saturday. Our salesperson called back. He's such a nice guy. He said, first, the gold TCH they told me about last week was still available and it was actually now on the lot (just came in today). This is the one with the moonroof. BUT, second, he talked to the guy in charge of the inventory and he says he is very sure we will get our jasper pearl TCH before Sept. 30th. BUT, if we want we can come look at the gold one and see what we think, we were more than welcome to do so.

So, we went over to look at the gold one. It was so new that it had plastic everywhere (plastic on the wheels!) and the mirrors weren't even installed. I didn't want to test drive it, just sit in it. The moonroof is nice. It does make the head room a little shorter, but I didn't feel it was too short. The bisque interior is darker than I thought it would be, which is a good thing. I just wasn't in love with it though. In fact, I think I am going to change my second choice color. It is a little too close to the color of my beige Corolla, and I think I want something different this time.

Our salesman told us that he had a bigger chip (than the one in the booklet) of the jasper pearl color we could look at. I LOVE the color. He said he would call us to come look at any jasper pearl car that comes in whether it is ours or not, just to be sure we love the color, but I don't think that will be necessary. He said that he absolutely trusts the manager who is in charge of the inventory; that if he thought we would not get the car before Sept he would tell us, and he'd tell us to pick a different color. He said at this point we don't even need to worry about a second choice. He is sure we will get jasper pearl. He will be in touch with us regularly to update us on the situation, and let us know what is going on and if we get to late summer with no car THEN we can discuss changing plans.

So, despite the fact that I could have taken the brand new gold one, I am going to wait. And I am going to TRY to be patient. I know I said that before .

BTW, gold and bisque interior is a nice combination. It *is* a pretty color. It's just not what my heart's desire is.

........

And on another note... I got a quote from my insurance company today and I am not happy that there is such a price difference between the TCH and an equivalently equipped regular Camry. They are saying it's "because of the hybrid technology"... whatever. I think I'll be calling Traveler's....

 

My insurance (with Nationwide) went down $10/month going from a 03 Infiniti FX45 to the 07 TCH.

Granted the FX is in a different class but it is 4 model years older.

Make sure the insurance people know there are 7 air bags, and skid and traction control.

 

I told him all about the safety features, and the theft protection (engine immobilizer, smart key). He said that the difference in the quote, from the 2007 Camry to the 2007 TCH (he gave me quotes for both) was because the hybrid techology is "so new" and also maybe it costs more to fix them if they're in an accident. Mmmhmmm...

 

There is one in Florida due in today. Not sure if it has the equipment you want. Its Jasper Pearl with Bisque Leather (port installed), Carpet Mats/Trunk Mats, Splashguards and Toyoguard (a bunch of stuff you dont need for $699)... MSRP is $29092 with a rather high dealers doc fee included in that price ($635). Dealer is Phillips in Leesburg.

You can try this link

http://www.toyozone.com/inventory/vehicleDetail.aspx

 

Gandyfire, in the northeastern US the Buyatoyota.com site only allows you to request a quote from a dealer (when I click that link above it goes to the main page and asks me to enter a zip code). There are no region-wide inventory search tools for this part of the US. My salesman even said that some dealerships in the northeast hide their inventories from other dealerships, so it's no real surprise that they don't let consumers see them.

Some dealerships up here do provide inventory search functionality on their individual web sites, but then you are just seeing the inventory of that particular dealership with no "regional" info like I have seen when I've searched the inventories of dealerships in the southeast.

 

try 34748

 

I think there is still a fully-loaded one with ash interior and a spoiler available at www.atlantatoyota.com. I was really surprised it wasn't snatched up yet. Check it out. Mine is due to arrive Monday or Tuesday! Can't wait!

 

After two long months, I finally have my TCH SuperWhite fully loaded. Yahoo!

The adventure was that Temecula had the car and wasn't telling the other dealer about it, but somone on Edmunds.com told me about the available cars so I started calling around. That was 6/16, then 6/17 I had to take my mother to the hospital for tests and she has pneumonia and other complications. So here I am at the hospital and I find out the car I have been waiting for is available... 10 a.m. can't leave but the dealer hopes I make it there in time 10:30 a.m. Someone is trying to buy the car. I am still waiting with my family (mom dad twins) at the hospital hoping my mom (age 84) will get a room soon... 11 a.m. buyer is upside down on the trade - good news. 12:30 mom is settled so off we go to get the car. 3:30 p.m. we drive away with my new car. Get dad (86 - married 59 years) settled into living with me for a week then back to visit mom at the hospital. Talk about heaven and hell in one day. I was excited but sad at the same time. At least I have a wonderful family that has lived so long. I hope my mom will be well soon and back home. I finally get to join the TCH club but with lots of responsibilities at the same time as always, I am an only. Happy Father's Day!

 

We wish your mom a quick recovery, and many happy miles on your new beast.

 

Ginway.....Thanks..did not see anything showing available on their inventory or coming in. Did you see this on the lot or on the web site?