I am really perplexed as to be patient and wait out a loaded TCH or to pick up a " base" model at my choice of dealerships. I am in eastern Pennsylvania and have been told by several dealers that I will have to wait until at least August for the car that I really want. Anyone have some thoughts on the issue?

If you are flexible on the color your chances will increase. My suggestion is to not wait on that one dealer. Look up as many dealers as you can and call them up to find out how long the wait is for the car you want.

IF as you say you wannasave$$$'s then it should be a simple logical (unemotional) decision and patience should not be a problem. The base model is all you need.

I would think an area like Eastern PA would have an abundance of Toyota dealerships within driving range and you should be able to locate one fairly easily. I'm not sure why you would have to wait on a loaded one or be able to pick out a base one right now. I've not heard of any restrictions in our area. My dealer got a loaded one (mine) but the dealer 20 miles away got one of each. Both should be available if you are not picky about the color. Then again, August is not all that far away and unless you're already on a list you may well have to wait if you're dealing with a dealer that may only get 1 or 2 per month. My dealer got theirs may5 and have not gotten another one.

Also keep in mind that the tax credit goes from $2600 to $1300 on October 1. So if you wait too long your loaded TCH will cost $1300 more.

What is your color choice and how much do you want it? Do you have a trade-in? I could have gotten my base mag gray a month ago if I didn't have a trade-in. A dealer in Miami was willing to ship the car to me, but the trade-in made it impractical. As it turns out, the dealer I went with offered me such a low figure that I am selling the car myself.

Anyway, back to my advice to you: Call at least a half-dozen dealers, especially in areas where people may be less willing to try new technology. I would try western PA or MD. I would also try a couple of the really big dealerships. Most dealers will take refundable deposits, so you're not risking anything to make some calls.

I have called at least 8 dealerships, one as far as 100 miles away and the answer is always the same. I have given them 4 colors to work with ( mag gray, titanium, blue ribbon and jasper pearl ). I was told that the cutoff date for the full tax break is Sept. 12th. Told several salesman that I have the money sitting in a bank account and that it is burning a hole in my pocket. Hoping that I can motivate them, I even tried telling them that I am looking at competing dealerships.

A couple of things. Don't know where they got Sept. 12. I don't have the IRS link handy, but you can find it by searching this board. You have until anytime during the quarter following the sale of the 60,000 hybrid vehicle to get the full tax credit. Toyota sold their 60,000 hybrid vehicle early this month, which is in the second calendar quarter. So you have until the end of the third calendar quarter (September 30) to purchase your car.

Regarding telling the dealers you have the money burning the hole in your pocket they can only sell what they have. And they know they'll sell each TCH very quickly so I'm not sure that will help.

I had to call a ton of dealerships to find one. I would open up your search radius; that helps a lot. Have you tried the DC area? DC, MD, VA? A lot of dealers offered to try and find them for me and trade, but that never panned out. No one is willing to trade apparently. Good luck. I know it can be very tough, but hang in there and you'll get what you want.

Have driven a couple base models and have enjoyed it immensely. Salesman told me that the credit will be cut in half 90 days after the 60,000 unit was sold and that was on June 12th.

Trusting a salesman to have good info. Tsk... Tsk. Anyhow, here's the link. It says in the last paragraph:

"Taxpayers may claim the full amount of the allowable credit up to the end of the first calendar quarter after the quarter in which the manufacturer records its sale of the 60,000th vehicle."

Hope this clears it up.