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May
27, 2005
No
Cheap Way Around Buying a Hybrid Car
I've gone shopping for hybrid
cars numerous times, but right now I'm shopping for
my wife. And it isn't fun.
My wife is very interested in SUVs and I've had her test
drive the Ford
Escape hybrid, which she liked very much. Still, in
my neck of the woods, the Escape hybrid comes with a
$5000 dealer add on, plus additional dealer-added
amenities. While my wife isn't afraid to spend money,
the dealer add-on fee annoyed her.
I told her that we might do better online, but her
interest was already gone. Besides we had agreed that we
wanted to keep the vehicle cost under $30,000;
otherwise, I wouldn't have had any other choice but to
buy the Lexus
RX400h - which my wife had already told me was her
choice.
"What's next?"
"Either the Civic
hybrid or the Prius."
"No. What about the Accord?"
Great. My wife hates it when I talk about technology, so
I'm not sure how to approach this.
"The Accord
hybrid is a great vehicle, but it's a highway
hybrid. We drive in the city, in stop-and-go traffic.
The Prius is the best vehicle for those conditions,
followed by the Civic."
Since she already has a Toyota, she decided Prius, so we
want to the same dealer that services her Toyota.
Once the salesman knew we were going to buy a Prius, I
could tell I wasn't going to get a good deal on a
trade-in. So, if you are seeking a trade-in to buy your
Prius, I'd try a private sale first.
On that day only one Prius was available for sale, a
black base model.
"What about a blue one?"
"They only come in package 6," the salesman
responded to my wife.
"That's a loaded one," I tell my wife.
"What's in a loaded one?"
"Navigation, 6-cd changer, keyless entry..."
"Leather?"
"Toyota doesn't manufacture the Prius with leather,
that's an aftersale customization or dealer
add-on," the salesman tells my wife.
Ultimately, the salesman takes our name and number with
a promise to call us if a blue Prius turns up. While
I've had Honda and Ford salesmen follow up with me
regarding hybrids, I've never had a Toyota salesman call
me regarding a hybrid.
As soon as we got home, I checked eBay, but the closest
Prius for sale was in Houston. Hmmmmm. How much would it
cost to fly to Houston and drive back to Los Angeles?
Overall, however, the best deal was in New Hampshire,
but that is on the other side of the country, so we're
still looking.
Buying a Prius isn't easy, especially if you have needed
specifications. Often, shopping online is your best bet.
The market for hybrid vehicles is really dominated by
only a few cities in the U.S.. Thus, mark-ups are not
consistent from market to market. So in some states
hybrids, such as the Escape hybrid or the Prius, sell
for a few thousand less.
If money is no object, you can find a hot-selling Prius
today. Even if you have specific requirements, it
shouldn't be too hard to find what you are looking for -
if you include online in your search - but you will have
to pay a premium.
Right now patience, research and the willingness to
visit multiple dealers is the best approach to the
hybrid market.
Still, there just isn't a cheap way around buying a
hybrid car.
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