[Saruman]

I was just thinking... I have been on a waiting list for the 2004 since Feb. I have "dealer order" form quoting me a price and made down payment.

What if the new model year rolls around and there are no more 2004's to sell? Will I have to take a 2005 at the new jacked up MSRP price? I have heard that the MSRP on the 2005's will be at least $5,000 and probably closer t0 $10,000.

Or, since I have waited, can I hold them to honoring the quoted price?

My dealer won't return my calls or emails on this question, and they get very snippy whenever you mention Prius on the phone.

The Prius is a beautiful and fun car, but not $30 large cool.

 

[RSnyder]

I have heard that the MSRP on the 2005's will be at least $5,000 and probably closer t0 $10,000.

No way they could sell this car for $5,000 to $10,000! Of course you probably mean "an additional $5-10K", in which case, you did NOT hear this from any reliable or official source. Stop being so melodramatic.

 

[Panjandrum]

I'm on order for a "2005"

I'm wait-listed for what will certainly be a 2005 by the time I get one. The dealer I'm working with is very straight-forward and never even attempted to go above MSRP, but they also won't tell me I can have a car until NEXT March. He *hopes* to be able to offer me a car sooner, he sells a lot of them (can't remember the number off hand) and a few do go unclaimed, but currently I'm looking at March of 2005. My price was $300 more than the 2004 model.

For those of you with dealers who want to charge over MSRP, don't put up with that, I would have walked straight out, period. Go to a different dealer.

 

[Daniel]

Chances are you will get a 2005, not a 2004. Chances are there will be few if any changes. Maybe, if you're lucky, theyll have a more reliable gas gauge or some other small fixes. Chances are the MSRP will go up by $300 or so. If your dealer quoted you a firm price, you can hold him to adding only the increase in MSRP. Relax. You probably have a long wait ahead, but unless your dealer is a sleazeball (and those are a very small minority) you'll pay about what you were quoted.

 

[viverrine]

2005 msrp

I placed an order on 5/13/2004; Delaer told me it will likely be fulfilled with a 2005, and that the msrp on the 2005 will be $300 over 2004. Said the wait is probably 12 months. :?

 

[Saruman]

I appreciate all the feedback and apologize to the "dramajudge" for being melodramatic.

The reason I am worried is:
1. The agreement I have is for a 2004, not a 2005.
2. The car is sold out nationwide, and waiting lists are stacked up - why wouldn't Toyota raise the MSRP $4-5,000 dollars to make some money? Especially when sales of higher profit SUV's have tanked.

 

[richard schumacher]

Yes, indeed, Toyota could raise the price again. But don't worry too much. They could have raised it a lot more than $300 back in March when it was obvious that demand greatly exceeded supply. This is evidence that Toyota continues to take a very long term view and is interested in building market share in exchange for a little short-term profit. I expect that you will get a better car than I have now (built in March 2004) for relatively little if any more money.

 

[hedwigtheprius]

Toyota's not stupid. They own Lexus too. They're not going to put the lower-end Prius in direct competition with the Highlander and the RXh by jacking up the price five or ten grand. While Ford might take a car that's not worth a whole lot and jack up the price because people want it (Thunderbird, anyone?), Toyota's not likely to do the same.

 

[Victor]

I put my order in last Tuesday, and I made sure the dealer put in the contract that "the price is fixed until delivery", in otherwords, the price can not go up. Delivery is expected to be 8 - 10 months, contract says 10.

I also asked about changes for the 2005 version as I would prefer a colour which is not availble in Germany. He said he didnt expect there would be any changes (other than bug fixes) as MRT can not build quick enough to deliver the existing orders, and they wont want to break the production line to re-tool for a slight upgrade. I personally wouldnt exect a change for 3 years or so from start. i.e. 2007.