[cynthia]

Hi. I'm Cynthia and I'm new to this forum.

I'm wondering if there are any gatherings of Prius enthusiasts and owners in Portland, Oregon.

Also, I wonder if those who have recently received their vehicles in my area could tell me how long they waited, what dealers they used, and if they paid over MSRP.

Cynthia

 

[kjb516]

Cynthia,

I took delivery of my package 7 a few weeks ago (at MSRP) from Ron Tonkin after a 5 1/2 month wait. I had originally put in an order for a package 1, but Tonkin was filling a large fleet order with the city of Salem, so few were available to fill single orders for this package. I would recommend Tonkin and have also heard good things about Broadway Toyota delivering at MSRP.

One recommendation I have is to ensure that the dealer has been taking deliveries of whatever package that interests you. In my case, I upgraded my order once it became apparent that it would a LONG time before I would see the entry level package (I was also VERY flexible with respect to color). According to the fleet manager, the majority of deliveries Tonkin was receiving were package 7’s and 9’s.

In addition, I found it to be much more helpful to stop by the dealership and speak with the fleet manager in person (for monthly updates) than is was to contact a salesperson by phone.

-Ken

 

[toyotrever]

I am in NC now but am from the Portland area (Willamina). Looking through the national rankings and surveys, Tonkin is ranked very high with customer satisfaction. I would recomend them even though i have never done business with them.

 

[cynthia]

Ken,

Thanks for the information. I'm on the list with Griffith Motors in The Dalles. They think they can get me in a car in about five months. Today I spoke with the fleet manager at Vancouver Toyota who thinks he can get me in a car in about three months.

Would it be wrong to be on two lists? (Both require deposits) Is this somehow unfair?

I'm hoping for a red with package 5.

Cynthia

 

[kjb516]

Cynthia,

I don't see anything wrong (or unfair) with being on multiple lists, but I would make sure that I get it in writing that your deposit is refundable. I also put my deposit on a credit card for more leverage (just in case I encountered any refund issues). Personally, I did not go the multiple dealer route as I wished to support my local dealership and I am quite pleased that I did.

Of the two dealerships that you are dealing with, I have not heard any opinions good or bad, but I would seriously question the Vancouver claim of a three month delivery. Tonkin is currently quoting around 8 months for new orders and their wait time quote for me back in January was fairly accurate. I have heard a number of stories of more rural dealerships being able to deliver in less time (and be more honest), so I am more inclined to believe Griffith Motors five month claim.

Good Luck
-Ken

 

[cynthia]

Thanks for the tips Ken.

 

[packzap]

I bought our 2002 Prius at Portland's Broadway Toyota for msrp after a 3 month wait. After absoultely horrible service three different times from Broadway we switched to Tonkin Toyota. The post-service care with Tonkin is superb.

 

[pumasalad]

Wow! Who knew!

I just realised there's a forum for the prius owners and there are a bunch of members from Portland OR! count me in! I got my black 2004 #8 last January from Broadway Toyota (more on broadway toyota in minute). It now has 7,000ish miles on it and it's still going strong. I love it!

there are some pictures of it scattered around on my website at cliffdweller.com.

I drove it to the mountains last week and was very pleased to average around 54 mpg in the Rockies. At one point, coming down out of the mountains, averaged 62mpg for almost 30 minutes!

As for Broadway Toyota, I leased mine from them, and they actually made me come in a second time to sign a second set of lease papers that upped my price $6 a month ($216 for the entire lease term). I don't know about you, but that seems like a cost they should have absorbed to me, since I already had a set of papers signed and completed by them. Anyway, because of that, I have told everyone who will listen to me (including you folks) that I had a very sour taste in my mouth after dealing with Broadway Toyota. I recommend ANYONE else over them.

Be sure and wave if you see me around town. I'm in the black one with the cartoon character "Gir" antenna ball.

ciao
--->PAul

 

[cynthia]

Hi Paul,

So what's it like keeping a black Prius clean??? Is it a more than once a week job?

Cynthia

 

[pumasalad]

hehe... everyone always says it's harder to keep a black car clean, but the truth is all cars get just as dirty as each other.

I do wash it at least once a week, because I hate when I brush up against a car and get dirt on me, so I have always washed my cars regularly. In the spring here in portland, I washed it twice a week because of the sticky sap that got on it from the tree it was parked under. There's nothing worse than running out to meet someone and getting your hands sticky (and/or dirty) on the door handle of the car!

And when it's freshly washed, it looks so much sleeker than any of those other colors that Priuses (Prii?) come in... remember the quote from Henry Ford: "any color so long as it's black"...

 

[mycroft]

An "about to be" owner

My Prius is supposed to be here in a week or so; part of the first August shipment to Beaverton Toyota. It's another Black car, pkg#9. It's supposed to be MSRP; assuming it shows up on time I would have been on the waiting list just over 3 months.

fyi... McMinnville Toyota's policy (at least three months ago) was that they didn't want a deposit until they knew they could get you a car; e.g. it had been allocated to them by the region.

 

[rwb1977]

That's great! MSRP and three months wait... I am paying MSRP and have waited two months for a black #7 in Anchorage, AK and just found out it arrived this morning. Should be able to pick it up from the dealer tomorrow. I'm obviously biased, but I think black looks the best, and every car gets dirty in Anchorage during the winter, so I'm not too worried about that.

 

[pumasalad]

yay! long live the black prius!

hehe

 

[ehurtley]

Woo-hoo! New owner.

Sorry, I'm about to make some jealous.

My wife and I decided we needed a new car about a month ago. (She's pregnant, and we decided that neither of our two current vehicles is really 'baby-friendly'.) I've been wanting a Prius for some time, but could never really justify it. Well, this last weekend (Saturday, July 24, 2004,) we decided to get serious and really start looking.

I called every Toyota dealership in the Portland metro area. The average waiting list was 9-10 months. Some said it could be less if I was willing to accept 'anything that comes in', or a used model. But even then, it was at least 6 months. Thomason Toyota was different. No waiting list. Strictly first-come, first-served. I talked with a salesman (not the greatest, but not bad,) and he put me on his list. I wasn't expecting much.

We decided that we would really like a blue or tan package 9 ("Seaside Pearl" or "Driftwood Pearl",) with green "Tideland Pearl" slightly less, and package 7 slightly less desired. We would not take any other package. (We had been told by every dealership that the only packages currently available are 1, 5, 7, and 9.) And if push came to shove, we'd take any color but black or white. Well, on Sunday (one day after making these calls,) the Thomason sales guy calls and says they have a used one, 8,000 miles, in white, package 1. Sorry, no. He also says that he is expecting a package 9 tan on in late this week. Bingo!

So I'm expecting a call later this week, and today (Monday the 26th, two days after placing the initial call,) he calls frantically telling me that one just came in. Both were pre-ordered, but the people who placed the orders cancelled. (They used to take orders, but when their list got over 12 months, they decided to go for the first-come, first-served, after fulfilling all orders, of course.) I only got this in a voice mail, and when I went to call him back, I got his voice mail. (Tag! You're it!) So I start racing across town. (I was downtown, Thomason is in Gladstone.)

I get there, and he has not one, but TWO. A package 9 in green (tideland) and a package 7 in blue (seaside.) JACKPOT!!! Well, to cut an already long story, uh, not-quite-as-long, they added $5000 dealer markup to the MSRP, bringing the package 9 model above $30,000. I told them that $30k was my absolute, inviolate cap. They wouldn't budge. So I got the Seaside Pearl package 7. As I was signing the paperwork, they sold the other one. So I do understand why they weren't willing to budge.

So I am now the (fairly surprised) owner of a new Prius. (I was honestly expecting at least a 6 month wait, not 48 hours.)

I've had good experiences with Thomason in the past (I bought one car from Thomason Hyundai, and would have bought a second from Thomason Beaverton Hyundai if I hadn't lost my job the day I test drove the car.) And if you are willing to pay a slight premium, I'd say give Thomason a call. (They give a $100 kickback for referrals. If you use me as a referral, I'll give you half the kickback. My salesman was Duy (pronounced 'Tee', but he calls himself 'Dewey' because that's what most of us white folk pronounce it,) Dang.)

P.S. If you're willing to wait, Broadway Toyota sells them at MSRP, no markup. But you'll have to wait almost a year. The salesmen were great, and understanding about those not willing to wait.

P.P.S. I had a customer who only waited six weeks for one from Vancouver Toyota. But he got package 1 in white. Apparently both very unpopular choices. (i.e. People only buy them because they're available more quickly.)

--
Ed Hurtley, [email protected]

 

[ehurtley]

Prius meet at meetup.com

<bump>

So organizing a meet of Portland-area Prius owners? Well, I just searched, and it looks like meeting site meetup.com has one already done. Go to http://prius.meetup.com, select Portland, and vote for your location! (I like the Old Market Pub, because meeting at a Home Depot is kind of odd, and the Felt Room is kind of out of town. Hey, I only live about 5 minutes from the Old Market Pub, and driving carefully, I can use electric mode the whole way there.) The next meetup is scheduled for Sat, Aug 21, at noon.

 

[kjb516]

Great site! Too bad I'll be on vacation that week, but I hope to join the next meeting. Chance meetings with other Portland area Prius owners just never seem to happen.

I'm taking new new Prius on it's first major road trip to Crater Lake, the Oregon Caves, the California redwoods and back up the Oregon Coast. I can't wait to see how the car performs on a long trip with three people. So far, it out done every expectation I originally had.

 

[ek]

Got my Bruce from Broadway Toyota

I just got my Tideland #9 (Bruce) a month ago from Broadway Toyota, thru sales person David Cantu. I was on the list for 5 1/2 months. Every month I called fleet manager Jerry Rouselle for an update. He was always very helpful and in the final month tried everything to try and get me a car with my package and color specifications. I paid MSRP and they didn't try to sell me any additional stuff except the extended warranty which I didn't take. I would recommend Broadway Toyota to everyone interested in buying a Prius because they sell it to you straight without any haggling. They only get in package #1,7,9, with 7 and 9 being more frequent. I think it will be very hard to get a #5 in this area.

So far I've only used their service dept. once, when the engine light came on after a few days. They correctly detected that it was the coating on the O2 sensor and took care of it. So for now, I'm sticking with them for service.

Thomason is making a smart move by selling their Prii on a first-come-first-serve basis, but I wouldn't want to pay the extra mark-up.

I would be interested in meeting up with Prius owners in the area, but unfortunately I'll most likely be out of town on the 21st.

Esther

 

[lastmarx]

Guess I lucked out. Called dealers in November and B'way said they will have a black #1 on the Portland dock in 2 weeks at MSRP. Got it. Only complaint is that damn gas gauge!

 

[ehurtley]

Guess I lucked out. Called dealers in November and B'way said they will have a black #1 on the Portland dock in 2 weeks at MSRP. Got it. Only complaint is that damn gas gauge!

What's wrong with the gas gauge? (I haven't noticed anything in my one-and-a-half tanks so far.)

 

[kjb516]

Many owners (including lastmarx) have reported the fuel gauge reporting quite a bit less than is actually left or widely varying inaccuracies from tank to tank. Personally, I have not experienced this issue, but for the most part, I normally fill up long before I really need to. In addition, I usually fill up at the same station due to filling issues I experienced with my last car.

Of course, having only owned my Prius since June, I have also not experienced the shrinking internal bladder that occurs during colder weather.

Has anyone reporting guess gauge inaccuracies noticed any improvements with the summer weather?

As my fuel gauge has so far been reasonably accurate (after five tanks), I am wondering if this has been more of an issue for some Prius owners than others?