$3K over seems to be par for the course. I paid it, somewhat foolishly, but then, I didn't have to wait even one day to get one.
I'd previously been looking at a diesel VW Beetle, which was (all told) about 10K less, albeit with far fewer features (no alarm or DVD nav or remote start, ect). I bought the Prius almost without thinking (though I knew I wanted one). It took a while to get over the sticker shock, but the payments are manageable (probably $100 a month more than the Beetle), and it's a Toyota (reliable), not a VW (unreliable).
Would the Beetle have cost me the extra money in service over the life of the car? Doubt it. But I was planning on keeping that car for five years. Who knows how long the Prius will last? Hopefully for a lot longer than that. I have a si-year warranty, anyway. And thanks to an inheritance, I'll have the entire thing paid off in just over 2 years.
So... what was the question?