The Business Blog at Intuitive.com

Finally, I've joined the Cult of Prius

Yes, after almost five months of waiting (see my earlier entry about ordering a Toyota Prius to get an idea of when I first placed my order), I've finally picked up my brand new 2004 Toyota Prius. And it's way cool and a preview of the next generation of automobile too.

Even more fun, I spent some time surfing the net yesterday and figured out how to save $1200 on the transaction today. Read on to learn how I accomplished this nifty trick...

Originally, I ordered the car from Toyota of Boulder, but when I noticed that they were going to add on a $995 "high altitude climate kit" I called the salesman and said "I don't want it." It's about $50 worth of stuff, including etching the VIN on the windows, and Scotchguarding the seats. I was told that all cars from Toyota of Boulder have the high altitude kit and that it wasn't an option. So I cancelled my order.

But, still wanting the car, I resurrected my order with John Elway Toyota of Denver. A part of autonation I figured that they'd play it straight and they assured me that there wasn't any sort of altitude package scam included with the price.

So, finally, I'm sitting in the finance office on Friday afternoon, talking with the oh-so-pleasant finance manager (is everyone at a car dealership a manager?) when I decide to buy an extended warranty for the car. Their price: $1899 for 7 years, 100,000 miles, with zero deductible. Not too painful, so I accepted it.

Then on Sunday I'm poking around the file archives of the various Prius discussion groups on Yahoo Groups and I find the following note:

"Where can I get a good deal on an extended warranty? Try Troy at Toyota of Greenfield MA (413)772-0231: 7/100,000/$0 for $980.  Or try Lisa Sue Goon, Graham Automall Mansfield, OH 1-866 472 4261 ext. 302, she offers 7/75,000/$0 for $835."

This morning I called Troy and he told me that if I didn't think I'd be putting a lot of miles on my Prius, I shoudl consider the 7/75,000 warranty. His price to me? $700. So i did what any smart person would do: I called Elway Toyota and told them I wanted to write a new check to purchase the car minus the warranty. The end result is that I've saved about $1200 thanks to the 'net. And that's not too bad!

In another note, I'll talk about all the amazing features of this very modern car. For now, let's just say that I've happily joined the Cult of Prius. :-)