Just Ordered Our First Prius! (and Hello)

[mondoben]

I've been lurking on the forum for the last month, reading every thread in the build up to my wife and I's test drive over the Xmas holidays - some great helpful discussions, so thanks to everyone here who posts....and hello.

Well yesterday we took the plunge and ordered our first Prius (Gen III T-Spirit, Astral Black). Managed to get a pretty good deal from Jemca in Seven Sisters, payed the card price of 24K for T-spirit with leather trim, but got them to throw in for free:

DAB radio

USB Ipod kit

Front and Back mats.

...delivery in 4-5 weeks they reckon (we'll see, not expecting to see it for at least 8 tbh).

As usual, they tried to sell us the extras (Toyota insurance, GAP insurance etc) - but does anyone here recommend buying the Gardx coating on the paintwork/leather. Sounds like a waste of money to me. They want 350 quid....

[Fujisan]

Welcome, congratulations and good luck.

- but does anyone here recommend buying the Gardx coating on the paintwork/leather. Sounds like a waste of money to me. They want 350 quid....

If you wash / polish / wax / whatever, your car, yourself......then NO!

Invest considerabley less money on a good set of Autoglym / whatever products and know that the job is done properly.

By the way I believe the stuff that they chuck on the cars costs them about £50, so they make a huge profit on it.

[johalareewi]

As usual, they tried to sell us the extras (Toyota insurance, GAP insurance etc) - but does anyone here recommend buying the Gardx coating on the paintwork/leather. Sounds like a waste of money to me. They want 350 quid....

When I got my T3, I said no thanks to GAP and the Supagard. mainly because the same thing was half the price elsewhere. When it came to delivery, the dealer was so desperate to sell the GAP and Supagard (I believe they have targets to meet?) that they slashed the prices to below the best prices I could find so it actually became a good deal.

Basically, if you don't need GAP or 'supershinyfinish', don't buy it. If you do need it (or want it), shop around then see if the dealer wil drop their prices to compete.

[mondoben]

Yeah, i've already had a quote for Gap insurance that's a third of the price of that offered by Toyota (£95 vs £300) - so will probably go with that unless they are willing to beat it.

[The Traveller]

I ordered almost exactly the same thing last mid-August. Version, colour.

It arrives in 11 days time. Over 5 months.

I made the mistake of asking for the solar-roofed alternative because my beloved asked me to 'get one with a sunroof'. So I did, because she likes that, even though I never use the thing.

:ffs:

Bless her, she's been suitably mortified since she found out the difference in delivery times between the with / without solar roof versions.

I just can't wait now. Never had a brand new car in my life in over 25 years of driving.

Trying to get the dealer to let me have the manuals when it arrives at their place next Monday. Give me a chance of reading some of the 1000+ pages before I have to drive it!

[Fujisan]

I ordered almost exactly the same thing last mid-August. Version, colour.

It arrives in 11 days time. Over 5 months.

I made the mistake of asking for the solar-roofed alternative because my beloved asked me to 'get one with a sunroof'. So I did, because she likes that, even though I never use the thing.

:ffs:

Bless her, she's been suitably mortified since she found out the difference in delivery times between the with / without solar roof versions.

I just can't wait now. Never had a brand new car in my life in over 25 years of driving.

Trying to get the dealer to let me have the manuals when it arrives at their place next Monday. Give me a chance of reading some of the 1000+ pages before I have to drive it!

Hope the roads have cleared up Traveller, before you collect your new car.

Good luck!

PS Happy reading!

[The Traveller]

As fate would have it, whilst I was browsing here the phone rang about the car.

Delayed arrival at the dealers, due to the weather.

They get it on Thursday week. I take delivery a week later, they're bringing it here.

Another weeks delay. That's over 2 months delay from the original delivery date from Toyota.

Basically, for every week that passed the delivery went back one week.

Either the delivery forecasts are done by holding a finger in the wind, or the manufacturers make a habit of telling barefaced lies to stop you cancelling the order and buying something else instead.

I thought that the car industry was in crisis, with a shortage of buyers and the dealers looking hard for someone to offload the stock onto?

Good job they didn't tell the truth upfront. I'd have cancelled it and gone for the 6-speed Mondeo Titanium X diesel with all the trimmings. I'd have got it in half the time.

And lest I completely forget my manners, Hi Mondoben! And welcome to the forum.

[mondoben]

Just has a call from my sales-rep at Jemca, saying car is ordered and they expect it to be in first week of Feb....that can't be right surely! Still i'll believe it when i see it.

And thanks for all the welcome messages :)

[ian rooke]

Hi just a note gap insurance is not used in the first year as if the car is written off in year 1 (as mine was(6 weeks)) the car insurance

will pay out the full manufacturers price so make sure the gap insurance starts from year 2 or you will be insured twice

[mondoben]

Hi just a note gap insurance is not used in the first year as if the car is written off in year 1 (as mine was(6 weeks)) the car insurance

will pay out the full manufacturers price so make sure the gap insurance starts from year 2 or you will be insured twice

Thanks for the heads up Ian, didn't realise that. Should i just look at getting it in a years time then?

[ian rooke]

Hi best to ask the dealer that I suspect they want to sell it to you now maybe you can do a deal with them

[Grumpy Cabbie]

As fate would have it, whilst I was browsing here the phone rang about the car.

Delayed arrival at the dealers, due to the weather.

They get it on Thursday week. I take delivery a week later, they're bringing it here.

Another weeks delay. That's over 2 months delay from the original delivery date from Toyota.

Basically, for every week that passed the delivery went back one week.

Either the delivery forecasts are done by holding a finger in the wind, or the manufacturers make a habit of telling barefaced lies to stop you cancelling the order and buying something else instead.

I thought that the car industry was in crisis, with a shortage of buyers and the dealers looking hard for someone to offload the stock onto?

Good job they didn't tell the truth upfront. I'd have cancelled it and gone for the 6-speed Mondeo Titanium X diesel with all the trimmings. I'd have got it in half the time.

And lest I completely forget my manners, Hi Mondoben! And welcome to the forum.

Sorry to hear about the delay, but it'll be worth waiting for! Honestly, you'll be glad you didn't go for the Mondeo. I'm sure you'll love your Prius as much as I love mine.

What's the old saying "Good things come to those who wait"

[johalareewi]

What's the old saying "Good things come to those who wait"

Like a plug in Prius :D

[johalareewi]

Thanks for the heads up Ian, didn't realise that. Should i just look at getting it in a years time then?

Double check the small print in your car insurance policy to see what you would actually get in the event of a write off in the first year.

You might find you are only covered up to sales invoice value (less excess) and not the full cost of a replacement. There might be finance shortfall too if you have gone for a small deposit and large final value scheme. You can evaluate the risk and then decide if you want to insure against it.

My friend bought a new Yaris on the scrappage scheme and within a month, someone drove into the side of the car. It was touch and go whether the insurance company would write it off. If they did, my friend would only have got the invoice value back (ie Yaris list price less £2000 scrappage) so wouldn't have had enough to buy a new one. Luckily, the insurers decided to repair it.

[ian rooke]

Just to say that my insurers paid full list price when my car was written off even though I

had paid £1800 less than list for, it maybe they were too lazy to sort me out with a new car

or as it was a no fault claim (the other driver admitted it was his fault) they did not care.

[johalareewi]

Just to say that my insurers paid full list price when my car was written off even though I

had paid £1800 less than list for, it maybe they were too lazy to sort me out with a new car

or as it was a no fault claim (the other driver admitted it was his fault) they did not care.

Maybe, that is why it pays to read the small print so you know what cover you have got.

Some policies will be new for old, some will be up to original value.