Waiting List
My wife currently drives a RAV4 and loves the compact size combined with the AWD (All Wheel Drive) for those snowy commutes up and down the river bluffs between our house and her office. It is also the oldest vehicle but with fairly low mileage which makes it a prime candidate for becoming our daughter's vehicle and allowing my wife to get a newer one. But used RAV4's are impossible to get and new ones aren't any easier. Plus, we are intrigued with perhaps going with a new platform.
By that I mean the RAV4 Prime which is their hybrid model with larger batteries that will allow for up to 48 miles of all electric use before it switches over to regular hybrid mode which still gets nearly 40 mpg compared to her current vehicle which only gets a little over half that at 22 mpg. With my wife's commute, she can run completely on battery power every day and yet still take trips to the urban jungle 100 miles away as needed. It seems like the perfect compromise.
But
They were only first produced in 2021, they no longer make 2022 models this late in the year and so we have to wait for the 2023 model which was literally released to the public about two weeks ago. Combine that with the computer chip shortage going on, there is no guarantees of when there will be one in stock at our local dealership which after decades of selling on average 100+ cars a month, only gets allocated 6 cars a month and has no say in what model they are or what features they might have.
But there is good news too. We are now on a waiting list, which comprises of over a dozen people wanting various vehicles but we are the only one requesting a Prime model and so we are at the head of the Prime list. Due to the dealership changing owners recently, they no longer sell vehicles for what the market can bear, i.e. marking it up for $5000 to $10,000 OVER MSRP. They are now strictly selling them AT MSRP. Due to the uncertainty of getting vehicles, they also stopped taking deposits so we have no money invested in being on the waiting list. We just wait for the call to come in, go to the dealership to look at the vehicle and if we want it, put a down deposit on it, if needed, until the payment part of it is finalized. So there is no risk to us at this point for being on the waiting list.
There is also no estimates on when we might get that call. It could very well be next month when they get their allotment of 6 vehicles (they also sell Fords and Jeeps alongside of Toyotas and their allotment isfor all three brands) or it could be deep into next summer or longer. I'm hoping for the latter time frame as it really isn't necessary at this point and we only have a two car garage so a third vehicle would have to spend the winter outside.
Now all there is to do is to wait for that call to come in.
We don't buy new cars, but those hybrids are amazing. My son bought one, a Toyota, and they love it so much, they plan to get a second. My daughter and her husband bought an electric car early in the summer. They expect to have it by Christmas. As you said, "Interesting times..."
ReplyDeleteI would prefer the used route because I think it the cheaper route most times but that would require me to own an entire set of tools I don't have to be able to do the required upkeep. Paying a premium by buying new is a sacrifice I have to make for my already overcrowded garage full of woodworking tools. I try to minimize the financial premium of buying new by retaining vehicles for as long as practically possible.
DeleteI will be interested to hear both the speed at which you get the car as well as your experience with it. Hybrids seem like a reasonable compromise to me.
ReplyDeleteI think they are inevitable at this juncture. I will certainly update things when/if we get one but living out here in rural America and only getting six models a month for three different brands, I'm not optimistic about getting a call anytime soon.
DeleteI didn't realize buying a car was such a challenge these days. I'd heard that there was a shortage, but for the dealership to go from 100-plus cars every month to just six? That's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI really wish I had your lifestyle Steve where I could just walk everywhere or catch mass transportation. Life would be much simpler... and most likely cheaper.
DeleteIt's definitely a whole different world out there now when it comes to cars. My Chevy Malibu spent over 6 weeks in the shop this summer. (no loaner, no rental, and of course no public transportation here) It needed two computerized parts - one readily available and one unavailable, nationwide. (My SIL enjoys restoring cars, but will tell you he hates working on anything new enough to have a computer in it.) Long story short, the dealership finally got the part, but it took many phone calls, a couple of emails, and patience.
ReplyDeleteI think you're wise to get on a waiting list for what you want.
Before Covid and after I finally got rid of the extra vehicle that was just causing me time and money, rental cars were cheap and easy to get. But the last two I have rented have been extremely expensive, and would be downright painful to finance if I needed one for six weeks.
DeleteThat seems like an honourable dealer. Purchasing automobiles can be a nightmare experience -- or can feel that way even when it isn't. We are currently driving a 2010 Honda CRV. It still has relatively low mileage. I hope it lasts another 5 years until I am 80 and then we shall see what we shall see.
ReplyDeleteThe salesperson is a personal friend and he has always treated me right, even if we negotiated for all the previous vehicles I have purchased from him over the years. Previous to the RAV4 we had a Honda CRV of 2003 vintage and it was quite nice. But when we were looking to replace it in 2015, the Honda CRV was in the middle of issues with the transmission and that caused us to put a pause on another one. But from what I have read, they have fixed the issue and they are back to being as reliable as their RAV4 counterparts.
DeleteI would love that RAV. I looked at the regular ones before I bought my Subaru but the visibility in them wasn't as good nor was the interior. Plus, the Subie had the color I wanted! ;) I did like the body style of the RAV better than the CRV or the Forester. Whenever I buy my next car, it will definitely be a hybrid of some sort.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely be interested in Subaru and used to drive one a LONG time ago, but there is no close dealer to me. The nearest one is a solid two hours away so it makes any sort of recall or service issue a burden compared to the Toyota dealership 5 minutes away. That fact influences my decision a lot on what sort of vehicle I want next.
DeleteYep, I can understand that completely. For me there's a Subaru dealership 10 minutes away. The Toyota salesman was the ex-husband of a friend of mine and he told me that if I was looking for the best AWD, they couldn't compete with Subaru. That was in 2017 though so perhaps things have changed since then.
DeleteI'm not an expert by any means but I think Subaru and Toyota have gone different tacks when it comes to AWD. Subaru can transmit more power to individual wheels and at higher speeds than Toyota. Toyota limits how much power gets directed to the rear wheels and I think it shuts off completely when it approaches road speeds. To me that means the Subaru will probably handle better in really bad conditions but the Toyota will probably see less wear and better gas mileage over time. As long as one isn't driving in horrific conditions on a regular basis, probably both are adequate. I have driven the RAV4 in some pretty bad conditions over the years and while it does WAY better than just 2WD, it isn't the same as 100% 4-wheel drive.
DeleteToyotas are excellent cars. I have a hybrid and the gas tank is smaller but I get about 40 miles per gallon. It used to cost me about $24 to fill up but now, with the inflation of gas prices, I pay over $40 for each fill.
ReplyDeleteWith my wife’s driving schedule, she could go months without filling up, small tank or not.
DeleteWe've been shopping for a car as well ... with similar results. The cars nobody wants are in stock -- a few of them anyway -- but anything we want requires some indeterminate several-month wait. Plus, the dealers BRAG about not charging over MSRP! Remember when you used to get a few thousand off?!?
ReplyDeleteAt least MSRP is better than I was seeing last year where many dealers were adding surcharges on top of that. I think with inflation and high interest rates, the market is starting to soften up a bit on new vehicles.
DeleteThe dealer I "ordered" our car from only had a handful of new Ford pickups and a couple small sedans sitting on the lot. There wasn't a single new Toyota.
I'm just hoping the shortage of cars and parts will come to an end before we need to change/upgrade. We've discussed it, but don't even want to look right now!
ReplyDeleteThe Toyota dealer told me it would still be another 18 months before they started getting enough computer chips. But I'm sure I've heard that number before so I take it with a grain of salt. The plus in all of this is that looking now involves a chair and your computer so you don't have a salesperson chasing you all over the lot.
DeleteGood luck, Ed. I hope it all works out and you can get the vehicle you want. We are a few years away from the oldest driving but it is something I think about because we are going to need that third vehicle.
ReplyDeleteI started thinking about this before the oldest was driving, then Covid hit, and now I am actually doing something before she leaves for college. Time goes so fast!
DeleteWe've had our Toyota Hybrid Prius now for over 10 years and love it. We're glad our son told us to get it. Art was considering an all-electric, but thinks he'll stick to the hybrid for our next car.
ReplyDeleteI don't think we are able to have an all electric vehicle here because the distances involved aren't practical but some electric combined with hybrid seems like a perfect fit.
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