i've done most of the online research i can regarding the 2006 prius, so now i need to take to the dealerships so i can do a little more hands on research. i live in the northwest suburbs of chicago, so i was wondering if anyone had any positive experiences with a suburban chicago dealership. i vistied arlington acura in buffalo grove today, and they didn't have a singe one for me to even peruse. is it even reasonable for me to think a dealership would have one sitting around long enough for me to look at, or are most people buying based on online research alone (i've done this plenty)? thanks in advance!

 

You might scan the Ebay listings for dealers who are 'Internet' savy. Give them a call and if close enough, drive over.

Bob Wilson

 

These cars are normally gone with in 2-3 hours after they roll off the truck..

I would call by phone & as B.Wilson stated do the internet thing look up dealerships....


Good Luck

 

thanks guys. i guess i should have paid better attention at the chicago auto show (wasn't really considering it at the time).

if i have any worthwhile experiences with chicagoland dealers, i'll be sure to share. i haven't seen a lot of discussion for this area, surprisingly.

 

Why did you go to an Acura dealership to look for a Prius?

 

wow, i was obviously tired when i wrote that. i meant arlington toyota. i have arlington acura on the brain (currently driving a tsx).

 

<slapping forehead>Or maybe the new owners have a web site that might help? Last time I checked, I think they try to connect potential buyers with dealers with inventory.

Bob Wilson

 

unfortunately, i've yet to see any dealer have an accurate inventory listed on their websites...but i'm in touch with a couple in the area via email, so we'll see how it shakes out.

 

I bought my HH through CarMax in Baltimore but they also have a Toyota dealership in the Chicago area... may want to check their site - they were discounting the HH when no one else was.

 

hey all...so far i've been in contact with three dealers in the area. they are:
+ libertyville toyota (libertyville)
+ arlington toyota (buffalo grove)
+ classic toyota (waukegan)

tried to arrange a test drive at arlington toyota, but a pre-driven '05 they were expecting to have in for a test drive came in late. so i went to libertyville toyota today and was extremely impressed by that dealership. very professional staff (zack was very helpful), large, clean...good stuff. got to test drive a prius this morning, and got what i wanted out of it. it was a bit buzzier than i expected...i wasn't necessarily put off by that, i just thought it would be a little quieter. then again, i was gunning it as much as possible to get an idea of it's passing power, so probably not fair. overall, it met my expectations (which are high, so that's good).

only problem now is getting one. i'm hoping for a black, package #7. availability wise, libertyville toyota said they order everything from the factory, and it's a 4-5 month wait. arlington toyota, off the cuff, said about 2 months previously, but not sure if that was an order or just to locate one that is already here and to trade. i like at least that libertyville toyota didn't string me along and say it would be here in a month, but not really be here for 5.

got a call from classic toyota, so need to find out what the deal is there. that's the update for now, hopefully someone in the suburbs finds this info somewhat handy.