WPWoodJr

Did you consider the new Prius?

I thought that actual braking wasn't necessary to recharge the battery. When you let up on the accelerator in electric mode, there is no natural slow-down from the engine back pressure, so the hybrids recharge the battery to provide an artificial back pressure and slow the car down, making for a gas engine feel.

Grey, do you have any reference for this information? The IRS web site seems surprisingly unhelpful.

Well, my dealer has a hybrid they could swap for it. I'm wondering if they would have to cancel my order with Ford if they satisfy my order through a swap, and they would get one less hybrid.

I tried to get my dealer to swap a car for me from another dealer. They said that would most likely invalidate my order date of Mar 31 and that the IRS could easily find out. What do you think?

Thanks! I do plan to go into detail when I get the car. I posted an update to Atlantis Green revealed that shows how black it looks on a cloudy day.

I changed mine today from Atlantis Green to Gray. The green is just too dark - would look black most of the time.

I ordered March 31 but have no vin or schedule date yet.

It would be cool if the Sync system could hook up to the Internet through your phone to get system updates or traffic/weather or CD database updates or whatever.

Thanks Jim good info!

I've added several new posts since yesterday - check it out! http://ffh.squarespace.com

I thought I'd try my hand at blogging so I've started a blog/discussion site about my newly ordered FFH. There doesn't seem to be a focused community on the inter-web for the FFH like PriusChat. Stop on by and leave a comment on my blog or add to the discussion forum! http://ffh.squarespace.com/

My old car is a 1998 Audi A6 2.8 with 101,000 miles on it.

I priced them in Philadelphia area and they came out about $1150 different - Milan was $33090 and Ford was $31940 (502a). I got my 502a for $30,120.

Got my 502a in Atlantis green for $30,120 - I think there's lots of room to deal!

Is that true? On March 31 I ordered a green FFH with black leather, 502a package. If a nearby dealer has that car, can't I get my dealer to swap one of his cars for that car without losing my tax credit? Or do I have to buy the ordered car to qualify?

I went to a local dealer today and saw the Atlantis Green. I would have said it was black if the sticker didn't say green. I'd prefer it a little more green like a fir tree. Guess you liked it though huh?

Thanks. To qualify for the tax credit, I only need the purchase order, correct? It doesn't matter when the dealer entered my order into the Ford system?

They can't legally say "sorry, we can't get the car" when they actually got it and then sell it to someone else. That would be fraud. Using my money to get a car from Ford under false pretenses, and my opportunity lost to get the $3400 credit.

What is the Thur night (4/2) cutoff? I ordered on 3/31 - should I have a VIN yet?

Thanks everyone for helping put my mind at ease. I drove one the other day, impressions are here: http://www.fordfusionforum.com/index.php?s...post&p=9316

I don't know if they did go through a verification process. They took my license, but they didn't run a credit check. I had to ask them for the order receipt; and the receipt copy they gave me was a xerox without their signature line on it (was off the bottom of the xerox) and no date! I called them up a couple days later and had them send me the original green copy of the receipt, and told them to make sure it was dated and signed, which they did.

Is this a common practice? Doesn't my order provide me any protection against a scam like that?

As I noted above, I paid $500 down on a FFH with 502a package for $30,120.85 (before taxes) on Mar 31. Now, having driven one at the dealer, I am getting concerned that somehow they will take the car I ordered and sell it to someone else at a higher price, or some other shenanigans like that. Is this a possibility? What, if anything, can I do to ensure I get my car? Is my order a contract with the dealer that they can't break?

A black FFH with 502a package and stone interior came in to my dealer today (I ordered a green FFH with black leather and 502a package from them on 3/31). I went over as soon as it was prepped and drove it. It drove nicely though I didn't get to drive it far. It only had about 32 miles on it. It will take awhile to get used to the LED interface but it was great. I put a few green leaves on it ;-) I tried some hard acceleration and it went ok, nothing to write home about, and I didn't push it too much because it was not broken in yet. The Sony stereo is one of the best I've ever heard in a car! No graphic equalizer, just bass and treble controls but that's all that's needed. Great bass, open treble, with an effortless, powerful quality to it. There is a "DSP" mode that only has one setting but sounded ok, no huge cathedral hall reverb or anything like that (good!). I hooked my BlackBerry up to the USB port easily and it recognized the songs/artists/albums on it and played them. The nav unit has a straight down view and a birds eye view similar to Garmin's. It was nice, but I think I like my Garmin 360 better - it has a more refined interface. But this one's built in :-) This is a complex system with the NAV and all, but it does a lot. The interface can be clunky. For instance, alphabetic keyboards are not QWERTY. Looking up artist names can be tedious - not nearly as quick and intuitive as Blackberry. As for the inside, I'd say its very nice but not classic like an Audi or BMW - lots of buttons and controls and no wood trim. The backup camera was awesome, except it kept beeping because it was raining and it mistook the rain for an obstruction I guess. The BLIS system was also impressive. I'm 6'1" and had no problems in the front seat with moon roof. My head just brushed the top when sitting in the back. All in all, I really liked it. Sure I'd change some things but this car has everything I wanted.