My wife and I researched buying in Hawaii and shipping to the mainland. The Hawaii distributorship arranged for an option package that includes side air bags, daytime running lights and cruise control.<br><br>First you have to find a Hawaii dealer who's not charging over list and won't insist on selling you rustproofing or charging $175 for "document preparation". Good luck.<br><br>You'll need insurance to drive to the dock.<br><br>You'll need proof of ownership before Matson Navigation will load your car. They told us over the phone that they'll accept temporary registration. If so, you can skip the expense and hassle of Hawaii's safety inspection and registration fees.<br><br>You'll need to have the gas tank down to 1/4 full for the shipping line to accept it. You may want insurance for the trip, since Matson doesn't provide their own insurance and limits their liability to $8,000 unless you pay extra. You'll need to leave them a black key because the agricultural inspectors will need to open the trunk. Presumably you'll need to leave a note explaining to their dockworkers how to drive a Prius. If you have a friend in Hawaii who picks up the car for you, s/he will need a notarized letter from you authorizing them to load the car on a ship going out of state.<br><br>Getting from a West Coast port to your home is your problem. The shipping line goes from port to port and that's it.<br><br>Costs include $540 for the extra options, 4+% sales tax, &gt;$800 shipping, airfare to Hawaii, and whatever gouges the dealer adds. Your state may give you a credit against their taxes for what you paid Hawaii. There are extra shipping charges if you don't start from Oahu.<br><br>We wound up ordering locally :-)

Thanks for posting your research! I have some more questions about ordering a Prius in Hawaii... <br><br>Can you get the 6 disc in-dash CD player? How about the navigation system? Any other options available?<br><br>How was the dealer able to get the extra options ordered? Would this be possible in Canada too?<br><br>Can you post the name of the dealer(s) that were willing to do this (at the standard prices)?<br><br>Can this be done without having to fly to Hawaii?<br><br>Is there a similar delay in getting the car as on the mainland?<br><br>Is San Francisco (or Oakland) one of the ports that the ship stops at?<br><br>It may be that the $800 shipping charge is much less than having a local dealer install these options...<br><br>Thanks again!

You know all those options that are only available in the Southeast? That's because each regional distributorship picks a set of options, which all of the dealers in the area get. The Southeast is under one distributor, the rest of the US under another, and Hawaii has one of their own. So every Hawaii dealer has side air bags.<br><br>I'm not sure, but I think the CD changer is available there but the nav system isn't. The side air bags are part of a $540 package that includes daytime running lights and cruise control. <br><br>If memory serves, Canada gets cruise control and daytime running lights but not side air bags.<br><br>The only way to do this without flying to Hawaii is to have someone there pick up the car for you, in which case there's extra paperwork before the shipping line will take it.<br><br>Some dealers quote the same delays as on the mainland, others blow smoke about getting a car in two to four weeks. I don't believe the latter. But the length of the queue probably fluctuates and you might get lucky.<br><br>Toyota City had one on the lot when I called, but it was dark blue and they'd already rustproofed it.<br><br>Matson Navigation (<a href=http://www.matson.com target=new>http://www.matson.com</a>) stops at Oakland, but they don't list SF.

&gt; frederw1701 stated:<br>&gt;You know all those options that are only <br>&gt;available in the Southeast? That's because each <br>&gt;regional distributorship picks a set of options, <br>&gt;which all of the dealers in the area get. The <br>&gt;Southeast is under one distributor, the rest of <br>&gt;the US under another, and Hawaii has one of <br>&gt;their own. So every Hawaii dealer has side air <br>&gt;bags.<br>Um... No.<br>Go and order a Prius from the TOYOTA website and see just how many options are offered.<br>IF you are on the US mainland (Hawaii is COMPLETELY different), there is ONE set of options. Only! Side bags and Nav REQUIRE factory install. (I sure wouldn't trust Newark installed airbags: BOOM!)<br>bp

Thanks for your answers... one question you didn't answer, though:<br><br>Can you post the name of the Hawaii dealer(s) that were willing to do this (at the standard prices)?

It's not a question of "willing". As near as I can tell, every dealer in Hawaii is getting side air bags whether they want them or not.<br><br>As for selling you the car without gouging you, I didn't find a single dealer in Hawaii who would do that.