New Bluetooth Gadget

When I was picking out a cell phone a couple of years ago, I made sure to get one with Bluetooth, because it gives you so many options - like synchronising with my iMac wirelessly or using my iMac to dial a number, or easily sharing phone numbers, or using a wireless headphones.

This weekend, I bought a really cool Bluetooth-enabled gadget. Yup, I decided to burnish my treehugging-liberal bona fides by getting a Prius. Actually, my Maxima was getting a bit long in the tooth and the gas isn't getting any cheaper. I considered some other Hybrids, but the Prius just fits my bill the best -- a great combination of size, power, gas mileage and geek appeal.

However, Priuses are a hot commodity, at least here in Austin, and it usually takes at least a couple of months to order one. The problem with that is that the hybrid tax incentives that you get for buying a Toyota are about to hit the 60,000 vehicle limit, so if I were to get one, I better do it fast. It turns out that dealerships sometimes have vehicles that a customer ordered a couple of months ago and then changed their mind. So if you're not too picky, you can get a Prius on a pretty short notice. We got a car that's white (not Jfer's first, second or third choice) but otherwise decked out like we wanted. And it took about ten days from my first online inquiry -- and only a few hours from the time the dealer called me on Saturday that he had a vehicle available.

BTW, kudos to Champion Toyota of Austin where I got my car. They "get" the Internet buyer and were professional and responsive. Kevin Bishop provided me with good information and called me with a car he had within a couple of days (it was too loaded for my taste and wallet).

I initially tried to go through Charles Maund who's much closer, but they turned out to be a bunch of incompetent clowns. I set up an appointment with them, and when I showed up, they had not idea that I was supposed to meet someone, and, of course, they had no vehicle to show me. Plus the email from their salesguy looked like something you'd get from an AOL newbie who just discovered that you can set font and different colors in your email.

BTW, if anyone is looking for a '97 Maxima SE, with manual transmission, 83,000 miles and lots of goodies, give me a holler.