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Fuel-efficient vehicles are flying off the lots, dealers say.
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It's a seller's market for gas-miser autos

By Shelley Shelton
Arizona Daily Star
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 08.06.2008
So you're thinking of trading in your car for one of those fancy newer vehicles that let you get farther with each gallon of gas you pump.
Get in line.
"I can't keep them here," said Ali Hussain, general manager at Desert Toyota Scion of Tucson, 7150 E. 22nd St., in reference to two popular Toyota models, the gas-electric hybrid Prius and the non-hybrid Yaris.
At Precision Toyota, 700 W. Wetmore Road, the Yaris "is a vehicle that has just flown off the shelves," said Alex Islas, new-vehicle-sales director.
Precision only takes special orders for the Prius, he said, and the dealership has about 55 to 60 orders in process. It takes six to nine weeks for delivery..
Even hybrid SUVs are scarce. Jim Click Ford Lincoln Mercury and Holmes Tuttle Ford Lincoln Mercury, both part of the Jim Click Automotive Team, were clean out of the Ford Escape Hybrid by the end of Tuesday, though Jim Click Ford had two similar hybrid Mercury Mariners available, according to a saleswoman.
Fred Bradley, sales manager at Oracle Ford-Mercury Inc. said the dealership has five of them on order.
"Ford has told us that if you didn't have an order in by now, it will probably be in 2010," he said.
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
Base price: $26,640.
EPA fuel economy (mpg): 34 city, 30 highway.
Availability: Holmes-Tuttle Ford Lincoln Mercury, 660 W. Auto Mall Drive and Jim Click Ford Lincoln Mercury, 6244 E. 22nd St., are part of the same automotive group and sometimes share inventory. Early Tuesday afternoon, a salesperson told a caller Holmes Tuttle had two available, but within hours they were sold. It takes at least two months for an Escape Hybrid to arrive at these dealerships by special order.
Oracle Ford-Mercury Inc., 3950 W. Highway 77 in Oracle, has none available and has been told by Ford that customers should expect at least a nine-month wait if they haven't placed their orders yet.
2008 Toyota Prius (hybrid)
Base price: $21,500.
EPA fuel economy (mpg): 48 city, 45 highway.
Availability: Two to three months at Desert Toyota Scion of Tucson, 7150 E. 22nd St. Six to nine weeks at Precision Toyota, 700 W. Wetmore Road. Precision sells them only via special order now and has 55 to 60 orders in process.
2008 Honda Civic Hybrid
Base price: $22,600.
EPA fuel economy (mpg): 40 city, 45 highway.
Availability: Four- to five-month waiting period at Chapman Honda, 4646 E. 22nd St. On Tuesday afternoon, there was one available from a canceled order.
At Dobbs Honda, 810 W. Wetmore Road, Civic Hybrids sell out the day they arrive, but several move through the dealership every day, said Marc Cannon, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based spokesman for AutoNation, which owns Dobbs. It would take about a week to order one, he said.
2008 Nissan Altima Hybrid
Base price: $25,480.
EPA fuel economy (mpg): 35 city, 33 highway.
Availability: None at either of Tucson's two Nissan dealers, Thoroughbred Nissan, 5163 E. 22nd St. or Jim Click Auto Mall Nissan, 800 W. Auto Mall Drive. Nissan sells them only in California, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, Rhode Island, Maine and New Jersey.
2008 Toyota Yaris
Base price: $11,550.
EPA fuel economy (mpg): 29 city, 36 highway.
Availability: One was available Tuesday afternoon at Desert Toyota, otherwise a two- to three-month wait. Eight in stock at Precision Toyota as of Tuesday afternoon, with 24 more on the way.
2008 Honda Fit
Base price: $13,950.
EPA fuel economy (mpg): 28 city, 34 highway.
Availability: Chapman Honda had one available Tuesday afternoon. Beyond that, there's a two-month waiting period. Dobbs has them available, though they sell out within seven to 10 days of arrival at the dealership.
* Base prices are based on manufacturers' suggested retail price. Some pricing and mileage may vary slightly by transmission style or drive configuration. Information on 2009 models not yet available for cars listed with 2008 information .
● Contact reporter Shelley Shelton at 434-4086 or sshelton@azstarnet.com.