Prius "must-haves" vs. "frills"

Probably the IV because I want the 3-door SKS and that's the lowest model that offers it (unless Toyo drops SKS down to pkg III).

 

Either we are mis-understanding each other or are in 'wild' agreement...Just because you connect to your Griffin iPod stereo dock doesn't actually mean you transfer it digitally, in fact you wont ;-) Which kind-of proves my point. The iPod pinout connector contains audio line outs which it will be using, just like it contains line out for both composite and s-video. Also there are firewire and usb connections....And your griffin dock simply uses the audio lineouts, it does not have a build-in DAC...Just like none of the FM transmitters or other docks have...

My point merely is that a USB could be better, but that just depends on what DAC the receiving device has and many of the OEM automative gear it is a lot worse than the build in ipod....However in many cases if the USB connection is actually an iPod connection it could still be just an aux in hidden within that connection. That is especially obvious when control data is send across it as well such that you can control your iPod with steering wheel etc. Normal USB doesn't allow for that, and it will use the pins 12, 13 & 21 for that if you must know.

In fact it will be easy to test for yourself by playing an AAC encoded file If that was send RAW to the headunit it wouldn't play....Any iTunes purchased file will do just fine....

I tried to keep it simple, but sometimes you just can't

 

17" wheels look really nice compared to the base tires and wheels and I doubt the ride is harmed much.
However, the cost of ownership vs the base tires is massive. Much less tread life and much higher replacement cost.
I made sure not to get the optional Sport Package on my BMW for the same reason.
If you drive very low mileage (like well under 10K miles per year), then living with the 17" tires may not add much to your costs.

 

Oh come on, if that makes a difference and a serious consideration money is too tight...

17" tyres to high running costs? Odd...with the BMW I can understand as if you had the sport you had run flat tyres...Although now there is a lot of choice...But the 17" size on the Prius is dirt cheap to get replaced...

 

What!!!!!????? Holy smoke...That is outrageous...I stand corrected...Is that taxation causing that?

Surely for those prices you are talking about a set of 4?

In the UK where I currently reside you have a choice depending on what you like from cheap Kumho's at Cdn$49/tyre to most expensive I can buy Michelin at Cdn$181...

Heck the 22" Yokohama Parada Spec-X on my other ride only costed me Cdn$200 each...

That is outrageous...

 

My local tire stores have 215/45VR17 for 54.99. tack on another $20 per tire for mount, balance, fees and tax for a price of $300 OTD. It cost almost the same as the tires for my Tacoma at 215/75R14.

 

Just go to Coscto.com and price tires on a 2010 Prius. First price the 15" tires, then the 17" tires. Huge difference in cost. On top of that you need to replace them much more often because they wear out faster.

 

In theory the exact same tire in 15" would wear out faster than the 17" because it is making more revolutions per mile. I have not seen that in the real world scenarios to prove that though. I think they actually wear out pretty equally.

17" tires are often more performance oriented and softer so they would wear faster.....but that is apples and oranges.

 

Costco tires are expensive!. I can buy a set of 4 for the price of 2 at costco.

 

The prices on the Costco site are all-inclusive (installation, shipping etc..).
Other website tire prices are just the price of the tire.

 

The 17" tires are low-profile tires that are more performance oriented than the 15 inch base tires that are designed more for fuel economy and tread life.
Tread life is not a priority on the low profile sport performance tires.

 

159.99 to 246.99 per tire plus tax. That's 640-988 for a set of 4. for 900 ODT I could get a set of tires, life time alignment and front/rear ceramic brake job with life time parts 3year/36K labor warranty from my local shop.

 

They have 15" tires for 76.99 plus installation and disposal fee each.

 

So in summary: 4 tires are a 'must-have.' However, 17" tires are a 'frill' or, as some might say...a 'thrill.'

 

I'm doing fine without either but an upgrade to either parking sensors for the front and or a back up cam are definite "must haves" for me. However, neither were available in a dealer offered package that justified their price

 

Especially those people who simply cannot talk without waving their hands like conducting an orchestra! I've seen a guy holding the cell phone with the left hand, waving his right hand like mad and leaving the car to drive itself. It was hilarious untill...nothing dramatic happened, may be next time.

 

I didn't purchase top of the line but I did get my leather seats to give me a longer life for the car without looking tired early on. I purchased the level III and had the leather seats installed by the dealer (Katskins if I remember correctly) and they look smoking hot. BTW...you could also choose the color for the leather that you had installed. I had a choice of the single color or two town so those that had black exteriors that wanted bisque interiors it was available. The level III came with the upgraded sound system and it is well worth the extra money if you drive and listen to music like I do. Heated seats...I've had them in the BMW and they only got used in the winter time but not very often. The sunroof only opened occasionally and I can park and I know to stay at least a car length behind folks to avoid accidents. The things I really wanted were mud guards and moulding on the side panels to prevent dings not those little plastic door guards. Build it your way and I am sure that you will be happier...I know that I am.

 

Followup to an old post:

Finally took the tape off the sunroof, then found and fixed the leak over the weekend.

The drip pan around the sunroof has drain hoses running down the roof pillars. A Subaru forum noted many previous owners who had these hoses detach from the pan. Yup, mine had too. It looks like the hoses have an undesired heat-shrink property, shrinking a bit with heat and age and pulling off the drain port. Stretched the hoses back to length, then secured them by adding mini hose clamps. No leaks found after two days of rain.