somebody sell me on the Prius....please!

Years ago, Saab had a V4

 

[ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/V4_engine]V4 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

I bought a 2006 Prius as my way of telling US automakers "Stop telling me I want an SUV". I want good MPG in a decent car that won't get sucked under a passing big rig. I was so impressed with it, I couldn't trade it in when I upgraded to a 2010 Prius, so I passed it down to my son. I love the 2010 Prius (it's over year now). It is a technological marvel. I am glad to see American cars finally getting in the game, but they will be playing catch-up for a while.
Oh, I also got the Barcelona Red and it is enjoyable to keep clean, shiny, and purdy.

 

Well everyone's normal is different but the 92 Previa we passed on to our son is still going strong and has needed very little maintenance. I think our 2010 Prius could well do better.

 

Neither are human, let's kill them all.

 

Disregard!

 

I was very very close to buying a TSX. But I just could not bring myself to buy another car that only gives me 19 mpg city driving. I think you have to take your drive into consideration and not sure if you have another car in the family.

The best thing about prius of course is the fuel economy and I enjoy driving it as well..I am happy I didn't get a TSX.. Prius is fun with all the techy details and the instant feedback about your mpg.

The way I looked at it, buying a Prius is forward thinking, buying a TSX is same old..same old..I really wanted to go hybrid as well. Tired of pumping gas every week.

 

When you have people trading/selling their GTRs and other luxury car for a Prius, you KNOW there must be a reason. Few, if any, cars have this effect.

 

This is the first Toyota I've ever owned. My experience with Mazda has been quite good, as I've owned ...um...four Mazdas. All of which have been pretty much bullet-proof. If that is any indication of Japanese engineering, I would venture to guess that the Toyota will provide at least the same level of quality as the Mazda...which is VERY good.

One thing I'm still having a hard time with tho...I'm SO used to stopping at the gas station every 5 days or so to fill up my truck to the tune of $60+. I still find myself stopping at the gas station about once a week to fill up the Prius, even when the tank is only half empty. It really is phenomenal...and this is with winter gas, in sub freezing temperatures. I can only guess how good the mileage will be when the weather warms up and we're on a different fuel mixture. C'mon spring!

That being said, I do echo what has been suggested with regard to renting a Prius...if even for a day. I was literally sick the evening I traded my truck for the Prius...lots of second guessing and thinking that I sold my mancard to the devil. It only took a couple of days before I was 100% convinced that I did the right thing. Just be prepared for people to give you grief about owning a Prius...I used to be one of those foolish people, now I know better. I've found that once people have a ride in one of these unique little cars, their tune starts to change...that's how it started for me.

I think the next 5-10 years are going to be pivotal in the auto industry. I think Toyota has laid down the gauntlet, and other automakers are now playing catch up. Sort of like what Apple did with the whole MP3 player explosion. We do indeed live in interesting times!

 

That is EXACTLY what I've told everyone when they ask how I like driving the Prius! I tell them it's like driving a video game -- which never fails to raise eyebrows. One simply has to experience it (and, frankly, be a video game personality type) to understand.

I really do believe that getting the "zen" of the Prius requires either a simple interest in conveyance from point a to point b or a certain purging/satisfaction of one's driving urges, which is my story -- I've done the Charger ('68), Catalina ('66), Mustang ('70), Skylark convert ('72)....Suburban (who remembers!), Dodge Ram (ditto), Explorer ('99) thing. I can now leave the rubber burning to the kids.

These days, I just want to get to work in less than an hour and a half! For me, it was sitting in the left lane on the LIE [in my final speed demon, I might add, a 300C SRT8 ('06)] and watching the Priuses (Prii?) wiz past me day after day that finally led me to my local Toyo dealer one Saturday morning after a particularly horrific Friday P.M. commute.

Bought the III right then and there; took 'em 2 hours to prep the thing while I went home to retrieve the title to the 300C and was driving home an hour after than. Easy peezy. Best deal I ever did.

Only thing is that perhaps I should have slowed down a bit and picked up the IV to get the 3 door SKS, Homelink mirror, etc. But I thought this was only going to be a commuter car and nothing more -- who knew we (yes, the Boss loves to drive it too although won't give up her Sequoia!) would enjoy it so much that we use it on most weekends as well? Such is life.

 

1. PZEV - no smog checks
2. Good fuel efficiency (≈50 mpg)
3. Comfortable (dash, sound system, controls)
4. Quiet
5. Easy to change oil & filter myself
6. Good vision
7. Blue tooth vs. keys
8. Warms up quickly
9. VSC "hugs" the road
10. MFD vs. knobs & levers

 

That is so funny, and so true for me. I'm thinking any day now, my state will pass a law that says I can't play video games while driving my new Prius! As hard as I try, the gas gauge wins every time.

Happy Motoring,

Tom

 

I'm a second time Prius owner.
I traded in my 2006 Prius III for a 2010 Prius IV on Nov 31, 2010
2600 miles and no problems so far.
MPG averages 53+. My last tank was 55 mpg.
For reliability and great mpg, I recommend it to everyone I know.

 

Prius is easy on the wallet...

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...costs-vs-another-midsize-car.html#post1254810

 

Great idea! I have a 2010 Prius (coming up on 20K trouble-free miles), but on the nice days it's my 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo! Which actually can get close to 30 mpg if I stay out of the turbo. Which is very hard to do!

 

For me, the 'fun to drive' factor is pretty much a non-factor when driving most places in urban/suburban areas. Sure, doing a slinky backroad on the way to someplace fun is, well, fun in a nice handling car.

But, going from one stoplight to the next really offers only a little fun to me. At that point, I care much, much more about comfort, reasonable economy and ease of use (i.e. no manual transmission!).

If someone happens to live up on Skyline Blvd and they have this great twisty road commute to work, they might appreciate a fun to drive factor in a car.

 

I average 45 MPG whereas my '97 F-150 with small V-8, OD tranny and high-speed rear end only got 15 MPG. If you go online to the Edmunds, you can find out what cars are available in your area and the prices the dealers want for them. You can also go to your DMV on line and find out tax and registration fees. This can help you decide what is a good deal when buying. My '10 II handles well, has plenty of power for climbing the hills where I live and has excellent traction. I'm 6'1'' and have plenty of head and leg room. I can get either my tuba or sousaphone in the back without folding down the rear seats. It's not a luxury car. But I find it to be quite reliable. I'd say it's the VW of the 21st century. Because it's so low, it's real easy to wash and wax! Also, it parks and makes ueys almost anywhere.

 

The care sells itself thoroughly and simply based on its merits and how well it fulfills its missions. Took me about two weeks of research and reading this site to make my decision which, in the end, was rather simple.