Fence Sitter

The car is very reliable. More reliable than the average vehicle.

The hybrid system still carries the 100k warranty in non- CARB states and frankly most people don't have any issues with the expensive hybrid components. The battery is relatively inexpensive if you do your homework. The only truly expensive item is the transaxle and there are very few cases of failure. Even at approx. $4500 to replace it is still cheaper than most modern transmissions and it is MUCH more reliable.

You should go read the GENII mileage threads. There are many people with over 200k and 300k who have had no major repairs. Even if the battery fails out of warranty you can get a reconditioned unit installed for less than $2000 or buy a used unit for $300-$600. If you want to learn more about Prius reliability I suggest checking with one of the many taxi companies that now use them. With almost 150,000 miles on my car with no repairs, I'm confident it will go another 150k without much in the way of repair costs. Even my brakes still have nearly 50% pad life left!

As for the service light you see on your fleet cars, tell the fleet manager to learn how to turn off the oil change light because that is what you are seeing.

 

I think the Prius does just as well as any other front-wheel drive car in the snow... just as good or better than my 97 Camry. Winter tires are a must in northern states though. Clearance is an issue if you off road, otherwise not an issue. Below is a pic after the first snow of the season two years ago. It was plowing but did just fine, even up a slight grade. It is not an AWD nor a 4WD. If you treat is as such, no problems.

 

Now go get your Prius.

 

Normally I would consider adding a upgraded stereo myself but have no desire to “touch” this cars electrical system…pretty subjective I know, but is the JBL a significantly better stereo than the base?

The electrical system is no different than any other late model car. With the exception of the small 12v battery. The JBL system is not worth the extra money, in my opinion.

 

"My" G3 is a fleet unit. My company has G2s and G3s.
The traction battery is a non-issue.
My experience is that the G3 is about as reliable as any other top tier, smallish 5-seater.
My G3 has 17K, and the only problem I've had is the premature death of the 12-V "start" battery, which is undersized and rather expensive for this car.
All of the other G2 and G3s in my company are clamping along at just about the same up rate as any other 25 kilobuck car.
They're rather expensive to get into these days, but Priuses are pretty good for getting you from here to there cheaply and without expensive visits to the dealer for non-scheduled maintenance. They're front-drivers, so they do as well as any other FWD car does in the snow, although Priuses do have a low chin and a glass jaw.
Beware curbs and I presume deeper snow will be more of a problem than it will with a car with 2-3 inches more ground clearance. We don't get much snow in these climes, so I really cannot say.
The radio SUX for this car!!!! Doing a sterioectomy will not be any more complicated than it will be for any other comparable passenger vehicle, although you do have to be more careful with the interior (dash) pieces/parts, since they're made from some kind of daffy earth-friendly and VERY scratch prone material, and groans, squeaks, and rattles are common for some of the G3s. YMMV. You can mitigate some of these rattles with some exploratory surgery and felt.
I'm thinking that since production is back up to pre-tsunami levels, gas prices are dithering around the $3 range, and the economy is still sputtering along in Neutral, G3 prices are probably going to drop off about 10-15-percent during the holidays.
You might want to keep your index finger outside the trigger guard for about six months, and wait to see what G3 prices do once the PHV starts to arrive.

Good Luck!

 

congrats.

If a Ford Aerostar was the best you owned, then be prepared to be amazed.

To answer a question I didn't see answered above, oil changes are super easy on the Prius. No worries.

 

Right on! I love the blue color.

Now go price shopping for a clear bra to protect the paint from road debris. You'll thank me later.

 

Congrats on your purchase! I hope you enjoy the car. There's all sorts of great info on this site. Enjoy learning as much as you can regarding your new vehicle.

 

Good Luck with the new car!!!!

Keep reading this forum.
Lotsa good info here!!!

I'll let you know one thing right now, since it's October and things are going to start cooling off up there in the frozen North.
Your mileage is going to drop off a little bit during the winter months. It's normal for this car, and nothing you should worry about.
In fact......while you're trying to figure out what kind of Prius driver you're going to be during the first few weeks of ownership, I'd pretty much ignore the MPG thing.
Another thing.....the mileage displayed in the MDF (Multi-function Display, or that 1980's Atari looking thing on your dash) is off by about +3 miles per gallon. They may have fixed it in the 2011's, but if you're going to be interested in calcuguessing your mileages to the nearest 1/100th of a gallon, then I'd use paper and pencil or buy a scangauge.
MY experience (FWIW)
You can get 60 MPG (average for the whole tank) if you hypermile, over inflate your tires, block your grill, and all of the tips you read about in this forum.

---orrr-----
You can drive it like you stole it and get 45.

Yer call. Personally.....I get around 50.
Your Mileage May Vary! (YMMV)

Again.....best of luck!

 

Remember with trade-ins that the dealer is in a good position because of three things:
- they (may) have service and maintenance expertise and manpower to fix underlying issues and increase the current value of the vehicle
- they should be able to maximize the scrap value of an older vehicle
- (most important) they can sucker another buyer and sell it above its value

PS Welcome to the club. I hope you get your money's worth.

 

We also had great results from our Ford Aerostar. It was a 1994 Eddie Bauer model that we bought new in 1995, after the Aerostar was discontinued. The dealer made us an offer we couldn't refuse. It had electronic four-wheel-drive, an electronic dash, and power everything. It was loaded with features. Yet miraculously it was very reliable. We finally sold it after a couple hundred thousand miles when we no longer needed a large van. It is still being driven by the person who bought it. I see it around town once in awhile and it makes me smile, thinking back to the days when our kids were still kids.

Tom

 

Re: NO LONGER! Fence Sitter

I havent read anyone elses stuff bc your comment about the aerostar had me stop in my tracks. Are you serious about it being the best car you've owned? We used to have an aerostar and that thing was a nightmare to us. Every month it was one thing or another to the point that any extra money we had back then, we set aside bc we knew something else on the zerostar was going to fall apart. We finally donated the car (god bless the poor soul who ended up with it) and moved on to putting our money into savings. lol. You must have been very lucky with your car. we were not.

 

Re: NO LONGER! Fence Sitter

I'm also "on the fence". I don't have a car payment right now and don't want one really but my current Prius is 10 years old and kind of beat up. (by the way, the 2002 Prius is a darned good snow car!) Wife wants to wait but I want to be more comfortable, the 2002 Prius being pretty small and cramped with a cheap nice person seat!
Looking at the '11 clearance sales this month. The dealer finally has some Prii in stock!
Like yourself wonderign if I shouldn't wait for the '12 improvements; standard backup cam, new styling, etc...

 

Re: NO LONGER! Fence Sitter

Wait for the 12's and buy an '11 unless you really like the new detailing which only a true Prius enthusiast will ever be able to notice. Can you notice the difference between the 2004-2005 and 2006-2009? There are so many subtle differences, but you give them to bubba and it is just a Prius. So if you can tell, then you might as well buy but otherwise it is just marketing.