To C or not to C?

WAIT!

Be a lot of cool stuff coming out in the next three years that will make this year's Prius be as dated as yours feel now.

If Mom's retired, do you really need two cars?

If you have to decide now, I'd get two new Prius3/4's with all the goodies. You'll get a good trade on your current Prius and a good time to trade them with lots left on the hybrid warranty.

But best thing. Wait! Stash the money in the bank and wait until you retire and you can see what's out there, trade in both cars for one super cool 2020 world beater, that Tesla would make a nice retirement treat.

 

If you've test driven them and like them, buy them, life is too short. And don't skimp on the model, get ones with all the toys you want.

 

Then wait for Dad to retire and you only need one car and then get some 21st century amazing machine.

You mention latest cabin tech and nav as a reason and you will be very frustrated with the current Prius cabin tech. The nav is awful, the phone integration spotty to maddening, the USB interface under powered. Not ready for prime time.

And go Prius not C. C is nice but it has a cheap feel to it. Go for a C test ride and then go for a Prius III test ride. It will be an "Oh my" moment, especially if you are planning to be in the car for 10 years. And the mileage difference between the two is not that great.

The C could use five years of refinement.

You don't need to change so WAIT for something worth changing for.

 

If you find the C fits your needs, appeals to you and has all the goodies you want, go for it! It's got 10 years of refinements, and the Prius legacy of reliability behind it! Etunes is a little weak according to some, and iPhone issues, so read up on those problems in the C forum to see if its going to affect you.

 

I was sort of in your boat in February except my 2005 had 158,000 miles on it. I ended up with the GenIII because I felt the c was a step down in quality despite potentially superior gas mileage. Like ProximalSuns stated above, the Entune system is not all it is hyped up to be and is rather frustrating. The NAV works fine but the apps for Entune needs serious help. In all I am still very happy I made the switch.

You could probably get top dollar for your cars and not have to spend too much out of pocket for a pair of c's. If that is the case then go for it. You only live once and we never know how long that will be.....

 

Ok, it's time for a dissenting opinion. Your cars are running great and look great. The gas mileage difference between the "C" and the classic is minimal, especially in city driving. The classic is an excellent city car. From a purely financial standpoint, you are better off keeping the classics. I know its tempting but going from a classic to a "C" isn't that much difference. I sometimes (in the summer) get 50+mpgs in the city w/ my classic and with the weather in Van Nuys, I'll bet you can do that year round. If you're driving is mostly freeway, your mpg difference will be even less (from what I can tell).

My take is, continue to take good care of your classics, and if you must, upgrade your stereo like I did. I installed a Dual XDMA 6630 for $100. Now I have Bluetooth, BT streaming audio, Ipod and aux. It works excellent and I love it. I'm sure you can have this installed professionally but, I did it myself. As for the Nav, I can't help you there but, buying a new car for the Nav only makes sense if its worth it to you. I know roads change but, not really that much. Keep the classics until the wheels fall off. Spend the money you save on things that make you happy (unless of course its the Prius C that makes you happy).

 

Spending thousands to get the awful Prius Nav would create the worst case of buyer's remorse since the Edsel. Much better tech in adds ons like Garmin GPS.

WAIT! If you have no real reason to change. Keeping your current cars is the best financial decision. I'd plan on saving all that money and then getting a single retirement "treat" car, the one you both always wanted to drive. There will be some really cool stuff out in five years.

 

This would be my vote. Keep what you have until something spectacular comes along. For what it's worth, I don't think that's too far off either.

 

To seal the deal, I'll add my penny (I had typed it before but accidentally pressed the back button, losing everything I'd typed).

If you don't already have Bluetooth in your Prii, I installed Blu Logic Toyota Bluetooth in mine and it works awesome. Paired with Google Maps on my Android (but iPhone has great turn by turn navigation as well), voice guided navigation works great. Hands free calling works good too. Music over bluetooth (A2DP) works crisply, no static.

All in all a good upgrade to our Classics.

 

You can do it.!!!!

 

Hi there, as you know I am a ardent defender of the first gen prius. I am travelling all across asia now, and my first stop three months ago was Japan. I saw the Toyota Aqua (Prius C as it is known in North America), and sat in it at the Toyota Lux Automotive Museum. I was not impressed as I thought I would be, although the Aqua TRD Sportivo looked awesome. Be aware though that in Japan, the first generation prius is a highly revered vehicle, and people that drive it are respected. You have to see it to believe it.

As for the upgrades, you can search on ebay for the following items:
1) Toyota Blu Logic Bluetooth Kit - This will definitely work on our Prius. I was the first First Gen Prius owner to try it, and many have followed and are thrilled with the upgrade. The installation is really easy, and can be done in less than 30 minutes. You simply unplug the two male connectors on the left side of the radio, and replace them with the male connectors provided in the kit. Then simply slip the old male radio connector into the female connectors from the Bluetooth kit. That is it. Find my posting on it and you will see it with pictures. It is fairly inexpensive. Also, please do not listen to Toyota nonsense when they say it will not work. I was told that when I installed the Toyota Bongiovi DPS kit, which they say will only work on 2011 and newer vehicles, and trust me, it is the most phenomenal upgrade to an audio system I have ever heard.

2) Toyota iPod Integration Kit - Check out the USA-Spec PA-12 OR PA-15 units. Also ask them for the CAS -LEX or CAS-TOY interface cable. This install takes about 5 minutes. All you do is uplug the connector for the CD Player or Changer on the back of the radio on the right side (easily accessed by the glove box door), and slip this on. You will now have a iPod kit, and see song titles on the Navigation display. (You have to set the dip switches on the side to Mini-Disc or SAT mode). Again these are very easy to do, and as a bonus, you will have an AUX in as well, so you can hook up any audio you want.

3) Bongiovi DPS Amplifier - Only sold in Canada, but available on Ebay, Toyota sells this upgrade for 2011 and newer vehicles. It is not true, it will work even on a 1987 Corolla!! The connectors have not changed in over 30 years, so why would this not work. That was my logic, and it paid off. This unit plugs in the same way as the bluetooth kit. What it does is take the normally awful sound from the Prius radio, and converts and amplifies it to 200 watts of digitally processed and accurate sound. You can control the bass and treble from the screen on your Prius still, and even with the stock speakers it sounds incredible. You will not believe how much bass those little speakers can thump out. Out of all the upgrade, this one was the most impressive. It will enhance the Bluetooth signal as well. It will normalize the sound and make it so strong, I almost cried. I love my little radio now. It also "listens" the speakers to make sure you are not going to kill your speakers either. When you get it, set the dip switches to the Camry sound profile. The Yaris and Corolla sound tinny and not very bassy. The Camry sound profile is really great, and the interior volume is filled with sound.

4) Navigation updates - PM me. I can help you with this.

5) Microphone Kit for navigation - Call Carson Toyota in California, they ell the Toyota Microphone kit for the earlier Gen 3 and Gen 4 navigation systems for like $80, and will install in less than 1 minute! You just clip it into the mystery grey port on the back of your navigation system. That is it. They are the only dealer that sells it in North America as they import the kit directly from Japan.

After all these mods, your prius will have all the modern tech of the newer Prius models. You will do this all with Toyota OEM parts as well and I assure you they will all work perfectly. Just look up my postings and you will see detailed instructions for each of these installs. Oh, and if you buy the Bongiovi DPS kit, buy the one for the Yaris, as it is the cheapest price, but the exact same unit as the one for the Avalon, Camry and Tundra, but sell at 5 times the price. The Yaris kit is $199, the Camry and Avalon is over $500!!! There is no dfference whatsoever, as even confirmed by the manufacturer themselves.

Let me know if I can be of further help.