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New Prius owner!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Vas25tl, Oct 6, 2012.

  1. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    I'm retired. I drive my wife around the country for her meetings where driving makes more sense than flying. That's how I got 20k miles behind the wheel in rental Prii before I decided to order one for myself. I called it a extended test drive ;) Travel safe.

    Mike

    Mobile on my SGH-i717
     
  2. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    So you still rent them for long drives rather than use your own?


    21XX miles in the last 2.5 weeks, should have another few hundred by the end of this week. So far my average from Fuelly is 50.7MPG, which is FANTASTIC! I am still really enjoying the car.

    I hit my personal high today on a 130 mile drive home.
    [​IMG]

    Here she is on a scenic route on Sunday.
    [​IMG]
     
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  3. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    That's fantastic mpg's on 17's. Mine is a ways from breaking in and high mpg's numbers.

    All business trips are in rentals. That is why my car has so little mileage on it as it sits while we are away. I think the last time I sat in it was a month ago. I hope to drive it at least once this week as the days of this seasons driving are coming to an end soon. Minnesota road crews dump salt on dry roads before there even is snow which shuts down the summer driving season. That will happen one of these days soon. We need to move south out of the salt states.

    Mike :)

    Mobile on my SGH-i717
     
  4. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    Officially hit the 3k mark in my first month. I have at least 3100 miles to do in November just for work, so glad I got a Prius. The money I'm saving on fuel is amazing.

    Probably will be ordering a 15" set of wheels and Michelin snow tires this week from tirerack, hoping that will help with fuel economy over the 17's.
     
  5. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    That's 3 year worth of driving my car :) I am gonna guess the winter tires will hurt the mpg's. They'll be crazy safe for winter driving though. We run them on my wife's winter car. Incredible traction on the snow & ice.

    Mike
     
  6. OceanEyes

    OceanEyes Active Member

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    Experienced my first "rock meets my Prius's windshield" (kicked up by a dually pickup on I-95) moment this past week... :eek: after huffing on my inhaler a few times I realized we were both OK...
     
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  7. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    I've been driving vehicles with perfect windshields only to have a big truck go by and throw up a huge rock and ruining a perfectly good windshield :( Best to take out a windshield that can be replaced rather than denting and destroying a factory painted hood or some other painted part of the car.

    Mike
     
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  8. coach81

    coach81 Active Member

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  9. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    I don't think I'll take a hit. It's a softer compound so it should be just fine. I've ran snow tires on a lot of cars over the years, already put the Scion's set on last weekend.
     
  10. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    When I first bought my car, I was a bit dissapointed with the color, I really wanted the blizzard pearl. But I'm liking it more and more, I think it's actually a nice color. Need to pick up some touch up paint next time I'm in for an oil change...which will probably be at the end of the month the rate I'm going.

    [​IMG]
     
  11. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    I've had the Prius for 3 months (last Sunday) and I've logged a bit over 11K miles on it.

    No issues, the car has been great. It's been all over the midwest and handles itself very well. The cold and the snow tires have taken a major hit on my MPG, dipping into 39's at times but I also don't drive as carefully as I did when I first got the car. These 5 hour commutes are getting annoying and I can't drive 55 anymore.

    Likes: MPG, reliability (I've only done 1 tire rotate and 2 oil changes, at 43,5XX now), JBL sounds great and the whole bluetooth system works great with my iPhone 5. The car is surprisingly quiet and comfortable enough even being 6'4, 250lb.

    Dislikes: Navi. I need to update the CD, but still, it doesn't tell me correct times of where I'll be and I hate that I can't change it while in motion. I also wish it was a bit quieter.

    All in all, I'm very happy with my purchase. I will probably be getting rid of it when it has 90K miles on it which will be in about 15 months at the rate I'm going. At that point, I'm not sure what I'll get.
     
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  12. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Buy a new Prius when you get to 90k :) You would get much higher mpg's with the regular 15" Mr Donut tires. Maybe by then Toyota will have the NAV refined. I don't use mine ;)

    Mike [​IMG]
     
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  13. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    We will see. I worked for a dealer for about 4 years, I don't think I'll ever buy a new car. I like it when someone else takes that initial hit.

    I have no complaints about the mpg on the 17's, it's the 15" winter set up that's killing me.

    I had to drive from Des Moines to St. Louis on Tuesday and when I plugged in my address into the Navi, it was going to take me through Kansas City. Good thing I have my cell phone mount, I ended up using my phone that day. Saved me 2 hours.
     
  14. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Odd route. I had a GPS that tried to get me to go that way once. US-61 is a nice way thru Hannibal MO. I run Google NAV on my G-Note ;) Mr Garmin has sat home ever since I got that phone.

    Check out post #65 above [​IMG]

    An idea; I put Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires on my SUV and run them at 47psi all around. Those tires hook up very nice on all road conditions so far this winter. You know what I deal with over here. They are not like the killer ice tires, but I have not had one issue with them as far as keeping me on the road and safe. They are LRR tires.

    Safe travels,
    Mike
     
  15. Miata Racer

    Miata Racer Junior Member

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    We've had some similar cars. I had a 2000 RL and a 2006 TL (also an older e30), wife had one of the first XD's in '08 (stick). I also had an SC400.

    I LOL'd at your comment on the tint....I got her XD (nautical blue) tinted when it was new, and also got nice alloys for it, and she got pulled over by a cop who thought she was some punk kid :) .....she was MAD and made me get the fronts redone to 35% too hehe.

    A note on the chrome lower door moldings (which we have from the factory on our black Prius)....the only way rust would be an issue would be if the factory paint underneath was broken. Such as if they required drilling through the metal, which luckily they don't. So salt is not a worry any more than it is on doors with no moldings, or the hood with no chips, etc.
     
  16. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    I know, I was originally going to get the Michelines but I found a set of gen II wheels with brand new firestones (stickers were still on) for $380 mounted and balanced. I just couldn't say no.
     
  17. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    I ended up just taking the front tint off and left everything else on. It's so strange driving now....

    I'm going to try to find another e30 to play with for the summer :)
     
  18. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Are those the Firestone ice tires? I can't recall the name on the sidewall but we run Firestone ice tires on Denise's winter car. Good stuff, never figured mpg's on it though.

    Mike
     
  19. Vas25tl

    Vas25tl Member

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    They're Firestone winterforce. I have Dunlop on my scion, I've had numerous Blizzaks and the General Altimax. These are by far the noisiest.
     
  20. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    That's what we have on Denise's Cavalier. We had those on another car in '96. Excellent traction, kind'a noisy but well worth buying.

    Mike