I been eyeing a prius for about 3 years now. What has been holding me off originally was fear mainly, of how I would look driving one. I think I may want the prius trim level 5 for the led headlights, 17 inch wheels, drcc, lka etc. any recommendations? If all goes well I might purchase one in September and apply for the HSN $1000 gas cards too.
Here are my reservations about Prius ownership (I have purchased two) considering a Prius | PriusChat
Thank you for the reply and the quick walkthough. I drive about 12 to 30 miles a day so that won't be a problem. lots of city driving though. I never use Neutral and I always keep my gas atleast half full. I have a camry non hybrid right now, would you be able to tell the advantages and disadvantages of the camry and prius? I currently get 13-20 mpg per trip
The Prius shines in the city, utilizing the battery most in lower speed level driving. Stop-and-go too, if it's not too protracted. You don't need to use Neutral with a Prius. If you're coasting with your foot right off the gas it'll cause a slight regen drag. If you want to cancel that, a slight pressure on the gas pedal will do the trick, make it more-or-less free rolling. Half full tanks are my threshold, any time it's lower and we're passing our usual brand of station, I'll fill up. Running it near-dry does nothing much for your mileage. One big difference is the cargo bay on the Prius. The back seats flip down to make a flat area just short of 6 foot, maybe 40" wide? And the mileage of course. Someone at my work has a Camry Hybrid, and he sums it up: "my best mileage is your worst" .
I'm a two-week owner of a new P-5 with the technology package. I am very happy with the vehicle. Even short runs for errands with the engine cold gives me 2x the mileage of the '03 Camry I traded on this and almost 3x my Jag's running around mileage. I agree, it is a bit noiser inside than something like the Camry, but I find it tolerable. It's a commuter car for me. My frustration is in finding my way around the electronics and getting them set up to my preference (map off, radio data showing all the time except when I require the map).
About my last 2 questions, has anyone used sites like truecar or carsdirect? how about dealerships in massachusetts? any of them good?
Honestly, before I got mine, I talked it over with my folks, and they recommended a great in-state dealer. I never thought to use any of those sites; I just go by local word of mouth.
we just had agreat experience at wellesley toyota. got a price on the 'net, took our old hycam in for trade in value, wrote it up, no pressure, no pushing extended warranties. wrote it up plus tax, registration and dealer prep fee mentioned up front. done deal, drove away in a new hycam.
Intelligent? We've had a 2008 Prius for 5 years and just bought a new Prius c. If you drive energetically and pay no attention to gas mileage, you can expect to get 40ish MPG in 12-20 mile trips in the city (hills and A/C going). If you let the displays help and use good mileage driving techniques, add maybe another 5 mpg. I've driven camrys as loaner or rentals and I can't think of anything that the camry does better; I suppose a camry might be a little quicker 0-60 but hardly anyone drives camrys that way. The prius actually has decent handling and perceptible acceleration once you get used to the way it feels (i.e. no distinct gears in the transmission). Can't help you on the dealer thing. We bought ours from one of the better local dealerships.
The larger the wheels, the larger the turning radius. Makes U-turns and narrow driveways a pain. Plus in MA the roads aren't the best and more tire space to crush preserves the rims and makes the ride softer. Get multiple dealers competing for your business. If you don't feel comfortable then use one of the buying services. Compare with Carmax in Laurel, Md online. I went 300 miles to them to save. Trivial and no surprises to shop online and I took the train up to pick the car up.
Hmm...I think that's a dumb reason to not buy a Prius. I've owned numerous vehicles in my lifetime and how I thought I looked in it- has never been a concern. Only if I liked the vehicle and the attributes of the vehicle itself. You're never going to have control over how other people perceive you in a vehicle. So if the "fear" is self generated your wasting your time. If you want a Prius? Buy and enjoy a Prius. But I wouldn't waste a second of time worrying about how I "thought" I looked in one. I take care of my Prius, and I actually think it's a good looking vehicle. But if I wanted one and I thought it looked like The Wonka Mobile in Willie Wonka that wouldn't stop me from buying one. It's all relative. I've enjoyed driving and owning some vehicles BECAUSE they were weird or ugly.
I can't think of any geometric reason why this should be the case, and I don't believe it's true. You should be able to get the same turning radius out of a pair of Ferris wheels if you can run them at the same steering angle. Turning radius depends on wheelbase (distance between front and back wheels) and steering gear design, not wheel size. I will agree that low-profile tires tend to ride more harshly, and the handling benefit is likely to be minimal.
(in re: turning radius.) True. I should have specified "as long as there is no mechanical interference". Excluding tire/fender interference, which shouldn't happen except at the extreme of acceptable tire size, tire or wheel diameter or width should be almost totally irrelevant to turning radius.
I know the c Four has a wider turning radius with 16 wheels, as it has wider tires than the c One to Three. Toyota Prius c - 2013 Models: Prius c One, Prius c Two, Prius c Three, Prius c Four
Thanks everyone for the help. This forum seems very helpful. I have another question, how can I find a Prius trim level five in Massachusetts? On the site my zip code goes up to four.
You would look adorable in a Prius. Forget about being manly. If you have already pass that phase of your life, then you don't need to worry about how you look in a Prius. There are two major reasons why you would want a Prius. To save money on gas and/or reduce pollution. You don't buy it for the comfort and you don't buy it for the look unless you just so happen like the way the Prius look. My kids hate the Prius. They'd rather sit in my van or SUV. I told the kids that I have no problem using those cars for vacation if they would pay for the extra gas. They stopped complaining then. However, after my 1100 mile trip to New England, I should have listened to the kids. I love my SUV and the van but I'll tolerate the Prius.
