Unsure About Prius...Any Help Encouraged

Your friend seems like he is pursuing his own agenda or he is an idiot or both.

Toyota ranked #1 in 2007 for reliability just behind the Yaris. Judging by the lack of major issues seen in this forum, all of my friends that own a Prius, and my own experience I would say your friend is talking out his pie hole. Maybe you should ask to see figures?

In 60,000 miles I have only had an issue with a single burned out tailight bulb. It was a $1 fix.

 

Your friend is an idiot. No one wants one? They sold over 180,000 of them last year in the USA. Also take a look at Consumers Reports reliability data on the Prius. Rated "Much better than average", and achieves the highest reliability rating in every category except one (out of 17). That's all solid red dots (much better than average) except for one half-red dot (better than average).

They're so unreliable that here in CA we get a 10 year, 150k mile warranty on the hybrid powertrain.


[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica] 1. Ford F-Series . . . . . . 690,589 ..... -13.2%
2. Chevrolet Silverado . . . 618,257 ...... -2.8%
3. Toyota Camry . . . . . . 473,108 ...... +5.5%
4. Honda Accord . . . . . . 392,231 ..... +10.7%
5. Toyota Corolla/Matrix . . 371,390 ...... -4.1%
6. Dodge Ram . . . . . . . . 358,295 ...... -1.6%
7. Honda Civic . . . . . . . 331,095 ...... +4.6%
8. Chevrolet Impala. . . . . 311,128 ...... +7.3%
9. Nissan Altima . . . . . . 284,762 ..... +22.5%
10. Honda CR-V. . . . . . . . 219,160 ..... +28.9%
11. GMC Sierra. . . . . . . . 208,243 ...... -1.2%
12. Chevrolet Cobalt. . . . . 200,620 ...... -5.1%
13. Toyota Tundra . . . . . . 196,555 ..... +57.9%
14. Toyota Prius. . . . . . . 181,221 ..... +69.4%
15. Dodge Grand Caravan . . . 176,150 ..... -16.6%
16. Honda Odyssey . . . . . . 173,046 ...... -2.7%
17. Pontiac G6. . . . . . . . 150,001 ...... -4.8%
18. Hyundai Sonata. . . . . . 145,568 ...... -2.6%
19. Chrysler Town & Country . 138,151 ..... -13.2%
20. Toyota Highlander . . . . 127,878 ...... -1.5%[/FONT]

If you buy one, I hope you don't get a lemon (very rare). You'll never hear the end of it from your "friend".

 

Prius are a heap of crap mate, don't buy one.
















Anyone looking for a cheap second hand Prius in Chicago? I just found out about one there.

 

I'm not one to call people names, but it's hard to argue with the label the others have used for your "friend." There is anti-Prius and anti-hybrid bias out there, even among those that work for dealerships that sell them.

My 2005 has been just fine, thank you. A couple of minor cosmetic problems early on that were fixed under warranty. Nothing since, and mechanically it's given no problems.

As for his claim that maintenance is expensive, the opposite is true. That is, unless you fall for a dealer-designed (rather than Toyota-designed) maintenance package that includes many unnecessary items, reports of which are common in the forums. Most maintenance intervals generally require only an oil and filter change, tire rotation, and air filter changes (which anyone can do with no tools in about 2 minutes).

I put a lot of stock in Consumer Reports' reliability ratings, and in fact used them to help make my purchase decision. As Priusenvy says, the Prius has been very dependable across the board, and Prius owners are among those most likely to buy the same car again. That and other reliability studies carry much more weight than one person's opinion.

I suggest you spend some time here searching and reading to reassure yourself. You'll find a few problems reported here and there. Keep those in context when you see them. Folks won't usually be saying, "M car gave me no problems today!"

 

I have an 06 that will be 2yrs. old this year. I still love it and have had no problems at all. My husband went and bought an 07 last year and he loves his. I wouldn't trade mine for a million dollars. (well!!!!!!!!!maybe but I would go and buy another one lol) A lot of salesmen don't know what they are talking about. Sorry but your friend sounds like one of those. Maybe the commission he makes isn't as high on the Prius so doesn't want to be bothered selling one. How many used Prius do you see setting in a used car lot??? I would buy a new one if you can afford it. GL

 

I suggest you look for galaxee's list of maintenance services you need to answer that maintenance question of yours:
http://priuschat.com/forums/care-ma...70-what-services-you-need-what-you-don-t.html

It's basically oil changes every 5k miles.
And replacing some other fluids after 100k/50k miles.
(see list for more details)

 

I've had my 04 model for just over 2 years now, and I still can't get over how advanced it is. That's definitely a record for me. I'm usually over a new purchase after its third wash.
The worst thing about the Prius is the zero towing capacity.
The best things are everything else.
The scariest thing, that Toyota stops making them and I have to go back to an inefficient manual transmission or slush box.
My biggest regret, I didn't buy it new.
This is the car you are most likely to want to drive long distances. The reason, because you can.

 

No problems with our 2006. Get a Prius, but buy it from a different dealer.

Tom

 

Seriously...what kind of dealer would encourage some to NOT buy their cars?

When I first started thinking about replacing my 1995 Lexus ES300, I was planning to buy a 2-3 year old Lexus ES330. I went to test drive a few at the dealership, and at the end I decided to try a Prius, just to see what the thing was like.

I ended up liking the Prius a lot. I realized that for the type of driving that I do (and the type that the vast majority of people do) the Prius is a much better car overall. Sure, the Lexus has great acceleration compared to the Prius, but you never actually need that power. The interior of the Lexus was a bit nicer, but I don't think the difference was too large.

The gas mileage of the Prius is obviously far better than you'd get from any other car. I think that from a financial perspective, this is incredibly important.

Reliability of Toyotas is unmatched by any other manufacturer. Toyota and Lexus consistently have the best reliability of any make in the industry. Consumer Reports projects that the Hybrid versions of Toyota/Lexus cars will be even better than that of the non-Hybrid versions.

Consumer Reports also gathers data on owner satisfaction by asking the question, "Knowing everything you know now, would you buy your car again?". The Prius has the highest ratings in that study, of any car on the market, with something like 93% of owners saying they would buy a Prius again. I think that is data that you can't ignore.

 

There have been a couple "What I don't like about my Prius" threads you can check out. Here's one. Just to address some of your points of concern:

recalls- It shouldn't be hard to find out if there is a recall on the Prius you are looking at and finding out if the service was done. If there is an outstanding recall for the specific car the dealership should do it before handing over the keys.
Concern factor= 0.

gas tank- I've had the regurgitating bladder thing happen only once in 2 years and I think it was primarily due to the pump. Don't try to top off and you will be fine.
Concern factor=0

battery- the batteries are covered for 150k miles I think (somebody will correct me if I'm wrong) and there are VERY few records of people ever having to deal with the batteries. My guess is your car will be well paid off by the time you would need to pay for replacement batteries.
Concern factor=0

dumb service departments at dealerships with no answers-Not sure what to tell you here other than you shouldn't have to worry about service dept. since, as stated previously, the Prius has an EXCEPTIONAL reliability rating. If your concern is >0 then purchase a new car and/or add an extended warranty.

What do I dislike? Here are a few things. None of which outweigh the benefits.

1. Crappy stock tires/VSC in slippery conditions. In Chicago I would recommend tire upgrade prior to winter.

2. The beige interior and the material gets really dingy really fast.

3. It's freakin' ugly.

4. The fact that the radio and climates are all control via the MFD. I still like knobs and buttons.

5. Wish it got better mileage.


Hope some of this helps. BTW, I would use the same dealership your friend works at, just go through a different salesman. Find one he hates. Obviously I don't know your friend but I suspect he might just be one of those people who just dislikes wimpy hybrids and think they are epitomize squirrel kissing, latte drinkin', Birkenstock wearin', librul f*gs and thinks you would be safer in a Tundra with it's giant hood to match it's giant price point.

 

I have had incidences of uneducated salesman syndrome myself. I actually had a salesman that wanted to sell the car, but couldn't tell me anything about it. I actually knew more about the car than he did and I'd never even been close enough to one to touch it before. Do some research, carefully consider your options, and insist on a test drive. One thing that I have noticed is that Prii don't seem to last long on the lot, most are snatched up in a day or two, at least where I live. Perhaps your friend is trying to discourage your purchasing a Prius because so many other models are harder to sell, ie. better commission. Most importantly, make your own mind up, don't let anyone else do it for you. Lots of people are very quick to give their opinion without any basis for it. Do I love my Prius? Yes! I still geek out about driving it. I find myself looking for reasons to drive somewhere, "Oh, you want to drive to the next county for potato chips? Sure, I'll drive", you get the picture. I am exceedingly happy with my purchase and would recommend it in a heartbeat, but if it's not what fits your needs, you may never feel the same way. Good luck with your decision.

 

Perhaps the friend is secretly jealous of the thought that the OP would have a better car than him. It wouldn't be the first time I have seen that.

As for bringing back the pleasure of driving, I had to laugh at your observation. Your description sounded so much like me! "Drive from Houston to Dallas for lunch? That sounds like a great idea! Let's take my car!"

 

Coming from a Chrysler Sebring, you will find the Prius's maintenance/repair schedule to be liberating.

Do your homework (which you are doing by browsing this forum), buy the car for you and be happy with your decision. You are going to get a lot of grief from Prius Haters. Trust me. They will call it ugly, they will call you ugly, they will call it slow, they will call the interior cheap, but in the end you will be driving with a BIG smile on your face, like this . I know I do.

When you are ready to buy, you will see how popular this car really is. The Touring models sell the day they hit the lot at least here in So. Cal. If you find the car you want, jump on it or someone else will.

Also, your "friend" might not be off when he says that more people are returning this car than ever. If you take into account how many have been sold in the last several years then it only makes sense that more are being returned as their leases end. I am willing to bet that they are jumping right back into the Prius.

 

Well, I beg to differ. I think it's downright beautiful (yeah, I know: in the eye of the beholder...). Even if you don't agree, I hope you'll agree that it's distinctive!

In any case, the shape is aerodynamic, and you have to admit that the contribution of the aerodynamic footprint to fuel efficiency IS beautiful.

Back the OP's request, here are things I don't like about my 2006:

1. I wish it had electric seat adjustments (AFAIK, 2008's STILL don't have that option).

2. I would like the Nav system to have a better UI and better documentation.

3. The leather seats squeak unmercifully; anyone have a fix for this? The dealer has applied the standard fix for the passenger seat track, and it helped, but something STILL squeaks!

There might be a few other minor nits, but this is the main list for me. That said, I would buy another Prius in a heartbeat (and in fact am planning to get one for my wife once I get my employment picture settled). So none of this is a dealbreaker for me, and the Prius is hands down the best car I've ever owned (though our Camry is a very close second...)

 

I went searching for a site devoted to the Prius and found this one. The reason for the search was that I felt I was starting to get close to purchasing my next car and I wanted to find out all I could about the Prius, especially the warts. This site has a great knowledge base to tap into and I've learned a ton from it. I expect that when I get to pull the trigger on a new Prius that I will know more about the car than the salesman selling me the car (heh! That's a figure of speech, I'll likely purchase it online or through Costco or some other means).

I read all sorts of threads about awful gas mileage, horrible impacts on the environment and any other criticism of the car. Most can be categorized into 2 of 3 slots (1. Troll Attack - Just causing trouble and 2. Unreasonable expectations - justifiable or not). The myth busting threads and sage advice go a long way to managing expectations and eliminating misinformation.

In the end, not only did I learn a lot about this car, I became even more convinced that it is the car for me (one day....sigh....). Don't concern yourself with other people's hangups.

 

I'll add some smugness: If you do buy a Prius, you'll wonder why you didn't sooner.

If you don't buy a Prius, you'll regret not driving the best car out there, bar none. Period. Exclamation point!

Seriously, do consider ALL that a car purchase entails in today's polluted world: low emissions, low consumption of a dwindling energy suppy, future of all-electric drive. You and your offspring/neighbors/friends/fellow earth inhabitants will thank you.

 

There are plenty of people on this forum who live in the Chicago area, so they should be able to advise you on dealerships with good service departments vs. those to be avoided. If none of them chimes in on this thread, post a new one with a specific subject line like "seeking good dealership in Chicago."

As for your "friend," just don't talk about it with him anymore. Don't bring up the subject, and if he brings it up, just say, "How 'bout them Bulls" (or Bears/Cubs/Sox/etc.).

I've only had my Prius for 10 months, but as far as I'm concerned it's a great car. And as you'll see from this forum they can handle extreme weather in places like Alaska and Winnipeg and are also being used more and more as taxi cabs. Overall they are dependable cars.