Unsure About Prius...Any Help Encouraged

We sold our Lexus GS 400 (V8, 300 HP) beast to get Prius. I have more fun time with Prius than my GS400. Sure, I miss some accel on the freeway, but Prius is pretty zippy too. I feel like Prius is more roomier than my lexus GS400. I just learned how to drive "pulse and glide", and got over 60+ MPG on my brand new Prius. I can't stop laughing myself when I first fill up my prius. $20

 

I really appreciate the OP wanting to hear the bad and I'm trying to come up with something to be helpful.

The only major thing I can think of doesn't apply to him/her. That is that the car costs way more in Canada. To be able to buy a new Prius for under $25,000 instead of $35,000+ is a real benefit. I can see why sales keep rising down there.

I bought a used 2004 with 60,000Km on it and paid $25,000 CDN back in October 2006. I was very lucky to find a used one. A lot of people were after it. It was a trade in by someone that bought a 2007 Prius. It wasn't even on the lot yet when I said I'd take it. I think I got ahead of some other buyers by saying I wanted to purchase an extended warranty, which I didn't. $2000+ more for such a reliable car? Give me a break.

I knew a lot about the car from reading this site and given the high reliability and customer satisfaction data from Consumer Reports, I figured it would be a good car. I definitely WAS NOT disappointed. I love the car - nothing has gone wrong with it.

To the OP.... I wish I could be more helpful and tell you something negative about it. I guess the only thing I would suggest you consider is waiting for the 3rd generation. It undoubtedly will be an even better vehicle. Either that or a Chevy Volt. ha ha.

 

That's what I was getting at. "What kind of dealer would encourage someone to not buy their cars?"...a dealer with some other agenda.

 

I have a 2008 so thought about not posting anything but wanted to chime in on Consumer Reports. I am a big fan of Consumer Reports and was intrigued a few years back when the CR car surveys kept showing Prius owners willing to buy their car again if presented with a new car choice. A quick search will bear this out. I would add myself to that category.

Also, I was recently surprised by the lack of things to do at the required service intervals. I kept looking to see if there was another service appendix that added more items to the list and there wasn't one. This is an awesome car.

 

One of the things I checked out before I bought one in the UK. OK things may be different over here but still interesting.

see the rest here >>>
JD Power Survey 2007 - Introduction - What Car?

(The Prius comes under Small Family Car category)

 

My Prius had 1 warranty problem and Mr. Prius Tech didn't connect the dimmer switch during reassembly. Sometimes my backup camera doesn't engage when I put the car in reverse. It is a very random and rare and hasn't happened in over 3 months. Nothing's perfect & everyone at one time or another has cut a corner or two. Not every mechanic is as good as our members. This is still significantly better than my experiences with Mr. Goodwrench!

Notice what we complain about: The cloth interior gets dirty. The paint gets scratched. The gas gauge is not accurate. The lights on the steering wheel buttons are too dim. I get less than 50mpg.

What does the GM, Ford or Chrysler owner complain about? The engine burns oil, the cruise control sets the car on fire, there is a diesel smell in the cockpit, I need a new tranny.

One of the selling points for me was this car isn't expected to need much maintenance and I found that I can buy filters on line from a couple Toyota dealers at significant savings compared to the local dealers' Parts Dept.

Ask your friend how many Prius arrive at the dealership and how long they sit on the lot. These cars are such poor sellers that they can sit on a dealer's lot for up to 2 weeks. They are so unpopular that only Toyota's hybrid credit expired.

Tuesday I stopped at Liberty Toyota to pick up a brochure. They had 8 Prius in inventory because the truck just arrived. Tonight their website shows 4. This dealer usually has 0-2.

Should something catastrophic happen to my Intrigue I don't think I'd replace the car (unless there is an electric with better specs than the EV-1). Should something catastrophic happen to my Prius I would start shopping for a 2008 Prius.

Go to CarBuyingTips.com new car buying guide, avoiding dealer scams, new cars, used car buying and contact the Internet Sales Manager at your friend's dealership for a quote. It's obvious your friend doesn't want to sell a car or maybe your friend is secretly on malorn's payroll.

 

What everyone said plus:

My Dear:

Please take the car out for a nice long test drive. Thats all it will take.

 

But don't run out of gas.


sorry..couldn't help it......

 

A Prius is a complicated car. Even more than for other used cars it's a good idea to pay a certified Prius technician (one who works somewhere other than the dealer you intend to buy from, of course) to thoroughly check it over before you buy it. Also research the title to be certain that it is not a salvage.

 

I bought my Prius two years ago, I drive in the Chicago area as well. (Bought it at the St. Charles dealership, okay experience, service it at Arlington Toyota, again okay. Neither has blown me away either).

Is your friend pushing a different vehicle? I would ask him what the return rate is for a Prius, try to get real numbers and I think he'd shy away. Looking at Carmax and other better used-car places, you won't find many old Prius and definitely not at low prices which is what you would expect if people keep returning them. And why would they rank at the top of the Consumer Reports customer satisfaction list? And get good marks for resale value? Is he aware of the several Prius that have gone over 200,000 miles on the original batteries (the leader of this group went 349,000+ miles on the original batteries before it was totalled by another car that failed to yield right-of-way (turned left in front of him) last month).

But back to your real question. Actually I'm not sure you need a Prius. You say you've been getting around without a car for some time now, so you may not drive long distances. The Prius gets good gas mileage if you drive more than 10 miles at a time. My commute is 3 miles and in the weather we've been having the last few weeks (this is a worst-case scenario for around here) I've been barely getting 35 mpg. But normally I get much better. I ride a bike in the summer, and my wife drives the Prius, she gets 50+ mpg on her longer commute in warm weather. Our lifetime average mpg is 49.6 mpg (was over 50 before winter hit). So the mileage may not be what you're expecting, depending on your situation. If you don't drive much, a Nissan Versa or Toyota Matrix may be the economical hauler you need for your occasional use (they're versatile and not too bad on the gas). That said, I would still buy another Prius for my situation in a heartbeat.

As far as reliability, I've had two issues: my coolant pump is making a funny noise when it runs after I turn my car off. The dealer couldn't repeat the problem when I brought it in for an oil change (I think they left it in the warm garage then tried to repeat it - I told them the car has to be left outside in cold weather for it to happen). So that's not too serious, but I'll keep an eye on it (or an ear, as the case may be). This is apparently somewhat common in 2006 models. And the passenger seat detection system went out, so it didn't know if it should arm the passenger side airbag. That was replaced under warranty, no problem. There was a steering recall for pre-2006 vehicles you may want to be aware of if getting a used car (not limited to just the Prius, many Toyota models were hit). Otherwise reliability is above average.

If you want to meet a Prius driver in the Chicago area, I bet TonyPSchaefer would know somebody in your area. He runs the ChicagoPriusGroup.com site and is a moderator here. We should have another meetup sometime, but I bet there will be some environmental shows when the weather warms up, and we sometimes get invited as a group to those.

And, uh, as a side note, PatSparks was referring to the used Prius you were talking about (he's Australian, has a twisted sense of humor due to the reverse coriolus effect down there). You didn't need to give your e-mail address, you can PM (private message) any member to avoid spam robots from finding your address.

 

Go to CNNMoney.com and search "Cars Best of best, 2007" and show "your friend" where the Prius was voted in 3 out of 10 categories (by Consumer Reports) for Most Loved, Most Reliable and Best Fuel Economy. Additionally, Edmunds.com has rated the Prius "Lowest True Cost to Own".

 

Pat should think about modifying his toilet so it swirls in the right direction when he flushes it. That would cure most of his problems.

 

If you haven't heard enough already, I bought mine yesterday and while I was waiting at the Toyota dealership, I struck up a long conversation with one of their mechanics (who had no incentive to lie).

He couldn't have been more positive about the Prius's reliability and quality. He says he just doesn't see any problems -- so few cars come in for repairs.

What is your friend recommending -- a Hummer?

 

I'm very proud to say that we are a 2 Prius family. I have a daughter that has an 06 Blue Prius and my wife and I own an 07 Magnetic Gray Prius. As a retired Electrical Engineer, I was initially very intrigued by the 04 Prius design. However, after talking to a couple of friends that owned them and researching the Technical details in depth, I concluded that this vehicle just might be the best kept secret in the auto industry. After driving my 07 for over a year now and maintaining my daughter's as well, I can just say WOW!!!! What an AWESOME car.
I just love to visit the gas station when pump prices are over $3/gal. and fill it for less than $25. Highly recommend this car to anyone - especially if you live in warmer climates and have to drive a lot. We've gotten as high as 53 mpg on a 600 mile trip and quite often exceed 50 mpg in town. I also keep 38 lbs. of air press. in the tires. I'm 6'-6" tall and am continuously amazed at how comfortably I fit in the Prius. I can even drive long distances in it without getting tired.
I also love it when I'm sitting in traffic or waiting in line at a drive-thru and not polluting at all.

 

That's a good point.

At the dealership I went to, the salesman who did the test drive with me had a Prius, several others who work there had one, and so did one of the service guys who spoke to us at a new owners reception I attended. This dealership sells a lot of Prii so they would know if folks are bringing them back with problems.

 

The European Consumers Asociations have driven a common car reliability consult published dec. 2007, and the first car in the list was...

TOYOTA PRIUS

Edit: JD Power Survey 2007 - Small family cars - What Car?

 

It sounds like the OP's friend wants to sell a higher margin vehicle than a prius.

One thing to consider, look around the internet at forums like these, look at the amount of complaints on here compared to other industries and car manufacturers. people seek out forums when they either like something or hate something. If there were non-trivial problems with the prius, you'd see them on here, its as close to 100% positive as it could be on priuschat and that should say something.