Should I wait for the 2010 Prius or get one now?

There's no guarantee the 2010 will have a plug-in option or LithiumIon.

2009 is the new model year.

 

After 1600 miles, I haven't seen a single blind spot in my 2008 Prius. (Knock on wood, I don't want to pull out and hit the neighbor's dog tomorrow) :0

If you don't have a car payment right now...then wait. If your upside down in your car right now...wait. Otherwise get one before gas gets $5.00/gallon and you have to wait 20 weeks for a Prius.

I don't know about the battery cells. Someone here on PC most likely will.


Hope this helps

 

My crystal ball is too cloudy to give an exact retail price for your possible future vehicle in the year 2010. I can tell you that I really like my 2007 and intend to keep it well past 2010.

Some people have in fact bought salvage batteries on Ebay or other sources and used the individual cells to repair their batteries, mostly in early (2001 -03) Prius out of warranty. However, if you are only planning to keep it until the new models come out, you won't need to consider this because the battery warranty is 8 years/100,000 miles unless you live in a Calif emissions state where it is 10 years/150,000 miles.

I actually don't think the rear visibility is that bad, because the small lower window in the hatch allows you to see close objects. Also, most of the cars (all except the Base models) include a rear camera which allows you to see a wide angle view behind and to the sides when in reverse. I would say that the rear side views take some getting used to, but I just added convex spot mirrors on both sides to help.

The best way to see if this is going to be a problem for you would be to rent a Prius for a couple of days and try it out.

 

i just bought one.

my rationale? i needed a car now, plus, the lithium-ion battery probably won't be ready in '10 model. plug-in is dead, won't happen for awhile. we don't have a lot of info, but we do know we will have a new body and better mileage coming out in may of '09. the body change would be reason enough for me to wait.

if you can wait, wait. i couldn't wait another year without putting money into my old car that i did not want to keep any longer. it needed new tires and the computer was acting up. 3+ grand into my car, i couldn't rock with that right now.

oh, and i don't know what your talking about with the visibility as the visibility IMO is GREAT.

 

Made the same choice already, even if the new model is a 2009 we probably won't see it until closer to 2010. I wolud not buy the first year or two anyway, even Toyota has a record of not doing their best job up front. So the question I asked myself is, do I buy now or wait til 2011 or 2012? I bought in March. I'll trade up in 3 years or so.

 

I'd say go for it and start saving on gas.

Even if the Li-ion battery is ready, it is still more expensive than NiMH. That means you will only see in the Lexus hybrid. It may take a couple more years until it trickles down to Toyota. That's my guess.

Gen III should have 15% better MPG but the demand will be so high that you won't be getting discount. The dealers may jack up the price as seen in 04 Prius.

 

All the Prius' being traded in are generally snapped up within days by sharp used buyers. Finding one is the hard part. Trading or selling one that you own is a snap.

As noted previously the battery issue is actually a non-issue. Out side of the very long warranty Toyota's own benchtesting along with that of the Federal Govt have shown both Gens to have a 'hybrid life' of well above 150,000 mi. Toyota's own statement is that the batteries should last you the life of the vehicle. 200,000 mi? 300,000 mi?

There are no blind spots on the vehicle that I know of. It's got big windows and I can see everything very clearly because the seating is somewhat more upright.

2-1/2 yrs and 72,000 miles of 48 mpg driving.

 

Assuming that it will be at least one year (from today) before the next Gen Prius is available - right? - and at least another year after that before a plug-in version is available. Why not buy now and plan on switching to a plug-in in about three years?

Possibly Toyotas plans to boost production next year will mitigate the shortages, long waits, and dealer gouging. But even so, won't the next gen sell for at least MSRP for the first year or two - while Gen II's are currently selling for invoice - which should balance out some of the lower trade-in value of the Gen II's once the Gen III's arrive.

Of course, if the Gen III is out later this year - then my argument is certainly not valid.

 

I just bought in December. I don't know who is getting invoice - I paid MSRP - $500 + $350 for options I didn't order and didn't know they were adding (decal - can't see it, mats, and locking lug nuts - didn't know 15" rims were so desirable). I would have waited but my '96 Altima was having major engine trouble. Since I am not thrilled with the Prius, I have dumped 4K into it to keep it running so I can enjoy driving on the weekends.

I do have blind spot issues but it may be a function of height (6') since I am into the roof line when seated in an upright position. If you not as tall, you might be OK. My biggest issue is not so much with the back windows (you will adapt to the split) but with the rear roof pillars. I check a couple of times and then slow down a little so anyone sitting in the blind spot becomes visible. If I didn't do this I would have merged into another driver a couple of times. I also can't see the mid-intersection suspended traffic lights when waiting for the light to change and have to hunch down over the steering wheel to check them. Have to do the same thing at four way stop signs since the rear view mirror and front roof pillars are obstructions.

If you are tall you might be able to set the seat at an slight rear incline. I have two herniated disks in my neck so can't do this. I didn''t check what state you are in. If you can get a hybrid Altima, go for it . You won't have any visibility issues.

 

It takes a certain amount of energy to move a car, and owning my Prius has shown me how sensitive my economy driving skills are to mpg. The car we have already is extremely efficient, but it takes technique to extract that out of it. I think the new one will be no magic bullet unless it is much lighter and/or smaller, IMO.

 

Buy one now. You don't want to get the first year of a major re-design unless you're willing to deal with the design bugs.

 

I just made the same evaluation, and after weighing the costs involved with keeping my car or buying a Prius now, it just made sense to buy now so I could get the benefits of the high mileage car for my summer driving. The resale value is high on these, and what I was driving certainly would not be worth any more in the future, even though it was a car I truly liked.

The harder evaluation was to choose between the Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla vs, the Prius which cost more.

 

Of course you should wait! 2010 Prius will be much faster, bigger, and it will get about 5 MPG more, that is 50+ MPG. Plus you will get all the updated goodies, such as better navigation etc.

But if you are hoping for Li-ion battery/plug-in, that won't happen until later, perhaps 2011 Prius (coming in 2010), if not 2012 (coming in 2011).

 

I'm driving a 2005 Package 6 with 53K miles on it (I put all 53K on myself). I am waiting for some significant technological leap in a future Prius before I can be tempted to trade up. Plug-in would sway me; or any newer version of the HSD where mpg advances more than 20% over what I have. Lacking that, I can't see fixing what isn't broken. I get 45mpg (winter) to 51mg (spring and fall) in combined driving and I don't use any hyper mile-ing techniques other than knowing when to let gravity do the work instead of the engine.

I don't have a visibility problem. The outside rear view mirrors can be adjusted (and should be adjusted) to put whatever blind spots that may exist into view. And when changing lanes, anyone who does not at least take a quick glance sideways is always at risk. Use your peripheral vision - you don't have to be looking rearward to spot a vehicle in your rear quarter zone. Same goes for the right side.

Oh I forgot to mention. Visibility in all cars drops dramatically when the driver is engaged in a cell phone conversation...with bluetooth or without.

 

Hi there...first time posting...long time lurking.
I am in the same dilemma. I was on a waiting list for an 09 for 2 months, then cancelled there to get an a 2010 waiting list at another dealership. Now recently the photos came out, I'm not thrilled with the new sporty look, and I am thinking of buying a used 08 or trying to find an 09. I currently drive a Honda odyssey that we will keep for carpools and future drivers. 117,000 miles. I drive 40 miles per day, but honestly it's not even that...I've wanted a prius since they came out...I just think they are cool.

 

I own a 2001 have recently replaced the battery, with a little financial help from Toyota ( prices have recently gone down) and won't get another til this one one dies. You can always imagine next years model will be better but I am sure you will like whichever year you get- they are great cars and this one does bumpy rural roads all the time.
ps. I get between 43 & 48mpg depending on the weather, better in the fall and spring

 

We decided to go ahead and buy our second Prius a few weeks back, taking advantage of the good deals available on almost new certified '08s. Now that the '10 details are out, I'm having a few pangs of remorse, but we knew it would be cool when we decided to go ahead. I am 6' and have 0 visibility issues. Its at least as good (and probably better) as my Land Rover Discovery was, which had the best visibiltiy of any vehicle I'd driven up to that point.

If you can wait, and can afford the new one I would wait. We were constrained by time, and finances, so we went ahead. You should be very happy with either car, so you don't have much to lose

Rob

Rob

 

Although I am in the school of "don't buy in the first year," having seen the 2010 Prius, I would wait for that model. Just about every niggling little problem (e.g. seats, tires, steering wheel control lighting, etc.) has been fixed, and the tech advances are considerable, and some incredibly cool features are now available. Check the Toyota site.