anyone else very Blah, about Gen 3 ?

I'm not even sure it should be called a "Gen III" until the lithium batteries are used with a provision to plug them in.

 

I think it depends on where you're coming from.

If I was happy with a 2007-2009 Gen II, I wouldn't consider the 2010. I test drove an '09 and after 30 min. the seat was killing me. I felt like a little old lady when I got out of the car. The bugs may be out of the Gen II's and there is some risk with the 2010, but the unbearable seat was the deciding factor for me not to get the '09 at a much better price (big sigh). I did a short drive in a 2010 and the seat seems much improved. I hope to get a longer drive in soon, but it's practically 'take a number' at my dealership as it's one of the few in the area to have a demo car.

My feeling is if you haven't had a Prius before, it has a lot going for it (more than just the seats). Hopefully, it can bring others like me into the Prius fold.

 

well if your just considering the battery pack then your gen II is still a gen I

 

"Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." We do not need to encourage affluenza. I am happy for the 2010, but I look forward to the PHEVs - both Prius sedans and Toyota pickups. PHEVs will be something to get excited about. The 2010 Prius is just too much of a baby step forward.

 

Actually, that's not true from that perspective either.

The big part of the model upgrade from ORIGINAL (1998-2000) to CLASSIC (2001-2003) was a much improved battery-pack, when they switched from cells to prismatic models.
.

 

Agree. Although I don't even care if it's lithium. Just so it goes 10-20 miles without gas. I could eliminate the vast majority of my OPEC funding then.

BTW Blamy...Nice pair ya got! The wife and I also have a pair of silver and green Prii!

 

In your situation, I'd probably feel blah too.

My situation is different: I'm in the market for a new car. My Subaru has cost me $5000 in repairs so far this year, and I can't ditch it fast enough. And this time, I decided to get serious about fuel economy, because I think gas prices have nowhere to go but up. (And yes, I also have environmental motives.)

So, I have a 2010 on order, and I'm excited about picking it up next week. On the other hand, I don't expect it to cure cancer, end hunger, or usher in an era of world peace. After all, it's just a car.

 

This is going to be my first hybrid and it will actually save me money based on the amount of driving I'll be doing in the next 5 years; however, many people do upgrade not realizing they're a making a mistake financially... that's the core of a economy that relies 2/3 in individual consumes expenditure… and Toyota is certainly hoping that lots of Gen 1-2 Prius owners do not do the math before investing in Gen 3...

 

I'm excited about it. I like it. (Wife loves the solar roof - she thinks it looks like the CF M3 roof)

My primary vehicle is a 98 maxima. Also have an 01 Mr2 syder.. but my wife drives the 2006 prius everyday.

The prius is almost exclusively our weekend driver. (Unless we take the MR2 and top down!).

Big reason the wife drives it is because she has an 15 mile commute to work, I have less than 2 miles.

I will be buying another Prius and trading in the Maxima. I plan on either waiting for some year end incentives (next April) or until the LI-ION batteries make their way into it.

Of course when we trade in the maxima the Old Prius will become mine and the new one will be hers.

 

You have a new body style, a new interior, a new engine. and a solar roof. If that is not worthy of a new Gen III tag I don't know what is.

 

Like I said before, that’s exactly what Toyota is hoping for... that Prius owners (or other fuel efficient car owners) get fascinated with the new features of the 2010 and forget about finances, because obviously most current hybrid owners would benefit a lot more financially if they just keep driving their car until its end, which we all know it goes forever in a Toyota...

BUT, consumerism is not an appropriate topic for this forum of course....

… And I should probably shut up before getting bashed again!

 

You just love stirring things up, don't you! :boink:

I don't think it's fair to assume that just because someone is trading in a new-ish GenII for a GenIII that they are putting their finances in jeopardy. Remember, too, that their gently used vehicles will be wonderful new (to them) cars for those who purchase them next.

 

I can't help myself...

I did not say that, but if I sounded like that, it was not what I meant... I just meant that most of the time, people upgrade cars (and other stuff too) without a financial reason (including myself) sometimes without even noticing it.... I did not say that people who do it is putting their finances in jeopardy... hey, this is a democratic capitalism, people use their money in whatever way they want... not my business!

Luckily, people do trade-in gentle used vehicles... it's a great opportunity for having a nice car in a much reduced cost... whoever gets my CR-V in the dealer, for instance, will be very happy...

 

forget finances, think about it from one of the perspectives we all bought the prius in the first place: to save the environment. by trading in a half used gen II for a gen III you are adding a car to the road and using up the resouces it took to make that car sooner then if you had waited for your gen II to die.

when i first heard this argument I was a bit embarrassed i bought a new car in the first place.

 

well he mentioned lithium and i was assuming his perspective was you change the material of the battery and it gets bumped a generation, the first gen had NiMH right? just like gen II?

 

I am VERY excited on a general level that some auto companies continue to push the envelope and improve on efficiency of current models available.
On a personal level I am less excited as it isn't that much of a step above our 2007 and 2008 Prius and my next cars (decided when I bought the 2008 almost 2 years ago) will be pure electrics.

 

I'm not 'blah' about it because I love the way it drives but I have a perfectly good 2005 with 115,000 miles on it that should take me another 3-4 yrs and up to 250,000 miles or so. At that time I think I will have received good value from my $24000 purchase.

Now at that time in 2013 I think that I'd probably opt for a lightly used 2010 with more features for the money...bang-for-the-buck. At that rate I might miss the Gen 4 altogether and be ready to re-up on the Gen 5.

 

Wait for the Lithium

 

I would only say 'blah' if given a choice in my purchase today, I wanted the G2 over the G3. I don't think anybody has made that choice yet in these forums on any criteria other than price.

We Prius owners are spoiled, because our cars, in hte ways we care about, are twice the car of most competitors. That said, a 10 - 15% generational improvement is nothing to denigrate.

 

Well you shouldn't be embarrassed because it is a spurious argument. A "half used" trade-in will just be sold to someone else who will finish using it. Not only that but odds favor them turning in a old gas sucking clunker that will be permanently removed from the roads.