just another update

evening everyone....I just wanted to give you a little bit of info on my car. Nothing wrong with it, wanted to post a few pics of the mileage and ask all of you what you think about the car.

I picked it up about 3 months ago....paid $1500 bucks for it. Did the replacement pedal (big hand syndrome). Picked up a pedal off ebay (32000 mile donor car) and problem went away. Thus far i have logged about 6k miles on the car. I must say it had blown my mind on the mileage. I am driving roughly 57 miles round trip daily to work. I am averaging abouut 57 mpg. Each tank roughly the same....fill ups are around 9.0 to 9.2 gallons every time. Terrain is not terribly hilly here in Little Rock. Typical ups and downs headed to work. I try and maintain 62MPH (car seems to loooove that speed and pulls damn near 65 MPG-sometimes edging up to the 70 mark) Hit a hill of course it drops to say 40 mpg but soon as i crest its back up.
So far the car has been a lot of fun learning to get the most MPG i can out of it. Took it to dealer last week for oil change (eng and tranny) - Service dept had logged previous owner (coworker) as having inverter coolant done 10k miles ago. Car is neat as a pin underneath.
So how am i doing on MPG? Anyhting you can think of to increase? I have tires pumped up to 45 all the way around. Car loves fuel that does NOT have ethanol in it. Its a hi miler, but for 1500 bucks who can complaign. Battery pack was replaced 2 years back/40k miles ago.

hope i post the pics ok!

let me know what you think

 

thanks for the replies. I know all to well about the funds needed for older cars! You know, i basically bought the car just to flip, perhaps double my money....then started driving it...and to be honest started enjoying it so much decided to keep it. Thus far, it is 4x better on gas than my 03 silverado SS, and more than double my 95 impala ss.... My kids wear me out about it. Isnt cool. Girls Car. You know the drill. "dont pick me up at school in the Prius PLEASSSE!" LOL. Honestly i really dont care. Heck, being a fresh 40 years old, i have run the gamut of 9 mpg chevrolet trucks with no A/C, Sports cars, Muscle cars, blah blah blah. THe prius is really the first car that was "different" and really made me think while i was driving it. Can I beat 50 Mpg today? Wonder how far I can go on a tank? It has taught me a different way of thinking when in stop and go traffic. Man, i would LOOOVE a Gen 2 with elec A/C compressor!
I mean honestly, 90 percent of cars are typically point A to B type transportation anyway. These cars are perfect for transportation. If half of the population drove these cars, we would see a sharp decrease in gasoline usage. Chevrolet really screwed the pooch on their "hybrid" vehicles, 2 mpg better than standard malibu? Amazing people even bought the ones that were made. THe hybrid trucks were just as bad. Maybe 2 mpg better. Toyota definitely went out of the ballpark with the Prius. Really amazing they thought so far out of the box.

 

i thought about something earlier and forgot to post.... If and when this engine decides to give up the ghost...... is there a vendor to buy Gen1 remaufactured engines? Anyone ever stepped up and had one rebuilt? I took a look through the toyota factory service manuals, and i was really impressed with the technology. I work on aircraft turbine engines for a living.... so it didnt scare me off. Just curious what options are out there when the time comes.
I did look over the valve adjustements in the manual. Quite interesting and defininitely time consuming! Has anyone ran a gen 1 out past 200k and ever did the valve adjustments???

 

I would think heat would be the main killer of the battery pack. Definitely agree. I wouldnt think they cells are any different than a standard battery, Ie. heat is the killer and storing them in a cool place always helps with battery life. Been doing a LOT of reading on the packs...looks like there is about 50 % truth and about 50% fright with owners overly worried their traction batteries are going to die on them any minute. Actually, i am VERY suprised at the amount of 2001 thru 2003 prius' here on the forum that are well under 100k miles. Is it just me or are a lot of these cars not really driven that much in their lifetimes?
Also agree that the oil changes on these cars is a definite must. I really believe the average auto consumer never, ever changes the tranny fluids until well upwards of 75 to 90k miles and that causes the majority of failures. I think the prius needs the fluids changed due to complexity. Like any mech will tell you, if you are careful and watch your limits (wether it be fluids, cycles, time, or use) you can postpone the breakdowns to a certain point. Its all man made, but proper care will increase your odds.
Bob, thanks for the big hand/little hand info. I correctly repaired this car and problems immediately went away. Amazing a potentiometer can wreak havoc eh? LOL. Patrick, i have also read a ton of your posts, and i have to give you cudo's on knowing the prius! I always look forward to reading your replies to the posts!
Looks as i might be one of the higher mileage cars on the forum. Do you know if anyone else is past 230k miles?

 

personally my thoughts on changing brake fuid at 50k miles is that it is a waste of time and money. Brake fluids do have the ability to absorb water over time, but in my opinion, if you havent "opened" the system and exposed it to air, the fluid should be fine for quite a long long long time.
Years ago, manufacturers NEVER even said anything about changing brake fluids. Its was basically accomplished when a rear wheel cylinder started leaking or some other repairs were being made, the brakes were bled. Yes, the fluid absorbs moisture....how much? no one really knows. Back in the days before stainless steel brake lines, corrosion was a factor. Now all brake lines are stainless. The corrosion came from the water in the fluid, which settled into the lower areas of the braking system. I think this is a moot point in todays cars. Plus, the brake fluids of today are about 100000 times better in performing their duties than back in the 60's and early 70's.
Now, im not saying is shouldnt be done, but i really feel 50k miles is too short an interval if nothing has ever been done to the system. If a line hasnt been opened, or you have only had to add a drop or two on the resevoir, i would say forget it until 100k miles at a minimum.
Here is another fact.... you should never have to add any brake fluid to your car. IF everything is operational and no leaks, the system will DECREASE in the level as the pads wear down. But once a new set of pads are installed, the level should ride back up to the full mark. The problems begin when you have to add fluid, your car is telling you it has a leak. that is when you need to have repairs made or take it to the dealer.
Dealers have just found another way to soak your wallet for 150 bucks to replace the fluid in the brakes. And i would bet you an additional 150 bucks they do NOT bleed out the lines. They probabyl simply suck out the fluid in the master cylinder and replace with fresh fluid.
Just my opinion, but it reminds me of the old joke about needing to flush out the old air in your tires with fresh air....
Of course, someone is going to quote the owners manual, or say that their brakes are like a ferrarri F1 when they got the brakes bled..... Caveat Emptor