What was your previous car?

Well, now you own a prius you won't have those nasty experiences again.

 

prEVius vehicle was a 98 Integra and before that an 86 Fiero. This time around I wanted reliability, fuel economy and low maintenance and picked Prius because I thought it was the best in its class and would deliver the lowest TCO if I keep it for 10 years or more.

I drive about 12K miles per year almost all city so fuel savings makes Prius even more economical than non-hybrids with a much lower sticker price. Plus the technology makes this car very interesting and a lot of fun to drive but for a different set of reasons.

 

At least it wasn't much of a change to get the Prius, the two cars are almost the same shape. Better visibility and more room and comfort in the Prius though. My C230 was actually fairly sound mechanically but it felt like driving a ticking time bomb, knowing one day there would a huge repair bill coming along. Now that you mention it, I had my parking brake cable break too...

Yeah Tideland, my service order for the oil change shows 0W20 so hopefully they put in the right stuff. Tastes like it.

 

I actually came to the 2010 Prius by way of an 2009 Camry Hybrid from a 2007 Camry SE.

I've been a Toyota customer for some time. I loved the 2007 Camry and its V6 engine. Great looking car in Barcelona Red and lots of power on the freeway. Too much power in fact. Let's just say my insurance rating suffered during the time I owned the 07.

After a final reminder by the highway patrol, I determined I needed something not as peppy and with a whole lot better mileage than the 21 MPG I was getting on the SE. I looked long at the Prius at that time but went with the Camry Hybrid. It was more familiar to me and seemed roomier.

I've learned since that the 2010 Prius is actually roomier than the 09 Camry Hybrid, both in passenger space and cargo space. The Camry Hybrid convinced me that hybrid technology is the way to go.

When Toyota started offering really nice incentives for the 2010 Prius this month, I made the plunge.

 

I traded from a 2005 Cadillac DeVille, when I got my first Prius in 2006. I've never been sorry I made the switch.

 

I've owned 3 Priuses now over the last 8 years (2009, 2007, 2002). Before that I had a 1993 Plymouth Duster. (The early 90s Dusters were nothing like the Duster muscle cars of the 70s. They were just rebadged Plymouth Sundances.) Before that was a 1986 Chevy Caprice station wagon (man that thing was massive).

I've got photos of each of my cars here: Collection: Cars

 

I actually went "up" - I had a Polo 1.4L TDI (pic attached - this is not my Polo, is just given as a reference). After 7 years, it was time to change it, also due to the poor VW quality and reliability I experienced with this model. Too bad, because the diesel TDI engine was not bad at all.
The Prius choice?
1) Diesel is not going to consume less in town, where I drive 90% of the time. Some small cars like the Aygo consume more (as per manufacturer's data) than the Prius in the urban cycle (5,5L/100km vs 4L/100km), even diesel versions...(see Citroen C1 - based on the same Aygo Platform, does 5,3L/100km in town)
2) Cheap insurance ("nobody" owns a Prius, 3rd gen, in Germany, therefore premiums are really low and it will stay that way for long - germans simply don't buy non-german cars on average...especially in Munich)
3) 36€ vehicle taxes, compared to the 230€/year for the Polo, until at least 2014 - then maybe even less since the Prius is currently below Euro 5 standards.
4) renowned Toyota quality and reliability - my brother owns a Yaris since 3 years, not a single defect
5) the Prius is the future: all cars out there currently simply are a no match in terms of overall engine technology to the Prius (I am not talking about overall efficiency, since there are diesels out there that have way more HP and achieve lower fuel consumptions...when you are driving 90km/h on a flat road; not when you are in city traffic) - I wanted to drive a 2010 car, not a 1990 car, like all those out there - adding a start-stop function is not enough for me...
6) *so* silent - it is a pleasure to drive and powerful enough for me and even the german Autobahn... (germans would say that 130 combined HP is not enough - you need at least 150+HP/1000kg to be allowed on german roads....

Should I continue??

 

The only way to get a diesel that consumes less than a Prius in town is the Smart fortwo CDI as far as I know. I don't know any other car that beats the Prius in terms of declared fuel consumption (the only reasonable comparison I can make, since all cars in EU are tested the same way and the values are valid in all EU countries).
I wasn't even considering a gas car until the 3rd Gen Prius came out (and I had to wait 2 years for that...) - the Gen 2 fuel consumption, compared to my Polo and other cars on the market, was really nothing to talk about - at least here in Europe. This is why, reluctantly, when I decided to sell my Polo, I had to wait before the new Prius came out.
The Prius, right now, is consuming in town in winter, what the Polo was consuming in town in late summer on the same commute route (the last time I managed to check and note the consumption - on the Polo I wasn't checking the consumption much - I knew it was not consuming much and there is not much you can do to reduce consumption after 7 years of optimised driving.... ).
So I am really excited to see what the Prius will do when temperatures finally go up, with summer tires...

 

06' VW GTI 2.0, I'm just getting old I guess?? Whats next!

 

Had a 2000 Jaguar S-type 3.0 liter in British racing green. Loved that car, but the low mileage and premium fuel costs were enough to send me to a 2006 Prius V when I retired and contemplated more pleasure driving.

 

Traded in my 99 323i for a 2010 Prius. Loved that car (best handling, quiet ride, good factory sound system), but maintenance cost is outrages (2-3k every 6 months). Also hated the low mileage and the premium gas. Prius is a totally different car. Yes, it's not as quiet a ride, cannot accelerate or turn like a bimmer, but gotta love the gadgets (bluetooth audio, tech pkg, smart key, voice activated nav and phone, etc..), the 2010 styling, the reliability, low maintenance cost (one trip to bmw shop equals the cost of an extended warranty for the prius) the mileage and the regular gas. A no brainer choice, IMO.

 

2007 BMW 335i Sedan. Lots of fun but way too much traffic in SoCal to really drive it the way it's supposed to be driven. Love my new V.

 

I had a 1989 Toyota Pick Up, V6. It was an old hand-me-down truck with over 260k miles. It still ran very well, but when C4C came out, it was a no brainer. Also during that time, the Washington State sales hybrid care purchase tax exemption program was expiring, all the reason to get a hybrid.

 

2002 Honda Odyssey. it dumped a transmission at 77K miles and while it was covered under warranty our kids are big enough to not need the space. The dealer messed it up but proving it was difficult. I will say it was handy while we remodeled our house.....

The problem was at 22MPG Highway and my wifes driving for work in her new job it was costing a ton in gas. We decided to get a new car regardless and after test driving SUV's, AWD cars, FWD cars, the Prius won for comfort and gas mileage.

If the Fusion Hybrid was a hatch it would have been a serious consideration.

 

A 1995 Subaru Impreza wagon. I loved this car. Bought it brand new and now it has 305k miles and still going strong. It doesn't have a lot of ground clearance but I never succeeded in getting it stuck in snow, ice, or mud. I'm keeping it since it is long paid for and the insurance as a casual use car is almost nothing. Unfortunately it gets only about 25 mpg and is no longer very comfortable for commuting. I've worn the seat out! My Prius IV is a lot of fun, I just hope it lasts as long. My inner-geek loves all the toys in the prius.

 

2002 Corolla I started driving since new. My parents are now driving the Corolla and it's still trouble free. We hope to keep it for a few more years (it only has 130,000km's or so).

As most other users mentioned on this thread, the big bonus is the Prius costs almost nothing to run. The Corolla used $150 worth of fuel ($1/L here in Canada) per month while the Prius used $80. I have a credit card dedicated for fuel, and the bills almost always come out two digits (unless I refuel the Corolla for my parents, or bought too much coffee, then it breaks the $100 barrier). Even my 407 bills are twice that :O

 

I got a Prius III last week. I also have a 2008 Porsche Carrera4 Cabriolet & 2009 Mercedes SL550. I got the Prius so I can take my dog around in comfort. But i'm finding that I really get a kick out of driving the Prius and when I'm not driving it, I think about driving it. how weird!

Anyway, i'm thoroughly enjoying the Prius, maybe a bit too much. the car has 500 miles on it already and it's only a week & couple days old.

 

I had a 2007 Corolla LE.

That was the first new car I ever bought. My new 2010 Prius II is the second. Major upgrade, if you ask me.

 

This describes my husband and me

My previous car was a BMW as we like to joke around here: Bus, Metro, Walk!

The lease on my husband's 2005 Acura TL was up so I convinced him we should buy a Prius together (for environmental reasons) and he agreed but plans to buy a flashy sportscar in a few years so "he can have fun again".