Wonder if I made poor choice buying 2010 Prius

Re: blame the EPA test procedure

I know and knew it with my previous cars/trucks..Mpg on stickers in my observation, needed to be handicapped by 25%(At least to 2006) .But you would think that a car whose primary existence is mpg and with EPA's stricter current rules with the automobile company's to submit(Was it roughly 15% of all car models, that the EPA actually did their MPG test on and the rest is relied on the automobile company's data?) more accurate data..I wouldn't be as far off !

 

Re: blame the EPA test procedure

 

Re: blame the EPA test procedure

If you're curious about Consumer Reports' fuel economy testing procedures, see Consumer Reports Cars Blog: How we test: Fuel economy and the last page of http://www.consumersunion.org/Oct_CR_Fuel_Economy.pdf. Since the article is old, do keep in mind their references to government tests don't include the changes (additional tests) added starting w/model year 08.

 

Re: blame the EPA test procedure

Thanks for the interesting article, its very informative . I believe I had already read the other article in your previous post . I was armed with that information when I was a shopping, 4 months ago . Thus I bought my Prius 4. Back then I was looking for a sleek, gas efficient , reliable and good resell value car/truck..I paid the extra bucks(35k fully loaded) thinking the mpg on it was under a magnifying glass.The car is still sleek,somewhat gas efficient, somewhat reliable(The Jury is still out on that)and somewhat resellable. Bottom line, in my opinion, the car is worth 10k less today in hindsight.

 

Re: blame the EPA test procedure

Today's AAA price for NYC 10021 for a IV Solar is $30,093. You could have saved more money by buying in NJ or MD. What has happened in your car that you believe it is "somewhat reliable & resellable"? Almost every used car depreciates & almost every manufacturer has recalls. You're right though. 4 months ago wasn't the bottom of the automotive market. December wasn't the bottom. I don't know if we hit bottom or if there is still aways to go. Prius prices will firm up when gas prices rise. Bet money on that.

 

If you bought it today, given Toyota's revelations and problems, I'd say yes. If I were in the market for a Toyota I'd let the smoke clear to see what comes out of this mess before dropping big buck$ on a major life purchase.

Given that you bought it before this mess, you made a great decision with all available information.

No matter what, you got a car that saves big money at the gas station and is equipped with the most modern safety features.

 

Or they live in a city where traffic culture is less aggressive than in numerous other places.

Normal driving style for some places will draw a 'road rage' citation here. And normal here is aggressive for a few other regions.

 

Re: blame the EPA test procedure

1. A car is a hole in the ground that you pour money into.
2. A prius allows you to pour money into the hole at a slower rate that others.
3. "Resale value" is a way to lock in your losses. If you drive the car for 10+ years, the differences in resale values from a similarily priced "more desirable car" wouldn't be very great (a couple of thousand dollars......which you would probably have made up in lower maintenance and fuel costs).
4. I will be interested to see what your fuel mileage is like in late Spring when the weather warms up, but running the A/C on full isn't necessary.
5. If you are going to sell your car, wait for gasoline prices to return to $4+/gallon, then there will be a lot of demand for your car. People with Priuses that were a couple of years old were able to sell their cars for the same price they purchased their cars for when gas prices were $4+ in California. There was a massive wait list in the summer of 2008 (gas topped out at $4.50+) and people saw no end in sight. Thus they would offer a lot of money for a used Prius.

Don't underestimate the demoralizing effect of handing over a $100 bill to fill one's SUV everytime they fill up at the gas station.....every 7 days.....

 

I did a search on recalls and found out that GM and GMC has had over 15000 recalls, Toyota 760...hello

 

I am wondering the same - bought ours on 31Dec09. Didn't really know how radically different a Hybrid is. We are still learning abut our car - and the do's and don'ts are many if you have been used to driving a conventional car. ....but for you and us, the die is cast, the taxes paid, etc.

 

Since we're talking mpg here - I bought my prius III at the end of January and, after a little over 1000 miles now, I just got 47.8 mpg after the last fill-up. I've got it on ECO mode all the time and watch the heat/air as I've noticed that drags down the mpg. For the heat, I turn on my heated seats and for the air, I roll down a window.

 

Grrrr! Let's not forget the only known "problem" with the 2010 Prius is a minor glitch with the ABS that is fixed with the software update! Too many are lumping that in with the hysteria surrounding the acceleration/pedal situation on OTHER Toyota models! The Prius is NOT involved in that mess!

 

Thanks for this thread.. I have been intrigued with the hybrid, particularly the Prius since it first came out years ago. After reading this post, I think I will stay (although I am still interested in it, thus why I am posting) with my PAID OFF Nissan Frontier for the time being until the smoke clears..

 

Call me biased but the Prius has got to be the best car I've ever owned. I've had plenty of other Toyotas before (1st gen xB, tC, last gen 4-Runner, Yaris 3dr) and I feel this one stands above them all, except perhaps maybe the 4-Runner which was as equally as great. I probably would have kept the gas eating 4-Runner if only I had a Pruis at the time.

My other car right now is a 09 Acura TSX w/ technology package. Guess which car stays in the garage all of the time now? The TSX is smaller (both inside and out), less comfortable, fuel ups cost almost $20 more with 150 less miles per tank.

Maybe it's time to look into an SUV again, this time an FJ Cruiser

 

So why does you stats show you have a 2010 Prius?

 

When the temperature is over 50 I can get 53mpg without breaking a sweat. I got 59mpg driving from Manhattan/Brooklyn to Philadelphia. I definitely don't hypermile. I've also driven 5 Priuseses and I've never gotten below 46mpg. Shrug. Do you know how to switch to battery only after accelerating, at least?

 

I didn't have a crystal ball at my place but....

Class-action lawsuits could cost Toyota $3B-plus - Yahoo! News

 

I had a 2008 and loved it! It got totaled in a wreck and bought a 2010, only had it a week but absolutely love it!

 

I wouldn't feel bad about it.
Hey- at least you have one!
Even though it's too bad you missed out on the sales.

 

You might try asking yourself what you would do if you had it to do over again. I don't know if I'm ever 100% sure about the decisions I make. But after totaling my 2010 Prius recently I had the perfect opportunity to buy something else. Even after driving my Prius for the past 13 months, at the end of the day I knew the Prius is still the best car on the market for me.