Should I buy a Prius??

When the majority of trips are shorter than the S4 warmup cycle or if it is a single car for a family larger than 4.

One thing to remember is that the Prius is built to reduce emissions and environmental harm, not for high fuel economy. The high fuel economy is just a bonus. All plastic parts in the car have their recycle code stamped on the back of them for easy sorting when time for recycling comes around in a few decades. All copper in the vehicle is attached to a single hook so a crane can pull out and recycle all copper wiring with a single tug. The batteries' nickel is almost completely recyclable and can be made into more batteries.

One other thing is that while the engine is warming up, it runs a richer mixture of fuel and uses the engine less compared to the battery so that it can spin at nice even RPMs and warmup nicely while at the same time reducing exhaust gasses. This makes it burn more gas though for this period. If it is 60F-ish outside, this may take 2-4 minutes to get the engine up to where it is warm enough to shut off. If your commute is down the street to the store and back and the whole thing is done before or just slightly after it is warmed up, you did pollute less than any other petrol powered vehicle, but you will not be getting 50mpg. 30-35mpg is more normal for that situation.

And if you have more than 4, the Prius is a bit of a squeeze but that is true of any 5 passenger car. It is really 4 happy/tolerable people or 5 really miserable people.

 

if by baby, you mean a 16 yr old female virgin, I didn't get one either and now I feel completely ripped off!

to the OP:

It's a toyota therefore its bulletproof.....buy it and you WON'T regret it at all! (my 06 has 84k and it feels like I just broke it in)

 

Wait one dog gone minute FIESTA are you kidding me. No room high price and insurance 40 mpg not combined maybe 45 mph going down hill. Civic no way i had one in and out of the shop suspension brakes if older one timing belt and water pump mpg 30 somethimg on highway not combined. Give me a P give me an R give me an I give me a U give me an S. Whats that spell PRIUS

 

I am working on a 'owners who should not drive a prius' post

considering a Prius

for 98% of folks, it is a nice car, check to see if you are in the 2%

 

No!!!

 

I have a 2010 and it is great in the snow. I put on a set of blizzaks and could not get the thing to spin out on an icy parking lot, no matter what I did to it. Since April I have not had a tank mpg under 60. Great car, would do it again and am expecting to get another soon to become a 2 prius family. Roomy enough to sleep in , spacious enough to carry a twin bed mattress in, comfortable, reliable and stable at high speeds. Do it.

 

Winter tires are not good for the summer or anytime it is above 40-ish F. They also wear much faster in warmer temps so it is a waste.

Having said that, I use regular all season tires to cross the Rockies in blizzards. I keep a chain kit ($100USD) in the trunk in the spare cargo area along with a blanket, flares, and extra lithium battery chargers for cell phones. I put the chains on once to make sure I could and know how they work, but have not had to actually "use" them yet. If you know how to drive, you will do fine with whatever tires on there.

 

1) I have only ever owned a Prius in MS, where snow is a once every other decade event.
2) When I lived in NV, where it snowed 10 months of the year, I used snow tires on my AWD Toyota for about 7 months each year.

Average High/Low Temperatures for KEKO : Weather Underground

 

I have driven a Prius through two vermont winters and I've found it to be okay in snow. Not great, and I've had times when I've been pretty much stuck in slippery snow because of the traction control. On the other hand, If you just sit there and inch forward slowly you'll make it.

I think it has plenty of room. It's just my wife and I now, but we go on trips with two passengers and luggage and it handles what we need.

Should you buy it? I'm not so sure. If you have a Camry that's paid for with only 150k on it I would be inclined to say to run the Camry until it's dead. I don't think there's any way you're going to save enough in gas on the Prius to make up for the purchase price over a car that costs you nothing but maintenance for the next 5-10 years.

 

If you need to save your savings No.

If you need to spend your savings Yes.

Jack's opinion is quite right, however:

here is why I purchased Prius: my post is number 12

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...g/86581-should-i-buy-prius-2.html#post1210498

1. Is it good enough to drive in the snow?
A: It depends. You will need good snow tires (same as every other car will need them)
2. What are the normal failures to expect on a 100k Prius?
A: mine has 135k kms and appear no major troubles so far apart from Maintenance 12V battery will be needed soon, note this is no HV battery that powers the Electric Motor. It's just conventional battery same as every other normal car require to start the starter motor (which is not included in Prius).
3. what should I look out for during inspection. Absolutely everything, I took mine to local shop (garage) for inspection to reveal bits and pieces and possibly realize if car was in accident.

*Digital paint tester (measures thickness of the paint) It will let you know if the car had any bodywork or repainted done. I got mine in Europe for 40 Euros and already paid for itself when in UK someone tried to sell me salvaged Prius as 1st owned non-accident car.

4. What's the warranty for the Hybrid battery? I live in MA which I believe is a CARB warranty state.
5. Is there a particular year of the gen 2 that is better.
A:younger with lesser mileage?
6. I heard some people have reported burning oil is this true A: should you have detailed evidence of previous oil intervals, oil types, you should be able to work out what oil use/ do not use. I upgraded at 125,000kms from 10W-40(semi-synth) to 5W-30(fully synth) and it seem to be fine.
7. How big is the trunk compared to other Sedans (Camry for example)?

A:Now thats something that will be a special. It takes two adults for couple of weeks in a southern Spain sleeping at the beach or at campings on the back of their rented Prius. The catch is that the floor becomes virtually flat once you level rear seats.
Make sure to don't leave aircon whole night on as you will deplete 12V battery and will need some help to conventionally jumpstart your prius (yes, this is also possible) - not conventionally but there are techniques to start prius with jumpleads and don't fry the electronics inside.

Choice is yours, if you could ask any of friends to rent you one for a week or if you could rent one for a week you will know if this is a car you want or not.

Best.

 

I just thought I would give you my opinion. I bought a 2007 prius touring new just about 4 years ago.

1. Is it good enough to drive in the snow? I put four snow tires on mine for the winter. It has been fairly unstoppable with the snow tires. I paid $280 for four Nokian tires on sale. I paid about $250 for a set of oem 15 inch wheels. For that price, I haven't needed to replace my original tires and have great traction in the snow. It seriously drives better than many AWD cars with all seasons. However, before I had snow tires I did have a few encounters with the snow. The traction control is still aggressive on the later models and can be frustrating.

2. What are the normal failures to expect on a 100k Prius?
I would mainly worry about the battery, but it should be under warranty.

3. what should I look out for during inspection.
Make sure you get the history report and make sure it has not had major accidents. Check for the usual culprits like oil leaks, A/C problems, etc.

5. Is there a particular year of the gen 2 that is better. The other posters have answered this, but I love my touring package. It has 16 inch wheels, fog lights, slightly altered suspension, and ever so slightly larger spoiler.

6. I heard some people have reported burning oil is this true.
I have had no problems burning oil.

7. How big is the trunk compared to other Sedans (Camry for example)?
I think the trunk is way more versatile as it is a hatch. With the seats folded down you can carry giant loads.


Anyhow, there are some things to consider. I think it is a smart financial prospect as the reliability is very good. History is important, but it couldn't hurt to get one with less miles. Many models have smart key/bluetooth/backup camera. It is hard to live without these once you get used to them. I would drive one first and make sure you can drive it in the log term. I have to say that I am getting somewhat bored with mine after four years. I yearn for a manual transmission.