do you regret owning the Prius ?

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

The v is a great small SUV. I've had it for 5000 miles and it averages about 55mpg for me. Navigation could be better but it is typical of what you find in most cars. Entune works fine when used with my Android phone. I have a Level 3 so I don't have the ATP and, for me, would probably have trouble justifying it.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

You've already ordered it. Can you back out of the deal?
If not...I'd put the giveacrap switch in the "don't" position and stop worrying about it.

Otherwise, you can go to the dealer and get some stick time in a v, telling them that you're considering CANX'ing the deal otherwise.

There's a huge downside in switching from a BMW to a v, but there are also going to be some things on the positive side of the ledger besides MPGs. You live in SOCAL. Taxes and insurance will be a helluva lot cheaper! So will maintenance.
If you're into the green thing, or just want people to think that you are, the v is good for that.
You can't possibly be that worried about cost, since you opted for the higher...actually the highest trim level, but there'ss going to be an up-side to that too. Right now the used car market is pretty strong for Priuses. If you decide that you just can't live with it after a year or two, you'll get a decent price for the v despite taking a bath on all of the options!!

GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

I don't have a V, but I do have a regular Prius. I can't speak specifically to your issues, but I assure you there are issues with the V as in any car. Some people--dare I say most--don't much care about them.

0 complaints about the BMW is a little worrisome. No matter what version of the V you get it's never going to be as nice a driving experience as the BMW. Maybe you're ready for a change, though; I've seen a pic of a guy who went from a massive V8 pickup to a Prius and is as happy as a lark.

The Prius lineup is all about utility with virtually no luxury, quite unlike the BMW.

This is a bit nitpicky if people say it, as it's like this on virtually all cars with seats that go down!

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

Nope.
All of the things you mentioned are, in my opinion, pretty minor complaints. If you're looking for a largeish car (or smallish SUV/minivan) that gets good mileage, the v is really your only choice! And in my opinion, it's a good choice, not a compromise.
If gas mileage is more of a priority and you don't need the extra interior space, get a regular or plug-in Prius.
If BMWs are your standard, and a high-end interior with top-notch accessories is your first priority, don't get a prius at all.

A few detailed responses:
- The navigation is easier to see than my tomtom. Not quite as convenient or "smart" as the nav on my Android phone, but probably average for built-in systems. My only complaint with the nav is that the passenger can't fully control it while the car is in motion - but there are fixes for that. (Check in the Priuschat shop here for a DIY option for <$100, and there is also a plug & play option for a few times that price.)
- I've never noticed a moaning/grinding.
- I don't use Entune; that wasn't part of my purchase decision. What kinds of alternatives, available on other cars, would you prefer? This seems to me like an "extra" that you can simply ignore if you don't like it. Just because it's not a perfect accessory doesn't mean it should affect your purchase decision. Would it be better for some reason to get a vehicle WITHOUT Entune? I don't see what harm it does, other than adding a few hundred dollars to the purchase price. But then you're back to considering alternatives - if you like the interior space and the gas mileage, nothing else comes close.
- I don't think the interior feels cheap. It all depends what you compare it to. I think it is equal to or better than most other cars that start in the $25-30K range. In fact, I've owned Toyotas and Hondas for my entire driving life, and I think the v has the nicest interior of any of those vehicles. If you want a cushy interior with real leather and polished wood dashboard trim, spend the extra $10-20K AND burn twice as much gas. Your choice.
-A skylight that doesn't open is better than none at all, right? And who cares what material it is? Unless the plastic is cracking or discoloring, I don't see why that matters.
- The rear seats don't lay down quite flat. Sure, it'd be nice if they did, but there is still a LOT more usable cargo room than there is in a regular Prius. Also more than most small SUVs. If you really need that last little bit of flat-floored cargo space, get a big SUV or a minivan. If you're hauling normal stuff like suitcases or bags of lawn mulch or golf clubs, a slight angle on the seats doesn't affect usefulness.
- A Prius is not a BMW. Hard to accept, but "dem's da breaks." Again, if you like the mileage and interior space, get the Prius v. If you need the luxury, stick with your Bimmer. It all depends on your priorities!

Andy (Who doesn't regret owning a Prius v... at all. )

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

You need to sit in an old car for a few hours, maybe a week. Then the Prius will feel great to you.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

I don't have a V. I have a 2009 gen 2. I am confident in the quality and engineering of Toyota on the Prius family. Modern cars are very complex. It is amazing what they are able to do. I think that people who are happy with their car would probably not tend to post on a forum such as this. The few people who have problems post here seeing help for their concerns.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

I doubt you will find anyone here that will say they regret their Prius v despite the minor complaints. Also, take the complaints with a grain of salt. It's not as if all Prius owners are on this forum, so any sentiment expressed here is coming from a skewed crowd. It's kind of like with reviewers. Reviewers aren't representative because it's usually people with either great or horrible experiences that feel the need to share.

At the same time, have some reasonable expectations regarding the Prius v. We got rid of my wife's 3 series BMW to get the Prius v3, and while it's not a luxury car, we spent over $12K less on the purchase. Ultimately, we feel we made a smart purchase. It's a very practical car, especially considering we're expecting our first child in just a few months.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

If you can wait for it... the MPG will not be an issue ( 43 mpg highway)
Richard Hammond thinks BMW 320d may be the "best car ever made"

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

We had a 3 series BMW for 6 years and it was really tough decision to move over to a prius. We have it for around 20 days now and my wife loves it. We loved the BMW and had no complaints with it at all, but needed a bigger car and also a hybrid. As other people mentioned, dont expect the quality of a BMW, and it should be fine. We got the 5 trim with no ATP and i love all the features so far. GPS is decent, sound quality is ok (had premium sound on BMW) and definitely cheap looking interior compared to a BMW, but we still love it for its mpg, space and tech that it has. I have been using entunes a lot (have a iphone 4 with AT&T ) and it works great. The only complaint is that entunes does not work over bluetooth, but i hope Toyota will address the issues and come up with more features.

As macmaster05 mentioned, you need to sit in a old car for a week and you will love it. We sold our BMW and we drove a friend's 2001 civic for about 10 days and that definitely helped us

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

I have the same configuration...v five w/outATP and iPhone 4s. I'm not able to connect to entune unless I plug the phone into the USB port BEFORE I start the car. Are you (or anyone else) with this configuration able to have entune work if you plug it in AFTER the car is started?im getting used to it but I still dont like it.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

I am able to connect even after plugging in the phone after the car is on. BTW i have a iphone 4 and not a 4s.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

Weird...not sure what difference the "s" would make. I think I'll start a new thread.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

I do not have an iPhone (Not a big fan of the iProducts and the way they do things) So I cannot be helpful in regards to my opinions with the Prius v other than as a car, I find it reasonable. While I may have issues with the Nav, like I would prefer the Google Map implementation and knowing that it is locked while in motion is a pain, I still like the car overall.

I have put in LED lights for the interior, put a lojack in it, even though there is the Safety Connect system with the Prius v 5 ATP. I heard people having issues with the speakers in the back, but again, going from a 15 year old Nissan Sentra to this car is nice.

The important thing is knowing what YOU like. While I am no car fanatic or afficinato, the thing is, have you sat in the car, or did you order it sight unseen? If the later, I would seriously suggest going to a dealership and test drive, check it out for yourself.

I, myself, went to the dealership to actually look at the car. I will say from the website shots, I was not really impressed with the look of the interior or the looks of the rear seats, but actually getting into the car and seeing how the feel of it helped me decide if it was worth while. Same with looking at the Volt. I wasn't going to judge solely on the video or simple shots, I needed to see the vehicle with my own eyes.

I would say, the only reason you have buyer's regret might be if you feel you didn't do the above and now feel that you may have made a mistake, which can happen to the best of us. I won't say you did a bad thing or you shouldn't back out, but if you really want to reaffirm your feelings, check the car out again for yourself. Remember, each of us is different, so we will all have different opinions on what we believe is correct. The thing is, what we believe in, may not be the same as what you do, so don't let our opinions be the only decision, look and check for yourself and see if it feels 'right' for you in the end.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

The 4s uses some minor, but definitely significant, changes in hardware and software that could be issues. Please note, Apple has a history of making changes in their code that sometimes breaks things that should be 'standard'. RE: Snow Leopard to Lion OSX broke Samba (Basically, Windows File sharing) method. One of their updates also sort of broke their Active Directory ability for a period of time. It is not uncommon for some systems not to be compatible with other systems because of changes implemented by one side.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

Absolutely no regrets. We've only had our v3 for a couple of months and have had no major issues with it. I still question the value of Entunes but for what it is, it works fine (multiple iPhones in our family). If you've visited your dealer and seen the interior of any Prius, you know what the fit and finish is like. For me, it seems fine. We'll see how well it holds up in the long run.

The most useful bit of information on any automotive forum is you can get an indication of what maintenance or repair issues folks have.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

My 2 cents...

I've never really cared about what other people thought about the cars I drive. My last car was an Accord, practical and affordable. The rest of my friends kept trading up, lexus, bmw, MBZ. I enjoyed riding in thier cars, quite comfortable, until they had to get it serviced. Cars are an expense.

I find the Prius comfortable, not luxurious or stylish. It's a practical, comfortable riding car (with neat gadgets) that gets great gas mileage. This is exactly what I was looking for. I also think at its price range it make good financial sense (Toyota quality).

The botton line is: Does it make you feel good about owning it? I feel great!

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

Well, your other option is what one driver went for... a Lexus CT200h. Similar drive train, but the interior should be better, not sure about the nav and what not, but to be honest, most base nav systems tend to be lacking in general.

 

Re: do you regret owning the PriusV?

Heck yeah. Wouldn't want anything else. All its imperfections are perfect