Ahoy there, As of Saturday, I'm the proud new owner of a 2010 Prius Three. Here's a condensed version of my story: I've been looking for a vehicle to replace my long in the tooth 2002 Ford Taurus (185,000 miles) for a few months. Historically, I've had a proclivity for small SUVs (before the Taurus), and was tentatively planning to go that route again, checking out Honda Elements and Subaru foresters most thoroughly. I liked them, but kept wrestling with the notion of spending 20k on something that I'd then have to shell out hundreds more for, in fuel each month. Technology has come a long ways, but in terms of efficiency, there's only so much they can do with an AWD vehicle that weighs over 3000 lbs. Then I revisited the idea of getting a prius - something I'd considered in the past but couldn't really afford at the time. The more I read and watched, the more I started to think that a prius could be a great way to go. I currently live about a mile from work, but will be moving to a house that's about 35 miles away this fall. I was still planning to wait a few weeks to purchase, until I stumbled upon this 2010 online that was only 16 miles away! It was at a mom and pop type dealership, and priced right. Prius three with the sunroof, JBL audio, nav, and only 14,000 miles. I decided that it wouldn't hurt to go and take a look at it, even if I wasn't really ready to buy. The salesman was very nice and down to earth, something you don't really get at a large dealership, at least in my experience. The first test drive went well, but was a little overwhelming. It's hard to get a good feel for a car in a 5 minute around town cruise, and I came away feeling unsure if the car was for me or if it was too unconventional. After a day of thinking it over, I returned and the salesman told me to take it for the night to get a feel for it. I drove it all over the country-side and -of course- ended up falling in love with it. I brought it to my parents place so they could check it out, I picked up a few friends and we went out cruising, my audiophile friend gave the sound system his stamp of approval with a big thumbs up, and everyone loved it. I went back the next morning and bought it, and could not be more delighted with the purchase so far. I've been averaging in the mid 50s for mileage and the best I've done is 76.3 on a 15 mile stretch. I can already tell that it's going to be addicting, trying to maximize my mileage for fun. The big selling point for me, was all the gadgetry. I'm a video producer by day and a nerd/pc gamer by night so as soon as I became acclimated with all the display functions and bluetooth streaming to my iPhone (my god I couldn't love this more), I was thoroughly hooked. My friends call it the space shuttle. No car is perfect, but my only complaints, or issues with the car so far are: 1. The seats are so-so, which I was aware of going in. I was planning to hold out for leather/power seats, but this deal was pretty much exactly what I wanted at a great price, and I have no regrets. They're really not too bad. 2. The ground clearance is something I'll have to get used to. My mom drove it into a drive way and bottomed out the front ground effects (and scratched them), and I left a store parking lot and scraped the road as well. Not a big deal, and it had to be broken in eventually but it's definitely something I need to be mindful of. A couple of quick questions for you guys. 1. Any advice on mounting a front license plate? 2. Will buying another set of wheels for snow tires be an issue? Anything special I need to be aware of in terms of sensors? This community played a big part in my decision to buy this car, and I'm very grateful. I look forward to contributing to it in the future. I've clearly rambled too much already, as I tend to do, so here's a pic of my new baby!
Hello! 12 winters in Minnesota driving Prius. Haven't needed snow tires yet. Where will you be driving that you'd feel they were necessary?
Hey John! I live up north, and the house I'm moving to this fall is off the beaten path a couple of miles. My commute is about 35 miles each way and it won't be uncommon to drive during or shortly thereafter a snow storm, before the plows are out. I'm encouraged to hear from a fellow minnesotan, though! Maybe I won't need to get a separate set of wheels with snow tires to get by. Are you in the metro area or out in the sticks? My main concern is traversing the snow before the snow plows get out, or before I have a chance to plow my driveway with the ATV. Granted, even with snow tires the prius won't be a snow beast, but I'm thinking I may want all the help I can get. My taurus had all-season tires and even last year with our limited snow fall I managed to get stuck in the yard a couple of times.
Routine travel off the beaten path, where oridinary traditional cars sometimes get stuck is good reason to just pop for a set of snow tires. Living in the metro area, the driving isn't that much of a challenge. Escaping into the country does happen still though...
Great picture and thanks for the advice, John. I may just buy some snow tires and have them swapped out on the stock rims. We'll see what the fall brings.
The Prius, like all new cars, has TPMS, a tire pressure monitoring system. There is a wireless pressure sensor in each wheel. If you buy new wheels, you can either add sensors to them or else ignore the TPMS warning light that will come on. I'd go with ignoring the light. One more thing, if you use FixAFlat on a tire with TPMS, you might ruin the sensor. And then the light would come on, and you'd have to ignore it.
how did you know what model & package you were buying. I am worried about figuring it out on a used one since there is no way to determine except for knowing all the features. I am also really worried about after market heated seat & sunroof being added & me thinking it is park of a package. Any advice??
Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2010 Prius / Toyota will help for 2010-2011 model years (except that Toyota changed to spelling out the words instead of using Roman numerals with model year 2011 - see MY11 Prius | PriusChat). There's also no mention of USB in that press release as it was added later on the 2010s (you need to have navigation to get USB in 2010-2011). Exclusive: 2012 MY Prius - Changes and Additions | PriusChat is mostly right except that the backup camera isn't included on model Two. If you're considering a Gen 2 (04 to 09), see 2G Prius (2004-2009) Standard and Optional Equipment (Some Countries) | PriusChat. Brochures for Gen 2 are at 2G Prius (2004-2009) Standard and Optional Equipment (Some Countries) | PriusChat. There was NO factory sunroof on Gen 2. On Gen 3, see the table for the matrix. If it has a sunroof but does not have a solar panel accompanied and remote AC feature, it didn't come from the factory. You may wish to start a new thread to ask about used Prius buying questions instead of piggybacking on this. What state are you in?
Thanks!!! I am new to these forums & have no clue as to when to start a chat, especially since the tools for newbies was very clear. I searched & searched. I feel SO FRUSTRATED like I need a PhD to determine which one is right for me. Really all I want in the end is a sunroof. If I have to add heated seats after the fact, I can. ( Unless everyone thinks that is a bad idea).
Cool. The reason why I ask is because MA is a CARB emissions state. It's all in the warranty booklet. So, if you buy a used Prius which was originally purchased, always registered and operated in MA or another CARB state, you'll be eligible for the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty (instead of 8 years/100K miles). Also, some other warranties should be longer too (e.g. 15 year/150K mile emissions warranty and a longer hybrid components warranty). IMHO, that would be an important factor in my purchase, unless I didn't plan to keep it beyond 8 years or 100K miles. Re: USB coming late in the 2010 model year, see More on USB/Safety Connect | PriusChat and More on USB/Safety Connect | PriusChat. The 2010s first went on sale in mid to late May 2009 (First 2010 prius in north america.. Drum roll please..... | PriusChat). BTW, after seeing Prius Solar Panel Failure | PriusChat, I'm a bit wary of the solar roof. I'd hate to pay extra for something that fails prematurely and is expensive to fix.
wow.. thanks, I am having little luck searching this stuff. I HAD NO IDEA about the warranty stuff!!! is a solar panel the same thing as a sun/moon roof? I thought the solar panel was something else/ and how do you know if you get a late model? just by searching for the USB? Is it me or is this convoluted beyond normal life...
The warranty book is available for download from http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms/T-MMS-10Prius/pdf/2010_Prius_WMG_0W20_lr.pdf. You can get to it via Toyota Online Owners Manuals and Technical Manuals by putting in the year and model of car in the upper right. If you search for your state's name in the PDF, you'll see what I'm talking about. It's all/pretty all much under the California warranties. I don't know about your USB question other than looking at the build month/year on the sticker/placard on the driver's side, near the door jamb and physically looking for the ports. The only form of sunroof on the 3rd gen Prius liftback (aka regular Prius) is the solar roof. You get a solar panel that runs the ventilation fan when parked outside and a sunroof. I found this brief video: and . Remote AC comes w/solar roof.
^^^ BTW, I don't know if this is way out of your price range, but it looks like there are some incentives for MA given BuyAToyota! (put in your zip) on the Plug-in Prius. There's also a $2500 Federal tax credit, if you qualify.
Thanks for all of your help. My house barely has enough electricity coming in to feed the three units, let alone a car ;-( otherwise I would ahve gone that route. You are super helpful! I'm still feeling lost. BTW, is there any way to put on larger wheels to raise the clearance at all? and would after market heated seats add the lumbar that is in the leather IV? because of the prius seat issue, I was all set to get a 2010 hybrid camry til I couldn't find one. Though I always wanted a prius. It just feels way too confusing...
