What year and # Prius do I get?

A lot of those complaining about the seating are over 6 foot. Snow tires are your friend in winter. 2010 models with issues have them resolved by recalls. "Rent one for a week" is really good advice.

 

my wife has a bad back and loves the seats in the hycam. 28,000 will get you the base model and 45-50 mpg's. very quiet and comfortable.

 

The "egg between the foot and the pedal" is not the best way to high MPG with a Prius. I suggest you read the many treads about driving technique.

There are always a few people who find almost any car's seats uncomfortable. I second the suggestion of renting a Gen III for an extended test drive.

There is nothing wrong with the brakes on the 2010. They were reprogrammed/recalled to avoid the "seat of pants" feeling of acceleration that you get with the Prius. You just need to retrain yourself to mash the brakes harder if needed.

I have both a 2008 Gen II and a 2010 Gen III and think the the 2010 is the better car. Since the HV battery deteriorates more with age than mileage, I think the Gen III is a better buy as a used car.

 

I don't own a Gen 3, but agree that it is overall a superior car compared to Gen 2. See posts by me, Tideland, evpv at Prius versions | PriusChat re: Gen 2 vs. 3 changes. There were a LOT.

Yes, if one drives in the snow, good snow tires should solve any snow driving problems other than ground clearance.

 

And ground clearance can be helped by choosing a slightly larger tire.

 

Straight from the horse's mouth re: '10 vs. '11 at MY11 Prius | PriusChat

'12 was a mid-cycle refresh. Some changes outlined at Exclusive: 2012 MY Prius - Changes and Additions | PriusChat. It is incorrect about the Model Two including backup camera. Unclear if that was an error or a last minute change. The most visible differences are the taillight and wheel changes.

Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2010 Prius / Toyota has 2010 equipment levels and old, outdated pricing. '11 is unchanged except they moved away from Roman numerals (see earlier post). The press release omits USB though, which came w/later builds of 2010 Model III's w/nav (Three in '11+ parlance).

 

I'm 6'4" and I find the driver's seat quite comfortable in my 2010 Four. It isn't power, but completely adjustable; up, down, back forth, recline, and lumbar support, which is stronger than the same device in my 2004 Nissan Maxima.

 

We just went through this ourselves and finallly ended up purchasing a 2012 Three. I've known since probably February or March that I definitely wanted a 3rd generation Prius and like others suggested, I did rent one for a day just to be sure. That actually completely convinced my husband. He did not expect to like it as much as he did. I originally wanted a used Prius with low mileage, but in the end the prices were typically not low enough to really make a difference and since I wanted a specific color it was even harder to find. Given that we were going to be paying over $20K no matter what, I wanted the car in very good shape and that was also difficult to find. I'm in New England as well and it is definitely difficult to see all the great deals people on the west coast get. Anyway, like you, as much as I wanted the Four with the better seats, I couldn't justify spending the money. We went with the 3 because of the backup camera, nav and sks on three doors. I felt if the backup camera is potentially going to be required on all cars at some point, I might as well get it and I'm not one to deal with adding all sorts of after market items. We did add the leather and heated seats though. I went back and forth between the 2 and 3 for a while and decided that since we keep our cars for so long, I might as well get the one that I really want since the difference wasn't that great in the long run. If we hadn't been without a second car for so long and I didn't want a specific color, I would have definitely waited for the right used one, but at this point we just wanted to be done.

 

Congrats!

When do we get to see the baby pictures?