My lease was due in September but I would be lucky if I put another 300 miles on it so I turned it in early (21,000 miles). It was also my company car and I don't drive enough for work to justify it's replacement. Even if it runs me $200-$250 a month in gas for my car and pickup, it's still cheaper than making a car payment. I also have 2 many cars. I have my 2000 Trans Am that I drive all summer and my 2008 Silverado for the crummy days and our remodeling project on our house. I don't many complaints on the Prius except the brakes and the seat. I have a bad back an found that it's not as comfortable as I need. The brakes are awful. Toyota really dropped the ball. The software update just made it worse. Other than that it's not a bad car and it's tough to argue with the MPG's. My wife's mileage check makes most of the car payment on her Prius which is awesome. So, another car is history and someone will get a fantastic low mileage off lease car. It has 1 small scratch and that's it.
Was gas cheap before the Gen III came out? I honestly didn't like the look of the Gen II and there's now a new breed of Prius owners who didn't exist before.
Gas was cheap back in 2004, that was the first time I looked at a Prius because my friend purchased one. Gen III came out 2009 or 2010, right? So in 2004, it must of been Gen II. Very few people drove Prius back then and I remember reading about the Prius poor sales numbers. Prius got popular when gas price shot up.
It would be interesting the compare the before and after stats. The Gen III is even more popular because people are getting them for reasons other than fuel economy.
If I had garage space for 4 cars then I would replace it but not with another. I drive 6 miles a day. I would look at the Scion FRS (or whatever it's called) or just jump to a Mustang. I love my V8's.
"Cheap Gas" is relative. Buck a gallon is considered cheap now but not so much when it always less than 74ยข. I remember seeing the Prius for the first time at the Minnesota state fair and it got a lot of attention, even if we do need and love our 4WD trucks up here. I also recall a waiting list for them when they first hit town and kicking myself for not signing up. Years later I could finally afford a new car and was delighted to find Prius in stock.
Oh, little funny. I would fill up my Prius about every 4-6 weeks. I drive 6 miles round trip to work and had 3 cars. I actually spent more money on dog food for our yellow lab each month than I did on gas for the Prius!
I have considered riding a bike to work but I would have to go through major road construction but I do plan on it someday. I have actually joked about a Segway!
I intend to create the separate thread about Segway. Hired it once for 24 hours and it amazed me. Interesting how many Prius Owners had a closer look at this vehicle. At least most of us are fascinated with new technologies and alternative means of transportation. Thing like Segway still have a great future IMHO. As for now it acts as a gadget for wealthy young people (wearing helmets - bad PR) or as a must for many Security officers in airports. Not to mention the price :/
Can you tell me what you didn't like about the brakes? The reason I ask is that I just had my 2010 looked at by Luscious Garage, and even though they were able to describe the problem and fix for my brakes, my dealership will not fix them.
Like other types of transportation, it all comes down to infrastructures. Cars are popular because the infrastructures are there for them; roads, highways, gas stations, and etc. I see that Segway could become popular on private properties like college campuses, warehouses, and maybe even airports. For now, I don't see people use it for longer distance travel.
Speaking of brakes, I noticed that my brakes could become over sensitive if my traction battery is extremely low. If the battery becomes nearly full, the opposite is true, it becomes not sensitive. Toyota need to fix this. The brakes should feel the same during regen no matter how full the battery is.
