I have been reading a bit on this forum and appreciate the useful info and insights being shared. I am leaning towards a used Prius 2 or 3*. A couple of opening questions for you folks familiar with this very new to me vehicle. Back up Camera*: 1) Do you use it alot? 2) Do you find it to be a very useful feature, or not that much after newness wear off? 3) Do you just get used to the rearward visability as it is? Reasons to select one year over another: 1) Are iPhone or Android phone interactivity (listening, rewinding in a song or book, touch screen interactivity) improved in 'x ' year? 2) Other reason to select a particular year? 3) Does Entune add much over normal smart phone App use? *BU Cam is only reason I'd go for "3". We have Nav. on our iPhone and Android phones (Waze lovers actually ;o) Thanks for any insights and this great site! Dave
There are back up cameras after market that many establishments can install. I find I use mine but also turn my neck and look behind me also
BU camera comes in handy when parking in tight spots or when backing into the garage. As mentioned, there are aftermarket kits that do just as well.
was interested in buying a three for the same reasons but ended up buying the four to couple with a bigger screen. yes there are aftermarket shops and a smartphone user, but didn't want any issues down the road!
Go with a 3 or higher if you can squeeze some more dough. Higher resale/trade in value vs a base. As for the back up camera, once you get into a car with one, it's hard to drive without it. I still do the head over my shoulder when backing up, but seeing the space between the bumper and the wall/ gutter is added info. Toyota/Lexus Back up camera is a little behind from the competition. Our 2013 honda Civic has a better back up camera than the Prius, or even our RX350. The guidelines (linear yellow lines that change as you turn the steeering wheel) is absent in a toyota/lexus system. So that's one thing to consider.
Thanks for the input. It is valuable. As I am looking at used Prius' it is helpful to know that seeing a 3 0r 4 at a bit more $ or more miles is worth seriously considering. I am pretty settled on 'used' now as it will be my wife's commute car mainly and she has coffee spill accidents and gets make up on stuff. She likes her car to be her domain, and be as messy. It would be easier for my 'picky Pete'nature ;o) if this was on a used Prius (my foible ;o). Question on upholstery: 1) would we be OK with dark cloth seats on a 2010, 11 or 12, or would the OEM leather like if we find it at an OK price, be pretty important. I figure we would Spray a lot of ScotchGaurd on cloth seats to help with spills and our two 10lb dogs (sometimes muddy feet on seats). Our two cars now HYundai XG350 (selling) and Sebring Convertible both have leather seats, so they are forgiving to spills & mud. 2)Does the OEM leather like come on the 4, or just the 5 (for 2010-2012)? Thanks again for the great info. PS. Wife said lets prep the Hyundai and put it on Craig's list. She is now committed! ;o)
You won't get leather in any trim. It's called Softex ( immitation leather). And Softex is available with a 4 and 5 only. We have a Golden Retriver, that sheds every year so coth seats were never an option. Leather/ leather like, It's easier to clean, as you know already. We have the light beige interior which goes well with a dark exterior ( metallic blue) Compared to our other cars with an all black leather interior, i find it that the lighter shade hides dirt well vs a dark one. ( specifically a woman's cosmetic) But if you clean it right away, vacuum at least once a month, then you won't have problem.
Well, with one white one light color shedding dogs, the dark cloth l covers do not sound so good now that you mention it! It sounds like I better look for a used four or five to get the softex seats. Are the softex seats standard on the four as well as the five in model years 2010 through 2012? I currently see on craigslist a 2010 Prius Four with 30,000 miles for $18,500. Any hesitations about a 2010 or the 30,000 miles?. I was hoping staying in that price range , But I was hoping to get 2011 or 2012. Assuming I am now looking at least at a Four, What might be the considerations to choose a higher price 2011 2012? About 25% of the Prius is I see on craigslist in my area are salvage. I have read to avoid those. Any other thoughts on that?
Don't buy any car with a Salvage title. You will have problems with your insurance Co., you might pay a higher premium vs the same car that is not salvaged. The Softex is standard with 4 and 5 trims. Don't worry about the miles, you're buying a Toyota. Our 2011 have 128,000 already. Aside from the scheduled oil changes every 10,000miles, and some filters ( cabin air filter and engine filter) the only major part we changed was the Tires. Brakes are still original and good at 6/10. Everything else with the electronics work as if the car was purchased yesterday. The navigation map needs updating, but that's about it. Good luck with your car shopping.
Do ALLl fours (and fives for that matter) come with leatherette/soft text? Or were some '10-'12 fours (and fives) spec'ed with cloth? If it is a four or five are Softek seats a given? Thanks for the info.
For me, the main reason to buy the Prius is the mileage and reliability. I do have a backup camera on my Gen II 2007 with 130,000 miles. I mainly use camera for backing out of parking spots to see people, into parking spots to see exactly where a curb or line is backing up. If you want more parallel parking assist, you probably want the Gen III with the backup and parking assist. Gen II has been very reliable.
Zed, Thank you for the backup camera info. My wife and I just left a Toyota dealership. We got a good education on the 2013's. We decided that very important feature for us was Softek seats. We have two small dogs with white hair so We figured that cloth seats would get covered with hair (and little muddy paws from time to time). We learned that Softek seats are not standard on any level, but options (mostly on three's and above). Softex seats requirement is going to bump up our cost but living with filthy cloth seats would definitely decrease our enjoyment of the previous over its lifetime. Now I'll be looking for slight differences between model years that might sway a choice of one used car versus another. (LED tail lights, stereo quality?, other?)
This advice is for way down the road, but if you have dogs that shed in your car you should plan on having the battery blower cleaned at about 60,000 miles. There is no scheduled maintenance for it. The intake (Gen II) is on the passenger side rear seat and the fan getting clogged can cause the hybrid battery to overheat and fail.
Where is the battery blower intake on the GEN three Prius? Is there a possible dog hair issue with Gen III ? ZED, thanks for this heads up.
Also want to make sure you never cover that intake with anything stacked in the back seat, on any Prius.
The softex seats are very comfortable, I highly recommend them. The iPod/iPhone integration became standard in all 2012 MY flavors. It's not as nice as the iPod itself, but works reasonably well. Displays album artwork, allows browsing of songs/albums/podcasts, etc. I don't think any factory iPod/iPhone integration was available before 2012. Backup camera meh; I use it occasionally, but there's no depth perception.
