Newbie here! Just purchased a 2005 with 75,000 miles on it (hope I'm not taking a big risk, but the car came with great maintenance history!). How much should I pay attention to the mpg consumption - is it normal for it to change frequently as I am driving (jumps from 12 to 20 to 99, etc.)? My average mpg getting to work today was 40 (with heat on and it was about 34 degrees outside).
Yeah, I'm new to this too, but it seems like even with consistent driving habits, your mpg would vary, depending on the variable factors you mentioned as well as other stuff like how much of a charge the battery is holding. I don't remember where I read it, but it seems like the more sensible way to gauge your efficiency is by looking at your mpg over the course of a week or a month or a fill-up. I noticed a lot of people have Fuelly banners in their signatures, so I checked it out and signed up, and that appears to be a good way to help you assess what your true mpg numbers are like.
welcome to priuschat! you'll notice that as you put more miles on a tank of gas, the average mpg's will stop changing as much and settle in. all the best!
best advice i ever got bout this car was JUST DRIVE IT! the on board computer will take care of it,, if mileage gets crappy most of the time it is the 12v battery,
