What I've learned after driving the Prius for a year...

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2008 Prius and only 17K miles, wow! This car will last your lifetime.

I am too a Toyota Fan. I have had (2) Celica's, MR2, Toyota Truck SR5 (356,000 miles), Yaris sedan, and currently have a Lexus LS400 and Prius C. I have never had any major issues with any of these cars, just regular maintenance. Cant wait to buy my next Toyota in several years.....whatever it may be!

 

If the title is anything to go by, OP bought the car used, about a year ago.

I agree though, Toyota makes really, really, good cars. The most recent car we bought was actually a Honda Fit. It almost killed my wife to not buy yet another Toyota HSD. She only begrudgingly agreed because of the interior versatility of the Fit, and because I told her it would be easier to sell in a couple of years when the AWD Prius comes out

 

More than a rumor IIRC, because the general engineering design has been discussed.

I think of its use more as 'AWD-lite.' Better traction, but no replacement for a vehicle meant to run around in snow drifts. My wife misses the sure-footedness of our old Subaru on icy roads, so I am hoping the AWD Prius will let us regain that capability and still have great fuel economy.

 

You & we are! Congratulations on your anniversary.

 

We continue to appreciate our 2007 Prius (165,000 mi) and how it consistently earns 50 mpg. I purchase extra capacity Mobil 1 oil filters in bulk from Amazon, Mobil 1 oil from Costco and do my own service. We recently purchased a 2015 Nissan Leaf. Tax and rebate incentives ($3500 state; $7500 federal tax credit; 0% interest 6-year loan) were too great to ignore. I am disappointed Toyota did not beat other manufacturers with an equivalent or better vehicle. Much of what we learned driving the Prius is applicable to the Leaf. Great car on the freeway.

Biggest difference? Always looking for a place to plug-in and making sure the vehicle is plugged in at home. We can drive approximately 90 mi on a single charge. (We live on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada with lots of driving up and down hill). Some times there is extraordinary "competitive exclusion principle" at recharge sites such as Whole Foods or CVS pharmacy with others also wanting to charge. Frequently my wife recharges (free) at the dealer enroute home in the evening. We purchased the "low" end Leaf without the "quick" charge capability. "Quick charge" capability would have added $2500 to the purchase price. Adding quick charge capability is cost prohibitive.

The Leaf does have many Prius characteristics: regeneration when braking or going down hill. Environmental controls are excellent - cabin heat, heated steering wheel and seats, dashboard information, SiriusXM radio, interior space, good sound system. Good navigation system.

Daily routine consists of unplugging the Leaf at home and storing the cables, plugging in at home and leaving the vehicle plugged in overnight.

We sold our 2002 Toyota Echo (same ICE as the Prius) after putting 170,000 mi on it (for $2600). The Leaf is new to the dealers (this is the 4th year of production) and sales people are unaware of many of the driving characteristics.

 

I'm going the other way. My first car was a 2004 Prius. Great car but not for me at this stage of life. It put up with all the abuse an 18-23 year old driver gave it. I loved the simple interior and the utility of the hatchback. It was also great to have the builtin GPS and I once had my car searched and the cops didn't find my stash of weed hidden under the "secret" compartment under the center console.