I Finally Got My Very First Prius!

[before i start, i just want to say that if this thread is in the wrong part of the forum, i apologize, and hope a moderator can move it to the correct one!]

hello priuschat!

i'm finally part of the family! lol.

i've been wanting a prius for nearly a decade now, but never actually got one for a few reasons: my parents didn't like the look, i felt i was too tall for the car, and although it looked nice, it wasn't anything amazing.

i went from leasing a 2012 honda accord, to leasing a 2015 hyundai sonata. i put a lot of miles on both cars due to work, so i wanted my next car to be more economical and not have to worry about the miles i put on the car. so after leasing for all these years, i finally did my first purchase!

i got a 2016 toyota prius two in pearl white with black interior, and i love it! i was surprised seeing how much space is in the car (both the front and back seats), and the car drives great. makes absolutely no noise when starting and on idle, and it's super quiet, and the fuel economy is amazing! i can't believe i've been missing out on a prius for all these years, but honestly, i'm glad i waited. i also found out that this generation is the 4th one, and 4 is my favorite number, so i guess it was meant to be! lol.

when i first saw the 2016 prius, i was impressed with how dramatic of a change they did to not only the exterior but the interior as well, it looks great and toyota really brought up their game. i know that the prime is being released in fall, and it does look even better, but i'm assuming the starting price will be over $30k, and i can't afford that.

i got a 72 month (thanks @fotomoto) term at 0.9, paying about $900 in interest, so no big deal. i want to keep this car for as long as possible. every car that i've had in my position never lasts for over 3 years, but after i pay off this prius in 6 years, i plan to keep it for an additional 4, hopefully i'll be able to.

when it comes to mpgs, i love the figures! the dealership filled it up when i bought the car last monday (not yesterday, the week before), and i bought my first tank of gas yesterday. i paid $29 for 10.3 gallons, so i guess i had a gallon left in the reserves? i drove 645.2 miles with the first tank and averaged at 62.6 mpg. so much better compared to my sonata, where i was averaging 23 mpg, and the gas tank was 18 gallons.

i have a few questions regarding gas, but not sure if i should mention it in this thread or start another?

anyway, i'm happy to be a part of the toyota prius family, these cars are bad nice person, and i can't wait to see how good it looks in the future!

 

thank you! yeah, first time owning a white car (previous car colors were black, burgundy, silver, and blue), and i love the color combination also!

styling: this was one of the reasons why i picked it up. the previous prius models were nice looking, but this generation the look took a drastic change! i remember seeing the new prius for the first time, i couldn't believe how nice it looked, not just in the exterior, but the interior as well. it looks great, and i can only see it looking even better with generation 5 and 6. the prius prime looks even better, so i can see that look trickling down to prius (similar how lexus' front grill rubbed off on the corolla, camry, etc)

tech: i didn't know the amount of tech that was in the prius until i actually started driving it. i haven't had a push button start car since my 2008 lexus is250, so it's great to have that again. i absolutely love how the stick is super tiny and all you have to do is push it towards either reverse or drive, or hold for neutral. i don't understand what b means though, i see a square with b right below the square with p (park). i thought b meant hand brake? but when i push the lever down, it doesn't light up, so i don't get it. pressing P for park is super cool. i've never had a car like this and i love it! i also love all the information that you get as a driver when it comes to understanding how your car is functioning, how to get the best mileage possible, your trip information, your savings info. the model has been around for nearly two decades, and i don't know if the previous models had this, but i can see why people love the prius so much. seeing how much money you're saving, how far you're driving, and your mpg, is just addicting. i sometimes feel that i'm staring at the screen more than the road, lol.

fuel economy: this is probably the main reason why i got it. coming off a lease 15 months early, i knew that i was going to be upside down once i get a new car. so by getting a car with amazing fuel economy, i was able to justify the purchase. my monthly payments are about $120 more a month, but i'm saving over $100 on gas every month, maybe even more. gonna see how the next 2-3 months play out to really know. but i think it's great that even though it says you'll get 54/50/52 mpg, and the fact that i'm averaging over 60mpg is just amazing! to put in perspective of how satisfied i am, my 2015 hyundai sonata said 26/36/29, i was actually averaging around 23. i'm tripling the mpg with a gas tank that is nearly half of what the hyundai was (11.3 gallons vs 18.5 gallons)

bank robber commercials: i had no idea what this was until my brother in law told me about it. i looked it up, and it was pretty funny, but no, it wasn't the reason why i bought the car, lol.

when it comes to the plans i have for this car. i haven't tinted the windows yet, but i plan to sometime this month or next. i was thinking of getting some nice wheels too, but i don't want to compromise the mpg. a part of me wants to get a custom license plate. in california, we have the option of getting these black license plates with yellow numbers, and i think that contrast will look nice against the pearl white exterior.

i will try to post a photo sometime tomorrow, it's currently 2am, and i don't exactly have any photos of my car yet.

 

i was going to go from gas to all electric, but i'm happy with having this be an in between kind of think.

i actually had a deposit for the upcoming tesla model 3, but i couldn't justify the purchase after thinking about it for a few months. i'm planning on leaving the country within two years, so what's the point of getting an awesome car if i can't enjoy it? lol. i'm planning on moving to berlin to finish my education, currently live in la, california, usa. i hate this place, i want to leave so bad, lol.

 

thanks! feels good to be a hybrid driver. whenever i see people driving trucks or expensive gas guzzlers, is it weird that i call them peasants? lol. it's just ignorant to spend that much money on a car and for gas, for something that will just take you from point a to point b. why get something so expensive? to impress people you don't like? i'll pass.

i'm glad you love your prius, and although it's only been a little over a week for me, i love mine. i'm actually curious to see how much the mpg improves over time. i read somewhere here that the car learns your driving habits/style, so i'm hoping that it learns that i'm a conservative driver and get even better mpgs.

 

thanks for pointing that out! lol. yeah, i get the feeling that i'll be here for a while too.

thank you!

 

I'm gonna get a black license plate with the words... SO SLOW

cause I've been driving like a slug since I got this car, lol. XD

 

i know some members here were wanting photos of the car, but i will post em once i do more stuff to it.

so far, i just have the windows tinted, but i wanna get a custom plate, vinyl the roof and trunk, and possibly get some nicer wheels.

until these modifications come to place, i guess you'll just have to wait? lol.

trust me, it'll be worth it. XD