How Often Is Your Prius Your Home?

I guess about 5 days in a row on 3 different occasions going cross country in our Gen 2. I spent 4 nights in the Gen 4 at one time doing the same thing. Wouldn't you know it, the one time I spent the night in a motel on that trip, I woke up to find a ding in the front passenger door of my brand new car.

 

To answer the question, nevah. Still, nice to see the new forum, sounds interesting.

This seems apropos:

 

I usually spend a couple weeks a year on road trips, camping in the Prius as much as I can. This year I'll be driving to Florida for spring break (6 nights in the car), Watkins Glen for the Green Grand Prix (2 nights), and Coeur d'Alene, ID for a family reunion (10+ nights). Here it is in Everglades National Park, March 2019:



Last week I finished my winter project: gluing 1" foam board to the back of the Reflectix window inserts to make thermal insulating window blocks. I've also added 2" denim insulation behind the door panels, hatch panels and trunk, and headliner.

 

Looks a lot like ours, in snow tire mode.

Is that retroflective tape, the two vertical strips just 'round the bumper corner?

 

Aluminum tape for static discharge, based on this Toyota patent. No idea if it works, but it can't hurt.

 

There's plenty of extra space behind the driver's seat. I put the powered cooler behind the passenger's seat, and everything else is in back.

 

Hey Everybody. My name is Darcy. Just joined this forum. Looks like a great place. I am a photographer who wants to travel the US living out of a vehicle. I was going to do vanlife...but really wanted something more environmentally friendly. And electric vans with a 300 mile range & quick charge arent a thing yet. Lol. So...i discovered the Prius. And the community of Prius dwellers. It really seems like the perfect car to live in and travel with. Plus, unlike a van, you can do uber in it to earn some side cash.

Anyway. I just wanted to say hi. I am living in NY and currently looking to buy a Prius. I am a tall guy. So i know it will be tight. But doable. Looking at gen 3 years 2011-2015 mostly. Preferably trim level 4 or above for the imitation leather seats. Figure they’d be easier to clean...especially for uber driving! I did discover the model V which i wasnt looking at before...the model that has the different longer back. Was wondering if it is better to sleep in than the regular model being slightly bigger & all. Found a guy selling his 2012 Prius V with 100k miles for $10,500. But i dont know much about the Prius V. Some have mentioned the Prime is better than the gen 3?

i am glad i found this forum. Looks like a great resource for all things Prius. Hope to buy mine by end of February. And then hit the road in the Spring. Although i have no experience living in a prius, I do have extensive travel experience traveling the world by bike & backpack and living minimally. So I look forward to sharing and helping others on this forum in that regard.

Cheers, Darcy

 

This guy on youtube called the “Intricate Explorer” has a pretty minimalist approach to living in his Prius. If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth checking out. Funny dude. He did totaled this Prius when he hit a deer in Wyoming. But recently bought a new one & is on the road again.

 

I thought I was hard core when I pulled over behind some piles of gravel and layed down in the back for a while... Then I see this thread... *Nevermind.*

 

i hope i never have to live in my car, but if it ever comes to that, at least i'll be well prepared by all the great info in this forum.

 

Never say never. Lol. But yeah, not for everyone. Some do it for adventure. Some out of necessity for a short while. It’s all good. Check out a website & youtube channel called “cheap rv living” run by this dude named Bob. Very cool to see how people are making the mobile life work for them.

 

Narrowing down my Prius search. Hope to nab one by the end of Feb. looking at used gen 3’s mostly from 2011-2015 and some gen 4s from 2016-2017. Mostly want one with a blk or white exterior...and with the black imitation leather seats so either the trim level 3 touring, 4 or 5. I did see some plug in versions...but they have an annoying step when you fold down the seats that i dont want to deal with. I just want to be able to place a sleeping pad flat in the back without having to build a platform. Will post pics of the Prius i end up with for my cross country trip.

 

interesting. I probably plan to use a thin twin folding mattress or sleeping pad and will only be laying down on the passenger side. So maybe i wont have to do too much altering. Gonna go down to some dealers and make some measurements this week.

 

Our Gen 4 has the fix-a-flat kit (no spare tire), so that the floor under the hatch is lower than the level of the back seats folded down. This is unlike the Gen 2 that is totally flat. I thought this might be a problem when I first tried to spend the night in the Gen 4, as I had multiple times in the Gen 2. I use an air mattress, but I'm thinking it would be much the same with foam. I found that as long as my upper body is the part that is elevated, sleeping in the Gen 4 is no problem. To me the problem is purely psychological, we are just used to sleeping on a flat surface and get hung-up on that.

 

In Europe, in the winter, they used to sleep sitting up in a closet that was made for this purpose. You used pillows to brace yourself up. It kept you warmer than sleeping in an open room, kept you out of the "night air".

 

what about the gen 3? How does it compare to both the gen 2 & gen 4? Thanks!