Newbie from Mass.

Welcome Mel in Mass,

Glad to see another New Englander on the boards. Be sure to check out the local events sections for upcoming meet-ups when planned.

I miss my sun roof too. Never had a problem with leaking - mostly only the older style ones leak. They can be custom installed as you will see if you do a search for sunroofs. (about $1000.00 though)

If you make it a habit to lock the car every time you leave it there is no way to leave it running or leave the keys in it. You'll get a long beep if you try to leave it running. At least your car was running - mine was in ignition-on mode, and a neighbor was running a lawn mower on a sunny day when I left mine one day. Didn't see dash lights or hear the long beep and killed the 12V battery (fan was on). No permanent harm after a jumpstart though.

I got the touring with 16" wheels. Our 2003 Classic has the 15" wheels, and I find mine handles better.

I had no problems in the snow, and have driven our '03 in a blizzard once, both on stock tires. Only problem I had was on a steep hill that was not sanded when I had to stop 3/4 of the way up it to drop off a co-worker in a snowstorm - had to back down when I couldn't get enough traction to get started up it again. Sometimes I would use the "B" gear to get more engine braking if it was slippery, but the car was new and I wasn't used to how it handled then.

Try to stop in to the Alt-Wheels festival in Boston on Sept. 28 & 29 at city hall plaza. I think some of us will be at a booth there if it goes as planned.

Congrats on your new Prius!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Neicy @ Sep 11 2007, 06:31 AM) [snapback]510507[/snapback]</div>

The booth is definitely on, barring further bureaucrap. I will be staying in nearby Lexington. Hope to see you there!

 

I am also in Massachusetts. I live in Melrose which is right next to Wakefield. I purchased my Prius at the end of last March and of course love it. I have not gone thru any winters yet so I will have to wait before I can comment on the Prius's winter handling. Most people, on this board, do not seem to have any problems.

Neicy, I have a question for you. Where did you purchase your vehicle and where have you had it serviced? I bought mine at Ira Toyota in Danvers and would like to know how they are from a service point of view.

 

Another Bay Stater here! Yay! Congratulations on joining the club!

 

My mother grew up in Concord and my grandparents lived there until maybe 10 years ago. Very nice town, and even mostly walkable! Nice to have a commuter rail line, too. I grew up in the 'burbs just outside 495.

I think that a set of snow tires on their own rims would be a good investment. I spent my first winter with the car in Connecticut and thought it did very well with its set of Blizzaks. Mine happened to be one size wider than stock (195) but only because that's what I happened to have from my previous car. Narrow tires tend to be better in the snow, but some people switch to a wider tire for improved dry weather handling. The Goodyear Integrity that comes with the car is pretty lousy in all departments except for rolling resistance, which is why Toyota uses them in the first place.

 

Hi dhoward,

We bought both our Prii (also have a 2003 Classic) at Atlantic Toyota in Lynn. I bought my 91 Corolla from Ira in Danvers when a friend of ours worked there and always had it serviced there. I was quite pleased with their service for that vehicle. When I went back to buy a new car they wouldn't give me the time of day. I think they figured they shouldn't bother talking to me unless my husband was there to "help" me. Too bad for them since I had my check book with me. I then went to Atlantic, since we had bought a new Tercel from them in 1984. They were very pleased to give me a good deal on a 99 Corolla, and we have gone there (to the same salesman - Gezehagn Alemu) ever since then. I once had recall work done on my 86 Tercel at Woburn Foreign Motors. They installed a defective ionizer and I had to have that car towed when it shorted out the ignition system and cooked the wires. Ira fixed it correctly at no charge since it was a recall item. At first Woburn agreed to reimburse my towing fee, but when I called back to talk to the person who had said that, I was told he didn't work there anymore. I will never trust them nor would I recommend them - they lie. I have always been pleased with Atlantic's service. I thought sure they would not overfill my oil, but they did. It's partly my fault since I did tell them to put in 3.9 quarts of Mobil 1. The owners' manual is wrong. I really like the attitude of the people at Atlantic Toyota and they have always been attentive to my concerns, but I must learn to be more assertive when setting up my service appointments in regards to oil level and tire pressures. Next time I will tell them that I will check the oil level and tire pressures before I leave Live and learn I guess.

 

Hi dhoward,

We bought both our Prii (also have a 2003 Classic) at Atlantic Toyota in Lynn. I bought my 91 Corolla from Ira in Danvers when a friend of ours worked there and always had it serviced there. I was quite pleased with their service for that vehicle. When I went back to buy a new car they wouldn't give me the time of day. I think they figured they shouldn't bother talking to me unless my husband was there to "help" me. Too bad for them since I had my check book with me. I then went to Atlantic, since we had bought a new Tercel from them in 1984. They were very pleased to give me a good deal on a 99 Corolla, and we have gone there (to the same salesman - Gezehagn Alemu) ever since then. I once had recall work done on my 86 Tercel at Woburn Foreign Motors. They installed a defective ionizer and I had to have that car towed when it shorted out the ignition system and cooked the wires. Ira fixed it correctly at no charge since it was a recall item. At first Woburn agreed to reimburse my towing fee, but when I called back to talk to the person who had said that, I was told he didn't work there anymore. I will never trust them nor would I recommend them - they lie. I have always been pleased with Atlantic's service. I thought sure they would not overfill my oil, but they did. It's partly my fault since I did tell them to put in 3.9 quarts of Mobil 1. The owners' manual is wrong. I really like the attitude of the people at Atlantic Toyota and they have always been attentive to my concerns, but I must learn to be more assertive when setting up my service appointments in regards to oil level and tire pressures. Next time I will tell them that I will check the oil level and tire pressures before I leave Live and learn I guess.

 

Welcome, Melody !

I am a Massachusetts Prius owner, and I'll be glad to add my $.02 to the questions you asked.

Interior cleaning -- Somewhere on this thread I found a writeup about the special fabric that was used in the Prius interior. The writeup said just use a damp sponge (water, no soap) and things clean up like magic. I can testify to the truth of that, my dog had a bloody nose in the back seat when my Prius was quite new, and I used the damp sponge and all the blood came up with no staining or anything. So just spot clean when you need to, you will be amazed.

Tires -- I'm still driving on the OEM tires, heading into my third Massachusetts winter with this car. I drive the SE Xway every day, which can be pretty sloppy in snow, and I've never had any trouble. I am looking forward to the tires wearing out enough so that I can buy one of the new sets that many of the owners here have raved about. But in the meantime, the original tires have been fine in snow, rain, whatever. I find that we drive the Prius differently, lighter on the both the gas and brake pedals, and restraining from fast starts/stops always seems to make the winter driving easier.

Special note on tires -- Last month, I had a flat tire due to a puncture (that SE Xway, of course). The Prius Roadside Assistance paid for a replacement tire! I don't know if that services automatically came with the '07 vehicles, but if it did, it's a great feature. No need to join AAA, you may already have the service with your new car.

I hope this helps, and enjoy your new Prius!

 

Welcome, Melody !

I am a Massachusetts Prius owner, and I'll be glad to add my $.02 to the questions you asked.

Interior cleaning -- Somewhere on this thread I found a writeup about the special fabric that was used in the Prius interior. The writeup said just use a damp sponge (water, no soap) and things clean up like magic. I can testify to the truth of that, my dog had a bloody nose in the back seat when my Prius was quite new, and I used the damp sponge and all the blood came up with no staining or anything. So just spot clean when you need to, you will be amazed.

Tires -- I'm still driving on the OEM tires, heading into my third Massachusetts winter with this car. I drive the SE Xway every day, which can be pretty sloppy in snow, and I've never had any trouble. I am looking forward to the tires wearing out enough so that I can buy one of the new sets that many of the owners here have raved about. But in the meantime, the original tires have been fine in snow, rain, whatever. I find that we drive the Prius differently, lighter on the both the gas and brake pedals, and restraining from fast starts/stops always seems to make the winter driving easier.

Special note on tires -- Last month, I had a flat tire due to a puncture (that SE Xway, of course). The Prius Roadside Assistance paid for a replacement tire! I don't know if that services automatically came with the '07 vehicles, but if it did, it's a great feature. No need to join AAA, you may already have the service with your new car.

I hope this helps, and enjoy your new Prius!

 

Keep an eye out next week, starting the 22nd. I'll be in your area. You'll recognize my Prius when you see it.

<-----------------------

 

I am dying to see it in person.

 

Yeah -- Mel, c'mon down [or in your case, is that up] to Altwheels
at the end of the month! http://altwheels.org/ on City Hall Plaza
on Sep 28 and 29, fri/sat. If you're already in town for work or
whatever, that makes it easier.
.
Apparently the powers that be back in the early days decided to lump
New England all together. It's okay, because a lot of those regional
forums are pretty low traffic [well, unless you count Wisconsin].
But these days you can't walk half a block in Boston/Camberville
without tripping over a Prius, and you'd think the New England
group would be much more active ... but check a ways back in that
subforum, we did have a little fun this summer.
.
_H*

 

I have a house on cape cod, but am currently at college in Milton, Ma!!
congrats on your prii--- silver touring here.

 

My husband and I are now on our second Prius (our beloved first died, so my husband didn't have to)... And we live in Mass.


Actually, my husband wants to extend the invitation to Altwheels too... He'll be hanging out at the Boston Public Health Commission's booth (he's been doing this for a few years. No idea if they let him roam from his perch there.) Stop by and say hi... He's the guy with goatee and (hopefully, by that time) new Seaside Pearl.

shoe