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Goodbye Eurovan...Hello Prius

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by skye, Feb 23, 2008.

  1. skye

    skye New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2008
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    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Just drove home from the dealership and joined the forums. I traded away my 2002 VW Eurovan (btw, no one should ever buy a Volkswagen. Unreliable, TERRIBLE service, Mercedes Price for Pontiac performance) for a #2 2008.

    After months of debating with my wife over getting another van, I finally caved in and got a Prius. I'm very happy with the choice. We have 2 kids (one 2 year old one two month old) so I was spooked about not having a big car, but I think that we will make it work.

    A few newbie questions that I can get away with as a super newbie....

    1: Is it possible to turn up the steering wheel lights?
    2: Any particularly well written FAQ about driving the Prius right?

    Okay, I'll stop writing before I realize how stupid these questions are.
     
  2. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2008
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    Location:
    Mojave Desert, Cal.
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Welcome Skye and congratulations.
    My suggestion would be to start with all the "Stickies" first and then move on to all the other questions asked/answered.
    Theres a LOT of reading here as I found out from being a new member a month ago.
    Good luck and post a pic of your new Prius.:thumb:
     
  3. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

    Joined:
    May 3, 2005
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    Location:
    USA | Oregon | Portland area | 97004 |
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Hi skye, welcome to PriusChat!

    The first answer is NO. The lights are dim, but you'll get used to them. The buttons have tactile indicators (one dips, one bumps, etc.) that make it easy to not have to look after a short while.

    While lumpy's advice is good, perhaps a better starting point is John's User Guide. The link to the PDF file is on the main page on the left. John's User Guide puts all the things you want to know first together in a simple to read format.

    Congratulations on your new ride, the Prius is a very safe car and a lot bigger on the inside than it looks.
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2004
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    Canada
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    Hello and congrats!

    1. Nope. The lights are dim and can't be changed unfortunately.

    2. In addition to what Bill said, check out our "Why Don't I Get The EPA Mileage" thread over at the Knowledge Base (KB) forum.
     
  5. skye

    skye New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2008
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    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Canceling Warranty

    Thanks for the response, now for a big question...

    Looking around here I realized that we got fleeced on the warranty. (We were in the dealership for 4 hours with one kid bouncing off the display Tundras and the other crying.)

    So, I'm going by tomorrow to cancel the warranty (and prepaid maintenance). Wish me luck everyone! My wife worked like a lunatic to get a good deal and a good trade-in, and now she feels like a sucker.

    If anyone has any advice on the cancelation, please let me know.
     
  6. eurosteve

    eurosteve Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2008
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    Location:
    Watkins Glen, New York
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    I had a 1999 Eurovan camper that I sold in 2005. Very different animal than the Prius. I rarely got above 18 or 19 mpg.

    From what I've read here you can cancel your warranty anytime in the first 30 days with no problem. If you look through this web site you'll see there are a couple of dealerships that sell the 7 yr/100k Toyota warranty for under $1000. When I negotiated my deal, I mentioned that I could get this kind of deal and my dealership offered me a competative price.

    Good luck in taking care of that warranty.
     
  7. N3FOL

    N3FOL Member

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2007
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    Location:
    Stewartstown, PA.
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Congrats skye. I trully believe even with two kids, the Prius has lots of room inside.
     
  8. lumpy95

    lumpy95 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2008
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    Location:
    Mojave Desert, Cal.
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    As eurosteve said, you can cancel anytime within 30 days. When I found the price here I canceled mine and told them what I could get it for and they matched it with a new contract.
    They weren't real happy about losing all the extra money they gouged me for but realized they would lose any profit if I went somewhere else.:pout: