Need Help Buying a Prius in Canada

$3,500??? ... I thought it was $2K fed + $2K Ontario

 

The Ontario rebate is for the actual taxes paid up to $2000. If you have a high value trade-in or you are leasing, your taxes paid will be lower and so will the rebate. I'm still waiting for mine, but I think the ecoAUTO rebate is $2000 even though the actual GST paid is less.

 

Hi...I am in Oakville, and I have a 2004 Prius (with 110k) and I have had no problems driving in the snow with 4 winter tires. I am almost ready to change my OEM Goodyear Integrity tires, doing my research now. Enjoy your Prius....

 

1. In the winter, the Prius will completely shut down if the tire slips / and that it is extremely difficult to handle under slippery conditions (more so then a gas powered car). People say that even in 2 inches of wet slippery snow, the car will barely move.

Let me answer your questions, one at a time....this has never happened during my 3 years of winter driving, from my daily commute from Oakville to downtown Toronto. With my 4 Nokian winter tires, I am having no problems with snow even with the unusual amount of snow this past winter, sometimes more than 6 inches of snow. I suspect that the other people who have had slippery problems do not have 4 winter tires on their car.

2. The onboard computer gets dirty from fingerprints fairly quickly, and the sun glare is pretty bad too.

This part is true, fingerprints do get on the display very quickly, but just use a bit of soap and water cleans it up pretty quickly. The sun glare is a problem though.

3. The fuel efficiency isn't that great compared to non-hybrid models if I'm taking it on the highway all the time.

I happen to get the best mileage driving from Oakville to Toronto (less than 2 liters/50km and a little more than 2.5 liters/50km from Toronto to Oakville). I use up more gas commuting inside of Oakville. I ususally have a fuel range of between 4.3 liters/100km to 4.5 liters/100km during spring and fall and 4.6 - 5 liters/100km during summer and winter.

My main concern is really how the Prius handles in the winter, as well as if I need to do repairs on the car and how costly they may be because the hybrid system is integrated into the entire car.


The prius handles like any other car, put on good winter tires on all 4 wheels (none of these all season garbage) and you will have no problems. As for the 8k maintenance, it is quite reasonable.....still less than my 6k maintenace for my 2002 Honda Oddyssey.

 

To Tideland Prius, you must be mistaken me for someone else, you are half correct, I only have 1 prius (silver) and if I am home, it is always in the garage.....

 

I see you use Nokian winter tires in winter.

Have you considered the Nokian WR or WRG2 for all year round usage ? This is my plan, unless I hear something to dissuade me.

 

To Hiermichaelreid,

I believe that the 2 Nokia WG/wGR2 are both all season tires. The reason that I use the Nokia Hakkaplita winter tires can be summed in this way - 3 kids (ages 13 / 11 / 8). I want to make sure that I do everything in my power to ensure their safety. There was a segment last year on W5 and they compared all season tires to winter tires....hands down, winter tires won, no matter how much snow on the ground. For the past 30+ years driving, I have always had separate winter tires/rims, avoided many accidents. How much is your life/family/friends worth if they were in your car?

 

Your concern is appreciated, but Nokian (not Nokia) WR and WRG2 are WINTER tires, not all-seasons. They have the "Severe
Service Emblem" (snowflake) and are legal during winter here in Quebec where we are required to have REAL snow tires as of Nov. 15.

Nokian describes their WR as "All-Weather Plus" which should not be mistaken for the long ago, badly misnamed "All Season" which really means 3 season.

Nokian Tires
Nokian Tires

Yes, these tires can also be used in summer and that's one reason why I want them before winter at least. I suspect they will ride and handle much better in any season, including summer, than my OEM Bridgestones.

Yes, I could drive my family in a tank and be MUCH safer than in any car, but that's not practical so trade-offs always have to be made.

In this case, IMO, there is a SLIGHT trade-off to be made when compared to the BEST winter tires in some winter conditions, but I'm happy to make those trade-offs.

Heck, my wife gets paranoid in snow even with an AWD Suburu legacy with REAL snow tires... Me, I made do with my AWD and the best "all (3) seasons" I could find (Conti ProContact) for winter.

With the Prius and the Nokian WR or WRG2 I expect to get much better winter traction.

 

Since I wrote that post - I have decided to buy another one in the US - the package 5 is the same as the Package C - with GPS etc. The US #6 has leather seats which I do not like. Anyway - I am paying MSRP and I still think it is worth importing. I will save between $5-$8,000 net after all the different things to take care of.
I gets a little getting used to with the MPG (USA) and degrees in Farenheight instead of L/100KM and Celcius - but the rest of the car is the same and the warranties are honoured. The good thing when I vacation in the US I feel right at home with my MPG and F degrees. I might actually sell this car with a couple of $000 profit as they are in hot demand.

 

sergebergeron, where in the US are you still able to buy as a Canadian?

Thanks and good luck,