Is anyone sorry they bought a Prius?

I only regret not getting one for the missus too.

 

Too late now, but I am wondering whether you ever had the wheel alignment checked? I've seen some posts where the alignment was found to be way off (for example, toe-out instead of zero or slight toe-in). Once corrected, the owner perceived a big qualititative improvement.

 

Hope you're right that it won't be necessary. But of course, there's that little matter of Iran's nuclear program. I would like to believe it's really peaceful in that they can see their oil won't last forever and nuclear power would be cheaper than using their oil to make electricity. But it really doesn't matter what I believe. The question is whether Israel can afford to believe it and/or can afford not to do something about it.

Actually, the last time we had gas rationing in the US was under Roosevelt (FDR). The last time the Federal govt printed gas rationing coupons was under Nixon. A gasoline shortage could happen quickly when you consider Americans store roughly 2 billion gallons of gasoline at any one time, and have room for about the same amount!

 

There's a lot of body roll in the Prius and Friday night when I was on a bridge across the bay with some winds it was a little scary. I want a nice comfortable ride home I wasn't interested in playing mileage games with the car or hanging on tight with every gut of wind. It's a Base Prius I couldn't get a hold of a Touring with the stiffer suspension and the package I wanted. The price price for those now is rediculous, the GTI is cheaper to own even with the premium gas and perfoms better than a Touring.

Also, I've switched my commute to one that's all highway. It covers slightly more miles but is a little quicker. Most of my ride is at 75mph now and the VW feels much more solid at that speed.

Life is too short and I spend to many hours a day in a car to be in one that doesn't fit like a glove. The manual transmission is real driving.

 

Back in the late 70s we could only buy gas on alternating days. Not a big deal but the lines were long.

I think that if we have a problem with Iran there will be very little gas and yes probably some sort of rationing but I'm not basing my decisions on a remote possibility.

In 3 years I'll be back in the market when there will hopefully be plug in hybrids or full electrics with reasonable range.

 

It is a good car. I am form the chicago land area, but we paid 5000 over msrp so I am kind of pissed abou that.

 

I paid MSRP plus some dealer fees. The prices they're getting for them now make no sense. I'd like to drive a car that pollutes less but the big difference in cost isn't worth it.

 

Not exactly on target, but if Israel believes Iran will have the bomb in 2010, they aren't going to wait around until Russia's advanced missile defense system they're selling Iran to protect their nuclear facilities are installed. I like to be prepared for the worst and be pleasantly surprised, but it's still a side benefit of the Prius.

My other vehicle is an 01 Blazer with 93K miles. Around town 13-14 mpg, 20 on the hwy if I'm lucky. It can't accelerate any faster than the Prius and it corners much worse than the Prius. I have a new vehicle with a nice 100K mile warranty that gets 53 mpg. I like to drive just to see the sights and it's easier at 8 cents a mile than at 30 cents a mile. Those are the real reasons I bought and love my Prius.

 

I'm sorry I didn't buy it sooner. That's why I got the second one on order for delivery when my SUV comes off lease in November. Might actaully get it sooner the dealer is telling me.

 

Did you get your Prius yet? I got mine finally in July. Because I waited for the exact color I wanted I didn't get any special deals, but it was well worth the wait and the money! I LOVE my Prius for so many reasons; the gas mileage, the look, the way it handles, the roominess, the environmental factors. It is a dream to drive. Not long after I got it I took it on a trip to Oregon and it just ate up the hills through Shasta with no problem.

Hope you will be as thrilled as everyone who posted here. If not, there will be people lining up to buy your car.

Kathmr

 

For the OP, one way to look at it would be to count the number of posts in this thread that say they bought a second one or would like to, versus the people who didn't like it well enough to keep it.

For the record, if mine was lost/damaged I would start shopping for another to replace it.

 

Score one more for the love it column. I liked it and my wife loved it so we got another one for her! Or actually she went shopping for one while I was at work! So now we have two. If we had more drivers in the house we would have more!

 

Yes, see post Inspect very carefully before purchasing!
There are allot of sacrifices made to drive a car that gets 45-49 MPG. If you don't drive at least 30,000 miles a year, you would be better off buying a car that gets 30-35 MPG for at least $6000 less. You will have to drive the car completely different then you drive a regular car to get the high MPG.

 

Try finding a similarly equipped, reliable family car for the same price that gets "30-35 MPG". The price premium is negligible if it exists at all. Considering the resale of a Prius vs. other cars of the same interior capacity/seating comfort the premium might actually be reversed. Saving on both gas and maintenance is a nice bonus for the Prius driver.

 

I love my 2008 Prius. I have driven just about every kind/make of car you can think of. Yes, the Prius isn't as sporty as a Corvette or as luxurious as a Jaguar, but I am very glad I am finally doing something to help alleviate my carbon footprint. I had planned, for years, to buy a Camry Hybrid. I just test-drove a Prius so that I could ease my guilty conscience and say I had tried the "green" thing, but I was so impressed with so many things about the Prius, I bought one instead of the Camry!

 

i don't have any regrets about the car itself. in fact, overall it's exceeded my expectations in the 3.5 years and 55k miles we've owned it.

there are things i'd do differently- financing, etc that would apply to any car. that was from lack of experience, and now i know better.

 

You’re not looking very hard. These were the prices I found when shopping 2 months ago.

Camry: $17,999
Corolla: $16,888
Civic: $16,949

The interior room is about half of what I had on my 03 Camry trunk. When you talk about maintenance, you may what to also consider the cost of replacing the batteries at $4,000. That along will eliminate the cost saving, not to mention the abundance of electronics and synergy drive unit.

Do the math, if you don't drive at least 30,000 miles per year for at least 5-6 years, the car does not pay for it's self. At 180,000 miles and in 6 years, the car will not have much resale.

If you don't drive at least 30,000 miles per year for at least 5-6 years, the car does not pay for it's self. At 180,000 miles and in 6 years, the car will not have much resale. At 5 years, driving 15,000 miles per year, a Camry is $1,000 cheaper and a Corolla is $3,000 cheaper and that is with no battery replacement on the Prius.

 

toy08-
1. why do you assume the battery needs replacing as "regular maintenance"?
2. where do you get this $4000 number?
3. what if i don't like any of those other models?

 

Oh brother... You've exaggerated the mileage in all three cases. In addition the Civic and Corolla are too small to make an acceptable family car for me. It's pretty obvious that you are gaming the numbers, and doing the math is how I know. I've worked through it and it is not at all like you fudge it to be. (You probably never even considered where the cost of gas is likely to be in 5 years while a range of prices factored into my assessments.) Your battery claims are bogus too, especially with an 8 year warranty...the BS you are trying to pass off is amazing...and desperate. With its proven track record and high mileage I'm not at all worried about resale for the Prius. I would be with cars averaging around 30 mpg though. They aren't going to be all that attractive 5-10 years from now when they are at best likely to be mid pack.Try putting some realistic figures into your calculations and you will quickly find your claims are bunk!
Edit: left out my line about the Camry, no savings to be had as you've made an apples to oranges comparison...and the mileage is even worse for the Camry.

 

How has Toyota left you out in the cold in the first couple months?

If you had Bridgestones, then I guess you have the touring pkg. Those are "performance" tires, and I would'nt expect long treadwear. That's the whole idea right. How many times did you rotate your tires? Be honest.