Want a 2010 but...

All minor annoyances, really. Having experienced all three at various times, it has not caused any regret - I love my 2010. Don't let a bunch of obsessive car geeks give you a skewed perception of the car. Go drive one for yourself and see what you think. I suspect you'll be quite impressed.

 

Well, I would just keep in mind the challenge the internet provides when searching for information about any product. You are going to get a bunch of comments and criticisms but you have to kind of keep in mind that people with issues or problems are more likely to post about most things. It becomes difficult to tell if a problem is striking one in ten people, or one in 100, or one in 10,000.
Personally I have not had any of the above problems so I can't speak to them. You might try some trusted reviewers like Consumer Reports or whoever.
All I can say is I love my car and most of the other posters I see on here love their cars, some of them despite non-ideal issues they've encountered. But if I had some serious issue, then I might be singing a different tune.

 

I'm in the same boat. I'll be picking up mine on thursday. The last few days i was reading the same post's and started to get "cold feet". Coming from five Subaru's in a row, and as great as they are, they also had a few minor quirks. Also in a few years when the economy picks up, people will be back to work, and more vehicles will be back on the road blowing through gas inevitably raising prices.

i waited 2 years for the new gen III to come out and I'm missing "the failboat" this time.



BTW if you want AWD and want to spend more on gas then i would fully recommend you get a Subaru.

 

I've got 3500 miles on my 2010 and had none of the 3 problems you listed.
My only problem is the foggy climate control screen and it can be fixed but i'm waiting to see if Toyota fixes it.

 

If you are afraid of having any problems with a car, the best solution is not to buy one. Get a good pair of shoes, a bicycle, and ride the bus....

Keith

 

Hey HB7,

Being one of the individuals who voiced a concern over the squeaking brake issue (...), let me assure you that I, nonetheless, love my Prius. I have had no other issues with the car, and I enjoy driving it everyday. The only other car I could say that about was the Lexus IS250 that I drove prior to purchasing the Prius.
I can proudly state that the Prius is fun to drive and returns great fuel efficiency at the same time. There's only a handful of cars that will fit in that description. As for your concern about the other issues you listed... all I can say is that is car is a Toyota. I think if you look up reliability in the dictionary, you'll probably find Toyota under that entry. All jokes aside, Toyota has not made it to the top of the automotive food chain by making shoddy cars.
If you are still concerned about the issues, may I suggest waiting a year before purchasing the Prius. The first year models experience all the kinks and issues which second year models usually address. Now, if I could only have Toyota fix those squeaks...

 

I'm with all those others settling your trepedations. Posters observing or imagining or obsessing on an issue are the ones, including me, who complain and post.

I will tell you now my greatest complaint: Although I get twice the mileage from my old car, I'm using the same amount of gas as before! That's because the car is such a pleasure to drive, I drive it twice as much. I drive it way too much: Go up Lake Shore Drive, turn around, come back. Repeat. Get back to the driveway but can't bring myself to park. So I take a few more trips around the block. I would live in this car if I could.

 

HB7,

I wouldn't focus on the Forum to such a degree that it would give you "Cold Feet" to take decide on buying a new 2010 Gen III. I myself have not experienced what a few posts have commented on. One has to realize the car is selling faster than the dealers can typically get them. I think Toyota has done a good job with Quality, overall, and I LOVE my new Prius and look forward to being able to drive it everyday. It's a high tech car, with high tech features and great safety controls.

I would not hesitate to run back to my dealer if mine was totaled in a accident tomorrow and wait for delivery of another one. That's how satisfied I am with the car.

It's not to often you LOOK FORWARD to driving and getting out of work not to just get out of work but to be in your car!

Don't give it a second thought, you will love it!

 

Please let toyota know that you are not planning on purchasing a car from them because of the squealing brakes! If they know it is going to cost them sales, then maybe they will care to fix it.

 

I know what you mean. I keep reading these problems & think to myself my 4 1/2 year old Ford Focus has had ZERO problems. (except interior paint on the stereo peeling, but that's Sony's problem)

I really should wait a year or two until the redesigned kinks get worked out.

 

Every car out there has little "niggles" that pop up and need to be addressed. I have an '05 with over 120K miles on it and love my car every day I get in it. I can't say the same about most of the other cars I have owned which include Mercedes, BMW, Ferrari, Acura, Ford, Chevy, Fiat, Mazda and Porsche. Yeah, I have had a few cars - I love my Prius and will buy a Gen III when I know the time is right.

 

best way to calm your fears is to test drive a Honda insight like i did.

 

Interesting. My question for you is: are you thinking about buying this Prius to replace an existent car? What is the car to be replaced?

If not for replacement, what kind of cars have you been driving the most in your life?

 

Ouch! A hard blow to the Insight.

 

I did & I really liked it.
I've only sat in the new Prius, but I didn't like the interior (the front dash is awkwardly empty. Needs a poster or something) I'm not crazy about the exterior or the big size either compared to the insight. But I am attracted to the Prius technology over the Insight, which is why I'm still considering it.

 

The bigger question is why do some brakes squeal and others don't?? I had a GM Product not that long ago, Squealed all the time, New Rotors every 12K, and they did nothing.

 

I can't imagine anybody going through pads, much less rotors every 12,000 miles, not even a postperson and I would assume nobody is tougher on brakes than them.

On edit, the squeal comes from between the pads and the brake caliper piston. You can buy a little packet of "brake anti-squeal" from any auto parts store, it looks like blue Elmers glue. Remove you pads, smear it on the backside of the steel shim that goes between the pads and the piston, let it dry a little, reassemble and your squeal is gone.
Squeal is a disk brake thing, not a car specific thing.

 

5000 miles into it my wife has no issues. (other than her backing up into a parked car). Are there any warranties on female drivers?

 

Agreed A64pilot,

My 2004 Malibu had nothing but problems with Rotors on it. I was quite digusted with it. At least they replaced them without charge under the warranty. But with the new Prius I have had ZERO squeaks from it's brakes...So far so good.