UPDATE: 4002190 Lost for words here. Thanks again for all the support. Still on both original batteries. Like always will keep u guys posted.
Great to hear! If you're not doing it already, please keep us posted on your history of repairs and maintenance and, of course, accumulated miles and mpgs. Your high mileage and driving techniques are great lessons to all of us. I would bet that Toyota is watching and recording this kind of anecdotal evidence as well. And for me, your real-world, factual info is an effective tool against the many Prius doubters and naysayers I encounter.
It is when you consider most Prii on the road are 2004-2009 which means unless someone drivers well over 50,000 miles a year we won't see many cars in the 400,000 mile range. Did you expect to see more?
^^ LOL 2009Prius Prius has been outside Japan for about a decade now, so finding *anybody* except cabbies with 400k on the odometer already is surprising. Five years from now a large cohort of these supreme mileage cars will be running around -- right around the time a Volt or two hits 100k miles, and reports of Volts being send to the garbage dump hit the news. F8L, I'm pretty sure 2009Prius had his tongue firmly in cheek.
I'm just blown away by these high mileage guys. If I could pin gold stars on anyone on this site, it would be 2 fast 4 u and brownsnoutuk. There's so much we can learn from them, too. Someone should conduct interviews with 2 fast 4 u and brownsnoutuk and find out why they drive so much, what driving conditions apply to thier usage, whether they've adjusted their driving habits to maximize efficiency or for vehical longevity or both, what their maintenance is like, whether they've noticed any problems or degradation in the paint, body integrity, electrical system, engine mechanical, suspension or brake components, and all kinds of other relevant information. Also, if they have any advice on how to get the most out of a Prius long term. (I plan on keeping ours for many years.) If I were Toyota, I'd buy back their cars and would debrief them for info as to all those things, as they're the best real-world testers I've ever heard of (and never end a sentence with a preposition).
why they drive that much is well documented. its the job. not sure i would want that kind of job. i took a large cut in pay to reduce my commute. did it twice in fact. the extra money was not worth the extra 1½-2 hours a day on the road. but at the same time, you got to do what you got to do. not sure how much money it would take for me to go back to commuting. but right now, its averages 13-14 mins in the morning (average speed about 38 mph) and 20-32 mins in the afternoon. (traffic is Hell at 5 pm) at 4 days a week. i definitely do not have the best job in the world, but i have just about the best shift!
I understand that most of my questions have been answered in these pages. I just think it would be useful to have all their input and insights together in one place instead of scattered over 36 pages. I look at the tagline info in your posts all the time. I'm amazed you've traveled as many miles as you have in such a short time with such modest commutes. (BTW: I read an article about a year ago on ten things that make for a happy life, and "short commute" was one of the top recommendations.)
"I" have a short commute. its 11.8 miles Round trip. my SO does not. but she travels south (North is Hell) hers is 63 miles RT and she works 5 days a week. now, i hate commuting, but i love driving. there is a TON of great car trips in this area. if you love scenery, mountain views, or nature in general. you could spend years here before you see most of what is here. so, what we save during the week as far as gas goes we, quite frankly blow it on the weekend. last year we took 2 week car trip put 3500 miles on the car. granted 5 days was Disney which was cool but the best part was the drive home (took one day to get there. 5 days to get back) but finally; i was the first in WA to get a 2010. so the other thing to remember is that i have had my car 28 months. even with the big trips, I average less than 1,000 miles a month. **edit** of course the other big reason is the Leaf. it now covers more than half our driving miles per month. reason, its a LOT cheaper to drive
Update: 408100 Both batteries are still original. Inverter fluid also original. Front and rear brakes original.
2fas4u- I think I love you. I talked my boss into buying the company a Prius before I even bought one. Test drove it for a year, then bought one for myself. LOVE IT, and it's longevity. Then talked an associate into buying one. Toyota's going to owe me royalty soon.