I just want to thank this awesome community. Thanks to the members here I was able to make an informed decision when helping a family member purchase a 2006 Prius with 143k miles. After driving the Prius from California to Texas, I leaned on the forum to make the following changes and maintenance repair to the car: -Swap out OEM converter with magnaflow (@183 Muffler in Lockhart, awesome and honest place) - sold OEM converter for $1200 on ebay -Purchased VeePeak + Dr Prius -AND today, again using the information from the forum, I changed the rear strut assembly (wow thats a lot of disassembly work!) and transaxle fluid. I know this is par course for many members here, but for someone who has never worked on their own car, this felt like a huge achievement, and helped me build confidence for future maintenance work on the engine water pump, v-belt and coolant. .. And hopefully anything else that pops up. (used DIY Austin for their lifts and access to tools - another awesome place) Sometimes it feels like I'm always asking and taking as I'm not at that level to contribute yet. So I just want to take a moment to thank everyone for not only helping me save money, but to appreciate and learn how to work on my family member's car. Lastly, I have an electric car (bought used) which I love for many reasons. But theres a huge benefit (range, serviceability, etc) to having a hybrid like a Prius for longer+remote road trips and as a backup... so I'm looking at another used 2006 for myself! Thanks everyone and hope everyone has a happy and healthy 2021. edit: If you're in the austin area, and need/would like a helping hand or second pair of eyes from an honest technician, just let me know and i'm happy to share the contact of my guy.
Don't feel that way! You're doing a service to the forum. Adding newbies like you and me (a 5 week Prius newbie) keeps the forum going and makes sure it stays relevant. I would guess that the elder forum members, not old by age just long time Prius owners and forum members, get something out of seeing the excitement of newer owners and their experiences too. Kind of reliving the excitement they felt maybe years ago. I know it's that way on other forums I've been a part of for years. It allows others that have been through the same problems learning curves to share their knowledge and avoid their mistakes too. So keep on posting and sharing your experiences and letting some of the experience others have to share guide you. There's a lot of knowledge here, better than most forums I've been a part of, so don't hesitate to post and ask questions.
