Buying a Used Prius - Can avg mpg of 36 be right???

It could also read low MPG because the car dealer lets the car idle. Idling your prius for long periods will bring down the average MPG. my dad once forgot to turn off his car for 3 hours and came back, it read 12 mpg down from 54 mpg.

 

Prius's always suffer low MPG on dealer lots, not only due to the short distances of test-drives but also because everybody wants to "see what it can do" so they have to floor it a few times.

 

Cool! Welcome!

When it gets colder (definitely NOT now) when daily high temps are say <60 F, you should consider blocking the grille, esp. for short drives. Pipe insulation purchased from a hardware store to block the grille is a very cheap means to somewhat lessen the cold weather and ICE startup hit.

 

Here's the grand-daddy of the grill-blocking threads. Post 18 shows a picture like how I did it. A couple dollars of pipe insulation is all you need, cut it half and stuff it in. This is more of a cold-weather trick, you shouldn't need to use it yet.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-modifications/26675-first-morning-blocked-grill.html

My recommendation is don't get too hung up on fancy techniques or tricks (unless you enjoy that kind of thing). The main points for getting 95% of your possible mileage (other than changing your commute) are:
* accelerate normally, decelerate by coasting as much as possible. Reduce braking and battery usage.
* keep your tires above 35/33 psi. 40 psi for front, 38 for back should be a good compromise between comfort (low PSI), handling (debatable) and tire life, mileage, reduced risk of blowouts (high PSI). Most Prius tires are rated to handle 44 PSI
* keep your top speed below 70 mph in all cases, MPG starts dropping down pretty fast above 65 mph.
* the Prius will do best between 30 and 40 mph, if that's safe and reasonable to do. That's where pulse-and-glide works best: glide with no arrows on the energy screen at speeds under 41mph (on the Gen II Prius).

If spending money to save money (in the very long run) or to save oil imports or to save the environment works for you, then:
* in cold weather, an engine block heater will significantly improve the mpg in the first 5 minutes of driving time. Plug in the heater for 1-2 hours before driving (can use a timer and plug it in overnight)
* Buy a ScanGauge II, learn the 4 stages of a Prius, and perfect pulse and glide. This is not for everybody, but is kinda fun if you enjoy that kind of thing. Then you can go on to cleanmpg.com for the more esoteric hypermiling techniques.

 

Try renting one for a week.

 

My average on my 2008 prius is only 42 mpg max even on long trips. I thought it should be higher than this, especially on long trips. I know that is still considered excellent gas mileage, but honestly, I expected a bit more (up to 50mpg) when buying it.

 

It all depends on driving style. Answer the fuel economy questionaire and people can figure out why your is low.

 

Ignoring style for the moment:

Do you ever shift to "B"? In Ohio you should rarely if ever be in "B".

A dirty MAF (mass air flow) sensor could contribute. Make sure that the oil is never overfilled.