Is anyone sorry they bought a Prius?

This is obviously a critical discussion that I wish we could have in a separate thread. It is also good to keep in mind that Toyota provides a minimum of 8 year warranty on traction batteries.

Here are some numbers from Toyota regarding GenII HV batteries:

First Numbers on Hybrid Battery Failure | Hybrid Cars

Bob Wilson suggested that heat is a risk factor and said we should avoid parking the car at direct sunlight in the summer. Others have agreed that driving without gas is also a risk factor. An editorial at msn autos quote Mr. Smith of Toyota saying:

Will Hybrid Batteries Last? - Page 2 - MSN Autos

A google search did not return anything more solid than what already posted.

 

Yes. I was part of the Prius 'No' crowd, but that was mostly due to one condition - I had never owned a car (in 12 purchased) where I absolutely hated the driver's seat(ing). Was aware of its weirdness before purchashing but took a gamble and lost (~ $12k resale loss at 15k miles sold + cost building/trying custom seat).

Kind of a 'personal problem' with the car that some here can relate to, others not.

Live and learn though. I've would have likely been quite happy with a 3rd gen.

 

So this means that you spent $$$$ on the seat, were never satisfied and had to sell for that reason?

Was it the make-up of the seat, the fact that it wouldn't raise or extend further back? or the lack of telescopic steering?

I don't know of a single Prius owner who would not have paid $500 more for a better seat btw, Toyota messed this one up.

 

After you've had it for long enough to track fuel savings you'll have to let us know how it turns out.

Saving $80 per month is not going to be that easy. Your 07 Kia had 63k miles on it so I'm assuming you travel about 16k miles per year or about 1300 miles per month. A rough calculation taking 50 MPG for the prius versus 30 MPG for the Kia over 1300 miles with gas at $3.70/gal gives an estimated saving of $64.00 per month.

 

2nd gen Prius driver's seat is notorious for being bad for some people. What other car has an eHow web page warning of seat problems? (I didn't create that page)

http://www.ehow.com/about_5915538_problems-prius-driver_s-seat.html

mistake in article above - 3rd gen is not 6-way power seat. They're all mechanical. four and five are power lumbar adjust.

One explanation is the entire dash and front seating was basically lifted from the 1st gen Prius, massaged and dropped into the 2nd. Problem is, the 2nd gen is something like 6" longer. No doubt, they skimped big time on it. It's basically high quality, well built crap seating, for some. 5'3" ladies tend to dig it, but I've heard 5'8" ladies complain of no thigh support.

"Was it the make-up of the seat, the fact that it wouldn't raise or extend further back? or the lack of telescopic steering?"

All of the above, plus short seat bottom, poor contour, little thigh support and brake pedal too far to left. Some people have more tolerance for crappy seating. I don't.

When you can sit your nieces beat up 2001 Civic and it feels more 'normal' than your $30k 2009 Prius, that's a problem. I don't ask for perfection in seating, just for it to be in the playing field. 2nd gen Pri seat wasn't even in the stadium, it's that bad IMO.

 

heh Im sorry I wasn't two years younger so that I;d get the 3rd gen. prius,. But I love my 08 prius, Ive had it for 2 years, gone in offroad and city roads and except from one flat tire, I';ve had absolutely no problems with it

 

if you are planning to keep it a while, you will love very low maintainance costs (no belts, forever lasting brakes, very reliable overall)

 

I bought my Gen II in August 2005. I would have to say I am disappointed in the car. I've driven nothing but Toyota since 1972 and this vehicle is the worst build of all of them. The fit anf finish are poor and the car has many sqeaks and rattles. Far more than other Toyotas I've owned. The mileage has deteriorated over time from a high of 45-50 mpg to 38 now. Toyota doesn't seem to have an answer for this. You would think if you built a car as unique as a hybrid, you would know something more about it. But both Toyota corp. and local dealers never have an answer for the questions you have about the car. I've had it for sale for a few months and have exactly two inquires and no buyers.

 

For pity's sake, cancel the scheduled maintenance and get a refund. Why pay interest in advance for oil changes? If it's a certified used you can safely dump the extended warranty also.

A Prius is not the lowest total cost of ownership car unless you drive a lot more than average. Borrowing to buy also costs more. If you wanted lowest total cost you should have stayed with the Kia until you could buy a car for cash. You may still have time to reverse the purchase.

 

If you haven't already done so, I suggest beginning a thread in the Gen 2 forum asking for help diagnosing the reason for the drop.

To speed things up, in your first post you can introduce yourself, put a brief summary and then answer all the questions in the questionnaire:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-answer-these-questions-esp-if-youre-new.html

 

Not on your Nelly! best car I have ever owned for me now, I was previously a petrol head (Piston head for US readers) and would not of appreciated the lack of self inflicted G-forces before, thank god I grew up before I killed myself!

 

Yeah he already has.

See (2008) : http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-technical-discussion/49352-after-service-issue.html

And (2009) : http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-fuel-economy/73689-lower-mpg-hybrid-system.html

 

Best decision we've ever made, we love our 2009 Prius and when this one is paid for our next car will be a Prius! Perhaps a Prius V?

 

Frames are identical, except ours has the fixed height bottom. Our frame's bottom left side actually had the cutout where the height adjuster mechanism would be placed, but supports are fixed. It would have added a whopping 2 to 3 lbs. to the car and some cost to get height adjust.



Frame on right above is a Corolla. Likely the best way to fix a 2nd gen Prius seat is to have a good Recaro installed in place. Or buy a 3rd gen.

 

Ok thanks for the info. So I'm guessing that would make the seats pretty much the same except that the US one would be permanently set to the lower position. I actually have my seat adjusted to it's lowest position anyway, that's how I prefer it. With the height adjustment mechanism it kind of feels as though when you adjust it lower it also moves you further back as well. That's why I like it as low as possible.

 

There's about 2.5" vertical travel in the Pri's seat - ours is fixed about 2" up, good for shorter individuals, not for ones with tall sitting height.

Most say headroom is good in Prius, and it is due to dome shape, but top of windshield is a bit lower hampering vertical view for taller folks (you duck down to see).

I had my original seat back in car when selling it of course, and it was not good. Was happy to see it go, but stressed over the loss of investment.

 

This whole thread is pure, prius chat gold.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

You are posting to a 10 year old thread. Chances are the original poster will not see what you wrote.

Dan

 

Aha! but finding a necroposter is the NEW priuschat gold! Congrats on catching one.