Just won a Prius - questions please

Wow - congratulations! That's a mighty fine prize you received. It's the first time I can remember hearing anyone say they had won a Prius!

We bought an 06 Barcelona Red in August - the color you chose would have been great with us, too, but since we had just stumbled upon one in a dealership, we were happy with the color they had.

Ours has the bisque interior - way light, although I think it might look better on this car than the grey. Still, I've been busy covering up parts of the interior with seat covers and such . . . but if we'd had leather, I wouldn't have been doing that!

I think the leather is real . . . if I had your color, I suspect I'd go with the darker interior, but I think the lighter colour might be more aesthetically pleasing. Not much help, I guess.

If you don't think the car tracks very well when you first get it, I'll say that I thought mine had a tendency to wander all over the road, requiring constant steering correction. The single most important thing I've learned from this forum is that an alignment with a toe in of +.05 on each front wheel might fix that problem. Toyota will do it for free.
My car drives like a dream, now.

Enjoy your prize! Glad you found this site - I found it about a year and a half ago when we first thought of getting a Prius. We had decided then to drive a Camry for a while and think about the Prius longer. After a year with a 4 cyl. Camry getting 20 mpg, we were quite pleased to find our li'l red baby sitting on a lot, unclaimed perhaps, but not unwanted! One of the first things I did was head back here to this forum.

 

Hi Kathy!

Congrats and welcome to priuschat.

Since you live in PA, you might want cloth seats- leather can be hot in the summer and very cold in the winter!
I have seaside with a light grey which I guess is close to the bisque and it looks great!

Definitely invest in Zaino- not your ordinary car wax! There are plenty of threads to read about it.

Lots of luck- waht a wonderful prize!

 

I'd go for the grey interior. My 2006 is white, and I upgraded to grey leather seats. I've only had it since April, but the seats weren't too hot in the summer, even though I rarely use the air conditioner. So I'd recommend leather.

Congratulations, and enjoy the Prius - I love mine!

There are tarps that you can buy for the Prius, but I'm not going to bother with one, myself. I've been told that keeping it waxed at least a couple of times a year keeps it in reasonably good condition. Also, I have a hand car wash near me that charges $6.00, so I've been getting my car washed every couple of weeks, and will definitely do this all winter.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kthynoll @ Oct 15 2006, 02:22 PM) [snapback]333065[/snapback]</div>

Wow.. congratulations on the prize. I have the seaside pearl with dark grey.. I didn't have any choice really if I wanted a car quickly.. didn't know the blue even had a choice of interiors until mine showed up with grey.. couldn't believe it.. at first hated it.. always thought it was going to be light.. but as I have read on this site, the armrests get dirty, so now I am happier with the dark.. I am sure the light looks much prettier though. But hey... go for the leather!! get every free add-on you can!! Go for light leather.. it cleans better.. and looks great. You'll love the car!!

 

Hello, Kathy. Congrats, and welcome to PriusChat. You'll find folks here to have a wealth of knowledge and willingness to offer information and advice... mostly good!

I have a seaside pearl. I love the color, and if you like blue, I think you will too.

I have beige (is that the bisque?) interior. Frankly, I'd prefer gray. I would guess it shows dirt less. But I got a good deal on this particular car, so I can live with it.

I have cloth seats, which I like.

I second barbarm on the Zaino. Check it out at www.zainostore.com. I've had the car for 10 months, and the shine looks as good as the day it rolled off the dealer's lot. That's despite that it sits in the sun for a good part of the day while I'm at work. I don't know if anyone makes a custom fit car cover. I've never checked into it, since Zaino protects it well and I wouldn't want the hassle of a cover.

 

We have a Seaside Pearl with bisque interior. That was the only fabric option where I live. It has been fine with us--no problems with dirt.

We use Mother's brand cleaning products, including wax on our car. I would suggest parking your car in a garage rather than using a tarp. If you do use a tarp, I think it is best to be sure your car is as clean as possible before putting it on so that it doesn't grind any grit across the paint.

 

If it sounds too good to be true...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Claudia @ Oct 15 2006, 03:37 PM) [snapback]333072[/snapback]</div>

I've got the Barcelone Red, too, but with the grey interior, and I think it looks really sharp. My fiancee has the light-colored interior and I think it is too light for me - I would get it dirty, I'm afraid.

Congrats on the win!

 

You won a Prius - wonderful and congratulations.

I have Seaside pearl with the grey interior and think it looks great. Although I have cloth seats, my last car had leather and didn't have any problems.

Keep asking questions.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kthynoll @ Oct 15 2006, 03:22 PM) [snapback]333065[/snapback]</div>

Well, it depends: do you want a light interior or a darker interior? As others have mentioned, darker would be less likely to show dirt, although the beige may stay a little cooler in the sun. Personally, I wanted (and got) the beige (seems a bit more cheery), although the grey is not unattractive either.

So do you get a tax credit, too? Of course just winning the Prius is prize enough. Congratulations.

 

Hi Kathy!

Congratulations! You will love your new Prius. I have the gray cloth interior and it looks good and seems to be pretty durable. I'll have to check out your book.

 

Congrats, Kathy!!! And Welcome to PriusChat. I live in SE Texas and have the dark grey leather interior. It does get warm in the summer, but it isn't bad. I have the leather upgrade instead of the regular leather seats and love them. They have the LiquidCell layer and make for a cushy and comfortable ride.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kthynoll @ Oct 15 2006, 03:22 PM) [snapback]333065[/snapback]</div>

Won a Prius?! How lucky are you?!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kthynoll @ Oct 15 2006, 02:22 PM) [snapback]333065[/snapback]</div>

Wow. Very much congrats. Are you lucky.
I'd suggest the gray interior with the blue. It's stunning. The fabric cleans up better than you'd think. I've actually cleaned asphalt off my ivory interior and there isn't even a stain. Leather will be very cold in the winter and very hot in the summer. I used to have leather in my previous car. This fabric interior has sold me on the fabric. I'll never get leather again. (Except for steering wheel cover.) I'm using the Priushoods center console and armrest leather covers and love them. The only part of the seats that would be leather are the seat and back. The rest of the seat parts would be vinyl.

The best way to protect the car would be to park in a garage. If you can't do that, then a car cover would be preferred to just leaving it out in the elements. Yes, they do make them for the Prius. Keeping your car clean and waxed will also protect the finish. Some like Zaino. I use a range of Meguiar's products.

You might want to invest in some Exactmats or something similar to protect the interior, especially in the winter. I would also suggest mudguards.

You are going to love this car.

 

Yeah, congratulations Kathy!!!

That just the coolest thing i've heard today!!!

and you get to pick the colors too???? WOW..... like winning the lottery!!!

Welcome to Priuschat too!! :lol: :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kthynoll @ Oct 15 2006, 12:22 PM) [snapback]333065[/snapback]</div>

Congratulations on the win.

I suggest the grey. It hides spots and wear better much better. I happened to be in a low mileage (3K)Prius with a bisque interior and it looked awful. It was a rental, but even for a rental it looked bad.

Leather is a your choice kind of thing. I would have looked for leather if I didn't have to get the navigation (NAV) system. If you have a choice pick what would make YOU happy. Cloth are working out fine.

 

Hey Kathy,

Congrats on your win! I knew Glamour was a great mag, but I had no idea they'd be so smart as to offer a Prius as a grand prize for their Woman of the Year contest. Way, way cool.

I have a Seaside Pearl with bisque fabric and I love it. No matter what color of interior or exterior you do end up with, you are going to fall in love with your Prius. Enjoy the ride!

 

Good on you!! I am happy to have met someone who won a Prius!! Almost like winning one my self!! I would get the cloth. I have had leather for several years and I have to say that these cloth seats are amazing. Easy to clean. Stains just disappear, even bad ones like coffee. They are comfortable summer and winter. I am a convert to new synthetic cloth. Congratulations on your good fortune.

 

Congrats!

I've got on order a black Touring Edition w/ grey leather interior.

I carefully weighed the pros and cons of tan vs grey, cloth vs leather looking at each before I placed my order.
The tan is very light and the grey is more of a medium grey instead of dark grey. I saw 1 year old cloth interiors for both and the tan was noticably dingier and showed more wear and tear.

The leather I'm fairly sure is a special synthetic Toyota came up with a few years ago that is indistingishable, to me at least, from real cow hide. It looks and feels really classy and I would highly recommend getting it esp. if you're not flipping the bill.