Newbie says "Hello".

Well, I am also a newbie. I'd like to say hello to everyone. I live in Seabrook Tx and was looking to buy a really fuel efficient car. So far I've looked at the Prius, Scion xA, a Civic, and a Fit. I'll start off by saying its a tough choice between the Civic and the Prius, the other two were rubbish.

Anyways Hello

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HappyTrees @ Jan 3 2007, 02:06 PM) [snapback]370213[/snapback]</div>

Steve,

Welcome. (And welcome to you too, All_The_Good_Names_Were_Taken).

By "what should she look out for," I'm guessing you're asking what kind of problems we've had with the vehicles over the years. I have had my Prius since April 18, 2005 and have had minor problems at most. And those minor problems were not mechanical - they were dealership related. My biggest complaint with the car is that it doesn't have power seats. I have a difficult time figuring out where I want my seat positioned, especially after my wife moves it. It takes me weeks to get it back to the right spot. There really haven't been many problems posted on here, at least not widespread problems. There are always a couple that pop up from time to time, but IMO most of those are dealership related (i.e., they don't know what they're doing). Your mother-in-law should have no problems. Keep in mind that the Prius is holding its resale value pretty well.

I hope this helps. Good luck.

 

Hello, new folks! Anyone who has Borat or Bob Ross avatars is OK in my book.

 

yeah...i love cats...its really a shame im allegic too...have u seen the site with all the cat pictures that have captions...Ill have to see if i can dig it up

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HappyTrees @ Jan 3 2007, 07:24 PM) [snapback]370416[/snapback]</div>

You know, it's funny, there are a number of cats on this forum ... but no mice. Actually, come to think of it there is one rodent, but I'm pretty sure it's not a mouse.

As far as a used Prius, when someone says they hold their value pretty well that means they're priced about the same as a new one at the dealership, at least that was my experience this last summer. And you don't get a tax credit with a used one. So, I wouldn't expect to save a bunch of money on a used one.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(HappyTrees @ Jan 3 2007, 01:01 PM) [snapback]370312[/snapback]</div>

You can learn pretty much all you need to know by going to autotrader.com, inputting 2001-05 Priuses and analyzing the asking prices (in relation to each car's mileage and equipment). autotrader's the biggest, cars are posted and bought quickly, so it gives you a snapshot of the market even more accurate that any "Blue Book". Even better, you can localize your data to a 50-, 100-, 200-, 300- or 500-mile radius.

If you do it, you should especially pay attention to what private parties are selling for compared to dealers (obviously, they carry both). You can get really lucky with a low-mileage, low-cost car from a private party.

 

Steve,

Welcome. The brand new car will come with a federal tax credit. Recent prices posted here are about $2000 below MSRP. For a used Prius that's only a couple or so years old I would do the same check that you would for any used car. Go to carfax.com and run the vin. There should be proof of regular maintenance (oil change every 5000 miles and many of us consider that too frequent), no collisions, clean title. If the car is new enough there may be some life left in the 100,000 mile hybrid warranty. Make sure you also get the owners manual as there will be a bit of a learning curve. The Prius is a hatchback since 2004 with some significant improvements over the older sedan that dates to 2001. Canadian taxis have put 200,000+ miles on cars without significant repair costs. The dire warnings about needing to replace expensive batteries are urban legends.

Good luck and keep us posted. You are bound to get at least half a dozen good replies to any question you ask.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(All_The_Good_Names_Were_Taken @ Jan 3 2007, 08:08 PM) [snapback]370443[/snapback]</div>

For pictures of cats that have captions, you can't beat Cat Town.