Questions about a G3 Prius purchase

1. I think that would be good.
2. The brakes are fine on the prius. But you need to know that it has regen braking. So it will only use the front wheels to drive the motors to generate electricity, so if your tires drop of a uneven surface, or hit something slick, the car will stop the regen(I think to prevent wheel lock up so you don't lose control) then it applys the normal friction brakes. There is a slight delay that may make you feel worried. It's normal and only has happened 2 times to me over 20,000. But it you want the brakes to be just like a normal car and will have a fit, and be posting on here every day about how unsafe the prius is you should by another car that doesn't have regen brakes.

3. I don't know.

 

1. You've done well on your research. Make sure that they don't charge you for those items...

2. It's more, this is more related to the tires you get and tire pressure (people say OEM tire pressure gives good braking "feeling" vs. high pressure and worse brake performance). Also the traction control is touchy on bumps, but no fix for that really.

3. I don't know if you can even get a V with no nav, at least not in California as far as I know. The nav is okay, the $150 Garmin and TomTom ones have more "features" but to each his own. It's good enough for directions but not exactly worth $2000, but you get a touch-screen too for your radio and other audio channels.

 

Yes you should get them to agree to set the reverse beeper to one beep and turn off the extra seat belt beeps, if you wish. You might want to wait until you drive the car at night to see if the headlights need to be adjusted or not. Some have been OK as delivered, some, such as mine, were aimed so low you would overdrive them at 30 or 35 MPH. I would get them to agree to re-aim them if needed however, unless you wish to do it yourself (it's easy to do). It's always a good idea to get them to agree to such things before you sign anything. I do not have the optional port/dealer installed security system but from posts here I don't think you should get one, same for wheel locks and cargo net.

They will try to sell you and extended warranty and a maintenance contract, don't buy either one. You have 3 years/36K miles to decide if you want an extended warranty or not and if you do you can get the Toyota Platinum version through this site for about $1055. Maintenance contracts are not a good idea because they tie you to one dealer for maintenance and usually don't save you anything anyway. Those things are only a good deal for the dealer, if they weren't they wouldn't sell them.

Prius brakes are fine. The car does pretty good in the snow as long as it isn't to deep just like most cars, 3 or 4 inches should be no problem.

The main advantage to built in nav systems is that they are built in. I get by with the Toyota system because I bought it but my Garmin is a lot better. As stated above the audio and phone interface with the nav system are nice to have and it does have a good back up camera display. If you are going to buy a Prius V I would recommend spending the extra money and getting the ATP, the DRCC works great.

 

What do mean by adjusting the position of the auto dim mirror? Mine is fine.

 

You can make the mirror adjustment on your own without any tools. You outstretch your right arm(left for RHD models), grasp the mirror firmly, and move to desired location. Repeat as needed.

 

Yes it does. If they are going about the same speed you are it will just drop you back gradually, it they move in front of you and slow down it will brake as needed. Another thing the owner's doesn't make clear, you have a choice of 3 following distances 1, 2, or 3 seconds back.

 

I just went through a pretty snowy winter in NE Ohio and my Gen 3 IV did just fine. I did put Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires on it but had no trouble with traction or skidding. Remember you have the gas and electric engines up front so plenty of weight for the front wheel drive traction. I traded in a four wheel drive SUV for the Prius and I really think the Prius did just as well as the SUV in snow.

 

1. Get the beeps addressed if you can, you'll appreciate it. If not, well, after living with them for awhile, you'll really, really appreciate it when they are off. I'd say that you should at least drive with the headlights first to get an idea if they are too low or not. Give the techs something to work with.

2. No idea on snow. Got mine at the end of March, but haven't driven through too much rain. Performance was fine.

3. The NAV is built in. No losing it. No stealing it. It provides a nice big screen for the back-up camera (which is very nice because it gives yet another "view" out of the back of the car). I've not had a GPS unit before, but this one seems to work fine. Most people feel that the cost is prohibitive. I like that it is fully integrated and I don't have to worry about it.

 

1. I believe you should live with the car for a bit so you can determine which customizable settings annoy. Get the dealer's position about free changes up front. No charge changes a couple of times is reasonable.

2. Braking isn't a problem if you know how to drive. For better performance on wet pavement inflate the tires to max sidewall pressure. I bought the V-AT toward the end of December between snow storms. No handling problems. Snow & ice accumulated on the nose blocked the radar.

3. If you want the backup camera you're buying the NAV. Toyota's NAV lady & Garmin's are about equally retarded. Toyota's doesn't have all the features of a current Garmin. I miss the speed limits.

Go to www.aaa.com to build a car & get dealer quotes. Tonight's AAA price for a base V around here is $26783. Invoice is $27383.

Stay away from all the PIO. The paint scratches easily. Your first trip should be to install VentureShield or 3M film.

 

A tip to try: I negotiated with the dealer to give me the next upgrade to the NAV DVD for free when it comes out (probably in 2011). It was easy for them to say yes because they didn't have to pay or give me anything at the time of sale.

 

I just bought a new 2010 myself and took it on a long trip the next day.
The NAV system is the only thing I'm not thrilled with. I have a Garmin and much prefer it over the new one.
One of the biggest issues is that you can't do much with it while driving. In fact I was hoping to find out if this feature can be over-ridden. (anyone know?)
If you want to search for a rest area while driving - forget it! You have to pull over and be in park first. (and this is with the passenger doing the searching!

Everything else about my new Prius I love!

 

There's a 3rd party hardware hack for that:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-prestigious-society-navi-hack-installed.html

and also a homemade version:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-override-speed-sensor-bypass.html#post904356