Please tell me about your Toyota Prius...

[Prose]

One thing I forgot to mention...we bought our Prius through the Costco buying program and had a good experience. They searched for the model we wanted with the features we wanted, and the dealer delivered it to our house. We saved a good bit of money by being able to find the previous year's model with our specs.

 

[esulerzy]

I drive 110 miles per day - about half highway, half city. It's a 2010 with just over 90,000 miles on it (3 years 3 months old). runs great, still getting around 54 mpg. For a commuter car, it's the best!

It goes in for routine maintenance every 10,000 (at least an oil change, tires rotated). No major engine/battery problems.

 

[CC12005]

I agree with most of the statements made here. I would like to add that the car sits low so it has a tendency to scrape the ground at times. Our garage is a little too steep for it so my husband has to park his Prius outside. Something to consider if this may affect you.

 

[KristinU]

Don't forget to look at the Honda Insight. We love ours. Being a Toyota family for the most part, it seemed logical that we'd just go gor a Prius, but I couldn't see out of it (and our other car was a Tundra at the time, that I could drive just fine, LOL!) The Honda ended up being a way better fit and was less expensive. We also seem to get better mileage than our Prius owning friends: average 43 winter and 47 summer with a close to 50/50 mix of highway and local driving. We've had it for a year and a half and have only needed oil changes. One thing that the Insight does that folks find unnerving at first is that the engine shuts off when you are stopped. Seems as normal as apple pie now that we are used to it, but just kind of an odd experience at first.

And Crisi is right, same thing with any hybrid, you have to be willing to drive it and play the game and not just pedal mash if you want good results.

 

[crisi]

I agree with most of the statements made here. I would like to add that the car sits low so it has a tendency to scrape the ground at times. Our garage is a little too steep for it so my husband has to park his Prius outside. Something to consider if this may affect you.

That low clearance combined with the inability to rock it through a snow bank has nearly cost me my marriage on more than one occasion.

("you knew I was on my way home and you didn't shovel the end of the driveway! Now my car is stuck!")

 

[Chim Chiminy]

Wanted to also mention it has the tightest turning radius of any vehicle we have owned.
I remember the saleswoman pointing it out, and didn't consider it a big deal.
But after owning it, we quickly found ourselves saying "tight turning radius!" all the time. It comes in handy.

We also found we can squeeze an awful lot into the vehicle. We recently bought two new 26 inch bikes, and were able to get those into the vehicle, with the seats down, and still had room to buy groceries at Costco.
Even after owning the car for six years, we were shocked everything fit with room to spare.

 

[tots05]

My DH got a 2013 prius when his car got totaled in May. Before that he has a toyota matrix. His commute is 3 hours per day back and forth and spends $300 in gas a month, maybe more. When he got the opportunity to get a new car, we decided to get the prius. Its not for any of its features but more to save gas. I thought that he wouldn't like it but he fell in love with it when he did a test drive. During the time we got it, they were offering a 60 month 0% financing which made it really good for us. We also checked online on how much dealers are trying to offer for them and we got it at a really good price. We had to walk out of a few dealer's parking lots when we can't agree on a price. They called us back after a few days and gave us the price we were comfortable with.

Its schedule is oil change every 10,000 miles but has to be checked every 5,000 miles. Maintenance is free for the first 2 years or a certain number of miles (not really sure how many right now). The biggest advantage of the car is that he now fills up his tank once a week effectively slashing his fuel cost in half. Savings goes to the car payment which is not bad at all.

If you have a long commute like my husband and worry about fuel cost, it really is a big help. And DH has noticed that he gets 52mpg for it maybe more....

 

[sherry7]

Thanks for the advice everyone! We ended up buying today, when we went to a local dealership to test drive. I was initially planning on buying at a bigger dealership in another town, but they beat their price on the same model and I got a decent trade in value on DH's truck too. (He is taking my SUV, since his commute is only 2 miles.). I ended up getting a little over $1900 knocked off the window sticker price. Oh, and I got a free set of mats and a cargo liner too.

We got a 2013 Toyota Prius Three, in black with dark gray interior. DH and I both totally forgot how to put in in park by the time we got it home. We sat there for about 2 minutes before we remembered about the park button. . I'm looking forward to being part of the 50 MPG club.

I need to read the manual more in order to understand what the different modes are (Eco, etc). I have an appointment on Friday evening to go back for a complete "lesson" of the car, and they're going to set the tech features up. It was too late to do it tonight, and our 3 year old DD started to get a bit crazy after sitting at a dealership for over 3 hours. (Thank goodness I took the iPad along to keep her occupied.)

 

[a742246]

Good for you!

Now remember make sure you double check when you turn the car off. It is easy to walk away from the car with the engine running. Since there is no noise from the engine and no key in the ignition.

Good luck.

 

[robinb]

Thanks for the advice everyone! We ended up buying today, when we went to a local dealership to test drive. I was initially planning on buying at a bigger dealership in another town, but they beat their price on the same model and I got a decent trade in value on DH's truck too. (He is taking my SUV, since his commute is only 2 miles.). I ended up getting a little over $1900 knocked off the window sticker price. Oh, and I got a free set of mats and a cargo liner too.

We got a 2013 Toyota Prius Three, in black with dark gray interior. DH and I both totally forgot how to put in in park by the time we got it home. We sat there for about 2 minutes before we remembered about the park button. . I'm looking forward to being part of the 50 MPG club.

I need to read the manual more in order to understand what the different modes are (Eco, etc). I have an appointment on Friday evening to go back for a complete "lesson" of the car, and they're going to set the tech features up. It was too late to do it tonight, and our 3 year old DD started to get a bit crazy after sitting at a dealership for over 3 hours. (Thank goodness I took the iPad along to keep her occupied.)

Congratulations on your new car!

 

[Earstou]

Congratulations and welcome to the Prius owner's club!

a742246 is right about making sure you shut the car off. My dh has left it on before, once for hours. My 2008 will alert you (because you are leaving it running and walking away with the key) with a little beep, but my dh has hearing loss and doesn't hear it. I've left it on too, but realize it right away when I hear the beep.

 

[sherry7]

Good for you!

Now remember make sure you double check when you turn the car off. It is easy to walk away from the car with the engine running. Since there is no noise from the engine and no key in the ignition.

Good luck.

Gosh, I almost left it running the first night I had it. Fortunately, it was parked on the driveway, since our garage needs cleaned out. I remembered after I walked into the house. The salesman told me that it would turn itself off after 20 minutes, which hopefully wouldn't be long enough to get carbon monoxide poisoning if I parked it in the garage and forgot to turn it off.

So far, I'm liking my new Prius. I still need to take a couple of hours and go through the owner's manual and watch the DVD. I only have about 170 miles on it, but I'm averaging 43 mpg so far. I understand that the fuel economy improves after the engine gets broken in. I'm still trying to break the habit of flooring the accelerator too, lol. I used to drive a supercharged sports car (before the kiddo of course) and I still enjoy driving like a bat out of he*l. The hardest thing to get used to is sitting down lower, because I've driven a big SUV for almost 4 years.

 

[ilovemk76]

I travel often in 2011. I rented different cars and drove the exact same roads and mileage each week. On vehicle I rented was a Prius.

I hated driving that car. It got only slightly better gas mileage than any of the other cars I rented. It had a stupid console in the center of the car. The bottom shelf with a small lip was just a danger to the driver. Anything could roll out of it and end up under a pedal. I felt pend in by the console.

The next week I ask for anything but a Prius. The car rental company told me it was the most hated car they rented and some days all they had left were Prius vehicle.

I recommend you rent run and drive it around.

Also, hybrids are most efficient in stop and go traffic. Highway travel is not their best use.

I tried and tried to rent a Ford Fusion, but they were always gone. I have never driving one but I know many people who really love them. I plan on looking at a Fusion when I replace my car.

 

[sarahk0204]

We have a 2008 with 93,000 miles on it. We bought it for DH's 80 miles round trip commute. Unfortunately, DH now has some horrible back problems, and the Prius is just too uncomfortable at the moment. He is currently driving the Chrysler Town & Country minivan and missing the 48-50 mpg of the Prius. Although we have the continuous gas mileage feature on the van as well, and he is happy to have gotten that to nearly 21 mpg.

I am having fun driving the Prius around town and for my 22 mile round trip commute. I also love to drive the Prius when I have to go downtown. It has enough power to merge on the expressway, and parking, especially in a parking garage, is SOOO much easier!

 

[a742246]

You will be getting over 50 MPG soon.

 

[clutter]

Also, hybrids are most efficient in stop and go traffic. Highway travel is not their best use.

Actually, they say that, but it's not true. In 9 years of driving a Prius, the best gas mileage I'd get was if I did an entire tank on the highway. Worst would be if I did entirely suburban driving. I have a lot of stoplights that are at the bottom of a hill. Mileage killers. Most of my driving is highway to city, so some stop-and-go traffic, some 60mph cruising, some city (flat) blocks. I'd average 51mpg in the summer, 44mpg when we switched to winter-grade fuel. Consistently.

Congratulations! I loved my Prius'. But I did just change over to the Camry hybrid. Nice to have a more luxuriously feel. You do need to adapt your driving away from the jackrabbit starts.

 

[MINILvr]

Another pleased Prius owner. DH drives a 2012 Prius that we purchased new in April of this year. He does have the solar package, which we are loving this summer. On a recent trip from NOLA to Houston (875 miles round trip) we averaged 48.7mpg. It might have been a little higher if we were not driving at night and it was not raining a good bit of the way.

When it comes time to trade in my Rogue, I am considering a Prius V, much to the dismay of my DS15.

(Side note: Just a heads up to anyone who has the solar package. You know those Febreeze air fresheners that you put on the vents? They last about a week in the middle of summer in south LA. )

 

[robinb]

Another pleased Prius owner. DH drives a 2012 Prius that we purchased new in April of this year. He does have the solar package, which we are loving this summer. On a recent trip from NOLA to Houston (875 miles round trip) we averaged 48.7mpg. It might have been a little higher if we were not driving at night and it was not raining a good bit of the way.

When it comes time to trade in my Rogue, I am considering a Prius V, much to the dismay of my DS15.

(Side note: Just a heads up to anyone who has the solar package. You know those Febreeze air fresheners that you put on the vents? They last about a week in the middle of summer in south LA. )

What is the Solar Package? I tried to google it the last time it was mentioned but I wouldn't find information on it.