Advice for newbies?

[kh67]

I feel so proud to finally have the title of "Prius Owner." A few years ago DH and I test drove a Prius but came to the conclusion that it just wouldn't fit into our budget, and I spent the interim coveting every Prius I saw. We recently had been discussing upgrading our vehicles, and to be honest, a Prius never even remotely entered the conversation. Imagine me surprise, then, when on Friday my DH asked if I wanted to head to the Toyota dealership and take a look at their Prius stock!! Turns out they were closed (at 6:00 on a Friday night!) but we were able to peer into the windows of about 10 in-stock Prius. We quickly decided on the 2008 magnetic grey #3 package and made a plan to come back on Saturday. Cutting to the chase, we picked up the car yesterday, quite a shock for me, since a few years ago there was a waiting list just to order one!! Anyway, I'm finding myself trying to think of places to go just to take her out for a spin.

I've learned a lot from reading on the internet, the most important so far is to, under NO circumstance, overfill the tank. Short of sitting down and reading the manual cover to cover (which I might do anyway!) is there any other new owner advice? Anything you wish someone could have told you when you first bought your Prius?

[ny biker]

Read the manual. It took me about a week, reading a little every night. But it's worth it.

For maximizing your mpg, there's a sticky thread on this chat with plenty of advice.

[Tideland Prius]

Congratulations and welcome to PriusChat!

Perhaps take a look at our newly renovated KB section (Knowledge Base) and pick up some tips and tricks of the trade. Anything from EV mods, to matching the EPA mileage to turning off the reverse beep!

[richard schumacher]

Never let anyone put in more than 3.5 quarts of oil at a change. 3 is plenty. Always check the oil level yourself before you drive away.

When the last pip on the gas gauge starts to flash it means "buy at least 4 gallons of gas right now, dammit".

Always lock the car. If it gives a long beep it means you have left something open or on, which can kill the 12V battery right quick.

In Iowa you will never need to shift into "B".

[kh67]

Thanks for the responses, guys. There's so much to take in, but its so much fun doing it. I keep stumbling upon new little features and keep saying "wow" at just how smart this car is. I think I'm in love! LOL about Iowa. I totally agree!! My husband is so obsessed with "B" and its purpose and is having a hard time accepting my just-pretend-its-not-there attitude.

What a great group of people here and a wonderful web site!

[Husker4theSpurs]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kh67 @ Oct 2 2007, 02:25 PM) [snapback]520445[/snapback]</div>

I feel so proud to finally have the title of "Prius Owner." A few years ago DH and I test drove a Prius but came to the conclusion that it just wouldn't fit into our budget, and I spent the interim coveting every Prius I saw. We recently had been discussing upgrading our vehicles, and to be honest, a Prius never even remotely entered the conversation. Imagine me surprise, then, when on Friday my DH asked if I wanted to head to the Toyota dealership and take a look at their Prius stock!! Turns out they were closed (at 6:00 on a Friday night!) but we were able to peer into the windows of about 10 in-stock Prius. We quickly decided on the 2008 magnetic grey #3 package and made a plan to come back on Saturday. Cutting to the chase, we picked up the car yesterday, quite a shock for me, since a few years ago there was a waiting list just to order one!! Anyway, I'm finding myself trying to think of places to go just to take her out for a spin.

I've learned a lot from reading on the internet, the most important so far is to, under NO circumstance, overfill the tank. Short of sitting down and reading the manual cover to cover (which I might do anyway!) is there any other new owner advice? Anything you wish someone could have told you when you first bought your Prius?
[/b]

Can I ask where you picked it up in Iowa and what you paid?

[kh67]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Husker4theSpurs @ Oct 3 2007, 08:57 AM) [snapback]520555[/snapback]</div>

Can I ask where you picked it up in Iowa and what you paid?
[/b]

Toyota of Des Moines... www.toyotadm.com.

I think the sticker was something like $25,386 and they took off the $386. How generous. They were pretty generous with our trade in, though, so I guess that helped.

[toletiquesbysam]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Husker4theSpurs @ Oct 3 2007, 09:57 AM) [snapback]520555[/snapback]</div>

Can I ask where you picked it up in Iowa and what you paid?
[/b]

Husker4theSpurs-

We're in Nebraska also, and just bought our 2008 Seaside Pearl #2 in Columbus-Ernst Toyota. They were great to work with, Mike was the salesman and Rex is the manager and we dealt with both of them.
MSRP was $23,824 with some added extras (floor mats, sticker thing by the trunk) and we paid a little over $900 less.

So maybe if the Iowa option doesn't work for you, then you can stay a little closer to home in finding one!

[patsparks]

Congrats and welcome to the Prius owners club!

[kh67]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(kh67 @ Oct 3 2007, 09:17 AM) [snapback]520563[/snapback]</div>

Toyota of Des Moines... www.toyotadm.com.

I think the sticker was something like $25,386 and they took off the $386. How generous. They were pretty generous with our trade in, though, so I guess that helped.
[/b]

Of course, I should add that when we were there on Friday there were 3 or 4 magnetic grey Prius (what IS the plural of Prius???) and when we picked up the car on Monday, DH said that he didn't see any left. I just checked their website, and our car is still on there, verified by the VIN, and it shows it in stock and available, so you can't trust what they list. On the other hand, while we were there on Saturday, my daughter pointed out that a semi pulled in delivering cars and that there were some Prius on it. I did overhear, too, a salesman on the sales floor trying to talk a couple into buying a Prius instead of a Corolla, telling them that they had plenty of them in stock.