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Greets from The Netherlands

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Melchior, May 22, 2015.

  1. Melchior

    Melchior Junior Member

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    Hi everyone,

    Some months ago I joined up here because I had been looking to replace my aging mk3 Golf and stumbled across a Gen 1 for sale nearby with a suspected faulty HV battery. I posted this thread, asking for advise and eventually realised it wasn't a good idea.

    "Defective" 2001 Prius for sale, should I...?! | PriusChat

    Unfortunately I'm a car guy and the Golf just wasn't doing it for me. It needed lots of little jobs doing and it would only ever be a €500 car, no matter how nice I made it. It has zero mod-cons except power steering and fuel injection. So I trooped on with it, obsessively looking for something to replace it. Seeing that Gen 1 got me curious about the Prius so I started to consider a Gen 2. But a 'car guy' cannot own a Prius. They are for tree huggers, celebs who want to appear "green" or people who just don't care about cars or driving.

    But the more and more I thought about it, the more cars I looked at, the more I was interested in the Prius. After signing up to this forum, it was clear there is some incredible support and knowledge here I started to realise that the Prius is actually a very interesting and, dare I say, special car. Not only that, but it has 5 doors, nice modern stuff like remote locking, electric windows, no gears to shift. To my surprise, I got quite serious about actually buying one and went to look at a couple.

    Long-ish story short, yesterday I bought my first 21st century car, my first hyrid, my first Prius. It's a 2007 "Comfort" (I believe this is an NL spec level - the post 2006 base model) in white with what I think are the "Touring" wheels. It has 206,000km on the clock and I paid €5300 from a private seller. First impressions are very good - it is quiet, very easy to drive and feels well built. I don't sense any issues with the hybrid battery or drivetrain (but there are zero hills in this country and the climate is very moderate so all that stuff gets a pretty easy life).

    I plan to give it a service myself soon, starting with oil/filter and transmission fluid.

    Photos to follow, simply haven't had time yet. Just imagine a white Gen 2 with Touring wheels, it looks like that :)

    Greetz,
    M
     
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  2. Britprius

    Britprius Senior Member

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    Congratulations. There will be no looking back now.
    All the European gen2 come with 16 inch wheels "the same as the US touring". You are going to love the mpg figures, but do not worry about this at first, get used to the car. However do not baby it to return good figures rather accelerate briskly up to speed take your foot off the accelerator and re apply just enough to maintain speed. You will soon get into the habit.
    Again welcome to the 21 st century.

    John
     
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  3. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Welcome.

    The funny thing is, that I think that statement is a rather common stereotype of Prius owners. As well as a stereotype of a "Car Guy". I would say neither is true, but both are not necessarily totally untrue.

    I consider myself a "Car Guy" from the standpoint that I love cars, and I enjoy driving. I hang around Prius Chat as much for The Prius "Chat" as I do for news about Toyota, other vehicles and the entire industry. If it's a big enough story it will make it's way to this forum.
    Even if I'm not in the market for a vehicle personally, I still enjoy going to Auto Shows. Checking out all vehicles.

    Some of the stereotypes of Prius owners DO exist. It's been my impression that a certain percentage of Prius Owners are people that are much more comfortable with bicycles, public transportation or even walking, and The Prius becomes their vehicle of choice, in part because as you say, they really don't like cars or driving.

    But this is far from the majority. I don't really even try to ascertain all the individual reasons people buy a Prius. If there is one unifying factor it admittedly has to be efficiency. But that might be the reason someone buys a Prius but the reasons they keep a Prius? Very, very diverse.

    I doubt that a Prius or even perhaps a Hybrid or Electric vehicle will always be my choice of future vehicles until I die. At some point I might join the world wide majority of ICE driving heathens once again. ( Prius Chat Sacrilege?)

    But as you have discovered, owning a Prius is IMO nothing anyone, even a "Car Guy" need to apologize for. You get all the efficiency benefits of Hybrid Synergy Drive in a very utilizable package. Surely being a hybrid still makes it a "different" and specific type of vehicle. BUT The Prius is still a car, and one I think anyone can enjoy for a variety of reasons.

    Sometimes I enjoy Prius ownership because OF the differences. Sometimes I enjoy owning a Prius because of how much it simply is a great vehicle.
     
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  4. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    Glad to hear from the neather-world
    the 'comfort' model - a term the lion's share of PC members (being in the U.S.) don't comprehend. But I like the term ... although for many, the Prius seats are not recognized for comfort
    ;)
    now ... mileage? yes ... THAT's what Prius has over the rest.
    Welcome!
     
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  5. WilDavis

    WilDavis Senior Member

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    Hey, welcome to the 21st. Century! You'll love your Gen II, I won't repeat all the stories of how I ended up with the ChuggyPig, but I really love this car, and have almost reached the point of affection I had for my previous Corolla (white, with 292,000 miles on odometer before it failed state inspection (corroded rocker-panels)), and you'll really love the gas-sipping fuel-consumption. BTW: "Touring" = 16" rims (with 7-spokes, easy to spot from a distance). Congratulations on your Prius, you'll love it, and you've come to the right place for all things Prius! - Wil
     
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  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Welcome aboard!
     
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  7. Melchior

    Melchior Junior Member

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    John - thanks for the congrats and tips. The technique you mention is already becoming second nature, the car will cruise at anywhere between 50 and around 65 km/h on electric only for quite a long way which I find amazing. It is lovely to only hear tyre and wind noise whilst maintaining a constant speed and to do a chunk of your journey without using any petrol. Talking of noises, I love hearing all the clicks and whirrs this thing makes as you start it, speed up and slow down around town. Coming from 15 years of driving conventional cars, I really feel like I'm in a bit of a sci fi car.

    Me too. Being a car guy doesn't mean you HAVE to love 500 bhp supercharged V8's. It means you probably do, but IMO it is a blinkered and narrow minded car guy who dismisses other tech, especially modern stuff. It is possible to appreciate and enjoy the new engineering. Doing so does not mean you have to ignore what came before.

    Indeed. Under normal operating range, I am an easy going and (I like to think) open minded person. But I have a weird stubborn streak and this causes me to choose unusual cars - perhaps it's a bit of a middle finger to people who cry "Don't buy one of those, get a /boringmobile/ instead just like everyone else!". I went through a long period in my late teens and 20's of driving Rovers (stereotype: boring grandad cars), had a brief play with a Citroen BX (stereotype: French, falls apart, crazy hard to fix suspension) and now the Prius after driving a 24-ish year old shed of a Golf (Why are you driving this crap old car when you could afford something much 'nicer'?").

    I've seen lots of stuff online about how these cars are uncomfortable but I haven't experienced that yet. A lot of that depends on what folk are used to - my standards are low!!

    Thanks - it seems like a good century so far. This is the newest car I've ever owned, the next along was a 1998 Rover 600 back in 2008. Like you, I've had lots of affection for some of my previous cars and have good memories of most of them, I hope the Prius goes that way too, although it will be for different reasons.

    Thank you sir/madam! :)

    First impressions of this car are pretty good. It isn't perfect but is 8 years old and has a decent chunk of milage/kilometerage (?) under its belt so I was never expecting perfection. Having to settle for a Comfort instead of a Tech or Business edition was a bit annoying (no MP3/WMA player, no smart key etc) but for a Business version I'd have needed a couple more thousand €.

    It is going to need a service - records are sketchy. To do:

    - change engine oil and filter
    - change transmission fluid
    - inspect water pump belt and change if necessary
    - source set of wheels with summer tyres (currently it is fitted with winters and I don't want to wear them out)

    Done already:
    - purchase something to play MP3 files. €7 on the Dutch ebay/craigslist equivalent got me an FM modulator with line input and USB socket. Gave it a try this morning and it works great.
    - slow leak of pressure from right front tyre fixed at local garage. Seller did inform me about it so it wasn't a surprise. He said he had to keep topping it up since months. The garage resealed the tyre and charged me nothing! Why the PO didn't do this is a mystery.

    I'd like to start a thread on here to document servicing and general ownership experiences. Where is the best place to do that, the Gen 2 Main forum?
     
    #7 Melchior, May 27, 2015
    Last edited: May 27, 2015
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  8. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Greetings.
    Welcome!
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best!(y)