Prius Enthusiasts, I am about to embark on my first car purchase and have decided on a Toyota Prius. With a new car comes many questions... I am now trying to decide if I should purchase a new or used Prius. My first question; What is the difference (cosmetically) between a 2006 Prius and a 2009? If they're exactly the same, wouldn't it financially make sense to purchase a 2006? With that said, what is the difference (cosmetically) between a 2004 and 2006 Prius? I have also heard that Toyota only warrantees the Prius' hybrid drive for 150,000 miles. So it wouldn't make very much sense to get a Prius with 100,000 miles on it because it would be very expensive to replace the hybrid drive technology if something happened to it after the 150,000 miles, right? I have a Toyota Camry that has over 200,000 miles and it's still kicking and was wondering if a Prius would do the same. I sure hope all of that makes sense, why can't there be a 800 number to call and ask any and all questions about Toyota Prius'? One more thing: Did they not make the magnetic dark gray for the 2004 and 2005 model years? Thank you, Josh
The cosmetic differences '04-'09 are minimal and subtle. Mostly trim/accent and really shouldn't be a determinant in your buying choice. While there's some risk in buying a higher mileage car you can expect at least 180k miles out of a Prius...if not many more. IOW, if you can get a great deal on an '05 w/80k I'd be comfortable in taking that over an '08 with just 20k that isn't as good a bargain. The battery is designed to last the life of the vehicle. The warranty in all but California emissons states is 8yr/100k miles on the hybrid components. There were multiple color changes made, mag gray is newer and wasn't available in the '04/5.
None. 2006 was when the Prius received its midlife update. It would make financial sense to purchase and 04 or 05 too. You'd just lose a backup camera and factory leather option (among other minor things). But yeah I agree a 2006 model is a good year to start. The hybrid warranty is up to 100,000 miles. It's 150,000 miles only in States that adopt the CA standard. I wouldn't be too worried. Taxis do 70-100,000 miles a year and the oldest one is a 2001. If they can survive the rigours of being a taxi, they'll survive your private ownership. hybridexperience.com - Reliability Here's a copy of a 2001 Prius taxi maintenance records http://hybridexperience.com/documents/scan.pdf Oh and the following colours were discontinued in 2006 - Tideland Pearl - Millennium Silver Metallic - Salsa Red Pearl The following were added in 2006 - Magnetic Grey Pearl - Silver Pine Mica - Classic Silver Metallic - Barcelona Red Spectra Blue Mica was added in 2008. See the Knowledge Base forum for information on the different years.
There were a couple bugs in the 2004 Prius, that were fixed midyear 2005. Personally, I would buy late 2005 or newer.
The 2004 bugs have to do with firmware updates to the engine and hybrid vehicle ECUs, which were made available via "recall" notices. The multifunction display is known for being unreliable and can be quite costly to replace. Fortunately mine was replaced under warranty. MFD problems are most likely to effect 2004-2005, but owners of later model years have occasionally reported similar issues.
