Buy a 2009 now or wait for 2010???

Hi everyone. I have been considering buying a Prius for a while and my husband and I have finally made the decision to go for it.

I drive a Ford Freestyle right now and it's actually been a pretty decent car for hauling around a bunch of kids (it seats 7 comfortably with the third row). It gets 20 - 24 MPG on average, and I put a LOT of miles on my car.

Before that I had an Expedition, because I was towing a horse trailer around a lot. Even though I hated the mileage, it served the purpose of carrying kids and towing horses. But when I quit towing all the time, I went to the '05 Freestyle. Now I'm finding I hardly ever have to carry more than four passengers, so I'm ready to get rid of the Freestyle. A lot of background, I know.

I have a couple questions for you veterans. With all the talk about the 2010 coming out and being so great, should we consider waiting for it? I feel some urgency to sell the Freestyle soon because it's at 60,000 miles and still runs great so it's actually still worth something. I got a quote for a package 3 Prius with leather seats added on for $25.5K, which sounds pretty darned good and is a better deal than any of the comparable used models that we have here locally. (South Florida).

My second question is about the JBL sound system. My one big complaint (other than the mileage) on the Freestyle is it has a pretty mediocre sound system. We are a family of musicians and high quality sound is very important to us. Is the JBL that comes in package 3 really a good system?

I've driven in my friend's Prius with the JBL and it sounded pretty good, but I'm wondering what other musicphiles out there think who have been living with it for a while.

Thanks and I hope to be reporting back soon that I'm driving my very own Prius!

Lauren

I would wait for 2010. Even if it cost few grand more to buy it will worth 3-4 grand more in 5 years from now in comperasing to the outgoing 2009 model, plus if you consider fuel saving over 5 year of ownership it makes even more sense to wait. 2010 Should start arriving this May.

I have a package 3 Touring which I paid 24 for in the summer of 2007. I do not have leather seats however.

That price seems ok to me not great though.

My advice would be if you want to spend less then 25 buy now. Otherwise your going to be spending 28+ when taxes are included. I know for me thats a huge jump seeing as 25 was the top of my price range.

As for the JBL, im not terribly impressed by it. I'm not a huge stereo guy and from the one time I compared it with my friends base package there was not much of a difference. The only reason I like it is because it comes with the 6 disc changer which is huge.

I also don't like how much bigger the 2010 is so I'd go for the 09 if I were you.

Thanks to both of you for the feedback!

I will pay quite a bit more for the 2010, but will also lose more on my Freestyle so I'll really have to think about it. I didn't know the 2010 is bigger. Hmmm.

Also disappointed to hear you are not impressed with the JBL. I may be better off without it and just upgrading to a custom unit after purchase. Will have to research that some more.

Thanks again!

L

If your a person who likes to have the best I'd get a 2010. If you get a 2009 you may find yourself regretting the shortcut in the long term. This is my way of thinking anyway.
5 years from now you will still have a current shape, with the 2009 you will have a 10+ year old shape. You will have had the benefit of 5 years more advanced technology, 5 years of quieter ride and 5 years of 7% fuel savings, then you get back the little extra you paid when you trade for a new Prius.
If you like better sound why not start by reducing the background noise? The 2010 is supposed to be quieter so you get to enjoy the music. If you want better sound then a speaker upgrade has been done with success on quite a few members cars, I have no doubt the 2010 will respond positively to this also. Sorry I am not a musicphile so not really qualified to answer.

Patsparks,
Wow, you really make a great case for the 2010.

Right now the 09's are already being discounted, and by the time the 2010's come in, the discount will be deeper. I expect the panic for the 2010's to be something like the new iPhone, which was crazy. So the spread between them could easily be $5k or more.

Still, as you say, it may be worth it to wait and see how much the 10 really is better than the 09.

I test drove an 09 yesterday and it was such fun. I thought the sound system was fairly good, not great. I think I could live with it with some upgrades.

My dealer has about 50 in stock right now so I think we have some time to think about it. Now that we've decided, we're itching, but we'll just have to try to remain patient!

L

Pat makes a good case, so I'll play devil's advocate and ask, How brave are you? New and substantially redesigned models always have some problems, whereas after five years the 2009 has been thoroughly debugged (well, it still has that fuel tank bladder, which you may or may not consider a deal-killing annoyance). As the happy owner of a 2004 I would not get a 2010; I would either get a 2009 or wait until 2011 or later. With so many 2009s in stock you should be able to get an excellent price for one.

Both Pat and Richard make an excellent case for the two options. Ultimately it is your choice as to which you prefer - what is the best fit for you. Waiting a couple of months until the 2010 is released should not be a major factor if it is the 2010 that you ultimately prefer. I agree the 2009 will probably have some great deals ... in this economy + lots of inventory + 2010 just around the corner.

Either way you should be happy with which ever you choose. Good luck,

I don't expect a surge in demand for any auto in the next 3-6 months as I don't see any improvement in the economy. Take a good look at the spec sheet for the 2010. The MFD is replaced by monochrome graphics at the base of the windshield. If you want the camera you'll have to buy the Nav. The map pockets in the doors are history. The door locks are different.

Right now there aren't any public numbers on the 2010 so the price & performance are speculation. If you need/want any of the new features then wait for the '10. If not, it's a crapshoot. Do you want to pay 10% more for a 10% FE improvement?

this is a great point. not just for the plus of music. I find myself wishing my prius was a bit quieter

then again i wouldnt pay to make it quieter.

the regret of not getting the new model might set in in a couple years too like prev poster mentioned. think about how this will happen anyway when the plug in comes out which will be in less time it took to go gen 2 to gen 3.

either way youll end up feeling it

Hmmmm, the original poster's info already says 2009 package 5 ... must have bought already.

Here's my take on the 09 , 10 dilemma ...

I like some hill climbing power in a car, and I just do not like flooring an accelerator to get it. We have a very steep hill up to Cal State EB. Given medium gas pedal, my 09 Prius is just not fast getting up the hill.

I can tell when a car is working pretty hard to get up a steep hill, and the Prius is working mighty hard going up this hill.

I'd take that extra 24 HP of the 2010 any day for this situation.

The new adjustment features of the seat and steering wheel will really help out the 2010 car.

the new looks and improved rear seat headroom also make it better.

As for buying, I wouldn't attempt it before January 2010. It may be a high demand situation this Summer for the 10 with high prices like Summer of 2008. It's a good looking car, it's new and I think a lot of people will be trying to get one.

REASON #1

REASON #2

FWIW, these are my top two reasons for not getting the '09 right now and, instead, waiting for the '10.

On a 2009 Prius I can upgrade the stereo, I can add leather surfaces, heck, I can even put on 17'' wheels, but what I can't do (easily, cost-effectively or perhaps at all) is add 24 more horsepower or multi-adjusting seats and steering wheel.

It hasn't been easy for me to wait, especially after seeing 6.3 MPG on my commute this morning from my current SUV, but wait I will...bad mileage, big payments and all.

The first question should always be, "what am I trying to accomplish?" Minimize total expenses? Minimize carbon footprint? Maximize reliability? Get the latest cool thing? Each of these can lead to a different answer.

I deliberated with myself for a few weeks on buying a 2009 Prius now or a 2010 later. I loved the idea of the 2010, especially the increased HP and mpg, no bladder tank, adjustable seat, newest technology. I purchaced a 2009 Prius for several reasons, some of which are:
1. I just liked the look of the 2009 more than the 2010 - strange but true. Perhaps it is because I could only see pics of the 2010. The look of the 2010 may grow on me when I see them driving around this fall.
2. The price was right for the 2009, but near my budget limit. I think the 2010 will definetly cost more when it first comes out.
3. I was a bit worried about first year bugs in the 2010.
4. My 1997 Dodge Caravan (only ~ 21 mpg, but great for toting surfboards, bikes, etc.) was finally dying.
5. What I really wanted to buy, and held out for as long as I could, is a plug version. See reason #4 for why I could not wait it out.

So far I am very happy with my new car and my decision. My 2009 will definetly get me happily through the time until the plug-ins are available and reasonably priced.

Whichever way you should decide to go, 09 or 10, I would highly recommend to avoid buying during a peak demand and price season (definitely not peak demand now for the 2009).

The 2009's prices and resale values have dropped a lot from only 6 to 9 months ago - dropped about $3,000 for all packages.

Last Summer, anything under $20,000 for a used Prius was salvaged title only, even back to 2005.

Now, under $20k for a used clean title Prius is not hard to find. See craigslist.org

For anyone still following this thread (unlikely), we went ahead and sprung for an 09 package 6 in Seaside Blue and I just love it.

We just got a price we couldn't pass up and they gave me a decent price on my trade too. I figure I would have spent 5K more on the new 2010. Our teenage daughter really helped to convince me when she said she wished she had waited to get an iPhone until after the first year (that was her big Christmas present the first year it was out). The 09 model has been around for a while and I'm very happy to be driving it NOW.

Thanks to all who posted advice. I researched this forum a lot before taking the plunge and I'm thrilled to have this resource.

Will post a picture today.

Woo-hoo!