Hi everyone, I'm in the hunt for a new car, and was originally was going to buy a Toyota Camry LE, but after crunching some numbers, I discovered that the Prius was in the same price point. So now, I'm looking at a Prius. Right now, I'm thinking of getting the basic 2009 Prius. This will technically be the first car I will own (I have driven my parent's 2007 Toyota Matrix for a while, and while it is nice, I need my own car). I live in Vancouver, Canada, and from the basic feeling of all the dealers in my area, I can get a basic 2009 Prius for roughly $28,000 bucks after taxes and everything, as most dealers are willing to slash $2000 bucks off MSRP as they need to move inventory. Now, I am aware that the 2010's are rolling out right now; however, Toyota has yet to officially set Canadian prices nor have they begun delivery to any dealers up here (one dealer said he is getting his 2010's in June). However, I am aware of Toyota's prices for the 2010 model in the US, and it is being priced very competitively. Now, should I bite on the deal that is being offered ($2000 bucks Canadian off MSRP) for the basic 2009 Prius, or wait to be a early adopter of a 2010 Prius, with no significant discounting? Or should I just drive across the border and import a Prius into Canada?
Drive 'em both. 09 and 10. The 09 is better for shorter drivers, since the 10 sits a bit lower in the front (from Motor Trend test drive). Unsold 09s will probably be rebated soon. It's a tested design that's a winner. The 10 is just enough different to maybe have a growing pain or two.
If you can, hang off until the new Prius hits the showroom, the 2009s will be pushed out the door for great prices. Even better there will be a flood of used Prius hitting the market. You would likely save quite a bit by getting a 2007-8 used and you might get a higher spec level in the deal. Shop wisely and no one will even know it's a used car. My Prius is a 2004 which I bought 2 years ago and everyone thought I bought a brand new car. You can expect to get 15 to 20 years from Toyota so a car which is a year or 2 old for 30% less than new is a bargain, and it's recycling!
The problem is FINDING a used two to three year old Toyota Prius around here that isn't almost the same price as an equivalent brand new 2009... and the ones that are significantly discounted (20% or more) have heavy mileage on them (50k kilometres or more), or were damaged in an accident. The ones that are available are also out of town to the point where getting to where the vehicle is would require me to hop on a ferry somewhere far (not cheap, mind you), or fly in an airplane for an hour or more. There appears to be not much of a used car market for a Prius where I live, and I see Prius' at almost every corner around here.
Yeah we tend to hang onto ours haha. $2,000 is the second discount I've seen on the Prius (the last one was also $2,000 I believe). $28k is a good deal considering it's Out-The-Door pricing. The new one will be $26-$28k before taxes but you do get more standard equipment such as one-touch power windows, driver's door smart key system, an updated HSD and so forth. Just note that the current one has a bladder and I found that annoying. Livable but annoying. However, I prefer the current 15" design to the new one. I would recommend the Premium Package at the minimum as it includes VSC which is important and a higher resolution screen with backup camera (instead of the dated screen that I have on the 2005 model).
I've been reading the posts regarding the bladder; would you think it would be a total show stopper? And does the 2010 model have this bladder or has a regular fuel tank?
I'm betting there will be a flood of used Prius once the 2010 starts to make its way onto the road. More supply means lower prices. No bladder in the 2010, it uses other methods to control hydrocarbon emissions from the tank.
Yeah, I can afford to wait a month or so for the new 2010's to come out; I've already seen it during the Vancouver International Auto Show, but unfortunately, they didn't let anyone sit in it. I do sit very tall in the current car I drive (a 2007 Toyota Matrix), and I am around 5 ft 9". I know I can sit comfortably in the current 09's, so realistically, I should wait a bit to actually have a chance to test drive both in the same day, correct?
Should've joined PriusChat earlier lol. There was a Prius Event prior to the opening of the auto show and the Prius was unlocked. At 5'9", you'll be fine. The front seats are much better in the 2010 model. No, considering we've all been living with it for the past x years. It just changes in size with relation to the season. In the summer, the most I've pumped was 40 litres. In the winter, it can be anywhere between 27 and 33 litres as a "full" tank. The 2010 and all other Toyota/Lexus hybrids have no bladder. They fixed it fairly early so the next hybrid (2007 TCH) had no bladder and is still rated at AT-PZEV. The 2005 HiHy and 2005 RX400h have no bladder either but they're rated as SULEV.
IMO importing one from the USA may be more aggravation than its worth as it will need to be modified to meet your specs.
Alright, thanks. Now onto other questions, maintenance wise, is the Prius not too expensive to maintain, if you do some of the more basic work yourself? I've worked on a 2007 Toyota Matrix and it was fairly easy to work on plus parts were fairly cheap. Thanks.
Same engine as the Echo/Yaris. It's the 1NZ-FE 1.5 litre DOHC VVT-i engine. As I've said before, same maintenance schedule. However, for whatever reason, the schedule for the coolant is 60,000km (kinda defeats the purpose of having long-life coolant that lasts 160,000km. The dealer insists it's 60,000km and the manual says so too ).
Yes, new engine for 2010. If anything, the new engine will live an even easier life. Life is good if you are a Prius engine. Tom
mmhmm. It's the 2ZR-FE engine from the new Corolla and Matrix. However, it only has variable valve timing on the intake side unlike the Corolla/Matrix which has it on both intake and exhaust (dual VVT-i). In addition, the Prius' version is completely beltless.
