Some Questions from a potential buyer.

I am looking at a purchase of a 2009 prius but have some questions I haven't been able to get satisfactory answers for, at least not clear to me....

I own a Volvo 240 DL with 159,000 mile on it and will probably run for another 5 years or so but some things are starting to go like the AC.
Otherwise the car runs great!

I like what I am seeing so far about the Prius but have some nagging questions that concern me.

So here they are:

I would greatly appreciate some info to clear this up.

1. I've been reading about the Prius having issues in snow and being outright dangerous with snow or ice on the ground. (Traction device issue?)

2. Short shelf life for a Prius? My Volvo is going on 20 years and lots of life still and I don't want to get a car with 100,000 mile life expectancy.

3. Do you you need to plug the battery into the AC at night or not to recharge?

4. Slow on Hills can't mangage inclines very well.

5. Does the Touring model really worth it for stability?

thanks very much!!

Jim

I can only speak to a couple of these points but:

1. I live in the Chicago area. If it can handle the weather here (and it does) you should have no trouble in VA.

2. You do NOT plug it in--ever! (unless you install an engine block heater)

3. Check out the people in the 100,000 miles club. At Hybridest there was an owner who lost his Prius to an accident--after 349,000 miles.

4. No trouble with hills or inclines that I have encountered.

1. I've been reading about the Prius having issues in snow and being outright dangerous with snow or ice on the ground. (Traction device issue?)

Use snow tires. I don't live in the snow. but plenty of Priuschatters do and they just put on snow tires. (Isn't that what you're supposed to do in the snow?)

2. Short shelf life for a Prius? My Volvo is going on 20 years and lots of life still and I don't want to get a car with 100,000 mile life expectancy.

There are Prius Taxis that have over 250,000 miles. I don't know where you live but in California the hybrid system is warranteed for 10 years, 100,000 miles (Or is it 150,000?) There is no "short life span" for the Prius. That's anti-hybrid hype.

3. Do you you need to plug the battery into the AC at night or not to recharge?

No. The Prius is not a plug in. It recharges through regenerative braking, coasting and using any excess power the engine produces.

4. Slow on Hills can't manage inclines very well.

Nope. In fact the electric motor has plenty of torque. And if necessary both the motor and the engine can work together. No problem with hills or inclines.

5. Does the Touring model really worth it for stability?

Matter of opinion. I have a BT plate on my regular 2005 Prius and find it handles fine. If I owned a Touring, I'd probably go ahead and put a BT plate on that too. Some people don't bother/don't see the difference. Some have installed even more after market bracing.

I suggest you test drive the car.

I owned a 240DL, and if you still have A/C at all, in my opinion you're way ahead of the game. I finally ditched mine at about 80K because I had replaced every A/C part several times. Speaking of A/C, in the Prius, I just love sitting in the parking lot at Sonic with A/C blasting, and the gas engine only kicks on for a few seconds, then with long spans of quiet - zero gas used. Many of PC's hypermilers may think that I'm a petrol monger - sitting still in air conditioned comfort at Sonic. By crappies, that's the reason that I bought the car, so that I can have such luxuries! The car has great A/C. Most models (certainly the Touring) have stability control, meaning that the tires will not spin - a great feature in snow driving - but can't really speak from experience. The Touring in worth it if you can find one - wider tires, plus stiffer suspension means shorter stopping distances - But ANY Prius is absolutely heavenly - I love driving mine. You can't go wrong.

Earlier models had a very protective traction control system that wouldn't allow any wheelspin but that's been fixed. At least that's my undertanding. A 2009 should be fine in VA snow - I'm planning to just use the stock tires in PA.

My AC died for good. the cost would be $1600.00 for the conversion to the new AC system.

No AC in VA/D.C. = not good!

appreciate all the comments

It's true, you just can't kill those 240 DL's!

(Looking for a good prius dealer in FairFax VA for quote)

A lot of what you hear about the Prius is total BS. If any of those things were true, the Prius would not have the highest owner satisfaction rating in Consumer Reports (April 2008). I've gone through one winter with my Prius and it did just fine in the snow.

If you are accustomed to driving into snow drifts and digging yourself out by spinning the wheels, forget about it; that doesn't work with a Prius no matter what kind of tires you have. Snow tires are better than the stock tires in snow but fuel economy will be reduced.

Otherwise it's all good.

In Ohio (Cleveland Lake effect area) we get plenty of snow. Didn't have any problems until the stock tires had about 24,000 miles (even though they had tread left on them.)
The OEM Integrities are horrible tires when it comes to dealing with severe weather.

If you take care of your cars (apparently you do) There is no reason why you should expect to get less then the typical life from it then any other non-hybrid car. In fact I am expecting mine to last even longer. (gas engine doesn't run as often, electric motors are more reliable, some parts that commonly fail in a lot of cars don't exist in the Prius no starter, no alternator) The traction battery should easily last 200,000 miles (in the CARB states it is warranted for 10 years and 150,000 miles) and 7 or 8 years / 100,000 miles everywhere else.

You can't kill them, but they will slowly bleed you to death. (Says the former owner of a '79 244 with 250k miles on it).

I would think you would find the Prius a big improvement in the snow (Says the guy who drove the RWD 244 in ME, MA, and NY).

Priuses are in short supply, but if you can hang in there the '09s should start arriving in Aug, after which things should improve greatly. If you have to have it now, they are out there and you can even get one at MSRP but it may take a lot of searching.

Rob

jimvictor

Try Warrenton Toyota, right on 29 in Warrenton, VA. New facility, great staff, so far. Bit of a drive down 29 S but, I think you will find that it is worth it.

Here is my story. Stopped in at Chantilly Toyota and Manassas Toyota dealerships and I was told 3-6 mo wait. The guy at Chantilly Toyota blew me off. Warrenton Toyota had not opened yet (opened about a month ago). Begining of July, I stopped in at Warrenton Toyota and talked to a sales guy named Mike Kelly, nice guy, the owner was there and was hands on since it just recently opened. I mentioned to him that I was interested in a Prius and they also said about a 3 mo wait. So, he took my name down and my cell, I didnt leave a deposit or anything, since I was still deciding on color and package. About 2 weeks ago, he calls me and leaves a message saying that they have a Prius that came available. By this time I decided on #2 in Mag. Gray. Well by the time I called him a couple of hours later, it was gone. So, again, I did not put down a deposit. Last night, out of the blue, he calls me up and says that they were just alloted 3 '08's, whicn should arrive mid August. One was sold, a #2 Pine Mica and a #2 Mag. Gray and if I was interested. Well, heck yea, My #1 choice, I'll be right down. Then I stopped and asked, what am I going to pay for it? he said MSRP $24,439. Well, I was there in 20 minutes. Gave them a depo of $500 got a buyers order and got the last 8 digits of VIN. He didnt have the first few????. Again, the owner was there and he came by and said it was on a ship and should arrive Mid Aug. I guess I was lucky to get one so quick and didnt have to be on a wait list.

As far as the facility, it is impressive, not to big, but new and nice. Everyone is very nice and they are eager for Customers since it is a new facility. They are trying to draw the Haymarket, Gainesville crowd, since the nearest Toyota is in Manassas.

Give them a call or just go for a drive, I dont know if you are interested in an '08 Pine Mica, the salesman said to let people know that they have it. Now, this was last night.

The guys name is Mike Kelly. I showed the owner this Forum site and he was impressed.

The last several digits are the ones that matter. The other digits will designate the manufacturer, engine, etc and all Prius' will be the same.

How do you know how much you're paying? Did they give you an out the door price quote breaking down all fees? Reason I ask is that a lot of dealers are surprising people who go in in to pay for their supposed MSRP Prius's only to find out that they've had a number of *extra* fees added for things like:

Customer Service Fee
Delivery fee above the $720 fee already baked in to MSRP thereby tricking buyers into paying it twice.
Pre-delivery inspection fee.
Protection packages(rust, 3m bra, paint protection, etc) which are all scams and don't actually add anything except a lot of money.

Often, these extra fees add to $3 or $4 thousand extra.

This is why you should always get an out the door price quote. If they don't want to do it, tell them that you're financing it at your credit union and they need the total final price now. This way it isn't an issue of you not trusting them but rather a financial necessity in order to acquire the funds.

A Prius drives just like any other car. You really don't have to worry about lasting 100,000 miles. The car has the best customer with loyalty and gets high ratings on reliability.

I drove mine in a couple of blizzards last year, and it was just fine. One thing though, my driveway has a slope, and I could not drive the Prius uphill with snow on the driveway. I had to shovel first.

Without snow, the Prius handles hills just fine.

Unfortunately, there is no way to plug it in.

Thanks for all the great responses!

Sorka,

Walked out with a signed buyers order which shows $24,436 as "Total for Vehicle, then + 3% VA tax, + $58.75 tags, $300 process fee.

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The 2009 is going to be the same as the 2008 and not be a plug in.
It is the 2010 that is going to be plug in. The cost savings with the 2010 will be incredible because as long as your battery is charged you won't be using as much gas to charge the battery.

Going up hill there is enough torque but you won't be winning any races. Prius drivers are not usually in it for winning races. The real satisfaction comes from going down hill. You watch your gas engine shut off and your car is now generating energy (battery power) from your down hill momentum. While driving on the highway or freeway down hill, your MPG meter goes off the chart to 99.9 mpg! That always gives me a lift. "Hey, I'm creating more energy than I'm expending!"