Info on European/Uk GenII?

I posted a similar threat in the newbie side, so sorry for x-posting.

1. Is it possible to get the 07 or 08 European brochures anywhere?
I've searched, but no luck so far.

2. What are the configurations of the base 07/08 models and what are considered the best options?

To be clear, I currently live in Belgium - and it's not really obvious to me what was "standard" and what came as options. Most of the car adverts list basic features (like "automatic") along with "real" options.

For instance, the rear-view camera and/or reversing sensors - standard or options? The only thing I see that I really want at the moment are Navigation and rear sensors - but are there other cool toys I should look for?

That's it really. I've never driven a Prius (looks fun tho), but I need a 2nd car by mid-May and given I only drive 28km per day in stop/start traffic (avg 18km/h!) I've had enough with constant clutch/break driving .

I don't want to go for a new Prius as I reckon that I'll buy one of the new breed of Hybrids in about 18 months e.g Peugeot 3008 .

Thx all!

 

Ah, I didn't realise the ge2 and gen3 were so similar. I just assumed a lot of changes.

To be 100% clear - I'm looking to buy a 2007 or 2008 Prius in the next few weeks,and I'm struggling to find definitive info on what came as standard versus what were options.

Possibly in 18 months I'll buy a new Hybrid car - whether it be Prius, Peugeot, VW, Opel or whatever.

(oh, and I'm Scots - been to York many many times!)

 

Thanks GrumpyCabbie, the Parkers led me along the right lines. I now have a much better idea what's what. I've seen a late 2008 'Sol' with leather + nav and lowish mileage. All I need to do is get the price down...

 

Hi all,

I went for the Nov 2008 Prius I talked about. He didn't budge much on price, and the car is definitely not in showroom condition (pebble rash on the bonnet, some scratches around the boot area/door edges + a noticeable dent just above the offside rear passenger door!)

Still, I really like the dark metallic paint and leather interior. It seems to have every option that was available - Nav, parking sensors, bluetooth, JBL 6 CD audio - no rear camera as it doesn't seem to be a Belgian option - and is low kilometers etc. If I was spoilt for time and choice, I'd wait until one with real showroom exterior came along - but hey ho. My wife - a card carrying Prius hater - seemed mildly relieved by the colour scheme at least. Plus with young kids, the leather is infinitely more practical than light coloured velour...

I'll hopefully have the insurance + plates ready by this weekend, so I can take it home! I'm obviously looking for an English Owners Manual to download. It seems like this isn't freely available??!!

 

Brussels is particularly bad. In some areas up to 30% of cars don't have insurance. Weekend nights a significant minority of drivers are drunk (and I don't mean 1 small beer - think at least 1 bottle of wine). You always have muppets who think it's their right to "bumper park" - I've seen cars bounced 1 meter. Then there's the cobbled streets, illegally high sleeping policemen and massive random and semi-permanent elephant sized potholes.

Thankfully I live in the country, and having parking close to work - but there is no point in having a "showroom condition" car in this city.

I'm sure my son will be breaking his neck to keep an eye on the display! I even think the missus will cave in at some point - although probably not if we ever try to get the 2 pushchairs in the boot (ahem!)

 

I got the Prius at the weekend. Finally. One month after saying yes at the garage.

"Totally Belgian" as they said in HitchHikers Guide to the Galaxy movie. Bureaucracy in this country is stupendously stupid. Hey ho. Mostly done now - the main thing is I have the car!

My missus says the car is even uglier than she had imagined. She's christened the car Betty - as in Ugly Betty from the TV series. Hey ho. Our friends, who came over for a BBQ at the weekend, think it's a lovely car. The husband loved the toys

My first driving impressions:
It was very strange driving the car on the motorway. I assumed the auto box would react like other autos, basically going up the revs along with speed. When I had to floor it, like joining fast traffic from 60 to traffic doing around 120kmh, the engine would run at what felt like full revs until I stopped accelerating and reached the cruising speed.

The cruise control worked as I expected. Thing is, for me this car will be a city run-around, so that feature is a bit of a waste! It was surprisingly easy to float up and be in Gatso-fodder speeds.I wasn't expecting that with a heavy 1500cc 5-door hatch.

Visibility out of the back - yeah, it sucks. As does 'boot space' - ahem. I knew about these before I decided on the car anyway - so no biggie.

The strangest thing at the beginning was the steering wheel alignment. As an ex car enthusiast who used to be able to swap an engine in less than an hour - there seemed something very wrong with the steering wheel alignment. It felt off-centre to the right. I'll still get the front wheel alignment checked, but I think it's just an optical effect of the sloping dash facia. Kinda odd that my brain still thinks like that, given it's at least 10 years since I last rebuilt a car...

So far the car has met my expectations - including the spousal loathing!

Tomorrow is my first test in rush-hour snail traffic.First time I can honestly say I am looking forward to it!

The only mod I see me doing is something for the iPhone. Bluetooth is good, along with Aux in - but I'm too used to integrated ipod control....what a demanding old fart I've become!

Final thought. I just wish I could hit 55 or 60 kmh on electric.