looking for new car. need help.

Take a look in the gen 1-2 forum, there are people well over 200k and some over 300k.

The 3rd and current gen nobody has gone over 100k because they just came out in 09.

We bought a 2010 in July 09 and have almost 44k miles on ours. Never been in for anything but normal service.

Cons...tough one...satellite reception sucks, thats about the worst thing.

 

I own a 2010 Prius II. Coming up to 35k miles since end December 2009.

Pros:
- excellent mileage (I got 53 in 2010's mild year and I'm somewhere in the 52's overall now, although I do hypermile. My wife doesn't. I think without hypermiling we'd be in the high 40s.). Summer trips loaded up, cruise on, A/C on, on the interstate yield 52-53mpg.
- engine-off motion is smooth and quiet
- hatchback gives a good cargo area.

OKs:
- reasonably quiet running engine on compared to other cars I've driven.
- no problem with starting in winter

Cons:
- Poor side and rear visibility (an unfortunate trend in modern cars due to thicker pillars for safety).
- stock tires aren't good in winter (I take it easy and I felt fine) so you may feel you'll have to have snow tires for winter.
- slightly low ground clearance (but I drove through snow on main roads OK, although I did have a wheel arch liner clip need replacing due to the battering it took last winter)
- Had some issues with the windshield icing inside overnight during winter , I think after I'd dragged snow in (the car isn't garaged).
- Not the quickest car to warm up in the cabin.
- My wife feels a bit cramped up front but she's above average height, with long legs.
- Center console: the bridge makes purse storage (wife, not me ) a bit of a pain.
- The engine works hard on steeper hills and that can make it a bit noisy
- Rear spoiler can interfere with the view of a car behind (we're fine for seeing the car, but it can hide the car lights so you can't see turn signals). For rear visibility you need to sit in the car, adjust the seats to fit you and see how it is.
- The rear window below the spoiler gets caked with dirt so if you need to use that you have to remember to wipe it clean before you drive.

To me the positives outweigh the negatives but my wife wouldn't buy another one as her commuter. The Prius is "different" to drive but I can't put that as a pro or con. Take a test drive and see what you think.

 

I have an 09 with 60,000 miles - the car has been trouble free - just oil changes every 5k and new tires at about 35k. So far I see myself buying another Prius when the time comes.

Another car that you might want to look at is the Honda Fit if you have misgivings about a hybrid - it gets good mileage, has a ton of interior room and is reasonably priced.

 

I agree about the thick pillars and visibility. Several times they have blocked my view of a pedestrian in an intersection. You really have to look around them. Rear visibility is also poor in a Prius. Everything else is excellent. I have two and intend to stick with Priuses in the future.

 

That's a reasonable suggestion. Unfortunately it's a bad time to be buying any efficient cars since the prices are high.

If they're OK with a hybrid and can buy smaller than a Prius the OP could also look at an Insight. With high mileage the return is pretty good. From my brief test drive I'd say it's a more natural drive than a Prius. The LX is several thousand less than a Prius and many people get Prius-like mileage. But the 1.3 might find it tougher on the hills than the Gen 3 Prius' 1.8 and there are questions over Honda's battery and CVT reliability.

If they don't need the hatch, then for economy they could look at the new Elantra. It's the current ICEV economy leader and should love Maine's 45-55 off I95/I295 driving.

 

The only person that I know that drives an Insight absolutely hates it. I mentioned a Fit because I have few friends that have them and everyone absolutely loves them. I agree that the new Elantra seems like a great car - slightly off topic, I think the new styling looks awesome on the Elantra, not so much on the other larger Hyundais.

 

what kind of car did you total and how many miles did it have?

 

Start your search here:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/29373-100-000-mile-club.html

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/57091-200-000-mile-club.html

I'm at 140,000 with no repairs.....

 

how much can you afford?

 

2006-2009 are basically the same car. Compared to earlier Gen2's the MFD (display) is high-res & the VSC is less touchy. The only "recalls" of significance are the inverter coolant pump & the HID headlights in the higher option packages.

My 2006 package 3 was the 2nd best car I ever had. My 2010 V-AT is better. My standard line is "If something happened to my Prius today I'd start shopping for a 2011 Prius tomorrow." It still holds even in this seller's market.