Thrilled Newbie in GA

Hello all!

Thank you for the informative site! I am glad to be a part of it!

On July 1, I became the proud owner of a new 2013 Prius 4 with the Winter Gray Metallic/Misty Gray color combo. I am elated with my decision.

For the last 10 years I have daily driven a 2004 Chevrolet Extended Cab that averaged around 16 mpg. I no longer needed the utility of the truck, but was still using it for constant 20 mile one-way commutes.

After driving my father's brand new Prius 5 (bought in May), I spent 3 weeks looking at Prii. My focus was on the 2010 Prius because I wanted a GEN 3. I looked first in the $13,000 - $14000 range. I was willing to accept cosmetic issues for value. Ultimately I decided that I needed to spend a little more to get some peace of mind about the long-term value. I decided to move to the $18,000-$20,000 range. The day after I decided I would the pay premium for a low-mile used Prius, a Toyota salesperson called me about a great sale that was running. Two days later, I found the one! With the amount of miles I drive I'm saving around $150 a month at current gas prices!($3.30/gal)

This car is everything I had hoped it to be and more!

My only complaint (and I know it's shared) is that LED headlights are not available unless you get the 5!!!!

 

Good question. I paid the current advertised selling price. With dealer options of window tint, Toyocare, and floormats/hatchmat, I paid $25,500. Much more than I intended to spend, but I got the one I wanted! Also, the new Prius 2 is available for $20, 988. Both of these prices are $4300 - $4500 off of MSRP! If you compare the value of used Prii to a new at this price point, this deal was awesome IMO.

Toyota sales have been very soft the last 6 months or so due to various factors. I felt urgency to buy now because gas prices are so low. If the demand increases, so will the price. They want to move these cars before 2014's come out!!

 

TO Braddles.au (Sorry when I tried to reply to you it wouldn't let me post your portion of the content due to a "sneaky URL" that I couldn't find......)


Thank you for your advice. I will investigate the "reach" variable of my headlights against a Prius 5. Hopefully, this will alleviate any unnecessary angst towards my purchase. I do not have access to HID's for comparison. Do you think there is a tangible benefit in upgrading to HID's? I've read about them on these forums and have decided I want them. On high beam my car has plenty of light for me. Although, I really enjoy the whiteness of the light on the LED's.

I will look into Fuelly as I have read many users recommendations of it.

I did trade the truck in. They gave me much more than it was worth and I had no use for it. I drove her 167,000 trouble free miles and got out ahead. Ahead other than $12,000+ of wasted gas money over 10 years, compared to a Prius.

Thank you again.