16 years old with a 2009 Prius

You say yours will be a 2009 Prius. This in the US this would be a gen2 1500 cc and does not have the EV switch or the power mode switch for eco and power. An EV switch is fitted in European gen2's, but the power mode switch is only fitted in the gen3 1800 cc models known as the 2010 version in the US. So do you know the model you are having.
You are also asking your questions in the gen2 section of the forum so I assume that is the model you are having.
I am assuming your in the US as in Europe you would be to young to drive a car. Please put your location in your avatar as this will affect the answers you get, as can be seen from my answer above.

John (Britprius)

 

1. I suggest you thoroughly test-drive the car before buying it to make sure your visibility is adequate.
2. The radio should have an auxiliary input to allow you to install and select a satellite tuner.
3. You need the current Prius (2010 model year or newer) to have a choice between operating modes.
4. It will probably be a good car for you if you've had it inspected for problems prior to purchase. Fuel economy in city driving is normally excellent. Fuel economy in the first 5 minutes of operation is relatively low as the engine needs to warm up.

 

The auxiliary input is hidden in the armrest box between the front seats along with a cigar type power outlet. Aux has then to be selected on the radio.

John (Britprus)

 

You won't have an EV mode button, but you will still be able to drive on only electric power. The button kind of locks in EV, mainly only useful when moving the car around the driveway without turning the engine on.

 

In mountains clime the mountain steadily rather than trying to do it at speed. Coming down very long hills you can use B mode on the Gear selector to save excessive use of the brakes. This is normally only required if the battery display turns all green. At other times do not use B as the car will use more fuel.

John (Britprius)

 

have you considered a honda civic or some other vehicles? this car can be very expensive to repair in the unlikely event of an out of warranty problem. how is your emergency budget? all the best!

 

Hope you get at least a package two model. The base model doesn't have the backup camera on it. With your height, you might find it difficult to see out the backend clearly. I am 5'10" and still rely on the camera as well as the mirrors in addition to turning my head. The spoiler on the backend blocks part of the view, but you will get used to it.

As bisco said above, you should have a little bit stashed in case of a repair in the future. Some of the items on the Prius can get a little expensive at times.

It is a good car, but like all things man made it won't last forever.

Best of luck to you.

 

You mentioned new tires. What size, brand, and model are they? Also what air pressure are you going to be running?

Tires play a big roll in the MPG on this car. Good LRR tires can net you a easy 50 plus MPG if you hyper mile when possible, whereas poor non LRR (low rolling resistance) tires can easily knock anywhere from 6 to 10 MPG off of the overall mileage. The air pressure in the tires will also effect the MPG. Most here run anywhere from 42 front 40 rear to slightly lower than that but definitely above the placard setting on the car which is 35 front 33 rear. It is best not to exceed the maximum pressure that is plainly marked on the sidewall of your tires.

More information on hypermiling can be found in my signature below. Click on the last link at the bottom of my signature. (cleanmpg.com) Learn about how to hyper mile and practice it. The reward is plentiful if you apply it safely and regularly as traffic and your route allows.

YMMV

 

Congratulations on getting a 2009 Prius as your first car. You may not realise it but you're in for a treat! You are about to take possession of one of the most mechanically futuristic and amazing vehicles on the road today. You will be driving a car that has been over engineered from its inception. A vehicle easily as important as the Ford Model T (from the dawn of motoring) as it represents - and is - a true evolution of the standard vehicles you see on the road today.

Here's a few facts you might be unaware of; you're gonna be driving (flying?) a vehicle with a "drive-by-wire" throttle. That's right; that throttle pedal is NOT connected directly to either of the engines in a mechanical fashion. It's an Electronic Throttle! The Prius has totally redefined the driving experience, and that throttle is the key!

You will learn that careful and precise manipulation of your throttle pedal can easily invoke powerless gliding when up to speed on a very shallow incline (part of the process known as "Pulse and Glide". You will discover that in congested traffic (usually with a warm engine and agreeable climatic temperatures), you can easily invoke EV mode for crawling along it traffic. In fact, just taking your foot off the brakes while in drive will result in the vehicle naturally creeping forward!

Enjoy the seamless switching between electric and ICE propulsion - you're driving a vehicle with 2 engines! Mostly, you'll have both propulsion units powering you along in tandem. It's what 21st century driving should really be like.

Familiarise yourself with your new 2009 Prius II; use PriusChat as a resourceful study guide (I did 8 months ago - and I'm old as the hills!!!) and you'll soon discover why a lot of owners refer to this vehicle as "The Spaceship"! When I first got mine, I got home, parked up, downloaded the handbook onto my iPad (PDF Document from the web), turned her on (Ready Mode so you don't drain the 12v battery), then spent time carefully familiarising myself with "The Cockpit".
To me, it was more "Space Shuttle" that ordinary car!

Enjoy your Prius and welcome to true futuristic 21st century style motoring as it should really be. Prepare to be astounded!


iPad ? HD

 

One good thing is, you are pretty close to the Prius-Specialty Shop in IN, the autobeyours.com. In worst case if your dealer quote you a four digits repair item such as engine, HV battery, Transaxle, or other Prius-Specific Hybrid components that they think you have no where to go, then go to Indiana. Last time they quoted me a 50K mile engine installed for $1500. Plus $400 if I want the transaxle at the same time. They repair HV Batteries for less than $1000 I think. They have lots of Prius parts for sale.

Lots of people worry that hybrid car repair will be too expensive, but with plenty of crashed Prius, and very low number of components fails, the parts are actually very affordable (demand << supply). And in most cases, regular mechanics can handle the job of install those components.

 

Congrats! This is a pretty awesome first car. I just had a discussion with my fiance that this would be an awesome car for a first time driver. Here's why:
1) Sips gas. Really. I get 43mpg. I do not do anything else other than drive it. . .and pass cars in double lane turns like I was on the track. You'll save a ton of money.
2) TONS of cargo space. Everything you and your besties can pack for a week, you can toss into the Prius.
3) You can camp in the car. I've done it. Between Houston and Telluride, CO, there is a small rest stop outside of Lubbock. I always pull over and sleep there. I do this trip at least twice a year.
And all of this means,
4) The Prius is the ultimate road trip car. What money you save, you can go out and see the world! If a car is freedom, then the Prius maximizes freedom by giving you the means to enjoy it! It's cheap to run. Hauls all your stuff. Sure, you may not look cool in it, but you get to look not cool in it in many many more places!

Enjoy her in good health! Keep your eyes on the road. Get a sense of what your limits are. What's your peripheral vision? How easily distracted are you? How focused is your vision? Are you empathetic (i.e. how good are you at predicting others' behavior)? How good is your situational awareness?

Keep it slow. Drop a couple of hundred bucks and go to a performance driving class or track day. You'll learn more about driving in one weekend than you ever did in 3mo of driver's ed. Look up sports car clubs and ask. Lotus car clubs are generally a friendly group.