Third or fourth gen?

Skip 3rd Gen unless you want to do a 4th Gen motor swap sometime after 150,000 miles (bad EGR and headgaskets)

only 3rd Gen worth it is the PIP (if you can get a good deal on a cherry, which is tough to find in today’s market)

Primes brand new can sometimes be ordered out of Rhode Island for $17,500 after tax breaks and are worth a trip.

Cherry Gen 2’s are legendary but also getting hard to find

I guess it depends what you are up for, a Gen 2 is very different than the 3rd Gen

And myself due to local tax law am considering a 1st Gen with a lithium battery swap (zero registration taxes)

For me a cheap $5000 Volt works perfectly for around town using L1 / L2 to stay off gas.

1st Gen Insight has treated me well also

Good Luck on your search.

 

agreed, fourth gen so far has been pretty good. third has several failure points

 

I'd stay away from 3rd just because of the amount of upkeep required. Go for 4th gen.

 

I was recently on the market.
I actually also considered the PRIUS v, but in the end I thought that its gen3 platform and electronics seemed a bit dated.

The gen4 has better mpg, works at higher speeds, has extra safety features... It just seems a better car all-around, definitely a step from the gen3.

 

Except maybe looks, outside and in? The dash look AND functionality in particular drives me nuts.

 

4th gen is way more comfortable and way more efficient. I imagine that both of those will be important to you.

 

Yep, want to try to get a 2015 or newer for a Prius. I just searched Carmax and local and Denver Toyota dealers and, unfortunately, the pickings are slim and those that are available are WAY overpriced, imho. I saw a 2014 Prius for $19,000??? WHAT??

Best of luck in the search!

 

Welcome to Cuba!

 

I remember being appalled when it was first released.
I now love the rear lights.

Inside... Well... It's funky. Quirky.
I like that. I like driving unusual cars.

 

I upgraded from a 2nd gen to a 3rd gen. So far I feel like its a big upgrade in many ways. More comfortable, more powerful engine, etc. A lot of talk on these forums will make it seem like a big risk to buy a 3rd gen, which I am not entirely sure is true, but certainly I'd have bought a 4th Gen if I had the money. So far I have had no issues with mine, but I havnt even owned it a year so that doesn't really mean much.

 

With 3rd gen, if you're prepared to take on EGR and intake cleaning, or know someone who can help without charging big bucks and/or just replacing parts, you're ok. Otherwise, I'm not so sure. In lieu of such preemptive maintenance, they seem to be bricking in alarming numbers.

For the typical owner, that just wants a trouble-free car, with regular dealership or independent mechanic maintenance, maybe not so good.

And Toyota doesn't want to know about it.

 

Considering the forum this post is in, let me add a couple of thoughts about living (camping) in a Gen 3 versus Gen 4 Prius.

I've camped extensively in my Gen 3. I've used the money saved on hotel bills to let me travel to more places, attend additional big ticket sporting events, etc. But I've lusted after the Gen 4, especially given the updated tech, with the adaptive cruise control that can handle stop/go traffic -- Gen 3 cuts off around 25 MPH.

I ended up having to fly to Columbia to watch a Gamecocks game. My rental car by happenstance was Gen 4. It's quieter, smoother, and more refined. But for camping/living?

The rear seats do not fold flat. There are ways around that, so not a deal breaker.

The car is noticeably smaller -- again not a deal breaker. When I measured, it mostly "feels" smaller. There's only an inch less interior length, two inches less height. Not a deal breaker.

But the deal breaker is the interior width. Given the way the interior tapers with the plastic, it is NINE INCHES narrower at one point. It narrows to 37" at one point. In terms of laying out a consistent flat surface, that massive narrow point is a deal breaker.

I was really disappointed as I'd like to get a Gen 4 for the other improvements.

 

Aerodynamics is a bitch, the taper is part of the better fuel economy

 

Interesting perspective - I wasnt aware of those dimensional changes. However, for me personally the main limiting factor for campin/hauling gear like bikes and skis is the distance from the rear hatch door to the back of the front seats. Width isn't a major limiting factor. Now Im gonna have to see just how flat those 4th gen rear seats fold. I can handle (with cushions etc) a bit less than perfectly flat, but there is a point where it doesnt work for sleeping.

 

One thing -- most push the front seat forward and the front seat back forward. If your passenger doesn't mind sitting behind you (or you don't have a passenger), then you can get lots of space by pushing the front seat forward, but recline the seat making it flush with the rear. I cut a sheet of plywood to have a totally flat and smooth platform from the dashboard glove box all the way back to the rear hatch door.