any one with buyer's remorse?

Moving from an '08 Highlander Hybrid to the Prius has been an adjustment process, no doubt. The Prius does 99% of what I need in a vehicle at a lower cost point. so I'm a happy camper. And when I do need to scoot down the road, there's plenty of get up and go, and I still get great gas mileage.

 

Mine is on order:
I am not happy with the following:
1. The price, I paid full sticker and the delivery charge.
2. I do not want to let go of my beautiful 1993 200K mile ES300 which looks great but has a long list of problems from a broken antenna to a half dozen oil leaks and 200K on the clutch.

 

Along with my clunker, I traded my 2003 Element in for this Prius and i have had not one regret. The Element was good in many respects and very bad in others. Bad blind spots, horrible doors and back seat arrangement, 20 mpg aerodynamics.... I smile every day when I see the Prius in the garage instead. I had been with no car payment for a year, but with the C4C and the Element, I get a new Prius for ~ 12K..... that is hard to pass up even with the new debt.

 

Considering that competition from the Honda Insight forced the sticker price down probably $1000-1500 from what it otherwise would have been, this doesn't bother me.

 

I brought my 2010 Prius V w/ATP in May. I am very happy with the Prius. I find that the road noise in the 2010 Prius V is a lot lower than my older 1973 AMC Gremlin which the road noise was loud. I really like my 2010 Prius V, it is an excellent car, well built and runs very smooth on the highway. If I had to do it all over again, I would still buy the 2010 Prius V w/AT package. A great car and even greater mileage.

 

Several others have noted this but you need to make sure you are really comparing the road noise, not the road-noise to engine-noise ratio. The Prius engine may be much quieter (and sometimes completely silent) compared to other cars. Since I got my Gen I almost 9 years ago every other car I get into "seems" to be very loud because I notice the engine idle when stopped and think there is something wrong with the car until I remember that it isn't a hybrid. Once your sub-conscience expectation is for quiet at a stop all other cars seem noisy.

3PriusMike

 

sorry to hear you are unhappy with your Pri. oh well, it happens. hope you find something that suits you. but if you cant, maybe we need to take a look at where we are as a society first.

do you believe that we can continue on as we have with no repercussions as far as pollution, resource usage, economic requirements, etc that would go along with going back to a "quieter" car at the expense of gas mileage. after all, its pretty simple as to why cars are quieter. its insulation, weight and tires.

or do you believe that we cannot and a radical change in the way we conduct our lives is necessary? i see us not being the "privileged" americans that we have become so used to enjoying here if we continue to rely on several hundred billion dollars a year from foreign oil.

we have a 54 TRILLION dollar medical package we have to pony up for in the next next 20 or so years and we have yet to put the first dime towards that.

U.S. National Debt Clock : Real Time

now, i am not going to "guilt-green" you. comfort is a personal and a relative thing. toleration is a simple question of acceptance verses sacrifice. its all a give and take scenario and what you choose to compromise in your life is a very personal decision.

now, your question is that does anyone have buyer's remorse? well sure... i do and you will have to look long and hard to find a more ardent "Pri-leader" than me. i wonder if i made a decision to purchase early (i did save more than $4500 due to tax credits and Priority pricing) but its still a lot of money that was earmarked for a highway capable EV purchase that i had hoped to make next summer.

now wondering if what i did will make me unable to complete purchase especially if my financial situation changes or if a much better EV option at slightly more than i had planned for is available, etc.

but as far as a mistake on the car??, nah... i still believe that the Prius is the best option for me at any price. road noise?? ya, well i suppose, but i hardly ever am in the car without music or a podcast going anyway. (if you want to be entertained try the "Bob Rivers Show" from KZOK radio in Seattle. they are great, have been on the air for years and have a nationwide following. for info try "Science Friday" by NPR News... great source for emerging medical, science, energy technology advances.

now, cant say this will do it for you, but if road noise bothers you that much that you are thinking about taking a loss (which you surely will) on such an expensive purchase, maybe just something to keep your interest while driving will do the trick... both podcasts i mentioned are free. only need a bit to get a player.

 

Like other says, Check your tire pressure. Mine was much higher than factory recommendation when I took the delivery. I lowered it to the factory spec and noise seems to be lower and ride was much better. I know others are running at way higher than factory spec for the fuel economy but I am fine with factory spec.

And the tires. there are other tire choices which could lower your noise level considerably. It could lower your MPG since OEM tires are designed for low rolling resistance to be used in hybrids.

Also, I am thinking about adding sound absorbing materials in wheels wells. In Prius rear wheel well is basically bare wish some undercoating but in Lexus you've got special sound absorbing pading style material lining the well.

But as is, noise isn't bothering me and I am coming from 07 Lexus.

By the way, only remose I have is I didn't try harder to find the one with beige interior but at the time, I was pretty lucky to find my #1 choice for exterior color and option package (SR package). It's got dark grey interior. It doesn't bad but I find that scratches shows up very easily on dark color interior and it's also very easy to scratch.

 

I didn't notice substantial road noise. However, I opened only the rear windows and the rattle was so loud I thought the car was falling apart. I'm told this is a common problem in many cars, and involves some kind of physics about wind and pressure I'd rather not think about, but it was the first time I'd noticed the phenomenon.

 

Not at all!!!! I have a V with AT and it came with Michelin tires! Love, love, love it! BTW, I came out of an e-class Mercedes!

 

I'm still waiting. But, I've been a Prius owner for about 4 years with the generation II. I do prefer a Prius over a Gold Wing Honda. They cost about the same.

 

I regretted the seating comfort in the Prius II after picking it up from my father last summer and driving it from Maine to Cincinnati. I fount it very unpleasant for a really long trip even though I got 55 MPG with it.

I also regretted the tan interior, which was the same as the tan interior I regretted in my Solara.

Then the price of gas went up to $4 a gallon and I felt smug while all my co-workers complained about $80 tanks of gas in their SUV's. I think there is a strong correlation between my enjoyment of the vehicle and the price of gas. Just wait. You'll see.

I just wish somebody made a decent two-door hybrid. I can't believe Nissan hasn't done it with the 2-door Altima.

 

We love our Prius V. The only thing I regret is letting my husband have a fob or in other words not having enough cash to buy two of 'em.

I absolutely love not having to visit the gas station as often. Love a whole bunch of other stuff too but just like another poster has mentioned there is too much typing involved.

Prius fever has caught on at work. Since my Prius entered the lot two of my coworkers have been inspired to make a purchase. So far I hear no complaints but then again they have only had them for about a week.

 

I think having the undercoating sprayed cuts down road noise, did you do that?

 

might not make a lot of difference. changing tires is your best bet but realize you are probably sacrificing 3-4 mpg when you do so. a sound insulation package might be a better bet.

on th2 2010's there is extensive under panels that might make an undercoat difficult to apply with limited results.

i did have issues with road noise, but then again, closing the sunroof help tremendously

 

I have the Prius V with Michelin Pilots and this car is quieter than the 05 Prius I had previously. My 07 Camry Hybrid is quieter than the Prius, but that was expected. I plan to add Dynamat to the Prius to see if it makes any difference, but even if i never add it, I'm not at all disappointed.

 

I had a knot in my stomach the size of a watermelon at the thought of spending the $ on a new car. My 15 year old Jeep has been paid off for years and the upkeep of it was not terribly expensive (ok, except for the gas part )

I was worried about if my dogs would fit, if I could go on a trip with them and luggage.

I was worried about sitting lower on the road, "underneath" all those big honkin' trucks.

I got my car last Saturday. I love it. The knot is gone (as is the $ from my bank account, but now I'll start making the payments back into it - the savings in ga$ will help pad that ) The safety ratings are better than my Jeep - not that I ever hope to have to use them! The dogs fit and there is still enough room for their crates and food and my piddly little bit of luggage. For me it's quieter than my Jeep, not so much the road noise but the squeaks and rattles. With the radio off, on city streets it is quieter than any vehicle I've ridden in. Each person has their own criteria...

 

I'm just happy to see another Colorado PriusChat member! Prius' are not as ubiquitous here as in California, for example. I, too, have a Prius II... but have no regrets whatsoever! Curiously, my wife keeps commenting how quiet the Prius is compared to her Honda Pilot, so I guess it's all relative.

I'm very pleased with the II model, knowing that the price point is considerably lower than the III, IV or V. So even if you didn't get a "deal," I don't think you "overspent" for what you got.

This is the first car I've had with cloth seats in ten years, and I like not getting burned or frozen by leather seats in Colorado weather. To me, the Prius is a "cool car." My daughter's high school guy friends even think so!