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Is it safe to buy a new Prius right now?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by malibuss03, Mar 9, 2010.

  1. malibuss03

    malibuss03 New Member

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    I am in the market for a Prius but with all these recalls and stories of people not being able to stop is a little scary. Is buying a Prius right now just luck of the draw whether or not you will have this braking issue?

    Is it safe to buy a Prius right now?

    Some advice please.......
     
  2. meyer

    meyer New Member

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    The braking issue was solved, apparently very successfully, back in January. If you buy a new Prius now, it should have the fix in place already.

    Is it safe to buy a Prius? Probably safer then most other cars, but that's just my opinion here. Bought mine a week ago and having a blast.
     
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  3. priushippie

    priushippie New Member

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    Of course it is! You should be able to get deal right about now with the witch hunt going on. In a year this will all be forgotten.
     
  4. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Only if you stop listening to the doom and gloomers........ oh, and the conspiracy theory wackos...
    You will be just fine, and probably get a terrific deal in the process!!!
     
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Hmm, well, it seems the economy is on the rebound, so yes, it's probably safe to buy a Prius now.

    Oh, you mean the nonsense of brakes, unintended acceleration, etc. etc.?

    Never mind then. ;)
     
  6. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    It's not safe for stupid people to buy a Prius (or any car for that matter).
     
  7. Eoin

    Eoin Active Member

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    It is not safe at all. Don't even think of buying a Prius. That way I will get a better deal.
     
  8. wmb

    wmb Member

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    I love my prius, which I picked up on 9/1/09. I have close to 8,000 miles on it and usually get about over 50 mpg (about 53-55). I've had a few issues with braking in reverse, but it's a non issue for me right now.
    As satisfied as I am with my car, I believe if I was considering a prius right now, I'd stay on the prudent side and hold off a little with any purchase until further investigations are completed.
     
  9. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    It was safe and it continues to be safe. The only real worry is having to listen to well meaning friends and coworkers expressing concern for your safety.

    Tom
     
  10. Felt

    Felt Senior Member

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    I proudly own a G3, IV, with 9000 miles. I have had absolutely no issues with the car. I would not even consider getting the computer "flashed" except should I ever have an accident, the insurance company would surely use that as a reason to deny coverage. I am planning a cross country trip in late Spring, and have absolutely no hesitance about driving the Prius.

    I believe all the hype against Toyota is generated by politicians and unions. As I understand it, so many of the Toyota vehicles are assembled in the southern states by non-union workers. The Prius is assembled in Japan.
     
  11. youdontsay

    youdontsay New Member

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    My husband and I purchased a 2010 Prius II back in August '09. Since then we (mostly me, as I drive more than 100 miles/day) have put more than 16k miles on it. No braking problems, no acceleration problems, no problems period. Except that I seem to have bad luck and keep running over sharp objects and getting flat tires, but that's not exactly the car's fault. ;)

    It went back in for the recall a few weeks ago.

    People need to remember that cars are made by people and machinery designed by people. People are not perfect, even though some people like to think they are. Cars are going to have issues. What matters is how the company handles those issues. Ford had the Pinto and its infamous accompanying memo. Now should something like that surface from Toyota, I might think twice before purchasing another Toyota. But otherwise, we need to accept that these things happen. If you opted not to buy a car from a company that had to recall any models for any reason, you would be walking everywhere. ;)
     
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  12. brad_rules_man

    brad_rules_man Hybrid electric revolutionizer

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    Even with the problem, the Prius is safer than many other cars. It may not be volvo-safe but there never was a problem that a competent driver couldn't overcome.
     
  13. cossie1600

    cossie1600 Active Member

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    Most people that are complaining either don't own one or don't know how a car works.
     
  14. Much More Better

    Much More Better Active Member

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    Every company has a recall. GM recently issued one. Nissan, Chrysler, Subaru, Volvo, Ford, Suzuki.......even my wife's 2001 Acura got a recall notice. As if it took Acura 9 years to find out. They just crunched the numbers now and decided it is better for their image to issue one. The cool thing to do is to issue recalls. It makes you look responsible.

    So yes, buy a Prius and enjoy life!!!!
     
  15. PazPrius

    PazPrius New Member

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    I love my Prius, got it Nov 09 and have 9000 miles on it. Average 45-47 mpg with mostly a freeway 125 mile commute. If I needed another one I would buy it, if it only cost $17k I would buy another just to have an extra for when I wear this one out. I totally enjoy my gaget on 4 wheels it is just cool and drives like a dream.
     
  16. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

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    Well apparantely not with the accident involving unintended acceleration.
     
  17. jdk2

    jdk2 Active Member

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    I hope so. I just bought one last Saturday:dance:
    Averaging 56.7 over about 160 miles so far. It has none of the unintended issues many in the news and elsewhere are reporting.

    I never hesitated to buy based on all of this hysteria. When all the smoke clears, I think you'll find that 99.99% of it was driver induced.

    If you're looking for a high MPG vehicle that's fun to drive, comfortable to ride in and just a pleasure all around, get out there and buy one.
     
  18. mitch672

    mitch672 Technology Geek

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    Are you nuts? Only a crazy person would buy a Prius now! You must have a deathwish! Surley you will die!

    (Said from the person who is on his 3rd Prius & generation, me)

    There is absolutley nothing wrong with the car, do not believe all of the ambulance chasers and media hype. I think the bulk of these "unintended accelrations" that are now surfacing are the same people who did "bumps" on the freeway, looking to make insurance money, in other words, they are and continue to be, scammers.
     
  19. halfmoonray

    halfmoonray New Member

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    the time is right if the price is right.....I'm looking to buy one too. Last month they were cheaper and would have gotten a better deal but I decided to wait until March to see if they would come up with incentives and found the prices have gone up a bit like $500, no incentives on the car I want where I live and salesmen holding to their price and not negotiating----I guess they figure if someone is so against "mainstream" and walking into a dealership to buy one given the negative publicity, then they really want one and won't move on the price. I would wait until closer to the end of the month to buy one. This negative publicity was great for prices last month and I hope this san diego occurrence will have the same impact on price as last month. I don't think there is any issue with safety that would prevent me from buying one now.
     
  20. mad-dog-one

    mad-dog-one Prius Enthusiast

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    Only if you can afford a new car. It is always unsafe to borrow more money than you can afford to pay back.