Newbie, 1st time Prius owner in Dallas

I signed the papers yesterday on a 2011 Prius II, no package. Made the purchase at Toyota of Richardson, where I had previously purchased a 2007 4cyl access cab Tacoma--which is just this side shy of hitting 418,000 miles. I have put some time in reading the forum archives, and when I read about 2fas getting nearly a half million miles on his 2009 Prius, I knew that, considering most of the stuff I haul will easily fit in a hatchback, the Prius was going to be my next delivery vehicle.

I hope to have the same sort of luck, and high mileage, with the Prius as I did with my Tacoma....and to be honest, I feel as if I will, or I would not be making the purchase. I have 4 of the TRD oil filters on the way, (read about them here...thanks!), and guess I should have my oil changed at 1,000 and then again at 5,000. Is that right? And since most of my miles are highway miles, would I be good to change it after that at 10,000? I plan on breaking her in nice and slow around town before putting her into service.

One more favor...is there a clear bra wrap shop in the DFW area that can be recommended? Many of my trips are to various gravel pits, where one can encounter a higher than average number of gravel trucks, so I want the front end of my Prius to stand a fighting chance!

I must admit that this group/board/community is the predominant factor in me choosing a Prius. (That, and the fact I will be saving appx $750 a month in fuel costs at $3.50 a gallon)! The advice here is, from what little I know, sound...and the participants caring. As a newbie, I will likely have far more questions than advice, at least for the first couple of hundred thousand miles.

 

It is Blizzard Pearl, with misty gray interior. I told them to keep it until the 0% financing went through, figuring that would increase the odds of not having them want to, you know, call me back in after the tailpipe had left the curb. Keeping the ball in my court. The contessa and I have excellent credit, so there shouldn't be a problem, but better safe than sorry. I rented one for a day, to make certain it would be comfortable enough to spend 90,000-100,000 miles a year in, and I think I can give the seats a thumbs up. I test drove a Honda Fit and they were (imo) the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had the misfortune of setting in.

 

Thank you, I am sure will.

It is Blizzard Pearl, with misty gray interior. I told them to keep it until the 0% financing went through, figuring that would increase the odds of not having them want to, you know, call me back in after the tailpipe had left the curb. Keeping the ball in my court. The contessa and I have excellent credit, so there shouldn't be a problem, but better safe than sorry. I rented one for a day, to make certain it would be comfortable enough to spend 90,000-100,000 miles a year in, and I think I can give the seats a thumbs up. I test drove a Honda Fit and they were (imo) the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had the misfortune of sitting in.

 

Thanks for the info Doug. I will check the date on the door as soon as I pick it up. The salesman let me know this wasn't one of them that had been traded around from dealer to dealer.

I am going to keep the Taco. I have become attached to it, after all those miles together. It has never once left me stranded....it shouldn't have, since I convinced myself to do every single "dealer recommended" maintenance package. If I added up the two inch stack I would likely break down in tears for being so dumb. They did appreciate it, gave me employee rates on labor and parts...but I recently asked when was the last time the PCV valve had been changed, and was informed NEVER, that it wasn't part of any package. To say I was a little miffed would be putting it
midly--since selling me a cabin filter every time I turned around was of utmost importance to them, but not a $7 dollar PCV valve.

This time around I am going to take the advice I have seen given here, just do what the manual says. I may toss in a few PCV changes along the way, for peace of mind.

 

I am still waiting for the financing to go through. It has only been two days, but I am the one who insisted that the car remain in their possession
until the 0% interest is ok'd...so any delays are of my own doing.

I measured the cargo area with the back seats down audit will accommodate the occasional 3x4 skid. I will limit cargo weight to appx 300Lbs, which is about 100 less than I have committed to carry in my Tacoma. Honestly, most of the items I carry will fit in the front seat, those that don't will easily fit in the cargo area with the back seats up, but once I put them down, that is where they will stay most of the time--it seems to improve sight lines.

My estimation of saving $750 a month in fuel costs was arrived at using Edmunds gas guzzler page. Driving an average of 8,000 miles per month, with gas at $3.50 a gallon, my Tacoma @ 21mpg, the Prius I calculated at 48mpg, came out to exactly $750 a month! The first time I entered in those numbers was the moment I told myself that I cannot afford to not drive a Prius. For every 50 cent increase at the pumps, my savings rise appx $100 a month. There is, imo, a delicious irony in paying for my Prius using Exxon/Shell/etc money rather than my own.