Need help with buying Prius

I'm not as knowledgeable technically about the Prius as other people are on this site but I just bought a Prius 4 this past Saturday and I LOVE my new car. This is the first car that I've bought on my own (first car was given to me by my parents) so I'm not sure if I would have this same excitement about any other car but whenever I look out at the parking lot, I can't help but smile because I love my car so much! I wasn't even a car person before this, but now I'm on these Prius forums all day trying to learn more about my car and trying to get a better MPG everytime I drive. And I am always thinking and looking forward to the next time I get to drive my car and try to implement what I learned about the car into my drive. This is coming from someone who HATES driving (hence my 14 year old 4Runner only having 139,000 miles on it... I really hated driving!)

Before I bought a Prius, EVERYONE who did NOT have a Prius always brought up the battery issues and what not as a reason for me to reconsider getting a Prius, I didn't care to listen to it much because the Prius has been out for like 15 years now, and if there was really a problem, I am pretty sure there would be much more widespread anger and backlash against Toyota for it. I have not seen that really happen. I tend to think about it like this, regardless of what car you buy, you always risk the chance of the car needing a repair, sometimes minor, sometimes major but any car you buy I always feel like there's going to be some sort of issue. I know we try to find a reliable car regardless of this fact but at the same time I think it is realistic to expect that there may be a time that you do need to bring the car into the shop for some sort of repair. Maybe it'll be a battery problem, maybe it'll be a transmission problem, or something else, I would have no idea what I would run into a few years down the road but I logically expect that I will have to bring it into a repair shop for something one day. I mean we all hope we don't but it's pretty likely that we will.

My BF has a BMW and he has that thing in the shop more than I can remember! And with BMWs you're supposed to expect reliability, luxury, and power. But considering how much his/his dad's/his brother's BMW seems to need a repair I would think that image is completely not true.

For what it's worth, I have NO regrets about my Prius purchase. There's just so much in it and you get so much out of it. I definitely am happy about my purchase. You should take everything your friends and family say about the Prius with a grain of salt as they are probably just repeating to you bits and pieces of things they heard from somewhere else. Do your own research and see what you think. If you still feel excited about the Prius after you research it for yourself, then take the jump and get one! Prove your friends wrong And make them jealous whenever they complain about the gas prices or how much they have to fill up.

 

it is highly unlikely you will ever need to replace the battery. a person here just traded in his Prius for a new V and it had just under half a MILLION miles on it. the battery was still running strong

 

Many of these judgements are personal.

IMHO the advantages of the Prius far outweigh the disadvantages. I'm on my second one and have no regrets. Perhaps I've been lucky to avoid costly or major faults and upgraded at the right time, but the posts here suggest otherwise. It's a very good car and I would recommend it if you can afford it.

The Malaysian warrantee does seem limited but that is only one factor affecting resale value. You should be reassured that the Hybrid and mechanical technology is not that immature and don't think that the build quality of the interior is a reflection of the quality of the overall technology.

 

Hi lightning69,

I'm from Malaysia as well and recently booked a Luxury Prius as well from Toyota.

I'm also in the same boat as you having some doubts before over replacing my 2008 1.8G Altis with Prius. My advice is have a good read through all the interesting helpful articles (THANKS TO ALL) in this forum to clear your doubts or concerns.

IMHO Camry and Accord are of different segment and cannot be compared with Prius. And picking a car to suit your own liking and driving style is subjective. It's your money and pick the one that make you smile as at the end you are the one drivin and paying the car, if you think it's Camry/ Accord, then you still can switch to that...keke..

I choose Prius over Camry because I'm doing a lot of city driving and I LOVE "just the right size" car when parking my car and moving around narrow streets. The battery replacement problem is not a problem if you account for the fuel saving and advantages of enjoying all the latest technology + LUXURY that only expensive car IN MALAYSIA OFFER ( LED headlamps, leather seats, HUD, 7 airbags, touch screen audio with BT, FYI I have yet to find matched price product in M'sia..Hybrid or non Hybrid). Chances are you might end up not replacing the battery at all. Hence why worry, I hope the Prius will give you a FUN TO DRIVE AGAIN experience, I know mine will. :rockon:

MORESO, I think it's wise to purchase the Prius now as the M'sia GOV is waiving the TAX for hybrid car as you might have to pay RM200k++ next year for the 2013 Prius.

BTW, when are you expecting to receive your Prius? What color did you booked?

I booked a black Prius and ETA is May/June.

 

The only issue that I can foresee for you in Malaysia is that the car cannot be put into neutral after being turned off. This is a problem in some cities in Southeast Asia, where you would double/triple park on a street and "parkers" would roll the cars back and forward to let other cars in and out. Please advise if this is a common practice in Malaysia.

Do not worry about the battery. It will last for at minimum 6 years/200,000 km generally. In most cases, the battery will outlast the car.

 

Hi seilerts,

No, it's not a common practice in Malaysia to triple/ double car parking. We have very "efficient" tow away contractors around our cities unfortunately...hence we have no problem setting the parking break once the car is off.

Have you ever replaced your Prius battery? Does Toyota USA really give a lifetime warranty for all Prius sold through their dealers? If not what's the cost for battery replacement in US? Pls advice.

 

Toyota USA warrants the battery for 8 years, 160,000 km. 99% of batteries make it this far. Some states have emission requirements that make the warranty on the battery 10 years/240,000 km.

It is a fairly common practice to replace a failed battery with a used one. If you can buy parts off of wrecked cars in Malaysia, then that is an option. Having a used one shipped from USA may be just as expensive as getting a new one through your local dealership.

 

Thanks for the information. Toyota Malaysia only warrants the battery for 3 years or 100k , which ever come first.

Unfortunately there's not a lot of Prius in Malaysia hence hard to get a used one. May I know what is the price for the used and new battery in US?

 

New: $2500.

Used: varies, but anywhere from $400-$1000.

 

with gas prices rising you will always have a very fuel efficient car and be very thankful of your prius purchase.


your friends that drive non-hybrids will regret their decision...unless they are very rich



buy what you like

 

That happens here in the U.S. a lot too. Unfortunately, too many people just don't care that they hit someone elses car with their door. A car is a very large investment, so it's sad when it gets banged up like that. You can buy a color matched body side molding that will protect the car door panels right here in the Prius Chat store!

We are on our second Prius. The first was a 2005 and we traded it in for a 2011 just this last February. The 2005 never needed repair. We live in an area where weather extremes are common... cold Winters and sometimes hot Summers. Cold weather is tougher on the battery than warm or even hot conditions. The battery was fine. No problems.

If you have the required maintenance done on your Prius, it will last a very long time. The mechanical portions of this car are the result of first rate engineering.

I'm going to be driving a Prius c by sometime this Summer. Yes it's small, but with the price of fuel staying at higher levels each year, the c makes a lot of sense. Unless you have to travel with more than 4 people in the car all the time, the c is very usable, and it makes a great commuter. I test drove a c and was impressed by the handling, fit and solidity that it showed on the road. MPG capability of the c is way higher than is estimated by our Environmental Protection Agency sticker on the car.

What's the price of petrol/gasoline in Malaysia?

 

Sorry about your situation(on avg. income & price of new car), seems very unfair. I think u have made a good choice in the prius & BP color as well. Toyota has had the hybrid technology out for a while now so I wouldn't worry too much about the battery shorting out early as those occurence are rare. BTW, I came from a BMW 5 series so I know about freinds wondering & questioning why "you want a prius?", but in the end, it's what u want & makes u happy that counts. I for 1 am totally satisfied buying a prius. Good luck to whatever u decide on.