What would you have bought if not a Prius?

Looked at the Smart car and Mini Cooper (both too expensive). Was one day away from buying a Honda Fit. Found out I had a (remote) connection to a Toyota dealership, got a good price for a Prius and it was done.

Real reason: Smart car (girlfriend said NO). Mini Cooper (girfriend said NO). Honda Fit (girlfriend said NO). Prius (girlfriend said OK).

Mike

 

Ah!!!! Good Choice!

 

How about a Tardis?

 

I'm a cheapo when it comes to vehicle purchases. I'm the one that buys your turned in lease and drives it until it's out of date. So my approved budget ruled out a lot of options. Started out thinking Mini Cooper but didn't like the reliability reviews. Thought about a Subaru however they are super yuppy in my city (i know, so is the prius) and I didn't like the price tags. Really like the look of the Ford Flex however I don't trust Ford quality for the long haul. I'm not into European makes. Therefore, flipped back to Honda and Toyota as I've known their reliability over the years. Checked out Minivans and SUVs but I have no need for all that space, checked out CUVs however my man has one and thought that was redundant, ruled out most Honda sedans due to looks, didn't like the 3rd gen Avalon body, everyone wanted me to get the current gen Camry SE but it was too much like my 2nd gen Avalon, drove an Insight but did not like the response and it felt super small, thought about a Fit but I didn't think it could hold my driving attention for 8+ years, didn't like the current gen Matrix and it gave me the same doubts as the Fit, Corolla too small and bored me, loved the Venza but the MPG was same as my Avalon and that would not do for projected long term gas prices, and so the only car that kept coming to the top of my list the Prius. I admit I initially went for the v, however the price tag was too crazy for me to take so I searched high and low for a loaded Prius. I love it!

 

Camry hybrid
RAV 4 hybrid
civic hybrid

 

Hyundai Elantra , I liked the styling , warranty . The deal breaker . Dealer explained
To keep warranty . Oil and filter change every 7500 miles or 6 months WHAT EVER CAME FIRST. WHAT ? Yup what ever comes first .. Dealer price 29.00 plus tax regular oil
The deal maker with the Prius .. Synthetic oil 10,000 miles or once a year and my selling
Dealer $ 10.00 synthetic oil and filter , with life time on the battery , great milage
Love the prius

 

Went to look at a new hyundai veloster and came home with a used 2010 prius III from their used lot.

SPH-L900 ? 2

 

The highlander is a freebie because it is the Toyota trimmed Lexus RX. That's why it exists. The Rav4 is Toyota only and then the GX is the 4Runner. The Rav4 is what doesn't make sense anymore because it used to be a small SUV. Look at the models in the 90's and they were nice and small. Perfect commuter SUV with some basic utility. We had one and loved it. Replaced it with a 2001, and it seems every successive generation is larger than the last completely defeating the purpose. We are now selling the Rav4 that we replaced with a Prius C.

 

Until a Tardis or a Star Trek Transporter become available I stand with the VOLT.
( Test drove one yesterday, WOW! )
{Now I need my work place to enter the future and allow me to charge at work...}

Really, all these are just tools to get you from Point A to Point B. I look at the cost and environmental impact...

And if a Tardis or Transporter become available, unlike a woman, I would not care one bit what color it is..

 

I was looking at a Corolla LE Special Edition, but went with the Prius 4.

 

At the time the Volt and Cmax Energi were on my list. Given my driving Pattern I knew they would all work for me. For me the trigger was the purchase price, My threshold was $27K-$28k range (before tax rebate).

 

I would have considered the Volt if I didn't need the utility and passenger space I have with the v. If I didn't need the utility, I likely would have narrowed it down to the Camry Hybrid or Passat TDI.

 

In 2001, the choice was Prius vs Echo and we went with an Echo. We rented a Prius and found the mileage was closer to 40 MPG, not enough to justify the price difference. Worse, the 2001 did not have cruise control; included an unwanted GPS navigation, and; the wrong color, a hideous green.

So we decided to go with an Echo fitted with the standard features found on the Prius. But we could not get the Echo my wife wanted and we threatened to start looking at other dealers. The sales manager heard our complaint and in 20 minutes had located a suitable Echo in Florida and we picked up the car later that week.

In 2005, we replaced a crashed Camry with a 2003 Prius. I used Ebay because I had lost all confidence with the local dealer. With the Internet, I can find the car I want, not the POS the local dealer wants to push.

In 2009, we replaced the Echo with a 2010 Prius in an unusually good deal. We sold the Echo privately getting 10% more than a neighboring dealer wanted to offer. How bad are the local dealers? The second dealer failed to include hooks to hold the floor mats just three months before the fatal Saylor crash in San Diego.

IMHO, the local dealer and probably South Eastern Toyota Region are anti-Prius. That we have two is in spite of, not because of, the local dealers and South Eastern Toyota. Then there is their latest stunt.

Sitting to the right of my computer is a 'fake' $17,350 check from a dealer for our 2010 Prius. We have added value to our 2010 Prius:

• paid-off - no car payments
• 1.5kW sine-wave inverter - sustains just under 1kW
• towing receiver - towed 1,700 lbs of trailer and airplane 600 miles
• integrating a dashcam with GPS - augments a Garmin nuvi that is not locked out while driving
• tires with less than 1% error - bought went originals had non-repairable flat
• 'stunt' 1,000 mile tank, burned 10.9 gallon

I could be persuaded if the accident avoidance option were available for $2,000. But it has only been available if we pay an extra $8,000 for useless 'eye candy.' I would rather buy a used Prius with accident avoidance than any current Prius.

Bob Wilson

 

LOL, when I went to test drive Prius in 2002, I came back with Corolla.
When I went to test drive Matrix in 2010, I came back with Prius.
This is the short version of course.

 

I don't know is that a complete circle?
Yes! I think so.

 

Most likely a Camry or Avalon hybrid or Mazda6 with the Skyactiv technology although the Avalon hybrid would have been a bit out of my price range. I have another car needing replacement in 3-4 years and may lean toward RA4 or Mazda CX-5...or a gen 4 prius!

SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 ? 2

 

I was this close to a Subaru Impreza, but I didn't have enough dough that month. By the next month, I wondered if I really needed AWD, and then thought am I crazy, I should get a Volt. A little research, and the Prius won me over. I'm a little worried about winter, but if the stock Bridgestones are not good, I'll get a set of Nokians. The Subaru I got rid of was a good car, but mileage was crap. Now I wonder how I lived without all the fascinating data on my dashboard all the time. Love that part. And boy, have I been getting good mileage. All cars should be like the Prius.

 

My criteria when started car shopping was it must get significantly better MPG than the 1993 Ford Escort I was driving at the time. Since I was getting combined MPG OF 35 with Escort that took many cars out of the running. Also since there were cars like the Honda Civic EX that was getting MPG in the mid 40 range back in 1993, when we were using computers with DOS, I didn't think my expectation of 40+ MPG was unreasonable 20 years later with the advances that have occurred with technology.

So the 1st one I went looking for was the C-Max, but none in my area.
I looked into Nissan Leaf, not enough range for my 75 mile per day commute. Its also not uncommon for me yo drive 250 miles in a day.
Next I went to the Toyota dealer to look at the plugin Prius. Once again, none in my area. So I test drove a new Prius liftback and Prius C. I liked the C but not enough room in the back.
After that point I was hooked, only thing that remained was choosing between Gen II or gen III. It came down to gen III because of the newer features.

So what would it take to talk me out of my gen III?
An AWD Prius V Plugin that goes 50 miles on EV and gets 60MPG when using gas. Oh and when I can get it for under $20K new or used. I might be driving my gen III for awhile, lol.

On a side note, my fiancee looked at a Ford Escape Hybrid and liked it. She likes the hybrid concept but wants AWD.

 

What would I have bought if not a Prius?
A new Pontiac... oh, wait...

 

A tire dealer (who owns a Prius) told me that technically, the Prius is AWD, because there is a drive motor on every wheel. He maintains that with the right tires (of course, given that he's a tire dealer), it will handle well in the snow. Is it a Subaru? No. But I'm looking forward to figuring out how differently the Prius drives in the snow this winter. Been driving a Sub for 13 years until I got the Prius.