Considering Buying a Prius - Need Advice

Wow, can I actually be the first to respond? Prepare for a deluge of info. Right, I'll get too it:

1.) The Prius has gotten excellent safety review for crash tests. Many people have stated that they really like the VSC (vehicle stability control). Winter conditions seems to produce a couple of results. First, many folks, particularly the Canadians have switched to new tyres. The OEM tyres are not very good in snow. There are many threads that will give you a lot of ideas about which tyres would best suit your needs. One area that seems to give some people grief is the traction control (TRAC) on steep, snowy terrain. There are a couple of threads on prius in the snow that would be helpful. There are several other folks from MA who have chimed in on these. Use the sites search feature to hunt them down.

2.) The battery might have to be replaced out of your pocket after 8 yr/100K mi. The Prius comes with a good warranty for the hybrid components. From what I can tell the batteries are holding up quite well. The car manages the battery very closely to extend its life. The payback thing is difficult to judge. If that's the only reason you're looking at a prius then I'd say it's a crap shoot. If gas stays at current prices then it'll take you a long time to make up the difference. On the other hand, there's a lot of upward pressure on gas prices over the long term....

3.) I doubt that there's a guarantee. If your looking to get one soon then you're probably OK. Especially if you're willing to travel a ways to get one.

 

Be flexible as to options and color is one way. Being willing to pay over MSRP is another.

 

Nope but The wait should not be that long. If you call around too all dealers now you will get one long before June.

 

I can't speak for the Prius in snow and ice, but I generally like how it handles. VSC is a good safety feature and one I was willing to pay for.

You may come across a reference to a taxi cab owner in Canada whose 2001 Prius had over 200k miles on it and was purchased back by Toyota for analysis of the battery's condition (they gave him a new 2003 Prius). Because no Prius had been driving this long, Toyota wanted to see how long the HSD system would function in real life driving. The battery was serviceable, suggesting that the batteries in the newer Prius ('04-'06) will have a long life expectancy. I think other systems in the Prius may quit before the battery does. Toyota has a legendary reputation for quality and for doing things right.

Compared to any 4WD vehicle, the Prius will save you lots at the gas pump. Whether it saves you enough to justify its initial purchase price depends on the (rising) cost of gas and your expectations. As others have mentioned, if you are looking at this soley from financial payback perspective, you'd be better off with a Scion or a Corolla.

A 4WD vehicle can't reasonably be seen as a thrifty investment, so you are trading off the advantages of having 4WD in the four month snowy season (not necessary on dry roads) against the all year advantage of very high mpg and very low emissions with the Prius.

Hands down, the Prius is the most technologically advanced, environmentally friendly car in current production, Mercedes Benz gizmos not withstanding.

Bob

 

Only issue I see for you is how are the roads plowed around where you commute? Is the low ground clearance a problem? Prius does fine in 4-5 inches of snow with the right snow tires, but not in 12 inches of snow.

If that is an issue and you can't stay home for big storms, you might want an Escape or the Highlander hybrid.

In Boston area I just stay home till my street gets plowed some days. It is the last to be plowed in the area. Then I can go most anywhere. Course I had to do this with my last car with regular ground clearance too. Often wished for an SUV and 4 WD but not worth it for 2 or 3 days a year here!

 

I agree. The Prius is i.m.o. beter then the average car but not as good as as SUV but honeslty you only need an SUV 2-3 times a year (if even). So far this year it's not been a storm bad enough to stop me (including the last one), but I do try to not drive more then I have to so normallt the plow cars are out long before me

 

Dont think the prius is better than others in the snow... If you're in a flat area... you should be fine otherwise snow tires are a must

also consider of how much less wear and tear on the breaks because you don't use them as much.

 

If you are interested in crash test ratings for the Prius, visit: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/NCAP/Cars/2971.html

It is a 2004 model, but there have been no major frame changes to the Prius since then. They also have streaming video of the front and side impact tests. You will need Windows Media Player to view them.

 

Another safety link: this one is with curtain airbags while the NHTSA's is not

http://www.newstreet.it/home/article_Id_627.html

*screams in anguish! the site is GONE?!!??!*

 

http://translate.google.com/translate?sour...id%5f627%2ehtml


Or original ... http://www.newstreet.it/articolo_id_627.html

 

Hello,

Let me provide another view. With package 4, the Prius runs around $24,400 or so. With the Federal Tax credit your cost comes down to about $21,300. If your State has a credit, Oregon's is $1500. The cost comes down to $19,900. All figures are rough.

Now consider what you are getting. Hybrid or not!!! A car that has lots of room, is easy to drive, very quiet, has plenty of power, gets fantastic gas mileage, and is qualty build and backed. I feel that for the money. The Prius is an excellent value.

Just my 2 cents.

Oregon-Mica B)

 

The million dollar question.

Of course, the answer depends on what you are comparing it to, and for what reason. For purely financial and fuel efficiency reasons, the Corolla would be the match, and unless you are going to drive it for a LONG time (like 15 years?) you will never catch up to the Corolla, which is a highly efficient vehicle in itself.

HOWEVER, there is a lot more car in the Prius than a Corolla, so it is not really a fair comparison. It is actually a closer match to a 4-cylinder Camry (SE) in terms of features/value.

Here in Canada, the Prius with with the mid package (except NAV) is about $6000 more than an Camry SE w/auto. Driven typical mileage (24K KM/year) at current canadian gas prices (~$0.82/L), there would be a savings of about $875 in gas per year. In less than 7 years, both cars will have cost the about the same amount, factoring in fuel efficiency. Factor in projected lower maintenance (less brake work, more reliable CVT, smaller tires, etc...) and it gets even better.

Of course, if you do more than average mileage (as do I), the 'payback' comes even sooner. Ditto if the gas prices rise. Personally, since I like to buy a quality car and drive it into the ground, this car will be gold for me. B)

Bottom line is that the expense of a car payment is a given, and then more money will need to be spent, whether it be on gas later or a more efficient car now. Just like the old adage, "Pay me now or pay me later."

I will now step down from the soapbox...

Hmmm... I can't wait to get my own Prius.

Kevin

 

Hi everyone,

Speaking as someone who recently purchased a Prius after owning and driving various 4WDs for 15 years...I made a conscious decision to buy the Prius and rent or use a fleet vehicle for my archaeological research. I found I just was spending too much money in gas, monthly payments, upkeep, and insurance to justify the driving of a 4WD 12 months out of the year when I only used it for maybe 2 to 3 full weeks during a year (we do get snow and ice here but this year we've had absolutely nothing thanks to La Nina).

In the long run I do feel as if my purchase of the Prius was financially sound given that my monthly payments are only $5 more a month than the 4WD payments and insurance is $10 more a month...worth it when you think how much I save in gas (my 4WD only got about 10 miles to the gallon in town). Of course, it does make my little green heart sing to drive it knowing that the Prius is much closer to being a zero emissions car than the GMC Jimmy I was driving.

In terms of the Corolla...I've driven one when my 4WD was in the shop. While I know it is a Toyota, to me, compared to the Prius, it drives like a tin can, the visual range is poor, and the interior space is small (I have long legs for a short person...I really like the leg room in the Prius).

My recommendation...take a Prius out for a test drive with the whole family...see what they think.

 

That might be a little bit overstated. Our Subaru got 24 city and 29 hwy pretty regularly and it was AWD. And I loved the way the AWD contributed to general handling, especially on wet pavement.

 

Hi again,

I see you found your way from Edmunds to PriusChat. I responded to your inquiry there under the nick 'kdhspyder' so I wont dup-post you. I think you will find the replies here nearly all positive with some nitpicking.

However here there is much, much more detailed into on reallife experiences, like snow driving ( do a search ),; brake 'failures ( search ); stalling/software anomolies ( search ) and mucho technical delights for both the beginner and the nuke engineer.

The safety data I referenced there is still valid based mainly on the EURO/NCAP tests. Our IIHS has not test the Prius as yet. enjoy the experience here,,,

 

I can't answer all of your questions as I haven't been driving my Prius in snow... But I can say this:

1. - don't know on IIHS safety rating.
- don't know about snow and ice. Subarus are the best on that but you have one already, which you seem to want to keep--good choice. It figures Summer time you'll be able to enjoy the Prius as the family car...
- I shall think that TRAC--as much as considered on this forum and in my practice a bit overreacting--along with the electric motor and CVT compensate some for lack of AWD. Let's remember what the combination of the electric motor-CVT does: much larger on average available momentum at low speeds, not regularly available in most/all vehicles with classic designs...
- I am no expert but I feel side airbags are important as not all accidents happen frontally... we hope to never ever need them... I certainly do for myslef and everyone else, but it gives me peace of mind to have them...
- I don't know on stalling... 1800 miles are too low probably to be able to tell from own experience
- heard rummors-- I do not see their justification, and have read more on why/how the Prius has all the safety measures to not allow that risk to materialize. I have seen such concerns similar with our stopping to live in a wired house with 110/220 AC in-wall plugs for fear of explosion...

2. You'd probably have trouble finding a Corolla with the available options which come easily standard in the Prius. Decent MPG of other non-hybrid vehicles is not really comparable with the Prius's MPG... it's usually half... I've tried to get an ABS enabled Corolla to no avail, albeit it is listed as an option. Forget about all the other options on the Prius plus the feel of the car... A Corolla is a compact, the Prius isn't... much smarter space design (unless you're 6'5"" and riding in the back)... the hatchback makes it so much much more usable and flexible in its utility... On High Voltage battery, it is warrantied for 100000 miles or ten years I think... so no major worries there...

3. There are many dealerships having it readily available these days, depending on region... one can think of flying in to purchase it if the drive back is not as major an issue as the tax credit... My research on 06s though showed that many more closer to basic versions are readily avaialble than upper level packages options Prii... But this would be in the South from my research... Hope it is different in New England...

Hope this helps...

S.

 

1. I can give you an honest assessment of the snow/ice performance. The Prius has gobs of torque, so it can spin the tires for a second even with a light pedal press on ice. Snow tires make a huge difference. Overall, it's like driving a typical FWD car and I have yet to get stuck. Mileage dropped to 35 when it was coldest in this winter, but it has since risen above freezing here and it's back up to about 48 MPG. I get ocassional light ABS or traction control activity, but the car is very competent on its feet, and I have no VSC to help. About the only thing I don't like is the aggressive traction control which allows no wheelspin on steep hills, which can make it a challenge when the snow is above the lip of the front bumper.

The side airbags contribute greatly to the overall safety of the car. The Corolla was one of the worst cars tested without side airbags in a side impact, but one of the best with the airbags installed.

The stallign problem was addressed with a recall on the 04s and early 05s, so no stalling should occur anymore.

I personally have no concerns about the crash safety of the car due to electrical connections. All the high voltage connections are covered in bright orange convoluted tubing and rescue workers are increasingly being trained in handling hybrids which have been involved in accidents.

I don't expect to have to replace the battery, but if I do, I suspect my fuel economy and tax deduction will have made up for whatever cost exists, and that's only if the battery fails.....the heat management on the Prius battery is pretty aggressive. Besides, mine has spent extended hours in the cold, which is good for batteries, in general.

 

We *just* came home with our new Prius, after driving the likes of Geo Metro and Ford Festiva for the last 15 or so years. At first I resented that, to get the mileage of these inexpensive cars I had to spend between 2 and 3 times the money. But, even after only 100 miles, we are really happy. Of course, some of our impression is based on a simply heavier and nicer car. But we wanted the mileage we were used to, the clean burn that the hybid offers, and the amenities that a Prius offers (eg, 'automatic' transmission, AC, etc).

We got snowed in the second day we had it, plowed the drive and, with some trepidation, headed out the long hilly driveway that often, even with the deep snow off, would keep us in with the Geo. Didn't spin a tire, drove out almost like our 4wd toy truck. OK, we know it won't perform like that in a serious snow situation, but we were more than pleased.

 

I have had my second thoughts on purchasing a Prius over a cheaper camry, civic or accord, but I still end up wanting my Prius. Some people kept reminding me that the return on my money will not be until after 6-10 years and it will be the same as buying a "better" car. I stick to my decision and tell them that it is like buying a BMW ... why buy one when it is soooo expensive and you can buy two accords for the price of one BMW? It is because you like the BMW and dont mind paying for the high price. The same way with those people that buy Escalades despite the high gas prices ... THAT is the car they want to drive. I dont care about the return on my money ... i have read a lot about the car and I am obssessed! Last time I felt like that was when I bought my 1993 Acura Integra GS-R and I still own that car, running stronger as ever! I plan to give this Prius to my 4 year old son the minute he gets his driver's license!

So do what you feel comfortable and happy with and not what others say can be an alternative.