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Gen 2 owner considering a Gen 3

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by dragonrand, Oct 14, 2016.

  1. dragonrand

    dragonrand Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2007
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    Location:
    Springfield, MO
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    CarMax was interesting to me until I learned there's not one in my city. I'd have to drive 3 hours to have it appraised (Kansas City). I'm not willing to make a special trip, but if I happened to be up there anyway I might get it appraised. But if they bought it, I'd have to figure out how to deliver/leave the car with them and get back to Springfield. Seems like a hassle.
     
  2. AzWxGuy

    AzWxGuy Weather Guy

    Joined:
    May 22, 2011
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    Location:
    Tucson, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2021 Prius
    Model:
    Limited
    Actually, volume goes to 62 then says MAX. Thought I'd better correct that.
     
    dragonrand likes this.
  3. PriusSport

    PriusSport senior member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    SE PA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I like my '13 base Prius better than my '08, which I recently traded because the center console screen burned out, $2600 to replace.
    The '13 gets better gas mileage, 10-15%, 56-57 mpg summer, 54 mpg right now. And with a bigger 1.8L engine. I like the dash layout better, too. The eco mode is what gives you the better gas mileage vs my old 08 Prius. Handling slightly better, too. Tires same, Bridgestone Ecopias, which are ideal for this car.
     
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  4. dragonrand

    dragonrand Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2007
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    Location:
    Springfield, MO
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    I ended up getting the 2012 Prius 4, since it was the best one they had. I traded in the 2005, and no, they didn't give me shit for it. For several weeks, I felt like I'd betrayed my faithful car, but I've gotten over it. :-D

    You were right about bluetooth. I messed around with both USB and BT for the first week or so, and experienced exactly what mmmodem mentioned about sometimes having to pull over and turn off the car to resolve a screwed-up audio connection via USB. I did some A/B testing and honestly couldn't say definitively that there was any difference in audio quality. Today I just use BT, which is working fine for me. I find it odd that cover art is displayed only about half of the time. It would be nice if it connected faster. But it's worked well, and the power adapter I use for charging provides a lot more power than the USB port in the car. I'm not sure that USB port can even keep up with an in-use GPS on the iPhone.

    It might have been fun to build my own audio system with an android head unit (that supports CarPlay??), but it would have been extra $$ and work and hassle, and in the end, I liked the leather, the options on the 4, and the audio was turnkey and sounds fine for me. Done and moved on. :)
     

    Attached Files:

    #24 dragonrand, Nov 22, 2016
    Last edited: Nov 22, 2016
    mmmodem, Aaron Vitolins and bisco like this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    thanks for the update. congrats, and all the best!(y)
     
  6. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
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    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    The auto industry has come up with a corner-cutting replacement for traditional controls, and left the customers with disposable cars, financially impractical to fix.
     
  7. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Other Hybrid
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    I hate to be that guy... but you can buy the whole touch screen device on eBay for $150. And Toyota actually designed the dash assembly to be taken apart very easily. Could be replaced in about 30 mins. Carolyn at luscious garage actually has a video somewhere of her disassembling the dashboard
     
  8. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

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    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    The USB connector isn't meant to charge the phone. It doesn't keep up with GPS unless you are on low power mode. Also if you connect with USB, you won't hear navigation. It'll want to play through USB but since you are using BT, you hear nothing as you go straight through your turn. Yeah. Just use a power adapter.