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New owner of a 99

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Ashley, Apr 7, 2007.

  1. Ashley

    Ashley New Member

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    Hi everyone,

    My husband and I just bought a 99 Japanese import on Thursday, and I would love some more information on it. First of all, I don't have a user's manual, I'm not sure if it's at the dealership or what, but if not, is there an online version, or one that can be ordered from Toyota? A lot of my displays and buttons are in Japanese, so it's a bit tricky! Also, do you know if the 99 has a mpg display? Thanks for any tips you could give me!
     
    #1 Ashley, Apr 7, 2007
  2. mcbrunnhilde

    mcbrunnhilde Opera singin' Prius nut!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ashley @ Apr 6 2007, 11:24 PM) [snapback]419278[/snapback]</div>
    Here's a Yahoo group targeted to the 1998-2000 model, which was only sold in Japan and not exported:

    http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Mk1_Prius/

    I'm sure the group would be able to answer any questions you might have and help troubleshoot any problems.
     
    #2 mcbrunnhilde, Apr 7, 2007
  3. Chuck.

    Chuck. Former Honda Enzyte Driver

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    Congratulations - you should definitely hang on to this car as a collector's item!

    I drive a Honda Insight bought in Sept 2000, and you are the first to have an older hybrid!

    If you want a 3rd-party display to help out - consider ScanGage ( see bulk order thread at PriusChat) Just plug it in to your OBD II socket. Only thing I'm not sure about is does ScanGage do UK mpg?
     
    #3 Chuck., Apr 7, 2007
  4. Ashley

    Ashley New Member

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    Thanks, I've signed up to that group, and my registration is waiting for approval. I'm a bit afraid I might have gotten into a bad situation with this car now, I didn't know how rare they are, and on the front page of that yahoo group it says they're very hard to get repaired outside of Japan. I am sooooo not a car expert, so I'm afraid this might be too much hassle for me. Or am I maybe overreacting?
     
    #4 Ashley, Apr 7, 2007
  5. mcbrunnhilde

    mcbrunnhilde Opera singin' Prius nut!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ashley @ Apr 7 2007, 11:21 AM) [snapback]419478[/snapback]</div>
    I'm sure that, like other Toyotas, it's basically a very reliable car and probably will never need repair!! :) If you still feel like it's too much to handle, is there any way you can back out of the deal? If not, I'm sure the Mk1 group can address some of your fears about your purchase. Good luck, and I hope all goes well for you!!!
     
    #5 mcbrunnhilde, Apr 7, 2007
  6. daveleeprius

    daveleeprius Heh heh heh you think so?

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ashley @ Apr 7 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]419478[/snapback]</div>
    I wouldn't think that a 99 would be hard to get repaired. It should not differ too much from the 2000 and 2001 models, which were imported to the US and the UK I would imagine. As another poster pointed out, it *is* a Toyota, so with regular maintenance this should be a good car for you.

    Would you mind telling us what you paid for it? I'm interested in these older Prius, and have a friend here in Seattle who may be looking for one in the next year or two and doesn't want to buy a new one. She likes the older body style too as she lives in the city and wants a smaller car.

    Dave
     
    #6 daveleeprius, Apr 7, 2007
  7. Ashley

    Ashley New Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mcbrunnhilde @ Apr 7 2007, 10:26 PM) [snapback]419541[/snapback]</div>

    Hopefully you're right! It's only got 23,000 miles, so it shouldn't have any major problems, I would imagine. Hopefully the MK1 group can ease my worries, because I really want to keep the car....I want a hybrid, but I really doubt I could afford a newer one. Is the 2001 model the first one sold outside of Japan? Maybe there would be an affordable one of those. But I do like the car and definately don't want to give up on it yet! I'm making it my mission to learn everything I can about it, and I think if I try hard enough, I can master it. I really want to learn to change the oil myself, so I can make sure it's always close to perfect. I'm also trying to perfect my driving skills, so I can get the best possible mileage. Any tips there?

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ Apr 7 2007, 10:43 PM) [snapback]419545[/snapback]</div>
    I really hope you're right! On the MK1 group it says that it's really hard to find a dealership with the proper diagnostic equipment, which seems so weird, since it's still just a Prius!

    I paid £6,000 for it, basically $12,000, although I've seen some with higher mileage for as low as £4,500. I'm not sure if the prices would be the same in the states, but I wouldn't imagine they'd be too much different.
     
    #7 Ashley, Apr 7, 2007
  8. Ashley

    Ashley New Member

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    #8 Ashley, Apr 7, 2007
  9. mcbrunnhilde

    mcbrunnhilde Opera singin' Prius nut!

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ashley @ Apr 7 2007, 02:27 PM) [snapback]419567[/snapback]</div>
    If you look at a close-up of the side view of the car, the wheels are exactly the same as the car on the Yahoo Mk1 home page. The NHW11 version (at least the US one) had wheels with 8 spokes. Also, the bumpers in your link have a dark strip going horizontally across, and that wasn't there on the NHW11.

    Ah....I just looked at that website, and it states that this one is a 2000 model year (the "Reg. Plate" line).
     
    #9 mcbrunnhilde, Apr 8, 2007
  10. Betelgeuse

    Betelgeuse Active Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ashley @ Apr 7 2007, 02:21 PM) [snapback]419478[/snapback]</div>
    Did you ask the person who sold it to you where he/she got it serviced? It seems like that would be the logical place to start, since they probably had this car for a number of years.
     
    #10 Betelgeuse, Apr 8, 2007
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    There's a couple things wrong with that ad lol. It doesn't have a manual and you said it has 23,000 miles while the site said 35,000 miles.

    It's an NHW-10. The difference between that and the NHW-11 is the battery and the power output. The battery on the Type-11 is NiMH. I think the Type-10 had "D" cell batteries. The best way to go to john1701a.com and check it out. He has a table that compares all 3 versions (10,11 and 20). Also, how come the interior picture shows a dark blue car but the exterior pictures show a silver car.


    In Japan, they measure in km/L so that's what you'll see in the Consumption Screen.

    A few quirks associated with the Type-10:

    - A turtle icon will come on when the battery level is low indicating that you will experience a shortage power if you wish to overtake on the motorway. Or in other words, the battery can't assist you at that moment

    - a blue thermometer will come on when the water temperature is low. This is in lieu of a water temperature gauge.
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Apr 8, 2007
  12. daveleeprius

    daveleeprius Heh heh heh you think so?

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ashley @ Apr 7 2007, 04:54 PM) [snapback]419547[/snapback]</div>
    Well I say you got a bargain considering the low milage on the car. Did you check the title with carfax? Make sure it isn't a rebuilt title. And being a Japanese domestic model may also increase the value. If you decide to sell it, I'm sure you could find a Japanese national living in or around the London area that would jump to buy it. We have many Japanese around the Seattle area and I've seen numerous right hand drive cars here brought over from Japan.

    Dave
     
    #12 daveleeprius, Apr 8, 2007
  13. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveLeePrius @ Apr 8 2007, 07:08 PM) [snapback]420034[/snapback]</div>
    You should head up the I-5 to where I am. We have tons of RHD cars all JDMs.. ranging from Skylines to RHD Camrys and Celsiors (LS400) to Hilux and tiny Kei cars.
     
    #13 Tideland Prius, Apr 9, 2007
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