New to the forum...Getting a Prius soon...anything I should know?

I understood it to mean that only the base model will have less standard equipment.

 

Test drive one first. Some people don't like the limited adjustability of the seats, or the rear visibility, or the rather dim steering wheel lights. It would be unfortunate to discover this after buying one.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sea-horsea @ Jul 30 2007, 09:51 PM) [snapback]487757[/snapback]</div>

Yes, the most important thing is to not post any questions about B mode. Questions about Nitrogen in tires are okay, but only if you want a LOT of answers. :lol:

Tom

 

Yeah, the seats are a major source of complaint among owners... I'm fortunate to be comfortable enough with mine (though I miss the design & power features on my last Accord seat!) I do find the little cruise wand hits my right leg, when turning the wheel---not sure why the wand is mounted on the wheel, rather than on the shaft (so it wouldn't turn with the wheel, but stay put, like the wiper wand!)
Perhaps take a book or newspaper, and aside from a test drive (which may not be long enough to truly evaluate the seat) just sit in the car and read for an hour or so, feet loosely where they'd be for driving---see how it feels.
Also, under "Things to know"---don't expect to get that seductive 60MPG on the drive home, or in the first week, month, whatever. ie, don't buy the car on that feature alone, because as they say, "your mileage may [will] vary." You may never see 60, or, you just might exceed it... But don't bank on it, regardless.
Finally, check the sticker---mine was supposed to come with a free full tank of gas; it was nearly empty when I took delivery. I only realized they owed me a tank, a week or two later! Fortunately, the dealer filled it up the next time I got to nearly empty, so no drama---just should have looked for that the first time!

 

The things are so quiet the are worthless at scaring animals, yesterday a bunch of cows became quite the blockade and it took a guy on a 4 wheel ATV to get them to move.

 

Yes, don't let yourself be suckered into the Extended Warranty or the Maintenance package...
The maintenance package works out to very, very expensive oil changes, and the extended warranty you can buy here, if you want it, for quite a bit less (just, don't tell the dealer that you are getting it here, it's a special deal for PC members only).

 

I'm not sure what the option package levels on the '08 are. On the '07 the side curtain air bags are standard - make sure that you get them, regardless of what year you buy. They make a huge difference in the side impact rating for the car. Personally, being a bit of a techy geek type, I like all of the gadgets and ordered the full nav package.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mad Hatter @ Jul 31 2007, 01:40 PM) [snapback]488207[/snapback]</div>

I would say when you go to compare prices at dealerships, try to work it through their internet sales departments rather than going to each dealership. If you can shop prices around from one dealership to another on-line, its much less stressful than trying to deal with each dealership in person -- it ends up being you vs. the dealer rather than the dealers vs. the dealers.