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Anybody have a Prius and a truck?

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by woodenpaddler, Apr 24, 2009.

  1. woodenpaddler

    woodenpaddler Junior Member

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    I love my newish Tacoma 4x4 truck with 17 mpg +- except bought it just before the gas price runup last year and before learning about "Peak Oil". I expect gas prices to return to $4+ /gallon and a lot higher but am unwilling to give up my truck yet and need it still for a lot of work on house and garden sometimes. But I'll be uncomfortable driving it with high gas prices just for commuting and kids. Driving about 22000 miles per year.

    Thinking about getting a used Prius to drive about 75% of the time, and use my truck for snow and hauling. Test drove one yesterday, very different than my truck, but right size for when I don't have big or messy loads which is most of the time. Economically, the gas savings and less depreciation and maintenance on my truck would be offset about equally by additional cost of a second car.

    Anyone else gone through this exercise?

    Any big risks to buying a used Prius say 50-100k miles from dealer?

    What is current Prius market like? Seems like prices are down now but I remember last year when demand was way over supply, and I would like to be a market contrarian while the time is right.

    Thanks for your input!
     
  2. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I have a Prius and a Ford Explorer. You will be surprised at how much stuff you can actually fit into a Prius. Ive hauled 10 ft lumber, plastic pipe and 8 foot fluorescent tubes in mine. I hardly ever drive the Explorer, but its handy to have to go to the snow and to haul stuff to the dump (with a utility trailer).

    If you buy used, make sure to avoid salvage vehicles or other major damage from accidents. That would be true of any used vehicle.
     
  3. wicastawakan

    wicastawakan New Member

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    I have a 4wd extended cab chevrolet & have mine as I pull 16' trailer, both flatbed & horse trailer. I haul feed, lumber, fencing supplies, etc. Typical farm/ranch stuff. I also have a 2008 Prius. Two totally different uses & yeah you can haul all kinds of stuff in the Prius, but 55 gal drums of whatever & horse/cow s**t is appealing to everyone. Running a tractor, loader & backhoe up on your carriage rack isn't good for the paint on the Prius type vehicles, so I imagine I'll keep both.

    There is nothing to indicate a Prius driver may not also like to take a cruise on their Harley, cruise in the Cessna, or whatever. It is not an either or case, many Prius drivers enjoy other vehicles or need other vehicles. Go for it!
     
  4. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I know quite a few people with a Prius and a truck or SUV. I work in the environmental land management field so I work with a lot of ranchers and scientists who need to haul large/dirty/heavy items or need off-road capability. Most of them drive their Prius when not at work or not in the field and they switch to the truck when needed. I sold my GMC 4x4 (twin turbo) and the Prius is my olny vehicle right now. Even hauling fence posts and barbed wire I'mm completely happy with the car although I would seriously consider adding an F250 diesel to the stable (using biodiesel mostly) if I could afford it. It's hard keeping the Prius clean when you use it as a work vehicle AND I cannot tower our Polaris Ranger and trailcutter with it. lol
     
  5. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    Like I have always said.

    "You can not fit a 4 X 8 sheet of ANYTHING in a Prius!"

    I kept my 4Runner. The hardest thing you will have to contend with is keeping the gas in the tank stable. and keeping the battery charged!

    I bought a Solar panel system to trickle the battery. Works GREAT in the summer, not so hot in the winter! I try to drive it once at least every 5/6 weeks, and put a little fresh gas in her!

    All i really pay is registration, $75 and minimal insurance!

    As far as buying a used one, I kinda think in a coupe of months or so there going to be a number of them available on Toyota lots. The previous owners will have traded them in on a 2010.
     
  6. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    i have a Ford F-150 and in nearly 5 years of Prius ownership, have used it probably 20 times. take out 2 moves in that time period and it drops down to about 4 times. right now, its parked at my sisters house. she takes it to the dump about once a month.
     
  7. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Yep, I had to replace the battery in the Explorer a couple of months after I got the Prius because I hadn't driven it.
     
  8. cycledrum

    cycledrum PSOCSOASP

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    Yes, an 09 and 1988 Toyota 4x4 pickup with 22RE, SR5 xtra cab and A/C too!

    I'm more comfortable in the 88's driver's seat, but it drives like pooh. Working to fix the seat for me.
     
  9. nascrlvr

    nascrlvr nascrlvr

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    Yep, have an '09 Toyota Tacoma 2WD truck and the "09 Prius Package 3. We use the truck for the "typical" hauling issues and the car for whatever trips we take and around town. The Tacoma is very comfortable for a truck and I like it. But.........for trips the Prius and all its "techno-wizardry" (including mpg's....) is the vehicle of choice for us.....
     
  10. PA Prius

    PA Prius Active Member

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    Yes, a '95 S10 on which we put about 5,000. miles a year, vs. 20,000 on the Prius. Between my wife and I, whoever is putting on the most miles for the day takes the Prius, unless of course we need to transport something that doesn't fit in the Prius, which is rare. I haven't tried a scoop of mulch in the Prius yet.... The S10 doesn't do too bad on mileage at 25 mpg, unless of course you are comparing it to the Prius.

    PA P
     
  11. A. B. Hair

    A. B. Hair New Member

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    Yes, I have a '96 Ford Ranger. I live in the country and can't do without a pickup! I will say that with the seats down the Prius is a little pickup. I haul 12 boxes of food for meals on wheels in the prius now rather than the pickup.
     
  12. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    We have a Highlander Hybrid as our big trip/back-up/tow vehicle. I had the same "what if I need a truck" anxiety when I bought the Prius and, foolishly, held onto my Ford Expedition for almost 2 years after buying the Prius. I drove it, maybe, 20 times. Had to jump the battery at least 10 times, had to replace the battery once. I put maybe 3000 miles on it during that 2 year period.

    We could have made due with the minivan we owned at the time for 90% of the 3000 miles I'd used the expedition for and probably could have borrowed or rented for the remainder.

    In hindsight it seems so silly to have clung to that beast instead of selling or trading in...but moving to a smaller vehicle like that is a big step...or it seems like it.
     
  13. HTMLSpinnr

    HTMLSpinnr Super Moderator
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    We're a two Prius family. For those rare times we need a truck, the $50-$60 to rent a U-Haul pick-up for 'round town trucking is far cheaper than the purchase and insurance of any truck.

    My folks do the 1 Prius and 1 Toyota Tacoma thing though. They have a need for 4wd truck w/ a cabin in the mountains, small boat to tow, etc. The Prius is typically the only vehicle that makes the trip from CA to AZ though and gets MUCH more use than the Tacoma.

    On Evan's mini-van note, we'd trade Prius #2 for a Hybrid Sienna (Camry-like powertrain, not Highlander powertrain) or US version of an Estima. My wife saw the Estima @ PC LA and has been drooling ever since.
     
  14. bjohnson

    bjohnson New Member

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    Prius and Tacoma here. I am a contractor, so I need a truck - but we never drive it unless we have to. Also have a boat, so we need the towing capacity. I almost bought a Highlander Hybrid, but decided it wasn't flexible enough for what I do. I would buy a Tacoma hybrid in a second - maybe someday.

    I'm sure the Prius will be visiting the upgrade store in the near future, however, as my wife is drooling over the sunroof.
     
  15. okiebutnotfrommuskogee

    okiebutnotfrommuskogee Senior Member

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    07 Prius and 95 Dodge Ram pickup. The truck doesn't get driven very much, but it sure is handy for hauling large or dirty loads.
     
  16. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Same here.

    I recently replaced one of the vertical posts that hold up my patio cover; this required the purchase of one 4x4, 10 ft. length and four 1x3, 10 ft. length. I fit the 1x3 lumber into the HiHy by diagonally positioning the wood into the vehicle but it barely cleared the windshield. Since the 4x4 was so heavy, I did not attempt to position it against the windshield. Rather it was a couple of inches away from the HVAC controls at the front, and stuck out a few inches at the rear. I used one of the plastic red flags provided by Lowe's and used rope to secure the rear hatch lid down to the lumber.

    If you can carry 10 ft. long lumber in the Prius without having the hatch ajar, that is pretty amazing.
     
  17. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    I wish Nissan and Toyota would sell their compact pickup trucks here.

    I used to have a Datsun 520 compact pickup truck as my one and only vehicle.
     
  18. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I'm guessing he put the front passanger seat down then laid the lumber at an angle and partially onto the dash?

    I can fit 8' steel T-Posts directly down the middle of the car (between the seats) and they stop approx. 3" from the front of my lower dash (the smoked flip thing that covers my stereo). The hatch closes fine but god forbid if I were to slam on the brakes. :eek:
     
  19. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    I reclined the passenger seat back all the way with the headrest off. I also angled the boards lengthwise. I'm pretty sure it was a 10', but maybe I'm remembering the 10' plastic pipe.

    The Prius is about as long as my 2 door Explorer Sport. But the Explorer has a glass hatch that can be left open for really long stuff.
     
  20. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    when building shelves in the garage, i hauled all the wood i needed (Had plywood cut in to 2' wide strips) all 8 feet. used a blanket (had old one used for "just in case" stuff sits in back all the time) to protect bumper (which was later scratched before i started using backup camera to park in garage)... now it hung out the back a few feet or so. but i just flagged it and was good. had like 3 sheets of plywood, about 10 2' by 4's... bag of screws...