07 Prius or 08 Prius?

<_< The only 'word' I've seen on the forums is that the major re-design will be the '09. I must add that no one but Toyota really knows their intent excepting their recent announcement of pursuit of getting 15% of the auto market... and they'll probably do it. They're shooting at GM for sure.

As far an '07 vs. an '08, you could save fuel and contribute to pollution reduction by going ahead on the '07. In the ~9 months until the '08 is available there's fuel to be saved. In North Texas, dealers currently have 5 to 10 Prius on their lots and some discounts are beginning to show up. I managed a discount off MSRP and an excellent trade allowance on my '04 [$20,500 allowed on my Package 8 - 22K miles on the odometer]. That $1,575 tax credit is definitely worth considering.

My Touring Edition '07 seems to have addressed many of the 'upgrades' that Toyota observed Prius owners doing since introduction of the '2nd generation' '04. Like 16" wheels and better tires, better suspension, factory leather, backup camera, higher resolution MFD, etc. Looks as if Toyota was monitoring the forums and listened.

 

The downside to buying a car with a lot of cool technology is that it ages like cool technology. My PC will be out of date 5 years after I bought it. The Prius won't age quite that fast, but you should count on running whatever you buy into the ground - because every few years something dramatically better is going to come out. That's the technology curve.

If I were you I'd do more research on that rumor and see if I could confirm a better Prius is definitely coming out end of 2007 rather than end of 2008. If I was 99% confident I'd wait; otherwise I'd just buy now, or I could get stuck waiting indefinitely for the next model and never buy the cool car I'm so focused on getting - burning a lot of extra gas along the way.

Oh - and if you do decide to wait - expect to pay a lot. Toyota will have no reason to sell the new Prius, whenever it comes out, on the cheap to dealers. And dealers will have no reason to sell those cheaply either. The first several months are going to be very highly priced.

 

:blink: :huh: OOPS. Ap[ologies for the duplicate... MEA CULPA

B) Quote SoopahMan: "My PC will be out of date 5 years after I bought it."

My PC was out of date 3 months after I bought it.!! Trouble with 'waiting until it's in date' is that you'll never buy anything technological. Time Marches On! SoopahMan is right about 99% sure of a major change. My 2007 is so similar to the 2004 than most folks can't detect a real difference.

I'm hoping that my new 2007 Touring Edition Prius has most of the computer glitches worked out as well as other mechanical glitches which surfaced since the "2nd generation" Prius arrived. Toyota has been relatively agressive about correcting all the glitches reported and all were done on my 2004 I traded.

 

I don't say it too often, but i agree with Charles on this... with Moore's law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moore's_law), a computer is expected to double in ability and halve in size every 2 years... waiting 5 years means you're computer is probably something like 6 times slower than the new models!

Of course, Moore's law doesn't apply to cars. There are several improvements that Toyota's working on (LiIon, plug in, etc), but there's no (official) indication yet as to when those will be available, just wild speculation but people like us (have you seen www.macrumors.com?) - by all means believe us, but don't be disappointed if we get it wrong. You've been warned

 

Let me confirm what Charles said: The rumor is that the 2009 Prius, which would go on sale towards the end of 2008, will have a larger (possibly lithium) traction battery, and could have several times the EV range of the current model, and maybe might possibly cross-your-fingers have a plug for charging. All rumors. But the rumor is the 2009 model year.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Washington1788 @ Nov 17 2006, 11:07 AM) [snapback]350790[/snapback]</div>

If you wait you might be agonizing over getting the corolla hybrid, GM plug-in hybrid, or Honda Fit hybrid. You will here more details about the GM plug-in at the January auto show.
What is your commute to work? When you have a plug-in the MPG numbers are somewhat arbitrary. Electricity may cost you 2 cents a mile.

Daniel

 

Deleted. Was marketing lie by Myers Motors

 

Looks pretty nifty... question is the cost. I guess i should start saving some money, huh?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(eagle33199 @ Nov 21 2006, 02:27 PM) [snapback]352640[/snapback]</div>

They are going to have a lot of competition: Zap Cars, Mercedes Smart Car EV, GM plug in, China XS200 car, Phoenix Motors, and more. So they can't charge too much otherwise they will be irrelevant in the market. I'm thinking max intro price around $30K and dropping quickly after the competition heats up.
Hopefully it will have a strong AC for the phoenix heat.

 

Well, the rumor I heard was that this was it for Prius. Toyota has used the Prius platform to perfect the hybrid technology, and beginning with 2008 all cars in Toyota's model line would have a hybrid model, and the Prius would just be discontinued.

I don't know how true this is, although it does make sense.

-t

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DanCar @ Nov 22 2006, 01:28 PM) [snapback]353223[/snapback]</div>

I'd want more specs on the Meyers Motors car. It looks like it's got 3 wheels. I don't like that.

But if all those auto makers are really going to introduce viable EVs that's great. I'd buy an EV if it would reliably get me to Coeur d'Alene and back. That would take freeway capability with adequate acceleration and a 100-mile range. And it would mean it could do all my normal transportation excepting only long road trips, for which I'd keep my Prius.

I highly doubt the Prius nameplate will be discontinued. The Prius will remain Toyota's nameplate for its most advanced technology. But it might become a very different car. Always the cleanest, most efficient. Always for the early adopters.

 

Washington1788,

There are many threads on the next generation prius with all types of speculation. 90 mpg is a far stretch from today's prius. If you are to believe that the next generation is going to get 94 mpg, understand the souce. 94 mpg is the result of Japanese test standards which are higher than the current EPA. If you are to use current EPA, not the new rules for 2008 MY, than the next generation is speculated to get about 12% more mileage than the current model.

Do a search for ken@1784 here or at greenhybrid.com. Ken might even chime in on this thread if he sees it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(VABeachPrius @ Nov 22 2006, 10:27 PM) [snapback]353354[/snapback]</div>

If I've not mistaken, weren't those >90 MPG numbers based on imperial gallons, which will actually inflate the number by ~20% or so compared to US gallons...? If so, then 75MPG is not as dramatic increase (though still significant) as the rumours lead us to believe...

My take on the whole "wait or not" is that I agree with the belief there will always be something better, so try not to get too caught up always looking to the future or you will never buy anything...

Another thought - it is generally best not to buy the first model year after a major redesign unless you enjoy being the manufacturer's guinea pig as they iron out bugs. 3rd model year has worked great for me with my last two vehicles!

Finally, as much as I enjoy driving, I see cars for what they essentially are: a money drain. The more frequently you change vehicles, the more you lose. The best value is to drive your (used) vehicle as long as possible, then sell/trade and get something new(er). I had been eyeing the Prius for a while, and saved up enough to offset the payments to something reasonable that I could live with. I plan to keep this car for many years to come.

To each their own...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sarge @ Nov 22 2006, 09:21 PM) [snapback]353389[/snapback]</div>

The second point above is true: for the cheapest transportation, buy a used car, or if you must buy a new one, keep it until it falls apart.

However, the first point above neglects to consider Toyota quality. What if the "bug" rate for the first MY is .0004% and the rate for the third year is .0001%? You are 4 times as likely to have a problem in the first year, but still astronomically unlikely to have any problem in either year.

I considered waiting a year before buying my 2004 Prius for this reason. But finally concluded that the real price of waiting was the waiting itself: Not having the car I wanted for that entire year. As it turned out, there have been a few recalls and TSB's. But it's a simple matter of taking the car in for a couple of hours. (Being sure not to be the first!)

I used to say I'd only keep my Prius until the next major model revision. But now I say it will depend on how far they advance it, and what are the prospects of a proper EV on the horizon. Offer me an EV with 120-mile range, good acceleration, and freeway speed, and I'll buy that, and keep my old Prius for road trips.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 23 2006, 10:36 AM) [snapback]353465[/snapback]</div>

True - but even 'Toyota quality' can still have problems, just likely 'less' than average. There were a few recalls on the 2004's - which were thankfully relatively minor - but of course hindsight is always 20/20. The problems could have also been more serious and stranded people or worse been a safety hazard. Perhaps an extreme example, but my point is that you just never know, so why take that extra risk if not really necessary?

Of course, for any new product to succeed, there has to be sufficient number of early adopters, and since not everyone will believe in this, good products will naturally take care of themselves.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 23 2006, 10:36 AM) [snapback]353465[/snapback]</div>

I plan to keep the Prius as long as it fits my needs. My wife and I plan to start our family soon, so if we 'outgrow' the Prius a couple years down the road we may need to upgrade to the Sienna hybrid - whenever that comes out. :lol:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Nov 23 2006, 10:36 AM) [snapback]353465[/snapback]</div>

Oh, I also forgot to mention - I have always believed in used cars as they are always a better value than new (though the Prius is probably the closest exception to this you will ever find!) and the Prius is my first ever 'new' car. I actually lucked out by stumbling onto a demo car with my exact colour preference and package with only 3K miles and about 7% off (and still qualify for $2K Ontario tax rebate) - so I managed to escape some of that "depreciation" associated with new cars, while still officially buying 'new'. Woohoo! :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Washington1788 @ Nov 17 2006, 12:07 PM) [snapback]350790[/snapback]</div>

Hold out for the 2158 Prius. It'll blow the '08 away.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sarge @ Nov 23 2006, 02:21 PM) [snapback]353389[/snapback]</div>

The original number came from following article...
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109981

Please read it carefully, you'll know the Toyota's target number is 40 km/L on Japanese test cycles.
40 km/L -> 113 miles/UK_gallon -> 94 miles/US_gallon

The current Puius is rated as 35.5 km/L and 55 mpg EPA combined.
So, the 2009 Prius will be rated as 62 mpg EPA combined.

Ken@Japan

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ken1784 @ Nov 23 2006, 10:19 PM) [snapback]353601[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the clarification, Ken.