'08 | '09 | '10 | If buying a Prii now which year would you choose?

really? Here in CA they can't keep the '08s on the lot more than a week before sold, I ssuspect it would be impossible to buy an '08 in 2009 in this state at least. If I were buying, I would wait for the new model which I imagine will be a 2010 coming out in the later half of 2009

 

chris,
Check your PM

 

the one that gets the best MPG

 

I'd get a 2006 or 2007 Prius (not a Prii) with a few thousand kilometres on it.

2009 and 2010 aren't out yet so the title isn't really right.
Should it really be;
Buy 2008 now or wait for 2009 or 2010 model?

 

I've been on the waiting list for an '08 magnetic gray touring package #6 for about 3 weeks. I just spoke with my salesperson who indicated they just received half of their normal allotment of Prii, which is indicative of ramping down model year production. If you get on a waiting list now, unless you are willing to take anything that comes in, I believe you will be getting an '09.

 

The 09 will be more reliable than the 10. Avoid first year models--especially with new technology.

 

bingo!!! great advice. i waited for the 2nd gen prius to consider a hybrid
and not the first year it was released either. i was always in interested in
this tech but i am not fanboi enough to consider jumping in so fast.

just like apple computer gear, wait for early adopters to work out the bugs and use
the stable well trusted things while you wait.

 

I saw the 2010 model which will be out mid 2009 and it looked awesome.Rumor has it that it'll go up to 80mpg.

 

80 MPG mid engine - no bugs (dream on)

 

Since Fiona is a 2007 model, I hope I won't be buying a new Prius until 2015 or so. But then I'll be 73 so maybe the kids won't let me drive any more. . . .

 

just think if you wait until 2014 you can get a car that does 100 MPG!#$@!
but what do you drive in the meantime?!? ;-)

a prius of course. trade it in when the 2010 proves it is stable and reliable is the answer
to me if there is such dramatic improvements.

 

Here is a quote from edmunds:

Honda is currently winning the hybrid image war in Japan with the tiny Insight coupe, which manages 102 mpg in Japan's standard fuel cycle. The Prius is just a whisker behind at 99 mpg (35 km/l). But now comes news that Toyota is determined to hit 40 km/l (113 mpg) with the next Prius. Of course, these are Japanese fuel-economy figures, which will not translate directly to real-world driving conditions in the U.S.
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In other words the MPG numbers can be misleading. From what I have read about the 2009 model, it might cross 50 MPG as measured in US. Current models give 48 MPG in city and 45 MPG on highway. Hence the 2009 models will be slightly better but nothing earth shattering. The lithium-ion version has been delayed because the battery production will not start till 2009:

Toyota to start lithium-ion battery output in 2009 | Business | Reuters

With the lithium-ion version you might expect a significat boost in the gas mileage.

 

Consumer Reports recently criticized Toyota severely for having buggy rollouts of all their cars - even those that run on legacy technology. They said that they will no longer put their "Recommended" stamp on any newly designed models until they have hard reliability data. So you can bet that a redesigned Prius will have a similar risk. And the problem is that the greater the improvement, the greater the risk of bugs. That's why I pulled the trigger and got an '08. It's believed that the '10 model will be redesigned, but still based on NiMH batteries. Li-ion may not follow until '11 models at least, and wait another year or two for the kinks to be worked out. My current cars would not last that long, so I got an '08 (two of them, actually) and they'll be 4 years old before I'm even ready to consider something else from Toyota.

 

'11 or whenever a viable Plug-in is available as an option. (Something more along the lines of what Hymotion is offering.)

Then...whatever year they have an EV.

 

Go to the Toyota website and search the inventory of dealerships in your area for Priuses. I found a dozen dealerships or so within 250 miles. Maybe about 40 Priuses for sale. Most all of them used. Only one listed new one (79 miles driven), a pkg 4 for $26.6K--about $300 over list. The rest were used. Lots of 06s and 07s asking $28-29K. Amazing. Some older one for low $20s.
Why so many used ones? Maybe a lot of owners are selling them to dealerships at a premium--or traded them? Can't believe they are getting them in trade. And where are the new ones? None in inventory.