2006 versus 2007 Prius

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mcad64 @ Jan 29 2007, 07:23 AM) [snapback]382253[/snapback]</div>

I have an 06 and I don't believe there are any changes in the 07 per se.

The BIG difference is the touring package option. I would be very interested in it, in that it supposedly provides a little stiffer suspension that might result in a little more stability for the car (which tends to sway just slightly in the wind due to its height). I have never driven the 07 model, so I can't attest to this improvement being worth it (versus a rough ride).

I can tell you our 06, with 11,000 miles on it, has been great... a really nice car to get around in with zero warranty problems. I don't do anything for maximizing my gas mileage - just drive it normally and we get a consistent 42-43 MPG... For us, the benefits really have to do with the HOV sticker and the tax credit... those two things really made the car financially worthwhile.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(John in LB @ Jan 29 2007, 10:30 AM) [snapback]382259[/snapback]</div>

That may be true, but remember that the Prius has multiple computers in it. Also, parts change. The Japanese have something called "Constant Improvement Engineering". This means that they are always trying to make things better. The car may look the same on the outside, but improvements are always being made in:

Software programming
Parts design, reliability, and compatibility
Materials

When I got a camera in 1987, a Nikon FE2, it was discontinued later that year, with sales of new bodies lasting into early 1989. My friend is a camera repair technician with his own business. When he found out I got a late model FE2, he said that was good, as it would have all the latest improvements.

Therefore, I would think the 07 Prius will have a lot of internal changes in the areas listed above vs. the 06. You may not see them, you may not even notice them, but they are there. Toyota spent a year dealing with problems with 06 models, whatever they were. So they are going to engineer changes into the 07 to get rid of those problems.

Remember, Toyota is unlike any other car company in the world. It is run by engineers, not by sales or marketing people. Toyota Engineering is probably the best in the world, if you look at the reliability stats vs. other companies. They even trump Mercedes by a huge margin. Mercedes was the benchmark back in the old days. Not any more!

So I would go for the 07.

Dave

 

The main difference you will be concerned with is one year of depreciation. When you finally sell/trade in the car, the 06 will be considered to be one year older than the 07, no matter when you bought it "new". If you sell/trade in the Prius within 5 years the difference could be more than a few thousand. If you keep it for more than 5 yeas, the difference wouldn't be enough to worry about.

There is no touring offered in Canada, so that's no difference.

Basically, the two cars are the same. Especially now, at model year changeover. There hasn't been enough time elapsed for major improvements to be installed (ongoing improvements as discussed above).

I'm not sure I would go for the 06 with only $3000 difference. I was offered an 06 package "B" last summer for $2000 off list. I think they should move further off list. I'm not sure the discount is from Toyota, though. It may be just the dealer discounting to move them in winter. If that's the case, they probably can't move any lower.

So it's up to you - do you plan on keeping the car for a long time? If so, go ahead and save $3000. If not, go for the 07.

 

<_< Kinda boils down to how long you plan to drive your Prius before trading up...

In October '06, I shopped to trade my '04 Prius up to an '06 or '07. The first motivation was the $3,150 tax credit available if I took delivery prior to Oct 1st which would have required I buy an '06 in my area ['07s were not yet being delivered]. Since the arrival of the '07s was imminent, I chose to get the newer year model and $1,575 tax credit. the North Texas dealers were not offering substantial discounts at that time. Another factor turned out to be the availability of the Touring Edition which I bought. Since I plan to drive my '07 Touring Edition a long time, my preference was the year-newer model number in the belief that Toyota engineers were constantly making improvements such as in the multiple-computers' software.

Turned out that was probably a good decision since North Texas dealers now have '07 Prius in stock are are offering discounts [not as much as $3,000 though] and fairly good deals. There are only a few '06s remaining in this area and the best offer I have seen is "100 over Invoice."

My read... If you're going to drive your Prius "'til the wheels fall off," the $3,000 discount on the '06 sounds good.

 

I suppose it also depends if there is any difference in packages, which wasn't stated.

However, all this debating is purely academic. His wife already said she wanted the HyCam!