Bought my first prius. Any tips?

congrats! how many miles on her?

first thing is to check the 12v battery health.
you can download an owners manual for free somewhere, maybe the owners site?
speaking of which, log on and plug in your vin for past service and recalls.

 

You want the tires to wear evenly, 38 to 40 PSI is near to that ideal, and will give better MPGs, handling, and safety, at a cost in comfort. Replace your tires with Low Rolling Resistance tires to get the best MPG.

Never use any electrical devices except when Ready; the 12 volt battery is very small.

The HV battery will charge when needed, not your worry. Do not try to drive when out of gas.

Toyota's Owners manuals
https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM08W1QG/pdf/2008_Prius_QRG_lr.pdf
https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/om-s/OM47613U/pdf/OM47613U.pdf
https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-08PriusWI/pdf/2008_Prius_OWI_lr.pdf
https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-08Prius/pdf/T-MMS-08Prius.pdf

John's user guide

John's Stuff - Toyota Prius User-Guide (Iconic)

 

Welcome and enjoy your new type of transportation.

Begin by reading the stickies in the newbie sub-forum starting with this one:

What every newb should know | PriusChat

 

It will be fine, the cigarette lighter is only on in Ready.

 

As I recall, 2008 is pretty much the same as 2009 (other than price!), so your new beast is the same as our red 2009 touring!

Mostly, I’d just say, “just enjoy it!” In terms of getting best mileage though, I’d say, “don’t get too obsessed with the tiny details of your driving habits, and just drive conservatively”: Don’t drive or accelerate faster than necessary, brake early and moderately, maintain consistent speeds, and don’t overdo the air conditioner. (All this, unless you have to drive it otherwise for safety reasons, of course.)

Be cautious of one ... “inadvertent scam” for lack of a better phrase: One time I took it into the dealer (otherwise quite reputable dealer), and, after several years driving it, there was a mild coolant leak. They fixed that just fine, but shortly thereafter, it posted a code saying that the 3-way coolant valve had to be replaced. It turns out that that same code is also thrown just if they overfilled the coolant. I strongly suspect that there was nothing really wrong with the valve, and they just overfilled it.

 

Oh, and two other important things regarding optimal mileage — true for pretty much any other car too: Make sure tire inflation stays good (if anything perhaps a little high rather than low), and also don’t carry around much extra “trunk junk.”

I find the basic operations of the touchscreen setup pretty straight forward. There are much-more-involved operations where ... pretty much just have to read the NAV manual. A couple things pop into mind:

If you tap on a spot in the map, you will see a crosshairs icon stick on that location. To switch back to following your current location, IIRC, hit the map button.

You might want to see about getting an update to the NAV’s maps, from the dealer. It comes in the form of a DVD that you plug it into a reader under the driver’s seat, IIRC. Perhaps pop out the DVD that’s currently in there to see which version (date) it is (maybe it’s already been updated).

 

But there doesn't HAVE to be.

I know it might be hard to believe from what you see in places like this but most Prius owners just drive their nice little car in a conservative manner and just enjoy the crap out of it.
Then if and when something goes wrong, they take it to a shop to get it fixed.

All of the exotic things that people describe that they do with their car is just a symptom of OCD or techno-nerds.....or both.

Honestly, worry less and enjoy more.

 

the only hidden cubby is the drawer facing forward at the bottom of the center console.
and of course, you have the nice slot with auto press cover below the radio, and the double glove box.
and there is a huge storage tray below the hatch deck, above the spare.
good time to check the spare tire and tools.

 

But where do I put my sunglasses????????!

 

and phone?

 

Oh, DON'T GET ME STARTED on those damn cell phones! And texting! About 70% of the accidents out here are due to calling/texting!

Speeding, racing, drunks, and pot heads take care of the rest.

I'm going back to The Happiest Place on Earth

 

I sure wish the Gen4 had all those little storage areas. And a good wash & wax also makes your Prius engine perform better and quieter.

 

Yes, I largely agree. Clever driving might be able to save you a couple MPG, but ultimately not worth it; just drive!

(But drive reasonably conservatively.)

 

Going to fill your custom churro warmer?