Danny needs help from our members for site content!

I can probably do some pics of my Silver BC. Have to take them first, of course, which involves wrenching the S50 away from my wife (no mean feat, that!).

 

I'd be more than happy to offer my pics or certain angled pics of my Black BC - just let me know, I love combining my first baby (my digital rebel) with my second (the prius)

Also - perhaps with the general info/specs, perhaps you could use john1701a's spec sheet as a starting point? Not to volunteer John, but he has already built up a good deal of data on the car. Just a suggestion!

-m.

 

Even though I was not able to make it to Fudruckers, My Seaside Pearl #8 is at your disposal. Just let me know and I'll meet you at a local Starbucks for the photo session.

 

blk-bc pics... how to

i have a few pics of my black bc with mud flaps and window visors, i can take others, let me know what format/size/etc you want/ and how you want the pictures, i can send them individual or together as zip... let me know

[email protected]

sid

 

Bookrats:

Dont forget to mention the increased tire pressure. i
read a really good FAQ on driving techniques for the
Prius and cannot remember where i saw it. it might have
been here or maybe John1701A's site or ??? but it
basically discussed techniques to "force" the car into
stealth mode and such.

 

I'll add that to the list. There's definitely info on this on John1701A's site, which I'll link to; also, to one or two threads here on PriusChat.

This is a subject where there is some controversy, so I want to make sure that the FAQ summary points out that there are two schools of thought (at least) on this -- and then point folks to discussions and info that they can use to make a decision.

PS Apologies for taking so long to get the first pass on this material written; have a family member who is critically ill right now, and scheduling is difficult. Danny should see the first wave of stuff within a couple of weeks, but I can't make firm commitments.

 

Bookrats:
Take care of your family, we can wait. hope everything works out ok for you.

 

Thanks, all of you.

It's mostly a matter of waiting -- not a lot can be done. Just makes any scheduling for the next couple of days/weeks/months difficult. I'm sure many of you have been in similar situations.

 

I have an 04 driftwood pearl if you need pictures. Let me know what angles to get for the exterior. I also just recently took pictures of a lot of the pick-up checklist items that are in my personal gallery. I suspect those would be useful to a lot of people (In particular, I had no idea what the "rubber plugs" were going to look like).

 

How about a database of naughty and nice dealers.

Vandergriff Toyota obviously tops the naughty list, along with West Ashley Toyota. With that West Virginia one and Griffin Toyota on the nice list.

A thread for naughty and a thread for nice with comment space for each.
Might be helpful for those still waiting or looking. Could also be organized by region. Definitely a quick and easy way to hold vagrant dealers accountable by way of negative advertising and vice versa for the good ones.
just a thought.

 

not a bad idea... but i can see problems with that. especially with the short supply of Prius' and even shorter tempers of the people waiting.

 

Just an update: I should be able to get to the Newbie FAQ at the end of August, or early September.

Light at the end of the tunnel and all that; funerals are over the next several weeks, but after that have project deadlines, some of which I've fallen behind on because of the family situations.

Apologies for taking so long. I'm really looking forward to doing this. Keep those suggestions for questions coming (I need to update the list myself, because I see these repeated questions coming up again and again as new threads.)

 

Sorry if this is redundant for some.
I posted this in the yahoo group already.
Any other answers would be helpfull also, but most have been answered to my satisfaction.

I'm posting this because I had some pre-buy questions and most of the questions on the FAQ were post-buy questions. I wanted some answers before I put my name on the list. Bookrats is making another FAQ and he thought it might be a good idea to have some more questions for it.

I'll post my original questions and the answers I got. Sorry it will be long.

---Start of Questions -------

Is is worth it to you? It seems very reasonable for the price. I've
never owned a new car before, so this would be my first.

Can I run out of battery? The dealer said no, but they never always
tell the truth. Lets say I sit still with the AC on and the battery
gets low. Will it run on the ICE only till the battery gets charged
up? Or would it be like a regular car and I'd need a jump start?

How about simple maintance? Is it something I could so myself? The
dealership has life time $9.95 oil changes so they can do that. But
what about brakes, spark plugs, air filters....general maintance kind
of stuff. Is that reccommeded? Is it easy to do, or different that a
normal car?

How about towing? I have a jet ski. Under 1000 lbs. Has anyone towed
with it? I know my gas milage would go down, but I would only tow it
very short distances when I do tow it. 20 miles maybe.

I'm on the fence between a package 6 or 7. I live in Michigan. It
gets pretty snowy/slippery in the winter. Does that traction control,
I forget what their name for it is, help enough to warrent the cost?

Does anyone NOT pay MSRP? I can imagine with the demand that MSRP is
the only way they will sell them.

Should I go to multiple dealers and get on the waiting list? Will it
help my chances any? Again I'm looking 10-12 months before I want one
anyway. I've got one dealer in town that is really cool and one that
seems to be a tool. So I'd rather goto the nicer dealer.

Is it fun to drive? I had a fun time with the test drive, but it was
just around the block. It was a big block, but still a little ways? I
was thinking about going to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and getting on for
the weekend. They only want $20 a day.


----End of my questsions-------


---Start of answers-----

Courtsy of Jerry J.


> Hey. I'm new to the list. I have been thinking about getting a Prius
> and just found out there is a huge wait for one. About a year they
> are saying. Is that so?

If you call around to every dealer within 1000 miles, say you will pay
no
more than MSRP, and that you are ready to buy one now, you will get one
much sooner. Several people in these groups have done just that.


> I'm looking to get one in about a year anyway
> so that is fine with me.

Mostly that's to prod you into another car that the dealer has sitting
on
the lot.

> I got some other questions.
>
> Is is worth it to you? It seems very reasonable for the price. I've
> never owned a new car before, so this would be my first.

You bet. I haven't been this excited about a car since the 1969 DS-21
that
I once owned. This car is in that class.

> Can I run out of battery? The dealer said no, but they never always
> tell the truth. Lets say I sit still with the AC on and the battery
> gets low. Will it run on the ICE only till the battery gets charged
> up?

There are two batteries, a 12V about the size of a motorcycle battery,
which starts the computers and runs some accesories like the radio and
lights, and the HV battery which drives the motors and the a/c
compressor.

The computers never let the battery get very low or very high. There is
a
battery gauge, but 0 on the gauge is about 40% charge and 100% is 80%
charge.

It is possible to get down to where the battery provides little or no
extra power by entering the Prius in a ralley. The severe acceleration
and
hard braking in these race type conditions will deplete the battery to
this point in 30 to 45 minutes.

Driving without gas will do this in just a few minutes, so you should
never drive when empty (just like anyother car).

> Or would it be like a regular car and I'd need a jump start?

Only for the 12V. Because the 12V is tiny, leaving the door ajar can
flatten it in a short period of time. The easy way to prevent this is
to
lock the door every time.

> How about simple maintance? Is it something I could so myself? The
> dealership has life time $9.95 oil changes so they can do that. But
> what about brakes, spark plugs, air filters....general maintance kind
> of stuff. Is that reccommeded? Is it easy to do, or different that a
> normal car?

Oil and filter change is no different. The brakes will last almost
forever. You do need to go to the dealer so they can hook up the
diagnostic equipment.

> How about towing? I have a jet ski. Under 1000 lbs. Has anyone towed
> with it? I know my gas milage would go down, but I would only tow it
> very short distances when I do tow it. 20 miles maybe.

Towing is strongly discouraged. Some people have towed a very light
trailer short distances (300-500 lbs) with no ill effects.

> I'm on the fence between a package 6 or 7. I live in Michigan. It
> gets pretty snowy/slippery in the winter. Does that traction control,
> I forget what their name for it is, help enough to warrent the cost?

Yes, get it. It's great. I have package 9 and I wouldn't get anything
less.

> Does anyone NOT pay MSRP? I can imagine with the demand that MSRP is
> the only way they will sell them.

Some fools pay more than MSRP.

> Should I go to multiple dealers and get on the waiting list? Will it
> help my chances any? Again I'm looking 10-12 months before I want one
> anyway. I've got one dealer in town that is really cool and one that
> seems to be a tool. So I'd rather goto the nicer dealer.

Answered above.

> Is it fun to drive?

Yes, I have 10K miles on mine now and it's just as much fun as the
first
day.


-----End of Answer #1---

---Start of Answer #2----

Thanks Jimmy B.

> Hey. I'm new to the list. I have been thinking about getting a Prius
> and just found out there is a huge wait for one. About a year they
> are saying. Is that so? I'm looking to get one in about a year anyway
> so that is fine with me.

Yeah, but it varies. One year seems about average, but some parts of
the
country are better off than others. And you can get one right away if
you
pay a little "extra."

> Is is worth it to you? It seems very reasonable for the price. I've
> never owned a new car before, so this would be my first.

No new car is *ever* worth it from a fiscal point of view. Buy
something
2-4 years old and drive it into the ground, and you'll save a lot of
money. If you're really pinching pennies, try a Kia or something. But
the fact that you're looking at a Prius indicates you're concerned
about
more than just money.

If you want a new car, the Prius compares very favorably with
comparable
new cars. It blows the doors off the Corolla in every aspect, and it
beats the Camry in many ways. In some ways I find it a much better car
than a Lexus. For value for money, the Prius is the best new car you
can
get (IMHO).

> Can I run out of battery? The dealer said no, but they never always
> tell the truth. Lets say I sit still with the AC on and the battery
> gets low. Will it run on the ICE only till the battery gets charged
> up? Or would it be like a regular car and I'd need a jump start?

No, yep, no. The ICE will kick in to protect your battery.

As far as jumpstarts.... You can't drain the traction battery unless
something goes seriously wrong with your computer. However, the
computer
runs off a 12V battery -- if that dies, you need a "jumpstart."
Jumpstarting is far easier, though, because the battery only needs to
boot
the computer, not crank the engine.

The AC runs off the traction battery, so you're safe there. The Prius
automatically turns off the headlights when you shut it off, but should
you flip them off then on again after turning it off, they'll come back
on. Leave them on and you'll need a jump.

> How about simple maintance? Is it something I could so myself? The
> dealership has life time $9.95 oil changes so they can do that. But
> what about brakes, spark plugs, air filters....general maintance kind
> of stuff. Is that reccommeded? Is it easy to do, or different that a
> normal car?

Pretty simple maintance. Most stuff (engine, brakes, etc) only need
worked on half as often or less. Most of it can be done yourself, just
like any other car. The hybrid stuff you probably want the dealer to
deal
with, but there's no maintance there, only repairs if something breaks.

> How about towing? I have a jet ski. Under 1000 lbs. Has anyone towed
> with it? I know my gas milage would go down, but I would only tow it
> very short distances when I do tow it. 20 miles maybe.

I've never towed, and Toyota says don't do it. However, plenty of
people
have towed stuff, and said they had no problems. Coastal Tech has a
tow
adapter for the Prius, fairly affordable.

> I'm on the fence between a package 6 or 7. I live in Michigan. It
> gets pretty snowy/slippery in the winter. Does that traction control,
> I forget what their name for it is, help enough to warrent the cost?

Yes. Somewhere I've even got graphs of wheel rotational speed and
vehicle
speed vs time under full accelleration in snow. Very impressive.

My advice, though, is to be a little flexible on packages -- it will
decrease wait time considerably.

> Does anyone NOT pay MSRP? I can imagine with the demand that MSRP is
> the only way they will sell them.

Yes. Usually for jumping a waiting list -- you shouldn't pay above
MSRP
if you got it from the list.

> Should I go to multiple dealers and get on the waiting list? Will it
> help my chances any? Again I'm looking 10-12 months before I want one
> anyway. I've got one dealer in town that is really cool and one that
> seems to be a tool. So I'd rather goto the nicer dealer.

Multiple dealers can be a good idea. Be aware that many are horrible
lying scum. My first attempt to buy a Prius (2001) resulted in six
months
of waiting before I discovered I wasn't even on the waiting list, even
though I had put $500 done! I left, and didn't buy a Prius until after
moving to another town (2004).

> Is it fun to drive? I had a fun time with the test drive, but it was
> just around the block. It was a big block, but still a little ways? I
> was thinking about going to Enterprise Rent-A-Car and getting on for
> the weekend. They only want $20 a day.

Go for it!

Yes, it's fun to drive. It's not a sports car, but it is fun.
Handling
is impressive. Power is average, but the top-end power is pretty
impressive. One nice thing is you can safely floor the car without
overworking the engine, since the electric motor picks up the slack.
So
flooring isn't any worse, really, than gentle driving as far as damage
(mpg still suffers). That definately makes it more fun.

---End of All--


Thansk
Alpha

 

Thanks Alpha! I'll happily incorporate some of these questions into the Newbie list.

 

great post alpha!

 

I can do this, but I don't have that much time, so it may take a couple of weeks before I got something nice.

 

well you could access the view posts since my last visit. that wont show the posts in order, but it will show posts that have activity.

and technically, each forum does have the threads list although not in the order they were posted. but they are listed by activity.