Hello Everyone

You can certainly drive the Prius like a "normal" car. This just means that you will get a measly 45-48 miles per gallon instead of 50+!

 

:welcome:

The Prius is what you make of it.
You have a little different system for starting it and shifting gears, kind of like how the Saab has the ignition switch between the front seats. You quickly get used to it.

As far as the computer/electronic aspect of it - you can ignore that if you want. It has a display that shows information to help your driving style and to show what the car is doing, but at least in the beginning it's best to just drive and not be too distracted by the display. If you don't ever look at the display you'll probably get 45-55 mpg (based on you being in Georgia and having a longer commute), depending on time of year and average speed and how heavy you run the A/C. If you look at the display and change your driving habits based on that, you might get 48-58 mpg.

Then there's other things you can do to improve mileage, and some people get a little more carried away with this, and that covers a fair bit of the threads on this site. But you can drive it just like a normal car, that's perfectly fine. Just ignore the people here obsessing about getting the next additional 2 mpg out of the car.

I waited a bit for the tech to settle down and be proven before I bought my Prius - and that was back in 2006. So by now, I think the technology is well tested. Several cars have gone over 300,000 miles (on the original battery pack) without problems to speak of.

 

Alan, welcome to PriusChat:welcome:

I completely understand how you conclude from reading that driving a Prius could be like buying a computer. I assume you're doing most of your reading from this forum which consists of Prius enthusiasts/techies, so it's bound to sound more technical. For an oldster like me, I drive the car normal and let the technology take care of itself.

If the Prius doesn't fit your requirements of budget, capacity or 0-60 performance, then you've made a smart decision. Don't rule out Prius because of technology perceptions, or assumptions about driving complexities. As you know, all new cars today offer a full array of onboard technology, including command-based sound systems to ICE computers, self-parking programs, computerized suspensions, etc.

I assure you that you can just get in, drive it, and forget it!

Hey, how complicated can a Prius be since I see so many old people (myself included) driving one. I think there's a thread here about Prius driver age.

For me, the Prius delivers the MPGs and low maintenance costs that I wanted in a car. Whatever car you pick, I hope you love it as much as I love my Prius.

 

Alan, welcome to the forum. I promise, tens of thousands of Prius owners just get in and drive it every day. Most are more concerned about what to get at their morning stop at Starbucks than they are about how to get the most out of the car. This is a forum with a lot of enthusiasts that love to push the envelop. It can be done, but not everyone here cares about that either.

I've always done all my own maintenance and the Prius is one of the most care free cars you'll ever own. Beyond figuring out where to plug in the iPod and when to change the oil and check the tire pressure, just drive it and "fuggedaboutit". No one will be the wiser and if you want to get into it deeper later on that's not problem either. It's just a car. Treat it like one. You can choose to remember or forget that it has the capability to go way beyond EPA numbers if you want it to. That's up to you.

Coming from several 4Runners, I can personally tell you that if you do get a Prius, you'll be hacked at yourself for not doing it sooner.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I too sold a gas guzzling truck which averaged approx. 14mpg. I have since driven 134,000 miles in my Prius with zero problems.

If this doesn't entice you to swap vehicles I don't know what will...

Cost analysis for 134,000 miles driven: (truck numbers are hypothetical since I did not drive it during the time I owned the Prius)

2005 Prius
Purchase Price $28,000
Average MPG lifetime: 47mpg
Fuel cost Lifetime: 134,000 / 47mpg = 2851 gallons * $3/ga = $8553
Total cost for car and fuel = $36,553

2000 GMC Sierra Z71 4x4
Sold for $10,000 (purchased for $34,000)
Average MPG: 14mpg
Fuel cost if it had not been sold: 134,000 / 14mpg = 9571 gallons * $3/ga = $28,714
Total cost for truck and fuel: (134,000 miles + 82,000 miles from new till I bought the Prius) $80,285

If you take the $10,000 from the sale of the truck and apply it to the purchase price of the Prius you end up with $18,000. Now subtract the total fuel cost for the Prius from the fuel cost of the truck. $28,714 - $8553 = $20,161.

So the Prius has saved me $2,161 ($20,161 - $18,000) after being paid off. So now I have a paid off car that is 5 years newer than my truck and I will just continue to save on fuel. To make this look even better, buy a used GenII Prius and you'll make my savings look pitiful.

Owning a gas guzzler just doesn't add up when you look at long term costs.

 

Good luck! Buying a used Prius is the best economic choice.

 

First let me say I like my 2009 Prius (65,000 miles so far, 45 MPG)

Now I am going to list 'negatives' about the Prius, and you will realize that few of them apply to you.

When you cold start the Prius, it tries to get the pollution control gear warmed up and ready, so extremely small commutes are not amazingly better than other cars. You are better off driving a long way as the first leg, then making all your stops getting home.

The Prius HV and 12 volt batteries dislike not being used. If you routinely park your car over 3 weeks at a time, this can be a problem. Drive it every week, no problem.

The traction control prevents wheelspin. If you need wheelspin in your lifestyle, (snowy slopes, gravel driveway, etc.) the Prius is not a good choice.

The Prius is low hung, both front and back, I am amazed anyone 'lowers' their Prius.

800 pounds of passengers and cargo, and 0 pounds of towing is not a great deal of cargo flexibility. Eight foot lumber is easy, ten foot lumber is possible.

The 12 volt battery is sized small, as it does not run a starter motor, sadly every 4 years you need a new one at $140+ Being that small, leave the car in Ready when consuming electricity. Toyota placed the batteries in the passenger compartment with your loved ones. Only use AGM batteries with external venting. Since it does not run a starter, you may find you are inexperienced at telling when a car battery is dieing if it never makes that slow starting noise.

Toyota has tried innovative technologies to reduce pollution, The North American fuel bladder in the Gen II Prius prevents vapor buildup. It also makes predicting when you will need fuel challenging. Get gas when you get to two pips if you have passengers who will never let you forget when you stranded them. One pip is fine if you drive solo and never have to admit you ran out. Get gas NOW if it starts blinking, trust me.

None of these are all that unusual, but you deserve to know weaknesses.

 

There were several packages available in 2006. I don't recall if navigation always meant leather, but it's quite possible they don't have to go together. The 5 year warranty would be ending very soon, but at least you'd have some time to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong with the car after buying it. The warranty goes with the car, it doesn't matter who's selling it. There's a longer warranty for the hybrid system (main battery pack, electric motor, inverter), I think it's 8 years/96K miles except in California where it's longer yet.

 

It does not. I have an 06 package NL. I have everything except leather. 06 was the first model year where factory leather was offered.

http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...andard-optional-equipment-some-countries.html lists the years and packages.

 

i would look around to see what else is out there for pricing. it's not great, but these days, it's not horrible either. just beware that at 85,000 miles, while most pri have few to no problems, you could get the expensive lemon. all the best!

 

Good summary!

 

Yup. As long as it is comprised of slim pieces like posts. They fit between the seats and stop right before the stereo. I often haul 8'x4" wood posts for building H-braces or 8' t-posts for my bird boxes or building barbed-wire fences.

 

Sounds like a good price to me. The Prius is a reliable car.

I've hauled 100" (8' and change) lengths of 2x10's before with the hatch down. Fold down the passenger seat and the back seat, and it doesn't touch the dash or the hatch. Taking off the headrest allows the seats to fold flatter.

I also haul a full size (27" wheels) mountain bike in the car without taking a wheel off. It's a little tight, but goes in easily enough. 46" LCD TV in the box also lies flat in the back, probably could go up to 50". Can't remember if I had to put the rear seats down on that one.