Hello I'm a "New-To-Me" Prius owner

Welcome. Spouse has a 2005 Silver since last day of March. I drive a 1984 Toyota Corolla at about 30 mpg and the car you got would be perfect for my 35 mile round-trip commute near Washington, D.C.

 

Welcome, BeachDriver. Where ya from? Er, live near a beach?

The dealer should've showed you where the cupholders are. Sometimes it's the only thing a salescritter knows about a car. :blink:

I had an '01. No problems in 45K mi. before I sold it. Loved the extra-short turning radius.

At first, the hood made me feel as if I were driving a bigger, quieter VW Beetle.

I now like the MFD on the "Gen 1" ('01-'03) Prius better than the bigger "outie" on the Gen 2. Being smaller and recessed, it doesn't play on my obsessiveness as much as the bigger one! I also liked the dash materials and design better---not so cheap-looking as the newer ones.

The lower center storage compartment between the two front seats didn't bother me as it did many. I don't rest my right arm on it when I drive.

The only thing I didn't like was not having fold-down rear seats.

If you're not too familiar with the various online Prius groups, the one with the most owners of '01s-'03s is: [email protected]. The founder of that group still drives his '01 and has around 180K on it.

Of course, you're welcome here, too.

 

BeachDriver,

If the car does not have HOV stickers, go to http://www.dmv.ca.gov and download an application.

John

 

The Classic cannot be "programmed" via flash- its ECUs must be replaced with newer revisions, so if the dealer told you that, he's lying..

That said, the Classic has never had a stalling problem attributed to the software either.. The only way the Classic can trigger the MIL display is fuel system related: 1) gas cap not tight enough (same thing happens on the HSD) 2) TSB related to filler neck- there was some issue with the gas filler neck and some cars got new filler necks/gas tanks and sometimes ECUs, but again, ECUs were replaced, not reprogrammed.

Having driven both the Classic and the HSD, I prefer my Classic- I like the Classic interior much better- the pigmented plastics are much nicer and far more durable than the painted plastics in the HSD. The performance was a toss-up.. Although the HSD is definitely better at low speeds due to its boosted motor voltage, at moderate and high speeds, I preferred the "feel " of the Classic..

 

Isn't a G1 Prius the 1997 to 2000 model, before it was introduced to the U.S.A. with a smaller ICE, bigger battery (made of of 240 individual D-cell NiMH) batteries, stamped steel wheels, different bumpers, and amber plastic tail lights?

Yes. Technically, you're correct.

However, many people here (and elsewhere) refer to the 2001-2003 models as "First Generation" and the 2004+ models as "Second Generation." I guess they just forget (or choose to ignore) the Japanese-only First Generation.

 

Hello, and welcome to PC!

We're practically neighbors-I live in Los Alamitos (although I work in Huntington).

 

Beachdriver, can you direct me to any information about that 2008 and the G4? I plan on trading in my '04 as soon as the next major model revision comes out. Not for any dissatisfaction with my '04, but just to have the newest technology. But up until now, the "next major model revision" has just been a sort of game. I know that sooner or later there will be something newer and better, and I dream and speculate about what it might have, but it's all dreams and speculation; nothing concrete. Not even (until now?) a date.