1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

'Super Prius' in '09 - 80 mpg ? March '07 article

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Accessories & Modifications' started by pola, May 7, 2007.

  1. pola

    pola New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2006
    120
    0
    0
    The photo of the '09 Prius was nice : http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive...rs/4212545.html
    http://www.popularmechanics.com/blogs/ener...ws/4216009.html

    2009 Toyota Prius: Spy Report
    By Antoine Guilbaud
    Photograph by Ron Lieberson
    Published in the March 2007 issue.

    Here's a good look at the next-generation Toyota Prius. The inside word from Japan is that the '09 version of the landmark hybrid will deliver both better fuel economy and more power. Engine size increases to 1.8 liters. New batteries and refinements to the Hybrid Synergy drive — maybe even a solar panel on the roof and eventually plug-in capability — could up city economy to 80 mpg. It may not look it, but the body will be all-new, growing 1 in. wider, but getting 1 in. shorter in overall length.

    PM NEWS: The Super Prius Is Coming

    (who do you believe ??? If I buy now, and trade up in '09, I will lose money, so should I just wait ?)
    I assume the first year of a new model there may be kinks, so second year might be better to buy,... also, supply will be less than demand, so you might have to wait... A friend suggested I get a Honda Fit for 15K, which gets about 40 mpg, and wait for the next gen. Prius ... ???
    meanwhile, the dealer keeps calling, wanting to sell me that silver mica pine Prius I like...
    after reading so many posts here, it seems like the Prius is a super high maintenance car.. unlike my year 2000 Volvo, which has become too costly to keep. Does a light come on when it's time to change the oil, or have a service ? sorry for all the questions, but i need to decide soon if I am buying or NOT.
    :blink:
     
    #1 pola, May 7, 2007
  2. OlsonBW

    OlsonBW New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2007
    254
    1
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pola @ May 7 2007, 01:10 PM) [snapback]437054[/snapback]</div>
    Tell him to come up with a price that you can't refuse and THEN you'll buy it.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pola @ May 7 2007, 01:10 PM) [snapback]437054[/snapback]</div>
    I tried finding the posts you are talking about. These apparently are very few. There is VERY little maintenance to do on a Prius.

    Basically it is this. Change the oil and filter every 5,000 miles.
    Change the wiper blades maybe twice a year.
    Change tires before they get balled.
    Change any lights that stop working.

    That's basically it.
     
    #2 OlsonBW, May 7, 2007
  3. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,116
    0
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    A maintenance light will come on to remind you it is time for an oil change. Fluids & filters are all the maintenance I expect the car will need.

    I will not speak for any of the rest of us but IMO don't believe anything you read from any manufacturer about future product. It is vaporware until you can actually buy one. If you wish to wait for the "perfect car" you will end up never buying one because there will be something better available "just around the corner". If the current model fits your needs then buy one now. If you don't need one now it may be better to buy an '08 later this year. I personally wouldn't buy the first year of any model as I personally don't want to do the manufacturer's flight testing.

    You have an opportunity now to see how low the dealer will go on the car you want. Apparantly the dealer doesn't have people standing in line waiting to purchase or it would have moved off the lot by now. Offer invoice.
     
    #3 JimN, May 7, 2007
  4. Rangerdavid

    Rangerdavid Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2006
    1,362
    52
    0
    Location:
    Boone, North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three Touring
    at 15800 miles when considering I'm changing the oil every 5000 instead of every 3000 (thats 3 oil changes instead of 5) and I've cut my gas bill in half, AND I've stopped pollutining the environment as much,

    ITS A NO BRAINER!!!

    Lower cost, save more money, pollute less..... :lol: :lol:
     
    #4 Rangerdavid, May 7, 2007
  5. pola

    pola New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2006
    120
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OlsonBW @ May 7 2007, 04:51 PM) [snapback]437136[/snapback]</div>

    Thanks, that's good advice tonite...I am probably just on info. overload re: the high maintenance theory.
    I appreciate your giving me your opinion.. really helpful. I have been glued here for 2 weeks now and maybe i just need a break from the pressure i am putting on myself... my loan comes thru in a week, and the dealer may have something for me at a reasonable price (we'll see), but do i want car payments ? that is the real question. i could wait til '08 and try to find an '07, if there are any available... or wait til i feel i can afford it. my Volvo MIGHT be O.K. another year... perhaps it would not be good to buy in '09 since the kinks won't be out of it.
    So just as i was deciding NOT to buy, I am back here, thinking of buying. 10 yrs. from now, we'll probably all be driving EV's.
    all the best,
     
    #5 pola, May 7, 2007
  6. pola

    pola New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2006
    120
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(OlsonBW @ May 7 2007, 04:51 PM) [snapback]437136[/snapback]</div>

    sorry, see my reply to you at the bottom... THANKS !!!!!


    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JimN @ May 7 2007, 05:41 PM) [snapback]437165[/snapback]</div>

    Thanks, Jim N, for your helpful advice !! I'm so glad there is an oil light... how often do you have your fluids checked ?
    O.K. I will stop fantasizing about something better ! LOL. Maybe I will wait and buy an '08 later this year, or even a good '07 if I can find one. I really don't know what I will do yet.. but I will probably stop posting now until I decide... am on info. overload right now. Yes, let's see what the dealer might do.
    Especially with the color green that does not move like the other colors.
    THANKS AGAIN,
    Best wishes, pola


    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rangerdavid @ May 7 2007, 06:50 PM) [snapback]437201[/snapback]</div>
     
    #6 pola, May 7, 2007
  7. Orf

    Orf New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2006
    414
    4
    0
    Location:
    Devonport, Tasmania
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pola @ May 7 2007, 03:10 PM) [snapback]437054[/snapback]</div>
    I had the 10,000 km service done by Toyota yesterday and while waiting I spoke with the head of sales. I asked about the next generation Prius and he said that the G4 will be out next year.
    Here in Australia we measure models by the year they are produced not like in the US where a 2008 car comes out in September, or there abouts. He did not know what changes there would be in the G4.
    I have no way of knowing if he was correct in what he said or whether he was just making up a story but what he said does not seem to match what I am reading on this forum.
     
    #7 Orf, May 8, 2007
  8. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    14,487
    1,518
    0
    Location:
    Spokane, WA
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    That picture of the '09 has been posted here before. For myself, I do not want a bigger ICE or another inch of width. Give me the same size ICE as now, and an even bigger boost in fuel economy! Cars are too wide for the streets as it is now. Make them narrower, not wider.

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pola @ May 7 2007, 08:09 PM) [snapback]437283[/snapback]</div>
    The Prius is the coolest gas-powered car on the planet. But I would never go into debt for any car unless absolutely forced to do so, and then it would be the cheapest car that would do the job.

    I can never remember for sure, but I think it was Mr. Magruder in Dickens's Great Expectations who says something like: The recipe for happiness is to spend one pound less than your income, and the recipe for misery is to spend one pound more than your income.

    My suggestion: Buy the Prius now if you can afford it. It will be a year and a half before that 2009 becomes available, and probably longer before you can get your hands on one. And two and a half to thre years if you wait for the 2010.

    But if you have to borrow money, buy a 5-year-old Honda Civic. Or a Gen-1 Prius if the price is right.
     
    #8 daniel, May 8, 2007
  9. auricchio

    auricchio Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2006
    921
    7
    0
    Location:
    Cambria, CA, USA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    So, Pola, you're still not sure if you want to buy a car? Why waste everyone's time? People here have answered all your questions and you still don't know what you want to do. So now you're reading a stupid Popular Mechanics article. The same people who told us flying cars would be here by 1980. Get real.

    There's a rule of thumb that states: "If you have to talk about it, you probably shouldn't do it." Maybe that applies here. Keep your current car until you're sure.
     
    #9 auricchio, May 8, 2007
  10. pola

    pola New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2006
    120
    0
    0
    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Orf @ May 7 2007, 10:10 PM) [snapback]437316[/snapback]</div>

    thanks for the info. very interesting !
    best, pola

    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ May 8 2007, 08:26 AM) [snapback]437458[/snapback]</div>
    THANKS very much, appreciate the advice and opinion. I do have to borrow, which is my dilemma. a 5 yr. old Honda Civic ? wonder what that would cost... also a used Prius is not a bad idea either.
    So you only buy with cash ? You make some good points. My boyfriend wants a new Honda Civic. 30-40 mpg.
    dealer will sell him one for only 18,9K !!! unbelieveable price. made me think about it, but i am still wanting the Prius... thanks again, pola


    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rick Auricchio @ May 8 2007, 11:28 AM) [snapback]437592[/snapback]</div>
    Hi Rick,
    In a recent post i said I was sorry for all the questions.. and that I would slow down on posting if I did not feel ready to buy.
    so that's what i am doing.
    thanks for all your help.
    take care,
     
    #10 pola, May 9, 2007
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)