Thinking about buying a Prius. Few lingering questions though. Any help??

1. It seems inverter pumps fail on occasion, accompanied by a CEL and appropriate MIL code. DIY job if you are mechanically inclined, otherwise dealer repair. Coolant valve for engine/thermos bottle gets stuck also, accompanied by a CEL and appropriate MIL code. DIY job if you are mechanically inclined, otherwise dealer repair. @100K inverter fluid, engine coolant, and spark plugs should be changed. NOTE: Transaxle fluid should be changed every 60K for longevity of unit.

2. Check all fluid levels for correct level and color of fluids. Also check for flow/turbulence in inverter coolant bottle when ready light is lit. If you don't see movement of the fluid in the bottle at the top, the inverter pump is not working. Check inboard and outboard boots on axle shafts on tranaxle, make sure none of them are split/broken. Check both inboard and outboard disk brake pads. Normal wear is good for 150K, however some owners are reporting pads wearing prematurely. Check for even treadwear on all four tires. Check 12V battery S.O.C.

3. MA is a CARB state. For the Prius Hybrid warranty to be extended to 10 years/150K whichever comes first the car must have been originally sold and registered in MA. If the car was sold new in a non CARB state, the hybrid warranty will expire at 8 years/100K which ever comes first.

4. The newer the better, more warranty left. '09 is the last year of the Gen II

5. If you only consider the gov't ratings, Camry comes out ahead by one star, but you have to consider that the Prius is still 4 and 5 star on all of the ratings. Get practical and look around at all of the models. Then you will see just how safe the Prius really is.

6. Your best bet is DIY on the Prius. The average Sears/Meineke guy/gal will not have the proper training to work on the Prius properly. If you can't DIY, then either go with a dealer or a reputable hybrid repair specialist. FWIW, there are quite a few knowledgeable folks here on PC and a wealth of information to help you DIY. It is really up to you just how much you are willing to do or spend.

7. Concerning your short trips, you will not get good mileage on those trips as the Prius takes at least five minutes to warm up the engine and catalytic converter. YMMV

8. IMO, if you only look at your short trips, the Camry would be the better choice. However, it too has to warm up, therefore YMMV.

9. Basic maintenance is not that hard. Most of it is simple oil and filter changes, air filter and cabin filter as needed, and simply keeping fluids topped off. Rotation of tires is recommended every oil change. HID headlights are tricky to change, the halogen lights are supposed to be easier. A lot of folks recommend a new 12V battery every four years, but some say it is not necessary to change that often. There is a way to test it onboard. Since the 12V is only used to start the computers up and not crank the engine, it is unlike the Camry which will tell you when the battery is going bad by cranking slowly. The traction battery (hybrid) is what starts the engine in the Prius.

For the record, I am not a expert. I do drive a Prius, I do some of the maintenance myself, I have some of it done by Toyota, and the rest of it done by a local mechanic I know and trust. I would do more DIY, however I am disabled and am limited to mobility.

I have no doubt other's will give you more input. Good luck with your choice. FWIW, I have driven Camry's. They don't compare to the Prius in my book. I think the Prius is the better car for more than one reason.

Ron

 

(Sorry, your numbers got messed up when I deleted other things, so I removed them)
With trip that short, you will get pretty lousy mileage, in the mid to high 30 mpg range, maybe low 40s at best. In the winter, unless you get an engine block heater, I wouldn't be surprised to see low 30s mpg.

I would strongly recommend snow tires for the winter.

Consumer Reports has a very short city test (see last page of http://www.consumersunion.org/Oct_CR_Fuel_Economy.pdf) and the Gen 2 Prius gets the figures at ConsumerReports.org - Most fuel-efficient cars.

Compare that to figures at Best & worst fuel economy, Best vehicles for city & highway mpg and The most fuel-efficient cars.

If you want to learn about the EPA test, see Car and Driver: The Truth About EPA City / Highway MPG Estimates | PriusChat. The shortest test cycle in the EPA test from which they start with a cold engine is 31.2 minutes long w/11 simulated miles of driving. They don't drive on a real road and don't measure actual fuel consumption either.

Re: dorunron's comments about the HV battery warranty, yes. Make sure it was purchased, owned and operated in MA or other CARB emission states in order to get the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty. You can see details of the warranty in the warranty information booklet.

 

Just to chime in on a few of your questions.

The car is good in the snow - I'd say that it is as good as any front wheel drive car. Make sure that you have decent tread on a good set of all season tires and you should be fine if you are in more urban areas. I grew up in Cambridge and then lived in Somerville for a long while and the streets were kept pretty clear. After that we moved out to Carlisle (next to Concord) and many of the side streets were not cleared all that quickly. You could start off with this and if you wanted more grip you could just add a set of snow tires - you could even go so far as getting them already mounted on a set of rims from a place like tirerack.com Unless you go to an AWD car you will not find anything much better in the snow.

However given the length of your trips the Prius may not be the best fit for you. You will get mileage as good as or better than just about any other car out there, but you will not get the benefit of the hybrid engine. If that will be the sole extent of your driving I'd go so far as to say the mpg rating is almost irrelevant. The commute to my office is just under 6 miles and depending on AC, heat, defroster, traffic and the commuter train tracks I need to cross my mileage can be as low as the high teens.

As for your question about the need to bring the car to the dealership - the answer is a qualified no. I have an 09 and the only time it has been to the dealer was to the body shop. For the basics I use the mechanic around the corner from my office and if I do need anything more involved there is an independent shop one town over that has a good reputation for working on the Prius. It has been a long while since I have lived in Boston, but I bet that there are a few good independent garages that the members here could recommend. So unless it is warranty work or you do not have a trusted other source you can likely steer clear of the dealer.