What did you drive before

My last car was a 1990 Ford Probe LX, bought new. It had the V-6 engine and was lower to the ground than the Prius. It was fun to drive, but was much smaller inside. It also had about 193K miles on the clock and failed smog for the first time in 2004. I've had no problems driving the Prius either on the highway or off. It's easy to maintain a good speed and is pretty quick off the light, if necessary.

 

Six days ago, I handed over my '96 Jetta GL to my 16-year-old daughter. 10 years, 102K on the ODO, just changed the original spark plugs and timing belt this week. It is a great car, and I'm glad to still have it in the family.

My daughter is just as thrilled to have her Jetta as I am to have my Prius.

 

The Prius has plenty of power for passing and entering the freeways. Though if you are used to performance handling cars you might be disapointed with the Prius at first as it has quite a bit of body roll and understeer in corners.

But you can always add things like low profile tires, suspension kits and stiffening braces until you get it the way you like. Or you might even like the way it handles stock. A lot of us have gotten out of performance handling cars and got in the Prius without having a problem with it because it sort of changes the way you think about driving, it is a very "relaxed" sort of ride see this thread.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(B Rad @ May 19 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]258093[/snapback]</div>

Had a 98 Malibu.. not the greatest car in the world.. but got you from point a to point b

 

I had a 1996 Saturn SC2. A compact coupe that's meant to seat 4, but only if the rear 2 passengers are child-sized otherwise there's not much room for adults in the back of that tiny thing. The Prius is much more multi-passenger friendly (4 doors, seats 4-5), and easier to get in and out of because it's not as low to the ground as the Saturn was.

It was just getting to be an old car, my first car really, and I managed to put almost 180K miles on in the 9+ years I had it. It was a good car, served its purpose, then I moved on and up to better things.

 

'94 Dodge Intrepid ES, 3.3L V6... 11 years old, ~130K miles, and my last MPG estimate before getting the Prius put it at ~13MPG on my stop-and-go commute to work.

And compared to the Prius, that car felt like a yacht.

 

I really admire those that have answered so far. It really takes discipline to keep a car that long. I haven't been able to do it so far. My Mag Grey should be here this week. I am trading in my Cadillac CTS with 40K miles. My wife thinks I'm "Nucking Futs". She said she can't picture me not driving something sporty. I rented a Prius for a week and really loved the car. I hope this car grows on me, and I don't get bored with it. BTW, as somebody suggested, I added the EFPC wheels, and the 17" tires to "tighten" it up a little bit. I could care less if I lose 5 MPG, cause I'm going from 18MPG. IF I get 40, I'm a happy chappy! Dude, go rent one. I didn't want to do the test drive. I wanted real life comparison without a salesperson next to me.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(B Rad @ May 19 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]258093[/snapback]</div>

I had a Jetta 1.8T (2001 I think) before I got my Prius. If you're the type who likes to "drive", you may not be so happy with the Prius. The mileage is great, and it's good for my commute, but sometimes you find yourself on a twisty road and wistfully think to yourself that the road would have been a lot more fun with the ol Jetta.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(benighted @ May 19 2006, 01:14 PM) [snapback]258121[/snapback]</div>

Having recently traded my trusty 1996 Integra for a Prius, I definitely agree with the body and understeer comment. Not horrible mind you, just not close to the Acura-sports-coupe territory, especially one that had a few minor upgrades of it's own.

I will probably investigate the stiffening brace and better tires in the future to improve this, but it's not priority right now... tires will be upgraded when the Integrities are worn out.

I guess as you grow older, priorities change. As others have said, it is less about performance and more about efficiency. I do feel a bit more relaxed, and also find myself striving to shrink the consumption bars (Canadian, eh!) as much as possible. B)

My wife and I take her on her first road trip tonight as we head to Montreal (~350 miles) to visit family! Very exciting!

- Kevin

 

My 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS 5 sp manual (84,000 miles) was my daily driver. I bought the Prius to keep the miles off the Impreza, as I do almost 500 a week. I went from buying 2wice (12-15 gal) a week to once a week (<10 gal) with the Prius. Problem is, I really enjoy the Prius, so the Subaru just sits, and I have to find reasons to take it out on week-ends, etc. I may sell the Impreza. Get the BT Brace, and maybe a tire upgrade, and the Prius can be fun to drive, and get more smiles per gallon. My wife has a 96 Outback (104,000 miles), and when I get into it from the Prius, it feels like an army truck. I used to really like the Outback too. The Prius does indeed change your outlook on cars. Just go for it.

By thway, the Prius is my first Automatic, and my first 4 door car. I thought 4dr Automagics were only for rental cars. The CVT tranny is really responsive, and the acceleration, within reason, won't disappoint. I would have preferred a spiffy coupe, but the Insight was too small. Anyway too many doors, not enough gears, I'm still a happy guy.

 

Almost identical story to Mike M above, only instead of a Cadilac, my previous ride was 5.3 L V8 Yukon. 14 MPG (see avatar on left). I always trade out or sell vehicles long before I should. I also rented a Prius after selling the Yukon to really check it out and was sold on the quiet smooth ride, fun/interesting technology, MPG and the bigger inside than it looks magic ...

The Prius is now "main stream" baby !

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Karnac @ May 19 2006, 03:36 PM) [snapback]258203[/snapback]</div>

That's funny! I really felt bad after reading the posts above how people have 100K miles plus, then they give it to their kids to drive so more before getting one of these things. My CTS is certified from Cadillac for 6/100. It's not like I have any problems with it. But the Prius is really cool! I am glad to see that I am not the only one.

 

Our last six cars have been Saturns. I traded in my SC2 for the Prius. I love the car, but I long for Saturn's service Department.

Took Locutus in for his 10,000 service yesterday and the service associate tells me I missed my 7500 mile service, and do I want them to take care of that along with this visit. It was an extra $35. I told him when he can show me the 7500 mile service on the manual then he can do it.

Yup, never had that bs at Saturn.

 

a 1994 Mitsubishi Montero (330,000 miles). Loved the SUV. Love the Prius. By the end I was getting 15 mpg pretty regularly. Now I average 52.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(B Rad @ May 19 2006, 12:38 PM) [snapback]258093[/snapback]</div>

My prior car until 3 months ago was a '02 Lexus LS 430UL. Comparing them would be hard since they are so different but here goes.

Service - my initial 5000 mile service call at Toyota was superb. The only difference is that Lexus picks up and drops off my car from my house until midnight during the week. That was heaven on Earth - getting home at 8PM from work, having them pick up the car and drop it off by midnight all serviced, washed, and vacuumed.

Quality - my LS has 85,000 miles and I have not had one problem not one squeak - nothing. So far my Prius is on the same glidepath. Build quality is excellent. It is a Toyota - my prior German cars including my BMW 540i and my Audi A6 always had stuff going wrong with it - not big stuff - but stuff that was very frustrating. I do not think I will be buying any German made car for a while now.

Technology - amazing at the technology in the Prius, especially at this price point. I have pk # 7 with bluetooth (I JUST LOVE BLUETOOTH) and DVD/NAV (I also have a '04 Sienna AWD XLE with DVD/NAV like my LS) - and I think the Toyota NAV system is the best on the market - totally amazing and easy to use. Toyota incorporates excellent technology into their cars seamlessly - not to mention the hybrid drive itself.

Acceleration/handling - more than sufficient. It is not 0-60 in 6.1 like I am used to, but then again it is more than sufficient. I do a lot of highway driving into and out of Manhattan and there are no issues. Handling in fact is surprising good and the smaller size compared to my LS allows me to weave in and out even easier. You will love driving this thing for lots of reasons - it is a new way to drive, that is with fuel economy in mind. At this point it is a challenge to obtain the best milage i can get within reason -- averaging about 53-54 MPG which is 300+ % better than my LS

And you can test drive the Prius - I did at two different dealerships.

I consider myself a "car guy" and I LOVE this car. There are multiple facets to enjoying a car - beyond acceleration and handling which are more than adequately addressed by the Prius.

I highly recommend this car to one and all

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jim1eye @ May 19 2006, 01:56 PM) [snapback]258237[/snapback]</div>

The Saturn service folk are definitely very customer-oriented, but I must admit I had a rough experience there with a technician, at my final visit. After that, I went to Jiffy Lube only for all future servicing.

I had taken the Saturn in for its regularly scheduled service and while I was at work I got a phone call from the service manager about some additional work my car needed. It would cost me $1200 for parts and labor. I had him state word-for-word what it was that 'needed' to be done and wrote it all down (it had something to do with some sort of a cap needing replacement, having to do with the tranny and the only way they could get to it was to drop the transmission). ?? I smelled bs and told him I needed the car right away, but would bring it in the next day to get taken care of.

The next day I stopped in at my local trusty (ie: not Saturn) mechanic, told him what it was that the service manager had told me was 'wrong' with the car and he had a go at it. He couldn't find a thing wrong with it, so he took it to a nearby transmission shop where they then gave the car a thorough once-over and again found nothing that was missing or out of place. All at no charge to me. He said if that particular item had needed to be replaced or repaired, it would've cost me $400-500 at his shop for parts & labor.

50K miles later and the car was still in fine running condition, and I still had that $1200 sitting pretty in my bank acct.

 

Prior to my Prius I owned a 1997 Nissan Altima. 26 mpg in the Altima and 52 mpg (actual) in the Prius. I used to consider cars a waste of money and was just concerned that they functioned properly to get me where I needed to go. My attitude has changed with the Prius - I love this car. Handles well, it's fun to drive, great fuel economy with significantly decreased emissions (important to me), ample interior cargo room, ample head room in the front (no one has sat in the back yet but a 6 foot + person sat in the front and had a ton of room), great equipment control layout, lots of storage. I would recommend the car to anyone that is looking for a reliable, functional car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(B Rad @ May 19 2006, 09:38 AM) [snapback]258093[/snapback]</div>

Believe it or not, my last car was a 2002 Honda S2000. And yes, it was fun. But really only for the first few months. After I got used to driving a sports convertible, its drawbacks became apparent: cramped interior, bumpy ride, no cargo space (though the trunk size was decent), and less than stellar MPG. The one "green" aspect of the S2000, however, is that it is a "Super Low Emissions Vehicle". As far as I know, it is the only sports convertible that can claim that. Another nice thing about the S2000 is that the resale value is pretty high. I got $20,000 for mine on eBay, then bought a new Prius. I like the Prius better in almost all respects. The two cars really can't (and shouldn't) be compared, but I would say they represent a change in my attitudes and values. And the Prius looks better B)

 

The Prius is the wifes for the daily commute, I get to drive it on the weekends.

She previously drove a '96 Saturn SW2, which I now drive 'cause it gets better mileage than my '98 Tacoma 4x4. The current plan is to sell the SW2 after the '08 Prii are available and get one of them. We'll probably keep the Tacoma on the road for heavy hauling and snow plowing. Well, as heavy as the hauling gets for us anyway. That's still much heavier than the Prius can haul. The Tacoma is also the "car retriever" when they go off the road or can't make it up the hill in the winter. FWIW, the Prius is excellent in the winter and I think the trucks "car retriever" role will be largely a thing of the past.