What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another car?

If after driving your Prius 1400 miles you are not in love with it you should definitely sell it as it is not for you. Now is the best time to sell because you probably won't lose that much and may even gain something since you are in the LA area.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

Stormeye,
Seems like it depends on why you bought your car. For me it was time to do the right thing. I love driving. I've been driving (and racing) sports cars for 30 years now. I couldn't justify burning large amounts of a dwindling natural resource on my way to work just so I could drive the car of my dreams. The other thing I finally learned was that there will always be a car out there that is just a bit faster and better handling than the one I just bought. For example, pity the driver of the 2004 Z06, now that the 2006 Z06 is out.

The side benefit I got to buying my Prius is that it actually relaxes me when I drive. There's something about the way the car feels when it accelerates, quick but not aggresive, that keeps my blood pressure a few notches lower in stop and go traffic.

BTW, I have the JBL system, and I think it's not bad, but clearly not a super high quality system. The odd thing is that I think the CD side of it sounds pretty good but the FM tuner is really weak. If Coastal every delivers thier Aux input mod I'll be using my IRiver player more than either. If the audio system is your biggest complaint, that's fixable. Find a good stereo installer and let them go nuts.

Hope your day gets better!

 

How do *I* feel about trading in my prius? My personal opinion is that I wouldn't consider trading it regardless of the offer - unless of course I could immediately go out and get a prius on the profit of the trade - but even then, it's not my original baby.

For you though, it's however you feel. If your main concern is a stereo, the prius isn't for you. If you can find something more to your liking, I think you'll easily be able to get rid of the prius if you so choose. But that's something you have to decide for yourself that no one can decide for you. Best of luck, let us know what you decide to do!

-m.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

The ICE turns off when the car is not moving and when it's going downhill. This just makes so much sense that I doubt I can trade my Prius for a regular car.

 

i agree with jam... i couldn't go back to a conventional ICE car after 2 months with my Pri. I only have 1900 miles on mine...

I'm sure there have to be options out there. I mean, there are some absolutely brilliant audio guys and maybe they can make something work. And then you can make it fit in the dash by designing some kind of adapter to restore the appearance to the dash. If the audio is your only concern I'd hesitate to just trade it. If you really like the car you may be disappointed by the next one...

and congrats on quitting smoking, my husband did the same a while back and i saw what a struggle it was for him. it takes a lot of inner strength.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

Well, I suppose you could go back to the Acura. That way, when the transmission conks and you're stranded on the side of the road, at least you'll have a *great* sound system to listen to while waiting for the tow truck.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm not into sound systems in general. Whatever comes with the vehicle is fine with me. As long as I can catch the traffic report and the weather, I'm satisfied. I have a selection of CD's and even cassettes - I'm an old coot - so the JBL is fine with me.

For really long boring drives, I just listen to the voices in my head. Yes, I'm kidding. I'm not easily bored so I don't mind long drives.

What would make me get rid of my Prius?

Well, as I've posted in Dec and Jan, the city driving heater performance at temps colder than -25 C is horrible. Ironically, the ICE runs all the time at those cold temps, and the battery SOC is always green. I'm thinking HV electric supplemental heat, you listening Toyota??

That alone isn't enough to make me get rid of the car, but with almost everything else well thought out, it irritates me.

The buckboard stiff ride is another thing. Over smooth pavement it's ok, but frost-jacked expansion joints here are punishing. And based on the 5km of washboardy gravel sideroad I drive on to my hobby farm, this car is clearly not designed for rough roads.

The potholes and washboardy sections are downright nasty, and the car would probably have a short life if always driven on such roads. If I suddenly had to do a lot of driving on rough gravel roads, I know I would have to either get rid of the car or get a bladder transplant. I'd sooner drive my 1984 Ford F-150, with Rancho shocks set to "1."

At least it floats over the washboardy gravel in that configuration. Never mind the intermittent Ford AM radio, no A/C, hand crank windows, etc. I don't think the Prius ride has anything to do with ground clearance, my parents 2003 Buick LeSabre has comparable ground clearance and it also floats over washboardy gravel roads.

A coworker has a 2004 Lincoln Navigator, which has four wheel independent suspension and air ride. We've been out to the hobby farm a few times in his Lincoln, and I'm very envious of his ride quality over gravel roads. The coffee doesn't even ripple in the cup. Of course, for that money and at 16 MPG it had better have at least a nice ride.

Otherwise there isn't much that would kill my Prius relationship. I'm starting to wonder if the shocks don't contribute to the hard ride, and if so maybe I can find some soft shocks for the car. Then I could tackle the winter heater situation, and the car would be perfect for me.

If you're nitpicking the stereo, something you would have noticed during a test drive, I'm wondering if maybe there are other issues involved here?

 

most have already said it and even you admit that a Prius is a unique and wonderful driving experience. in my Prius, traffic is more tolerable (definitely aint better!!) in fact everything is more tolerable. before my Prius, i got up at the last second and made it to work with a minute to spare (havent been late a day in a good 10 years btw). the reason?? hated driving...wanted to reduce the chore to as little of my day as possible.

now, im up early, leave early, get to work in time to have a cup of coffee before starting my shift, have time to run errands on the way to work, etc. and it all points to the fact that i enjoy driving my Prius.

trade it?? nope... would have to be a huge amount of money...even then, might not take the chance on getting a Prius with problems (trading for another Prius is the ONLY option for me) albeit a small chance but my current Prius has been 100 % error free. and rules of life say that nothing is perfect or identical so my next Prius may not be a good as the one i have. sooo...13,000 miles and so far so good.

 

No way. MPG rules, especially when everything else about the car is super. As for the sound system, I couldn't care less. CDs sound fine to me.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

Actually sarcasm helps me deal with an insane world. Works too, much lower stress.

No rattles yet. It stopped raining today so took a quieter residential street and powered the windows down. No noises over potholes or bumps.

 

Howdy,

I think it is your patriotic duty to buy a SUV from GM or Ford!

You could fill the backend with boom-box speakers and have every whiz bang add-on installed.

You could push down on the gas peddle all you want and pass everything, except of course, a gas station…

Stop and think about it; you could perpetuate the Big Iron American Automobile Industry, the Petrol Oil Complex and go broke at the same time.

Ahhh…. The American Dream!

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stormeye\";p=\"95562)</div>

Sometimes I do, and now that my Prius is paid off I do give it a lot of thought.

I do love the Prius, it's a perfect commuter car. But, let's be honest. For 26K I expect a better interior. The interior is crap-plastic-tastic, and that's being quite nice. For 26K I do not expect miles of hard plastic and semi-exposed screws, and I got both. And I do expect instruments and controls that aren't so... twitchtech, and I've got tons of that.

On the other hand, when I drive normal cars now, I wonder why the engine doesn't shut off at lights.

Sigh... maybe the Futura hybrid when it's out this fall/winter will be the best bet.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

After driving our new Prius for the past 10 days, I have found the car to be quite amazing, but I feel some things are lacking. If it were my sole car, yes, I would want something more for the $37,000CDN it cost us. A price very close to what I paid for the ES300. I'm not dissapointed with the interior styling as much as I am with the uncomfortable seats, rough ride, crappy stereo & very high NVH levels. We've logged a lot of seat time in the Prius these past few days, as I have been trying to teach the wife to drive. I drove my own car for the first time in 3 days today...I had forgotten how smooth that thing really is.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(senna4ever\";p=\"95956)</div>

That's one thing I can't get over with all of the Prius boosters, everyone loves to talk about how smooth it is. Meanwhile, my 26K Prius (or 20K base model) is NOWHERE near as smooth as an 18K Jetta. Or as comfortable. And the interior isn't quite as nice.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

I don't own the JBL system, but I have heard that if you disconnect the center speaker in the dash that the sound quality improves a lot.

You could also add a sub/amp to get some better lows. Here is a link to a Kenwood install thread.

This is a big flaw on Toyotas part in the Prius. Tieing the audio into the MFD and dash look without any upgrades being available.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jonnycat26\";p=\"96007)</div>

The Prius is a smooth car for it's size. It's as smooth as my friend's new Corolla, if not smoother, as the wheelbase is quite large. It's quieter than the Corolla, too. But...it's no match for my ES300 with the AVS on 'comfort' mode!

Having said (written) that, I am quite happy with my purchase.

 

Re: What do you think about trading-in a Prius for another c

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(senna4ever\";p=\"96103)</div>

Please do this...

Go to a VW dealer and test drive a Jetta. The Jetta is smaller and cheaper, yet is much quieter/smoother and more refined. You can also say the same about the Accord, except the Accord is a bit bigger.

The Prius is a good car, but smooth it's not.