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

My Pri is smoother than the car it replaced, and that's all I care about.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee\";p=\"96118)</div>

Ah... see... I went from the previously mentioned Jetta, which was as smooth as silk, to the Prius, which is much more economical and cleaner.

But I wonder why it has to shudder so much when the engine is shutting down at a light. And I wonder why I hear so much engine noise while I'm cruising on the highway. And I wonder why I can feel the engine when it's running.

I think I was just spoiled by my previous car.

 

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

Actually, I testdrove a new 2005 Jetta a few weeks ago. It was pretty smooth, and the steering feel was excellent. Interior fit & finish were typical VW...very high level. The NVH levels given off by that 5 cylinder motor, however, were off the chart. Sounded like a huge beehive was hiding under there! The Jetta is quite gutless, too. I expected more power.

 

I sold what I consider one of the smoothest cars on the road to make room for my Prius. It was the Camry V6 XLE. The Honda Accord V6 is about as smooth, and I never drove a recent Jetta, although the last Jetta I had swore me off VW. But I have to say that "smooth" must be a subjective evaluation, because I consider the Prius really smooth.
By the way, to say the Prius is not smooth is an incorrect speech action. To say you don't think the Prius is smooth is a correct speech action. Umpires don't have opinions, but we do. If a pitcher throws the ball so wide the catcher can't catch it and the umpire says it was a strike, it was a strike. What we say about smooth should be identified in speech as an opinion.

 

I had my college beater Buick... and my husband still drives around his project car, an 87 Camry. The Prius is much smoother than either. And my mom liked it much better than her 99 Taurus when we picked her up from the airport. My friend drives a brand new Civic (got hers about 3 months before we got our car) and she can't get over how quiet it is...

I agree there is some engine noise on the highway but again, much less than my old car. I can't feel the engine running, only the transition when it stops or starts. And even then it's not all that rough of a transition.

I guess a lot of this is perspective.

 

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

Our Prius doesn't shudder at all when the ICE turns off...maybe just a little, but hardly noticeable.

 

my next door neighbor got a Jetta two weeks after i got my car. it WAS NOT cheaper. it is VERY LOUD. it has been in the shop twice already. one time for an electrical problem.

she will never admit that my car is better although she does like it. I would not be caught dead riding in her car however... and as far as gas mileage...she refuses to discuss the subject

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"96228)</div>

That monsoon stereo does rock, and is VERY LOUD. You won't, however, hear any engine (unless it's the base engine, they can be a bit rough).

 

well she doesnt have the VW radio, got rid it first hand. also got rid of the tires and wheels...

she also did something to the exhaust so now its twice as loud as it was before. every morning that thing idles loudly at high RPM's. i am usually already gone to work but the other day i had 5 days off because of shift change and could hear her car running and i live in the back of the complex

 

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

Dave:

Yeah explain to me please why folks are so keen on putting on an "exhaust system" for a 4 banger or V6?

Invariably the thing sounds like an old John Deere tractor without a muffler. You sure don't see any farmers dumb enough to take the muffler off their John Deere tractor, do you?

Jay

 

If i were to get a new/different car, i would get the scion TC or the new VW jetta decent gas mileage for both. not amazing. Scion is toyota, so i trust it. I trust vw too. plus VW is Porsche and in part Lamborghini. I want a lamborghini.. if i ever grow up.. n/m.. that will never happen but the jetta is quite interesting. pzev too.

 

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

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jayman\";p=\"96292)</div>

Ok, I will explain that to you if you can explain to me why the wear their pants below their butts :bootyshake: so they can show off their underwear :gay:

I wonder if they would still do that if they knew where and why that fashion statement started :gay:

 

well she has put nearly 10 G into the car since buying it. she also has these purple and pink undercarriage blinking lights.

paid an ungodly amount of money to get these special pink headlights. the subs on her car make my windows vibrate a good half mile away. (cant imagine what it is doing to her hearing. on another note. i guess the biggest reason why i think the Prius sound is sufficient is because i know first hand what a loss of hearing can do to the quality of life. my dad was a nuclear power plant techician/operator for the army for years. he worked next to a turbine that put out 130 Db but wore inadequate hearing protection because 1) it wasnt required or recommended and 2) because at 40,000 RPM, he couldnt hear that his eardrums were being blasted out of his head.)

she also spent $2500 on WHEELS ONLY... the list goes on and on. right now she is saving up to pay this tatoo guy to put a larger version of the tatoo she has on her car. that will run her about 3G.

but its her car and none of that will help her match 50% of my gas mileage...hehehe

and as far as those low cut pants...dont have ANY complaints at all about them...

 

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

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ScubaX\";p=\"96299)</div>

Actually, I don't know of any farmers who do that. When I lived in Utah most of them wore Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots, and Stetson hats.

I thought only smart little punks wore those insanely baggy jeans that hang down to their knees? With the underwear a good 2-4 inches above?

As far as "exhaust systems" few cars now on the road have any real benefit from them. Usually it's just to make more annoying noise. Like we need any more of that.

My 1990 Toyota 4Runner V6 was a vehicle that experienced huge benefits with an exhaust system. The rear manifold crossover pipe was ill-conceived at best. So I put in a Downey system:

Downey headers, Downey drop pipes, Downey "Y" pipe, Downey/Borla cat-back. With the K&N cone filter on the mass air, that thing came alive driving in the mountains. Downey was able to design headers that didn't kill the low end torque, which is what most car headers will do.

My 2000 GMC Sierra with Vortec 5.3 I left completely stock. The factory header pipes joined into a "Y" pipe that was 3 inches. Folks who have done dyno testing have reported very low restriction with that exhaust, so no benefit whatsoever from an "exhaust system" just more noise.

 

I could not go back to a normal car now that I have driven a Prius. I get mad if my fuel economy drops lower than 50 mpg and could not live without the SKS. I would only trade up for the next generation hybrid.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"96364)</div>

Dave:

Well, she either has more money than brains, or she hasn't maxed out all of her credit cards. Yet.

I see the same thing around here. Some little punk will get something like the popular Honda Civic - a decent small car to be sure - and then put an unGodly amount of money into that annoying noisy muffler, $$$$ wheels, ultra low profile tires, etc.

Then the first snowfall of the year I always find myself stuck behind these little punks in traffic. Those ultra low profile tires are helplessly spinning, and they always manage to spin out in front of me too. See, after plunking down all that money, they can't afford winter tires. They can't even afford another set of all-season tires for winter driving.

The Manitoba Highways dept has considered mandating winter tires for winter, but a lot of lawyers and "civil liberties" groups here have thrown up on it. Apparently, these little punks have a God Given right to run ultra low profile tires at -40 with snow/ice on the road.

And I wonder why my insurance slowly creeps up?

Yeah those "sound systems" are a beaut. You could use those subwoofers to conduct seismic surveys. I imagine when they become legally deaf, they'll expect the taxpayer - BTW you and me - to pay for expensive digital hearing aids. Not.

I'm a bit of a sour puss this morning. I was stuck in traffic next to one of those fugly cars with the subwoofers blasting away. Maybe it's a good thing civilians have been disarmed in Canada. I sure could have used a Glock this morning ...

Jay

 

There isn't a car for sale today that I would buy to replace my Prius. There are some features I would like to have on my car. But overall it is, for me, WAY better than anything else.

Sure, brain power and muscle memory handle things like

• But after driving my Prius, that all seems so stupid
  
  Drive is always left and down, Reverse is always left and up. Don't use B much but I can find it easily by pushing down. Can't even accidentally slip past the desired gear.
  I got used to the Prius noises and habits like engine shut off very quickly. Push the accelerator, go faster, no shift delay. The view out the front is very similar to my prior vehicle. I buckle my seat belt during the 2-3 second power up sequence.
  • I find the ride comfortable, fits my family of four just fine. No gas wasted at signals and I delight in seeing 99.9 MPG
    The WORST mileage I have gotten so far (in the dead of winter) was 50% better than the BEST mileage I ever got in the Odyssey. The best is over 100% better. And I'm dumping 10% of the pollutants per gallon of gas burned.

 

Try adding a subwoofer

Hey Stormeye -

Back to the original point of your posting - have you seen the threads regarding adding a subwoofer to your Prius? Here is an article that details adding a Bazooka sub - I plan on doing this myself soon. http://www.lacar.com/modules.php?name=News...article&sid=392

Here is a snippit from the results:
What About the Sound?

In a word: Transformed. The subwoofer does what it's suppose to do. The bass enhancement on pop recordings is subtle, with great extension where the material actually has extension. On certain concert organ or electronic music, you feel - mot merely hear - the bass registers. When the musical signal has no bass, the subwoofer stays out of the way.

More importantly, the midrange is now dramatically more open sounding. With the Bazooka's crossover network cutting off the lower bass from the midrange-woofer drivers, they are free to reproduce the midrange without having to do double duty on the bass. The result is a cleaner sound overall. The Prius now has a sense of transparently and immediacy that is lacking in the factory system.