jcaine

OK here's something for you guys... obviously we all love our TT's, including me... mine's keeper for life. However of all the awesome qualities of the TT gas miliage is not one of them... also using a TT as a grocery getter is not the best use of its assets to say the least so most of us have other cars as well...

So we're considering a Prius... anyone have one and/or any useful info?...

Thanks

911/Q45

Decent around town car, relatively inefficient on the highway. Way popular now, so no deals. Similar sized car with small regular powerplant is probably more of a value. Unless you drive huge miles at low speeds, the Prius is more about bragging rites than efficiency.

EThec

Unknown long term reliability. Difficult/dangerous to work on for anyone not specially trained. HIGH VOLTAGE! Some have been known to come to a complete stop unexpectedly at highway speeds. SCARY!

Woodster

buy a honda, toyota or nissan product, payback and unknown reliability way too questionable
right now.
mk

Stevarino

Many friends have them here in SoCal and have owned them over the past two years. You can't pry them away from these cars for city transportation. No one I know has had the dreaded loss-of-power issue. Drive one. Talk to owners. Deals can be had on option 6 cars in SoCal. I'm considering it as well to cart around my road bikes, as it is extremely roomy. It is a performance car, just not in the sense of 993s; it's quiet, power efficient and safe.

Carrera GT

The Prius is a brilliant ... um ... well, it's not a car, really ... the best description I have is to say it's an enormous household appliance ... a gadget, I guess.

The fuel-efficiency is great. The size and convenience around town is a relief. Sparing miles on the Porsche makes sense. I'm reasonably tall, but there's more head-room than a 993. "Spirited" driving is fun. For a front-driver, it works well, tends to hold its line and is easily controlled despite the numb electric power steering. The stock tyres are a weak point -- they're designed for those 100,000 mile durability drivers, I guess. Some people report good results from increasing the wheel diameter an inch, finding a lighter overall wheel and tyre combination and going with the stickiest rubber (without increasing width ... afterall, it's light and rolling resistance is an important factor in the economy.)

I've had a black "BC" pack '05 Prius since June. My wife and I drive WOT and get 38-44 mpg ... on a day that suits the city driving design of the Prius, it's easy to average 50-60mpg in stop-n-go driving errands.

Funnily enough, it's become the car that's first to leave the house ... whoever goes second ends up in one of the SUVs ... and my wife started out firm in the opinion she wouldn't drive the thing.

If anything, the Prius has become so popular, it's gone from counter-culture (surrounded by Porsches and Hummers) to being almost a cliche, since the reality of savings and environmental impact are nonsense -- it would take years of driving to recoup the price premium and the coal-burning electric factories and foundries are causing more Earth-rape than can be offset by a Camry-sized hatch-back.

Last year, we took a rental Prius with our four year-old and two dogs to Disneyland (from the Bay Area) and returned hopping along Hwy 1, doing the B&B trails, wineries etc. On the way there, we were on I5 pacing midnight traffic at 80-100mph and the thing is stable and relaxed. It's entertaining to be at 100mph and see the engine turn off -- at which point, it reports 99.9 mph. The car didn't need to be filled (12gal tank) until half way home on the return leg ... we covered 600 miles on a tank and consistently get 400 around town.

For relatively affordable dollars, it makes a great mileage-saver for the Porsche Turbo and the gas-guzzler SUVs.

As for the highway shut-off bug, it seems to happen in the '04 cars and for the tens of thousands of these things sold to date, the reports are still in the single digits, the likelihood is hardly a concern.

My car has voice-control, navigation, bluetooth handsfree cell phone, curtain air-bags, proximity key etc. etc.

The Prius is also fun to "hack" inasmuch as it's possible to fit Japan market modifications (battery-only operation, back-up camera from another Toyota) and generally play around with the electronics.

There's quite an on-line community of Web sites and forums for the Orius, so there's plenty of information to help you decide if you like it.

Personally, I think of it like a "cellar saver" (affordable, easily replaced wines that I'm happy to open on any occasion, "saving" unique or rare wines for occasions and people that appreciate the wine) ... the Prius is great is this way -- I save my other cars for the right occasion and when the driving is to be appreciated. I think that makes sense.


Cheers,

ca993twin

For pure economy, get a scion or a Honda Civic... the fuel cost difference to a prius won't pay for the prius for 20 years. Plus you will have a battery disposal problem, plus you will have a horrible depreciations as the battery life nears its end... and as better hybrid technology looms. A hybrid is about being green, not about the fuel savings. Our scion xA gets 32mpg around town... this already costs so little to keep fueled up that the savings to a hybrid would be about $30/month. BTW, we put the TRD springs and TRD short-shift kit on the scion... its actually quite fun to drive. Downside to the scion? It badly needs a 6th gear... its pretty buzzy on the hiway. (70mph = 3500 rpm). Scion is $13k, equipped. No negotiating.

Stevarino

Well put, Carrera GT. It's almost surreal driving it, as it is eerily quiet and smooth. As a rider, these things frequently sneak up on us on the road.

Btw, I have a ride partner who has one. If our cars are parked end to end on San Vincente, his car gets more attention from cute girls. It's got that kind of buzz.

Bradford

Associate of mine has a 2002 with 140,000 miles, drives from Camarillo to Burbank daily. Only problem is tire wear, otherwise he loves it. Averages close to 50mpg.

jcaine

this car would be use primarily by my wife in and around LA... stop and go driving mostly. She has my 3 year old daughter with her plenty so size and safety are major issues... a scion or standard civic won't cut it. She(we) are also concerned about the environment and fuel economy in that order... Obviously I'm willing to compromise on those things for the right reasons like enjoying my TT but for LA traffic 50+ miles per gallon would be cool. It seems like the Prius is WAY above the honda /lexus and for hybrids and the toyota technology seems to be well ahead as well.I will likely lease the car as we do all of our daily LA drivers so resale is not a big concern to me.

I can't beleive the Germans have not introduced something and I wish they would...

Best

J

Carrera GT

The '02 Prius is the first model -- quite small and not as appealing as the oddly distinctive Prius we see today, which I believe started as an '04 and will be updated for Toyota's '06 model year some time near the end of '05.

Carrera GT

All good points and relevant to my decision. We have a four year-old and the side curtain air-bags and "LATCH" system were essential elements of updating from an '01 SUV.

SUVs are, in some ways, safer. Especially in a collision with another SUV, but aside from exchanging kinetic energy of heavy vehicles, they're not safe and they don't help in terms of cabin safety -- hard materials, thin plastics and technology from the middle of last century do not constitute safe vehicles. Crash testing proves the point.

I still participate in the "arms race" of bigger, heavier vehicles for collision safety, it's a false sense of security in some ways. A good child seat is more important than a ladder frame and a lot of iron. Crumple zones and air-bags are more important than heft. Of course, if your Prius slides under the bumper of a lifted Hummer, all bets are off.

The Lexus hybrid is much the same as the Prius (very much the same) but it's added weight and AWD mean it just can't get to the magical 45mpg that people seem to use to separate efficient vehicles from the rest. Of course, the government has allowed almost any hybrid and literally any CNG vehicle to qualify for things like HOV lane access in CA. Bizarre. My next tow vehicle will be a CNG behemoth! : )

As for German makers, I don't think any of the German marques makes enough cars or has enough money to do their own hybrid or "next gen" cars. Rumours abound. Even dear old Mr Porsche is rumoured to have a hybrid and a diesel in their project short-list. If Porsche sees fit to plug an Audi V6 into a Cayenne, I have little doubt they will enjoy taking VAG technology and offering -- at least in Europe -- fuel efficient Cayenne and Panamera models using hybrid, diesel or fuel cell or whatever.

In LA, given the price and the HOV option, the Prius is a slum-dunk. If you want something bigger, the Toyota Highlander Hybrid might work well, but the fuel-economy isn't quite as amazing.

pstoppani

A diesel VW would be a good thing to consider as well. The coolness of a Prius tends to overshadow the practicality, fuel consumption, and price of the VW's.

Pauly90266

Yeah, it costs a bit more than a comparable car but the ability to go into the HOV lanes in CA by yourself is worth alot. Also, in 2006 there will be a $3000 tax credit, not deduction, to offset the higher price. Incidentally, I think only the Prius, Insight and Civic hybrids can qualify for the HOV lane.

jcaine

drove the Prius... not bad. It's no bimmer or benz but it's not a little buzz box either... decent power and handling and feels solid. The HOV lane thing is huge as any southern cal driver knows and I heard that parking meters in LA and Santa Monica are free as well. My only real concern is that it was a little warm in the back seat and no rear air vents. If my 3 year ol gets hot and cranky, it's a bit of an issue. Other than that I think I'm gonna go for it...