Prius opinions
 

Anyone here have a Prius or have first hand experience with one? We are thinking about getting a used one and just wanted to see what somewhat like minded people thought of the car. I know I can go test drive one, but any long term opinions would be great. They fairly inexpensive used with only 40-50k miles. I am finding them for $11500-13000

I believe that you can hack the earlier versions to make them plug in electrics BUT I do not have any first hand knowledge of that.

However, I will put one of my $1,500 Geo Metros up against your $13,000 Prius any day as far as MPG (I would win the MPG race by a good 10 MPG).

Diesel Jetta.

$1,500...

diesel jetta/golf, etc. No expensive batteries, you're not automatically gay if you drive one, you an actually climb a long mountain pass without running out of battery assist... Aaand... If you want...

MOAR BOOOOOZT!!!:idea:

I firmly believe that the name Prius is a contraction of "pius prick".

I have no desire to have a VW. Ever. I also don't want my wife driving a older geo metro around. I would be fine with that, but it just isn't something i would be comfortable having her drive around.

sorry, double post

Great car. Seriously.
Despite all the shit talk people in here will throw at you towards them, the car is great. We have/had at least 5 prius' in my family. My brother, his wife, my dad, my mom, and even the in laws have/had a prius.

If you drive carefully high 40's low 50's MPG are not hard to achieve. Lots of them come with navy, lots come with bluetooth, tire pressure monitors, and TONS of other shit like back up camera, etc etc.

Great on gas, and peppy enough to not let a stock miata pass them on the road (which is sad for miata's :giggle:

All the ones we owned and my family still owns are 04-08. No first hand experience with the newer ones, but I hear they're even better.

The only real down side is they look gay as shit, and seats are cheap/generic/not very comfy.

F that Prius. I was behind one today and was almost late for work. So now I really hate them even more. If you wanna drive something gay like that, buy one of those For Two smart cars or whatever they are. I watched a guy maneuver one of those things in and out of cars like it was a crotch rocket.

If it were my money I'd look at the diesel VW first, but since you're averse to that, then how bout a 1st gen Honda Civic hybrid? It looks/drives/feels almost exactly like a regular Civic (only quieter and smoother-riding), gets 40+ mpg no matter what you do to it, and doesn't look like a gay angelfish.

What is your intent on getting one? I don't have one but have sat in many. I have a hard time seeing out the rear of it. Major blind spots for me.

I like to think of them as beeing named Preceofshit. Personally I am biased to thease fing cars. Where I am from almost everyone has one and either they are smug, arrogant, stuck up, intitled, can't drive, rude, or "green". Coincidently they are not the greenest car out there. They are actually quite the opposite of that.

I like the idea of them but 99% percent of the owners I would be happy to show them where the end of the Santa Monica pier is. I love it when I talk to one of theas dousch bags and tell them I have a Miata and how their eyes light up and them saying how good on gas it is. Then I continue and tell them how I go to the track and shread tires and get 7mpg on track and change my oil after every event. Its amazing how fast their jaw drops and their attitude changes. Then I list off how horable the car is for the enviornment they shit them self. After all this I calmly walk away with a huge shit eating grin on my face instantly feeling better about beeing me.

Have a great day,
Jared

P.S. I worked at Toyta as a tech for 4 years. Once you have to deal with them first hand in that reguard then you will understand.

omfg:facepalm:

I hope you don't procreate
no they don't. My wife has one now.
handling/feel wise they do feel decent, I agree.
By that logic we shouldn't own miata's cause most owners are fucking feggets

I own a 06.5 jetta tdi... great car. I have traded my jetta for my sisters 07 prius, she's making the payments for me, prius is paid off... With that said, I also have a 06 focus, I don't drive the prius much because even tho I have a short commute thats often traffic filled, its just no fun to drive... its annoying to me how often the engine goes off and comes back on, and it really doesn't get much better mileage than the jetta does, the cvt, lack of real gauges and general spaceship demeanor are more akin to flying a boring as space ship than driving a car.... Its a car for ppl who don't give a shit about cars, they just want to look green, the jetta is still enjoyable to drive (even w/ the dsg, which I regret). To me it kinda feels more like you're driving a mini van than a 'car', it handles like one anyway, and you can't hardly see out the back. But if I wasn't going to drive it? Let the wife drive it? who gives a shit, good safe car... Ought to be pretty reliable.

What part woudl that be? BTW I am on to you already. I found out about you in another thread about toys. So I know that steriotype about our car fits you.

have a great day,
Jared

Is that why you pm'd me nudes of yourself and your number?

I'll think about it;)

Have driven them several times as rental cars when traveling to save some coin (usually a $5 up charge per day on top of the $15 base rate from hotwire).

At first it was a fun toy with a lot of 1500rpm grunt. but the more I drove them, the more I realized they:

*handle poorly
*have mediocre ergonomics
*are a hatchback and hatchbacks are for college kids / people who dont own stuff
*are unreliable (not a personal experience, but anecdotally, they are seasonally inconsistent--friends traded one in for that reason)

Really as a car, they don't offer enough to be in serious contention with other solid cars out there. If you are getting a hybrid to own a hybrid, that's one thing. But if you're getting the best deal on a car that is a reasonable compromise of price and gas mileage, they fall short in my opinion.

rented a newer generation one in FL and drove several hundred miles in it. sadly, it was pretty entertaining trying to see how high i could the MPGs. plenty of pep, lots of room, and solid build. generally, i think it's an excellent car......i don't think that i would ever buy one......but i can't fault someone else for owning one.

I can't help that you asked for them. All I was doing was asking for help on setting up my adaptronic. So get off me them I will get off your mom and stop blowing my load in her eye. She remindes me of an angry pirate everytime I do that.

BTW I think the plural of prius is pri'i.

Have a great day,
Jared

Did that make sense to YOU? If it did, kindly translate it to us English speaking folks. My "retard" is rusty.

kthanx

Forgive me as I'm no expert, but am I mistaken in thinking that the batteries are extremely expensive and have to be replaced every 10 years/100k miles?

Like I said, I'm no expert on economy cars but I've always felt like if you're going for something cheap and fuel efficient there are better cars out there that do the same thing for less muneez

Around 160k many need to be replaced. Some last more.

There are a few places at least that can rebuild the battery pack to like new for around or less than $1k.

Huge ups if you put a straight-pipe on it so it sounds like a beast 5% of the time.

The reason why I was looking at it was for the fuel mileage and it is a decent sized sedan. I know it isn't exciting to drive, but honestly I don't care about that and I just want an A to B car. From what I have heard they are pretty reliable, but repairs can be costly if they do happen.

I am still looking at other options like the Fit, Corolla, and the new Fiesta. It doesn't need to be big, but the larger Prius was a bonus.

What about that older Honda hybrid with the wheel covers? They look cool.

I wanted to ask as well, but it seems like he isn't looking for a two seater.

If you just want a car, that is reliable and gets awesome gas mileage I have some friends that would recommend an Insight like there is no other car out there. They just took a trip to Tennessee and back in comfort, at 60mpg.

The reason people hate *insert plural form of 'prius' here* on the freeway is because their drivers are playing fucking video games while driving!

Every Prius driver you've ever been stuck behind in the left lane is playing a video game!

Budget, how do you feel about this? When you rented your prius, you were the stereotypical prius driver - playing your video game and annoying the hell out of every other driver on the road...

Quick - someone make a bumper sticker
"Hey Prius driver: quit playing your video game and drive"

I like how you are calling it a video game lol...

My fit has that "video game" in it and it pisses me off, I just turn it to the trip so I don't feel like I have to putt around everywhere.

Then go get one, because it is an excellent A to B car. You can compare it to a Jetta but the Prius has a MUCH larger backseat - you need to compare it to the Accord, Camry, etc. in terms of rear legroom and trunkspace.

They are the most uninspiring cars to drive on the face of the planet, but they get great mileage no matter how you drive (Mom is a leadfoot and she gets an honest 42-43mpg combined). I thought I would really hate it when my parents first bought it, but as an appliance get-around-town car, it is very good at what it does.

Geo Metro? LOL. Why don't you just compare it to a bicycle because it's cheaper and gets better mileage? The Metro doesn't even compare in terms of interior space, amenities, comfort, etc.

As far as reliability, I'm not sure since we have a warranty and pre-paid maintenance. First slight notion of a problem and it gets sent to the dealership immediately.

I've driven a Prius (as a rental) and I once owned a '92 Geo Metro LSi.

The Metro is a better driver's car.

Yes, the Prius has better acceleration, slightly more cargo room, ninety-four airbags, rear seats, and all the little perks that come with not being a 20 year old car. However it handles like an absolute pig. And I don't just mean that I wouldn't take it to an AutoX event. As a daily driver, it's a horrid little turd of a vehicle to drive. Heavy, sloppy suspension, vague steering... It honestly feels unsafe to me.

theyre badass

http://image.hondatuningmagazine.com...da_insight.jpg

That one is 400hp... NA.... with a 2.2L engine... :jerkit:

We need a jerkit smiley that isn't rolling its eyes.. lol.

Another +1 for a Diesel Jetta, even though the OP is averse. The wagon version would get you all of the cargo space you desire from a Prius. Since it's inevitable that someone mentions reliability when VW is mentioned, what's the battery replacement interval with the Prius? Not trying to be facetious, but it is something to consider if you see a used hybrid in your future.

My only disappointment so far with my TDi is that it's too new to run on restaurant waste. Apparently the new Diesels are too sensitive to lackluster filtration to be used as grease cars. Even running on dinosaurs my Jetta sips fuel, highway MPG is claimed to be 41 MPG but I get no less than 45-46 MPG highway, usually more like 47-48. If off-site emissions are something you think about, then note the Jetta doesn't need battery packs made for it and Diesel fuel uses less fuel to make. Overall I think you'd find (if you cared to pore through the stats) that the Jetta uses less fuel in the long run.

I don't ever remember saying that it did have more interior space, comfort, etc? I specifically spoke about MPG and cost.

Prius? LOL. How the fuck am I supposed to tow my 23' boat with that?

i hate hybrids. I dont see them as a viable alternative to a normal internal combustion engine yet. Why drive a completely uninspiring car, thats ugly as sin, and has you always worrying about financially crippling battery failure. When you can buy a normal diesel or gas vehicle that gets similar mileage.

The priuses whole point was to get good mileage, and the reason im dissapointed with it, is cause it doesnt do that good at its main goal.

I am not a fan of VW at all but id buy a diesel VW long before id even consider test driving a prius.

I dont think hybrids will be a viable option until the volt comes out (supposedly 100mpg in the US testing standards)

Also if the vehicle does mostly highway driving you wont see much benefit in a hybrid, cause at that point its just a gas car with a tiny motor, electric motor is completely out of the equation.

Maybe im jaded though, I have never even considered economy when purchasing a car. As far as I'm concerned I'd rather drive a car I like that gets 15 than a car I hate that gets 30.

Typical MT.net:

OP- I want a prius, what do you think?
mt - get a jetta tdi
OP- I hate those and don't want one, what do you think of a prius?
mt- get a jetta tdi
OP- but I don't like jetta's and they suck dick
mt- get a jetta tdi
OP- I will kill myself before I get a jetta tdi, now can anyone with some ACTUAL FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE comment on a prius?
mt- they suck because their owners are typically pansies, BUT A JETTA TDI WILL CURE CANCER, GET YOU LAID, AND SUCK YOUR DICK AND IS THE BEST THING IN THE WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD.



Also half the bullshit opinions are from people who know literally next to nothing about them and/or have never even driven one, let alone owned one for a significant period of time.

Gotta love it:giggle:


ps: I don't love prius' (or however the fuck you spell it in plural form) and for the money would probably get something else (NOT a fucking jetta tdi btw, I would literally cut off my own balls before owning a fucking vw), but the man is asking about a Prius. If you don't know much about them why don't you wait til he asks about something you DO know about and THEN discuss the other cars?

(btw this was meant for the retards in here, not the people that actually drove one or owned one, you know who you are)

Ive driven and worked on prisu and diesel VWs. You can comment on how this thread has gone but it seems like people are giving him good advice.

Its like all the other threads,
OP: I want to put 15x8 +0s on my miata
MT.net: Dont get TRM, Volks, Konigs, Einkeis, RB etc etc etc
OP: I dont like those, I want XXR 15x8s +0
MT.net: dont it will make your car look bad, handle bad and eat up suspension components
OP: But its so cool, I still dont want those other wheels
MT.net: Buy these wheels
OP: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mt.net: go to Club roadster.

Your just seeing it from a different perspective

I know:giggle:

I've got one, an '04, we bought it mainly because we were able to get it for $15k when they were still going for $30k. Its got 130k miles on it, it gets 35 MPG when the wife drives it and 50-55 when I drive it. We have had to replace the 12v battery ($150) gel-cell, the water pump for the inverter ($350) and the heater blower motor ($150), which I guess is not too bad for the six years and 100k miles that we have owned it. Rear visibility is not bad once you get used to it, I dont really care for the brake feel but other than that its a decent daily. Handling is not the greatest, but at least its not floaty, I find it very comfortable.

y8's I don't understand the hatchback comment.. I have "stuff" and would pefer a hatchback or wagon over any coupe or sedan.

/\ TRUTH

I have borrowed my folks prius SO MANY times to haul large things. The rear seats fold down and being a hatchback it has tons of space.

Unlike our civic hybrid which has the battery directly behind the rear seat making the seats unable to fold down and making the trunk smaller. fail and fail.

somehow, I dont think you belong in this thread...

Why not? As far as im concerned if you want mileage, you need big torquey engine and a T56. The torquey engine for low rpm cruising.

The Z28 got 28mpg with 3.73s

I keed I keed.

Back to prius talk

see exhibit A:

I am going to go and look around at a bunch of cars here pretty soon. Sentra, Corolla, Camry, Accord, Civic, Fusion, Fiesta, Fit, and a couple others I am forgetting. I still think a used Prius is looking pretty good and from the few people who actually have first hand experience, they sound like a good A to B car.

Thanks for the input guys

2.3L Focus + $230 SVT suspension = very fun car to drive.
Steering is quick and feelsome.
Wife's Focus throttle steers despite being an automatic.

YO OP,


Life is too short to own a fucking Prius.

I mean really, I would not want to waste a second of my life owning one unless I am turning a profit in some way. Or turning it into an all electric with >500 lb/ft of tq for shits and giggles.

Love,

Your friend.

If you are serious about getting a used one. Do your self one thing look for any damage under the hood. I have seen way to many of them that have front end damage (which should have totaled the car BTW) come in to the shop and have issues.

Look for the vin stickers on the fenders and hood. If they are not there run. Thease cars have a tendency to nose dive when braking hard. When this is done the wieght of the rear witht he battery rises and carries the car further than it should and slams into the object in front of it usually taking out the hood, headlights, fenders, radiator and core support. Also there is a vin stamped into the core support. Check for that as well since that the new ones will not have to numbers stamped in it. Propper rear brake adjustment on the rear brakes will help prevent this issue.

If you do get one be very carefull not to hit curbs or rest on them. Thease cars loose their alignment very easily and will destroy tires. Trust me I know. I have seen them go in as little as 18k miles. Also what ever the sticker states go about 4psi higher. this will give a better tire wear pattern. Most tires that I have replaced have been due to poor out side tire wear while the center is still fairly good. Proper inflation, slow accelration and deceleration, and regular rotation is the key to long life of thease tires.

The intake manifold below the throttle body will get oil and carbon build up in it as well. Keep and eye on it. I have seen it get dirty as fast as 20k. It all depends on how hard you drive the car.

Also the dash has a tendency to be a rattle trap. I have had to remove many dash pads and foam kit it to prevent a rattle only to induce a new one. The customer never understands this.

As mentioned earlier that the inverter coolant pump (diverter valve I think) goes bad. If you dont get a light for it and it wearing out slowly you will fry the inverter.

Also the NAVI and headunits like to go out as well.

I know I will be bashed by 18psi since I don't have one and never have but thease are my personal experiances with them on a daily basis for 4 years while working at a Toyota dealership as a mechanic. Out side of all that they are very good cars and will last. I would never own one unless some one gave it to me. Even then I would only own it long enough to sell it. Which hopefull would not be too long.

Have a great day,
Jared

P.S. My buddy loves his Yaris. He says it's a great daily and even better on gas on top of that its half the price and wont have to deal with the above.

umm. Prius is my DD (duck.....)

never understand about Jetta TDI. every tests by magazines have shown its mpg is not even close to Prius. Jetta TDI is the same dimension as a Corolla and gets the SAME mileage. I will get you the links for those less informed if you must. AND diesel is more expensive than regular. Jetta TDI is probably one of most over-rated car on internet. few have driven it, but somehow the mpg myth never dies.

Prius is a boring car, but as an A to B car, it is a great car.

One of the reasons I don't like jetta tdi myself so much is because a good friend of mine had one (mark4) and had nothing but problems with it. Too much shit to list, he was ready to drive it off a cliff when he finally traded it in.

I honestly don't know why people here love them so much. Maybe their experience (or for most LACK THEREOF) with them differed greatly from my friends.

this is Consumer Reports test. same magazine, both automatic model. tested mpg and performance:

Jetta TDI vs. Corolla

0-60
9.8 vs. 9.9

1/4 mile
17.5 vs. 17.6

overall mpg
33 vs. 32

150 miles trip
39 vs. 39

length
179 vs. 179

width
69 vs. 69

height
58 vs. 58

wheelbase
102 vs. 102

and here are pictures of Corolla and Jetta (quick, tell me which is which), I never understood about Prius vs. TDI, it should be Corolla vs. TDI. don't forget TDI costs a lot more than a Corolla

Road and Track tested in Los Angeles:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/co...reality_page_3

Prius vs. TDI

Easy suburban
57 vs. 41

Suburban sprawl
67 vs. 39

Mixed suburban
62 vs. 43

Canyon driving
41 vs. 31

Freeway
54 vs. 45

Dreaded commute
58 vs. 47

LA "4"
50 vs. 32

Cruise control A/C off
57 vs. 53

Cruise control A/C on
56 vs. 49

overall trip
54.5 vs. 42.7
__________________

Consumer Reports tested Prius at 44mpg overall, TDI at 33mpg overall.

TDI
city - 23mpg
hwy - 47mpg
150 miles trip - 39mpg
overall - 33mpg

Prius
city - 32mpg
hwy - 55mpg
150 miles trip - 53mpg
overall - 44mpg

no comparison lol.

I can see it now: they all come in and say that these tests are invalid or something, and that in real world driving they get eleventybillion per mile on the jetta.

disclaimer: not saying Prius is a better car than TDI, I would take a TDI over Prius on a track. But just tired of TDI's mpg myth.

http://motortrend.automotive.com/142...dsg/specs.html
Motortrend overall
Prius - 37.3mpg
TDI - 28.6mpg

http://forum.miata.net/vb/showpost.p...22&postcount=1
Motorweek tested
Prius - 49.2mpg
TDI - 36.2mpg

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/...golf-gathering
interstate
Prius - 48.3mpg
TDI - 39.5mpg

Rural
Prius - 60.1mpg
TDI - 44mpg

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fuelec...mktid=cj260233

backroad
Prius - 47.2mpg
TDI - 41.2mpg

City
Prius - 48.7mpg
TDI - 31.6mpg

highway
Prius - 47.4mpg
TDI - 40.6mpg

I'd laugh my ass off if someone actually took a prius onto a race track:giggle:

I think it started in europe, with the polo. Smaller engine with no turbo gets 70mpg apparently. Somehow Americans didn't understand what a polo was, and figured they meant Jetta.

WTF was Motor Trend doing to get 28.6 MPG from a TDI? Burnouts? lol..

The worst mileage I've been able to squeeze out of mine was 33, driving like a maniac to and from post in Texas. The TDi is fun to drive in its own way, that low-end torque is not something I'm used to getting from any 4-cylinder.. and it's not terrible at handling, either. Can't say either about a Prius.

I guess I look at the Prius as being an appliance, where the TDi is still a car.

Ummm, no... Those things are piles of shit. No power, no handling, no comfort, no space, no safety, not even that good on fuel economy for all the trade offs. My friends future wife drives one and with only 15k miles, its already falling apart. Rattles, squeaks, and a trans that is already crapping out. Aside from those legit reasons, I fucking HATE THEM! They are retarded for 99% of the roads in America. In an old European city with narrow roads and a short commute, I can sort of understand. But here, with high speed highways and longer commutes... stupid.

I dunno, I'd take that one with the hyabusa engine in it. That's about as close to an inclosed 4 wheel motorcycle as you can get.