Questions about the Toyota Prius and hybrids?

Question

I'm looking to trade in my car for a hybrid, and I have a few questions.. I drive mostly in the city, and I find the Prius gets the best mileage, and I really like the interior. I'm open to other suggestions and would love to hear your ACTUAL EXPERIENCES with them. And would you suggest getting one now or waiting on till next year's? (and how long would that be?)

Answer 1

Just some advice from a previous Prius owner.

Yes, they definitely are very good in the city.  If you do a lot of driving in the city, it is a good car.  Gobs of torque off the line so it can be tricky driving in inclement weather (snow, ice).  The regenerative braking means less actual brake usage, but keep in mind routine maintenance can be slightly more expensive since it's a hybrid.  

Don't use the "B" mode ... it's unnecessary.  

Real world MPG is low 40's, but then again ... how many cars see 600 miles in one tank?

Probably wondering why I'm a "former" owner ... some punk driving a box truck in traffic wasn't paying attention to what was ahead of him and to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of him dodged into the carpool lane where my wife & I were doing 60 and the car was totaled.  Surprisingly, the car held up okay ... a testament to the safety engineering of the car as well.

Answer 2

My Prius is an '07 Package #2 and it serves me very well.  I get 42mpg in the winter, 50mpg in the summer (since the engine is not running all the time, in hot weather it's easier to keep the gasoline engine warmed up).

I got the Package #2 because I figure I didn't need the fancy things like on-board GPS, bluetooth or the Bose speaker system.  I kind of regretted not getting the package (#3)  with the bluetooth option though now that I got a cell phone that will work with it, but I'm still very happy with mine.

Before the inevitable idiot starts blabbing how the battery needs to be replaced every 2 years for thousands of dollars, here's the real scoop:  The Prius battery carries an 8-year / 100,000-mile warranty.  If it fails before then, Toyota will replace it for you free, so don't let that scare you.

The only problem is that you probably won't be able to find a Prius to buy.  Right now the waiting list at dealerships is like 3-6 months depending on where you are.