Bumpyroad wrote: and when you go to trade it in near the end of the battery life you will take a severe beating, figure that into your cost. also factor in that it is a little roller skate and instant death when run into by a "real" car, that actually has a useable back seat.
bumpy
So far Toyota has replaces 1 battey under Warranty and they have some prius cars with over 200,000 miles and NO battery issue. Also the Prius is a Mid Size car and has ample room for 5 adults.
Agreed, and it should be pointed out that Prius's have good re-sale values. So the battery aspect must not be worrying too many people. Take a look on Craigslist, etc. The few used Prius's that are for sale have good re-sale values. So, Battery-Shmattery!
I was at the dealership last week and they were telling me about a man that wanted to trade his 2007 Tahoe truck. He paid $40,000 for it and it is now worth $12,000. I asked if I wanted to sell or trade my Prius what would it bring, I was told $2000 over what I paid and it has 12,000 on it! Dealers are taking orders as they do not have any on the lots unless it just got there and the customer has not picked it up yet.
People want to bash this car for some reason, yet people are clamoring to get them. As Gas get higher it gets more valuable. I cut my $$$$ in half monthly and the saving increase with every increase in fuel. I made a wise decision and got it before all these high prices because I knew it was not going to get any cheaper.
* This post was
edited 05/16/08 11:01am by Don Don *
Bob47 wrote: Well, interesting debate, but the question was asked whether anyone tows one. I do, and have over 10K miles towing a Prius on a dolly. It tows beautifully and at slightly less than 3,000 lbs. doesn't even feel like it is back there even though I have only an ISB.
No, the question was is anyone towing it on all 4's?
The answer is you can not.
Actually, I believe he asked two questions, the first being does anyone tow one behind their rig and the second asking whether it could be towed on all 4. I did indicate that I tow on a dolly. You are correct that it can not be towed on all 4. In the case of the Prius it goes beyond the normal Toyota objection and has to do with the fact that the Prius transmission is significantly different from a normal automatic.
Bob & Dagmar
Teddy (Shih Tzu)
1999 Monaco Diplomat 36
Cummins 5.9 (275) & Allison MD3060
2006 Toyota Prius Towed on Demco KK370SB Dolly
Don Don wrote: Also the Prius is a Mid Size car and has ample room for 5 adults.
Yeah, three inside and two strapped to the roof.
If I call for a taxi and a Prius shows up, I'll send them away and call someone else. Two people in the back is painful. Three is competing with the clown cars at the circus.
1993 Winnebago Vectra 37'
P30 - JetCo Air Ride w/Tag
Don Don wrote: Also the Prius is a Mid Size car and has ample room for 5 adults.
Yeah, three inside and two strapped to the roof.
If I call for a taxi and a Prius shows up, I'll send them away and call someone else. Two people in the back is painful. Three is competing with the clown cars at the circus.
You must be very long waisted. My son is 6' 5" and can sit comfortably behind me with the front seat all the way back. He is relatively short waisted (ie long legs - short from waist to shoulders). Also, three across the back isn't bad if none are significantly overweight. I have had 3 six footers in the back with no complaints.
There are some on the Prius owner's sites that will complain about headroom in the back seat due to the hatchback design, but I have never seen any complaints about leg room or hip room in the back. It is certainly better in the back seat than the MB 320SLK I traded in on the Prius (it didn't have a back seat!).
Don Don wrote: Also the Prius is a Mid Size car and has ample room for 5 adults.
Yeah, three inside and two strapped to the roof.
If I call for a taxi and a Prius shows up, I'll send them away and call someone else. Two people in the back is painful. Three is competing with the clown cars at the circus.
You must be very long waisted. My son is 6' 5" and can sit comfortably behind me with the front seat all the way back. He is relatively short waisted (ie long legs - short from waist to shoulders). Also, three across the back isn't bad if none are significantly overweight. I have had 3 six footers in the back with no complaints.
There are some on the Prius owner's sites that will complain about headroom in the back seat due to the hatchback design, but I have never seen any complaints about leg room or hip room in the back. It is certainly better in the back seat than the MB 320SLK I traded in on the Prius (it didn't have a back seat!).
I don't think he has ever even been in one! I am 6'2 and have no problems and 3 other men go to lunch with me everyday and are all comfortable. I think he's just jealous because he has not got one because Tyndall has no clue what he is talking about on this car.
what people ask for vehicles in ads is not necessarily what they get for them. and it is not my fault if people interested in an older one don't look into the cost of putting new batteries in them. they will get a rude shock at a later time. I know when I stopped by my Honda dealer when the hybrids first came out I asked the salesmen what it would cost for new batteries. his comment was that he didn't know but that "it wouldn't be cheap".
I find it interesting that most folks who criticize hybrids have no idea what they are talking about. The gas mileage champions are the Prius, the Civic hybrid, the Camry hybrid, and the Altima hybrid. No other car comes close.
Batteries? With a 8 to 10-year warranty, few owners worry. Besides, you want to bet you can get rebuilt batteries from J.C. Whitney in a few years, at a fraction of the cost of a new battery?
Volkswagen TDI? Besides the fact it is no longer avaliable as a new car, objective testing showed it gets much less mileage than the Prius, and that's before you factor in the 25% higher cost of diesel. Personally I don't take much stock in owner's reports of fantastic mileage. If you want true fantastic mileage stories, try the documented cases of hybrid mileage marathons, where 100+ MPG is common.
Seems there is an irrational fear of hybrids, and there is a lot of disinformation out there, which for some reason, many jump on. Some folks just need to grow up!
"Besides, you want to bet you can get rebuilt batteries from J.C. Whitney in a few years, at a fraction of the cost of a new battery?"
Years back, everything I bought from J.C. Whitney was a very cheap, shoddy, poorly made knock off. I certainly wouldn't entrust my auto. batteries to them.
But I would agree few owners worry about battery life. now any astute repurchaser of an older used one would. (the same thing goes for buying a 15 year old rubber roofed RV) I remember reading a while back an article about the small toyota one IIRC. the hybrid cost a couple of grand more when new and after a few years was worth a couple of grand less.
bumpy
Don Don wrote: I don't think he has ever even been in one! I am 6'2 and have no problems and 3 other men go to lunch with me everyday and are all comfortable. I think he's just jealous because he has not got one because Tyndall has no clue what he is talking about on this car.
The great thing about the internet is that people like Don Don can hide behind a keyboard and make inane assumptions when confronted with a view differing from their own.
Just so we're clear, I had a full week of riding around in the back of these "compacts" while in Vegas. All were low mileage and direct from Toyota. As much as I respect the gas mileage and technology in the Prius, it is still a typical small car with a cramped back seat. What good is legroom or width if you are sitting sideways slouched down because the roof is so low in the back? It's no different than other "fastbacks". I'm 6'3" and my wife is 5'10", trust me, we were not comfortable. The bottoming out on every bump in the road was not pleasant either. Less than 400lbs in the back and every bump was met with a bang and a rubbing sound. Maybe if you are getting a free ride at lunch you'd call it comfortable. I know I'll never pay to ride in one of these things again.
So yes, Don Don, I have been in a Prius and know what I'm talking about when it comes to the back seat. If I make a comment about the front, how it drives or reliability, be sure to call me on that. No, I'm not jealous and do not want one. Regardless of its merits, it is 1)only available as a four door, 2)front wheel drive and 3)not visually appealing to me. A Prius is not a suitable vehicle for me.
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