In my one-volume COAL from about a year ago, I gave pretty short shrift to our 2008 Prius, which we had bought new in late 2007 when my wife started making a 90 mile round trip to school, five days a week. After she graduated, and later after we moved further from work, it continued as a commuter and in fact became my daily driver at some point. As I said then, it was a fine car for over 100K miles and eventually we passed it on to our son, who has added about 40K more miles in the past three years, including two cross-country round trips.
Our son is back in California now, and I hadn’t so much as sat in the Prius for several years, until we recently traded cars so he could use my Tacoma to haul some stuff. 148K miles isn’t a lot for a modern car, let alone a 2nd Gen Prius, but it’s more total miles than we’ve ever put on a car, and second only to the 175-195K that my second-hand T100 had under our ownership. Since new, it has only needed a 12V starting battery while we still had it, and a water pump replaced in Texas as our son was returning from the East Coast last winter, along with the usual fluids, filters, tires, and wiper blades. It’s also picked up a few dings and scrapes, but I think under the road grime, the paint has held up quite well for car that’s never been garaged, both under the California sun and East Coast winters.
So, what was it like to drive? I know the Prius is the car that car lovers love to hate, but after eight years of driving it regularly I guess I had gotten used to it. What would it be like after a three year hiatus, mostly spent behind the wheel of my Tacoma, but with a few stints driving my wife’s New Beetle and now her Golf, both 5 speed 1.8T’s?
The answer? Pretty nice. Obviously, the Golf is faster, plus it has a manual transmission which always changes the driving experience. But it’s also quieter and plusher, so in a paradoxical way the Prius actually feels sportier: lighter, more direct. Somewhat like the small cars of the seventies (Vega, Pinto, Cortina, VW Rabbit etc) that my friends and I thrashed on canyon roads when we were young. And compared to my V6 Tacoma, it feels far more responsive to both the skinny pedal and the brake pedal (of course, so is the Golf). All with a roomy interior and excellent forward and side visibility. I briefly flashed back to my 1978 Fiesta.
On the other hand, ergonomics aren’t great. Yes, the driving position is good, and the seats are OK, but the controls and displays are scattered around; the small, dim and cluttered multi-function display, and the random choice of knobs, buttons, levers and switches as hard controls and touchscreen buttons for soft controls, were difficult to get re-acquainted with. But in summary, still a good transportation device and one which is ubiquitous on our roads, especially considering some are over 15 years old now. I’m probably guilty of profiling, but I see them driven by all types of people, from a broad range of ages and socio-economic groups. In another five or ten years, these will have earned true cockroach status, like an FWD A Body, and in 25 years we’ll wax nostalgic about them like Slant Six Darts, and Powerglides. I see many 2nd Gen’s sporting Uber and Lyft stickers. Hmmm, maybe if our son wants to upgrade, I can reclaim it and start a second career …
I have a sister on her 3rd Prius, and she thinks these cars are great. She traded a V6 Mustang with manual transmission even though at one point she told me she would never buy a car with an autautomatic transmission.
I am considering buying a 3rd generation Prius or Prius V, but can’t quite convince myself that these are enjoyable cars to live with, long term. Your assessment gives me hope that I may be wrong.
A deer just totaled my 2009 Prius compact. I’m devastated. I’ve owned a dozen cars and trucks and liked them all well enough, but I loved driving my Prius. I now get my husband’s insane ateach meet to his wheels, lol.
Trying to find another Prius is proving to be a real challenge. They are often sold before I can drive half an hour for a test drive. Can’t speak to newer models but the ’07, ’08 and ’09s I’ve driven are great.
My current COAL is also an ’08 Prius. Bought it in October ’18 with 88k on the clock for $7200. Now has 105k on the clock Likewise, all I’ve had to do besides maintenance is replace the 12V battery.
You’re right about the controls. Even almost 2 years in, I have to think about where the button is that will accomplish what I want to do. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly adequate car. 53mpg in the non-A/C months, 48 in summer. It’ll do.
I remember an early-adopter I knew throwing me the keys to his 1st Gen Prius to take it for a spin – he didn’t even come with me. A real ugly duckling, but I thought it was the most perfect city-car ever, and since it was so ugly it wouldn’t matter if it picked up a few “city knocks”.
I never understood why Toyota made the 2nd Gen so different. That windscreen looks ideal for 200mph down the Mulsanne straight at Le Mans, but not so clever for city driving – particularly since they added the dreaded “double A-pillar” which I avoid at all costs. Subsequent generations have become increasingly bizarre, but since I haven’t lived in a city for fifty years I don’t have to worry about that.
I notice that the Toyota C-RV, which is Prius underneath but less bizarre, is very popular.
I think the 2nd gen body shape is very practical: low drag for improved highway fuel economy, narrow and tall for good passenger headroom, and as MIkePDX points out below, really good usable cargo room for the size. Unrelated to the shape, but there’s also a sizable underfloor storage area behind the seats and the battery. I do find direct rearward visibility obscured by the split in the rear glass, but adequate to see what’s there when not reversing, and mitigated by the rear view camera when reversing in tight quarters. The A pillars did annoy me at first, but seemingly most new cars suffer from that, and years driving our New Beetle before we got the Prius got me mostly used to thick A pillars.
Not a Prius story, but one of its relatives, a 2009 Camry Hybrid. We bought it at the end of July 2012, when it had about 38,000 miles or so. In seven years, we’ve gotten total mileage to about 121,000. We’ve taken it on several long trips, and lots of trips from Tucson to Prescott and back (about 230 miles each way). Most recent trip: Tucson to San Diego, then San Diego to Sedona, then Sedona to Tucson. We replaced the water pump several years ago, and had the rear brakes done within the last year. We’ve replaced tires twice and wiper blades as needed. Amazingly, we’ve never had to replace the 12-volt battery. It’s been the most reliable car we’ve ever had. Fuel mileage is not in the same class as the Prius, but we get 32-34 in city driving, 36-37 on the road (less in the summer, with heavy A/C use). Not bad for a mid-sized car.
Here’s my clean COAL story. I’ve been driving Priuses from one of the very first ones on our shores in September, 2000, to our current 3rd-gen 2010. Only when I got an electric car three years ago did I stop driving a Prius daily. We put 140K miles on the 2001, and we’re almost up to 100K on the 2010, which has required nothing but regular maintenance so far.
I like the way they drive. The electric motor’s torque provides a ‘thruster’ effect when called upon, even at freeway speeds. I’m a spirited driver, partly because I’d hate to support the false stereotype of the poky Prius, and it’s always delivered the power I need in any traffic situation. Mileage has averaged mid-40s, a little higher in summer, a little lower in winter, when the air is denser and the battery is colder. On a 70+ mph freeway run from Portland to Salt Lake City and back the 2010 got 48 mpg.
A great feature of the 2nd-gen-and-later Prius is its big hatchback and cargo area, which is quite large with the back seats folded down. It’s almost as useful as a small wagon. Ideal for our two Corgi dogs and baggage when we go on road trips.
Presently I think I have the ideal combination of cars for those of us who balk at spending $40K+ for a Tesla. The great majority of my driving is in the electric Fiat 500e, which is a kick to drive, charged by solar panels at home, about as carbon-free as it gets. Prius is our choice when there are more than two of us driving, there’s cargo involved, we have the dogs, or we’re on a road trip.
Once we get more and faster charging stations out here in the American West, and long range EVs get a little cheaper, we’ll consider one EV to replace the Prius and short range EV. For now I’m quite happy with what we have.
Honestly, for 100% of what we need, and about 75% of what we want, a fleet like yours would do us fine. My wife’s commute is short, and so our “nice” car, the Golf has only racked up about 3K miles a year. Our roomy, do-everything trip vehicle, which sees about 5 or 6 times that usage, is a gas-guzzling and carbon spewing (by our standards) Tacoma. The Prius with a hitch bike rack and rooftop cargo box could do almost everything the Tacoma does, except the occasional last mile into a dispersed forest or desert camping site. Thanks for doing your part to minimize our impact on the world.
I have 2005 2nd gen Prius with 390k OEM miles on with same motor and transmission. Hybrid battery replaced and I fixed some modules. Best vehicle to keep.
Mike, I only wish there were 50 million more people like you.
Gosh, thanks!
In my opinion, the 2nd generation Prius is an excellently-designed car. I’m talking about exterior styling, and I think it’s often overlooked. The Prius is distinctive (have you ever confused a Prius for anything else?) without being weird, has clean, uncluttered lines, and avoids any big styling cliches. The 1st & 3rd generation Priuses don’t appeal to me at all, but I’ve grown to like the looks of these middle cars.
And I admit, I was one who used to loathe Priuses, back when they were the chosen rides of the self-righteous. But that’s seemed to have moved on, and once I finally got acquainted with these cars in a less judgemental way, I found I actually like them.
Now that I’ve got the motorcycle stable settled for the next couple of years, 2020’s project is to either: A. Replace the Sedona with a newer van (it’s got 138k on it now and running fine), or B. Keep the Sedona in shape and pick up something that uses very little or no gas for an around town errand runner.
Leaf, Volt and C-Max Energi are very high on my lists. But I’m still seriously considering a late second or third generation Prius. Yeah, I’d prefer to plug in and use no gas at all for my necessary commuting (I love the Sedona but 22mpg highway and less than that city just ain’t workable as a commuter), but I’ll certainly settle for 40’s-50’s city mileage, especially since a used hybrid sells for a lot less than a plug-in.
Actually, my real dream is to keep down to two cars, which means a Pacifica Hybrid, but I’m realizing it’d be cheaper to buy a 2015 Grand Caravan AND a 2015 Leaf than pick up a current Pacifica Hybrid used, much less new.
And yep, cars have become four wheeled tools to me anymore. If I want driving enjoyment, there’s two Harley-Davidsons and a Triumph in in other garage. Two out of the three have hard bags and are set up for distance. The third is the bar hopper if I know I’m going to have a few this evening.
Over a long period of time, with a mix of urban suburban and highway use, our Prius has averaged about 47 mpg. That’s better than my Ducati, about the same as my Suzuki DR650 thumper. And yeah, with those bikes plus a couple of carbon fiber bicycles, four wheeled vehicles do fit in the tool category now for me too. I actually like the 3rd gen Prius aesthetically, and I think each gen has incrementally better power and mpg, so the 3rd gen may be the sweet spot. Or Prius V.
Of course your area may be different but in mine the difference between a C-Max and a C-Max Energi is virtually non-existent or maybe even tip in favor of the Energi. With it you don’t have to worry about a charging station either. The small battery means that it will charge in ~7hrs or less on your standard 15a outlet. I’d also say, in either version, it is the most fun to drive out of the list of suspects.
I forget where you are, Syke, but if you’re in California or Oregon, take a look at your Fiat dealer. Tonkin Fiat in Portland is currently offering new 2019 500e electrics to lease for just $109/month for 3 years with $2990 up front. I got my 500e for just $99/month in 2017. The price is low because it’s FCA’s “compliance car”. But unlike what you might expect from a compliance car, it’s a lot of fun to drive, in town or on the freeway and it has a nice interior.
I’ve never met a 500e owner who wasn’t very happy with the car.
Ashland, VA; 15 miles north of Richmond off I-95, and boy do I wish the 500e was available around here! It probably has the best reputation of any of the short distance electrics (aka, Leaf and down) out there. So much for it just being an afterthought ‘compliance car’.
I loved my 500c Abarth, only got rid of it when I realized that it was competing with the motorcycles for daily use – and losing. If I end up falling back onto just going for a gasoline car for my errand runner, a 500 pop hatchback with manual is my first choice. And there’s still an actual Fiat dealer in Fredericksburg about 40 miles north of me, plus an independent shop that’s very good on working on them within bicycling distance of my house.
A quick look at Craigslist found a used 500e in DC, but that would be a real stretch because I don’t know where you’d take it if it ever needed fixing.
FCA says they’re working on a new version of the 500e, at least for Europe. Here’s hoping Fiat stays in the US and they take the new 500e to all states.
Before you choose, Syke, let me make a case for the C-Max over the Prius, in two seconds. That’s approximately the difference in 0-60 times between the two. The C-Max gets there in eight seconds, about the same level of performance as my VW TDIs and early non-turbo GTIs. The Ford also wears the same six-inch, low profile rims. With both powerplants turning and burning, it nearly matches my Mk.V GTI’s 200 hp.
I’ve come to expect that level of performance from my cars, and I don’t need more. Once I could double my fuel efficiency without sacrificing performance, the Ford plug-in hybrid became an easy choice. It’s an EV for short trips on my side of the city, and a quiet, luxurious hybrid for long trips. Over the first 30,000 miles, I’m averaging 65-70 mpg. I’m not aware of another hybrid or EV that can equal that kind of balanced performance. Well, the Volt might, but I wasn’t interested because I prefer a tall wagon to a low sedan.
Recently I read that the Ford hybrids (now only the Fusion twins) have passed the Prius in sales.
Apart from the A-segment Aygo, Toyota has “hybridized” all car models here.
Yaris – 1.5 hybrid
Corolla – 1.8 or 2.0 hybrid
C-HR – 1.8 hybrid
RAV4 – 2.5 hybrid
Camry (re-introduced on the Euro-market this year) – 2.5 hybrid
The Yaris, Corolla, C-HR and RAV4 can also be had as a gasoline-only-version, if you wish. Camry is hybrid-only.
Truth is, the Prius has become obsolete. The market has spoken, folks prefer a more practical Corolla hybrid (previously the Auris) -especially the wagon- to a slightly more fuel efficient Prius.
Now about that Camry, I’m stunned what a real bargain it is for the car you get!
Interesting that they offer two versions of the Corolla and that the Camry is Hybrid only.
I just checked our Toyota website. The Corolla sedan is only available as a 1.8 hybrid. Hatchback and wagon: 1.2 turbo gasoline, 1.8 or 2.0 hybrid.
180 DIN-hp for the 2.0 hybrid, two-tone hatchback example below.
The Camry comes from the USA – do they make a non-hybrid Camry in the USA ? The Camry was discontinued because it was un-competitive on tax as a 2.2 or a 3 litre. Anybody who could afford the tax on an engine bigger than 2 litres wanted a BMW or Mercedes badge.As a hybrid it now makes sense as cars are taxed on Co2 these days.
Uncle Mellow:
The Camry in the US can be had with a non-hybrid I4, hybrid I4, or non-hybrid V6.
In the US there are no Toyota wagons, just CUV’s and the older version Prius V, so I think the Prius still makes a lot of sense here as a space-efficient cheaper, smaller (vs RAV4 or Camry) vehicle. When we still had the Prius as our daily driver, we rented a Ford CMax and I didn’t like it at all: horribly complex/illegible instrumentation and hybrid drive info, and MUCH less cargo space than our Prius. The infotainment system wasn’t much fun either. Power, comfort and handling were better than the Prius, though; we rented it in Colorado and drove up to nearly 10k feet (3K meters), plus lots of mountain twisties. I could probably have gotten used to the displays, but the interior room was a non-starter.
The Prius v is a real sleeper. My wife’s 2012 just passed 100k miles, and we have no plans to get rid of it. Decided yesterday that if we had to, a new battery or a new engine, if need be, made sense. But my 2005 Gen 2 was just traded (big mistake) for an AWD car after an embarrassing fight with snow, and it had over 160k miles and the brakes weren’t even half worn. I miss it. So 100k miles on any Prius is just “nicely broken in.”
I too have a 2008 Prius purchased new in November 2007. Has 120000 miles. Best car I’ve ever had and I dread the day I lose her. Tires, 12v battery, water pump, struts and routine maintenance. She has some dings and we’ve done some body work to keep her nice. I’d love too think about another Prius when the time comes, but the new models are SO UGLY I couldn’t beat to drive one.
To many, the 2nd gen Prius was just about perfect. I’m not talking about enthusiasts here, but the vast majority of people who just want reliable, economic, relatively comfortable transportation. I once read somewhere that the 2G Prius was packaged so well, it would have sold even if it didn’t have a hybrid drivetrain.
And although it was odd at the time, there was a very nice simplicity about the ‘pod’ design that Toyota has gotten far away from with the most recent Prius. Frankly, I would have liked Toyota to have retained the basic shape and simply made mechanical/technological improvements, sort of the way the good old, anvil-reliable Mopar A-body soldiered on from 1967-1976 with few sheetmetal changes, or even the legendary Beetle.
Loved my ’07. The Prius was what allowed me to have a solid daily so that I could tinker with my VW van. I had literally no problems in 3 years of ownership and maybe 40k miles or so. It never saw a shop in all that time, as it was extremely easy to work on by myself.
But eventually I got bored with it and moved on to a Honda Element. Wish I could still get the awesome gas milage.
One of the main problems with this gen Prius is instrument cluster failure.
https://priuschat.com/threads/instrument-cluster-repair.196873/
The answer to Prius hatred, which I truly have, is the new Corolla hatchback. I also have it.
It has a gasoline engine, fuel injection and best of all a six speed manual transmission. This leads to fun. It also has Toyota quality. It is a very sophisticated car and is just fine for people who like real cars.
I get to use carbon based regular fuel too , which I prefer in the tank not the long way around via an electricity power plant. It just gets 36 or so mpg around town but does way over 40 on the highway. It even sounds like a real car.
I seriously considered this car after we passed the Prius, and then our Beetle, to our kids. This was when it was still the Scion iM; practical hatch, six speed manual, Toyota reliability. In the end, we bought a used Golf for considerably less, but I still check out the iM’s and now Corolla hatches that I see, and wonder if that would have been a better choice. So far the Golf is a blast to drive and no problems yet.
I’m another one who loves this generation of Prius and my experience is very similar to posts above. We bought one new in 2004 and still have it. It’s done a little over 200,000km and has been very reliable – only the water pump has been replaced (a common problem it seems) as well as usual maintenance items. It still has the original hybrid battery.
It’s been the family hauler and run-about. Lots of short suburban and city trips consistently gives 5l/100km (47mpg – US) year in year out. Our previous car was a 1993 Lexus LS400 – beautiful car but regularly used 17-18l/100km doing the same duty. The Prius has a surprising amount of space in the rear for load carrying and excellent legroom for my two tall daughters.
Looks are subjective, but I think it looks great. Very much form follows function, modern and different but without contrived add-ons. A Calty win!
It’s not perfect. Steering is a bit numb. Handling is so-so (but more than adequate for what we use it for). The constant high engine note under hard acceleration is not a joy and it’s relatively narrow – great for city parking but may not suit someone with three (or more!) growing children.
We liked it so much we bought another slightly updated (reversing camera and other bits) low km example and kept the original for the kids (no young adults).
If it wasn’t for my wife wanting a Reasonably Nice Vehicle (read: car note) a 2G Prius would be pretty much perfect for our needs.
One thing that seemingly hasn’t been addressed: long-term battery usage. Many of you know about the batteries losing its capacity over the time as we found out too often with our smartphones and notebook computers.
Many manufacturers have different approaches of replacing worn-out or bad batteries, but who’s paying for replacement cost? They aren’t cheap.
With ICE, we could just take the engines apart and replace whatever is worn-out or broken for less material cost, then we’re golden.
Our 2004 Prius is still on its original hybrid battery with no noticeable loss of performance. No doubt it will need to be replaced one day – but the cars have developed a reputation for long term reliability, battery included.
If you’re capable of taking an engine and gearbox apart (and putting it back together again!) a purely ICE car may suit you best. I don’t have those skills so I’m going to have to pay a shop either way.
How long do the batteries last? Prius are the default taxi here there are hundreds of not thousands of them in use as cabs and Ive not heard of them giving trouble.
Apparently the Prius never runs the battery to less than 50%, so it lasts and lasts. A Nissan Leaf can use all the battery capacity, so it degrades after a few years.
Transmissions aren’t cheap either. Or timing chain repairs. Or various other ICE repairs…
The reliability of these Priuses is without question. The number of these and their Hybrid Synergy Drive buddies I’ve seen working hard in taxi service is staggering.
Let’s not forget, the Prius has been around now for 22 years. I don’t quite understand why “but what about the battery?” is still something people ask after all that time.
“but what about the battery?”
Cause we’re used to the ones in our $500 phones losing about half it’s capacity after 3 years. Heck, my cheapie Samsung Galaxy J3 now only has 10 fully charged hours of normal setting battery life _without_ heavy use after two years, it used to be 16.
And we hear horror stories about $6,000 battery replacements. I suppose that’s no different than Nissan’s $4,000 CVTs or Subaru’s $2,500 head gasket failures, both of which now seem to be chronic issues which remain unaddressed by their respective manufacturers – and off my list for future purchases. At least the Toyota battery is getting a good reputation!
Loved my first gen. More people stopped me to ask about it then all my antique cars combined. This was in 2000 mind you. Second generation solved all of the utility issues of my 2000. That hatch is the best. Battery replacement a co-worker had done on his 2007 was $1700 and they came to his home to do it. Original crapped out at 180k miles.
I did a little research if it would make sense buying an ageing Prius. I’ve seen a video showing that it is not at all difficult to work on the drive battery. One thing though: it does not have an alternator but uses the motor/generator built in the transmission to charge both batteries. When that motor/ generator/transmission combo goes it is going to be really expensive. The only way to justify the dollars is to do a lot of city miles, like an Uber/Lyft /Taxi driver. That reminds me of the old MB Diesels. The extra expense for the Diesel made only senses if you were driving lots of miles.
I have long been fascinated by these. I got to drive one once, about a mile of straight road at 35 mph, so not much of an experience. I recall feeling that my Honda Fit was a touch more refined, but then it doesn’t get the kind of mileage figures the Prius gets.
And isn’t it true that your first time back in a previously familiar car can be a unique experience? It would be interesting to go back and drive some of the cars we had in our youth and see just how strong the rose colored glasses effect is.
I compared the Prius’ feel to some small cars I either owned or drove a lot in my youth, but I suspect I’m actually way off base. I would very much like to try an early Rabbit or a Vega or Pinto, or a Volvo 122S, but haven’t found the opportunity. I don’t think I’ve driven anything without power steering for about 30 years.
Forget Uber or Lift, I brought a Gen 2, ex taxi with over 500,000 km here in BC, Canada. Since then I have added another 50,000 km in 2 years. We initially brought the car for our son to drive to work at PPG, he loved the milage, but found it too slow. I took over and am now using it as a parcel delivery vehicle for Amazon. The water pump needed replacing after a year, the inverter motor for the Main battery was upgraded free of charge under factory recall, the 12’volt battery I replaced as soon as we brought the car with a AGM and finally 8 months ago exchanged the main battery with a rebuild unit for $600 US, the car is used daily for work and pleasure. When gas price hit $1.72 /liter ($5/gallon), I was laughing all the way to the bank. Now looking to upgrade to a plug in pruis. Think no need to grease the palms of the oil industry and reduce our carbon footprint.
I too own a 2nd gen Prius and I’m in love with it. She’s a 2008, and it already accumulated 300.000k. I had a couple of accidents with it, due to its low profile: I ran over a rock, and had to get a new radiator and ran over a truck tire on the highway and had to replace the plastic underside. Ah, and I had to replace the catalytic converter! Other than that, nothing else. Lately, the center screen stopped working, but Toyota wants too much to replace that. Truth is that I don’t need it at all. I can do everything I need to do with the steering wheel buttons. I got this car because my commute is 111 miles round trip. I’m not a tree hugger. Having said that, I’m glad that my carbon footprint is reduced by driving it. I’m going to drive this car until the wheels fall off, and after that, I’m going to get another one. I’m glad to see that there’s other Prius lovers out there.
I have a 2007 Prius with 280,000 miles. Had the hybrid batteries replaced a couple months ago with used ones for $1000. The car may not be worth that, but it is to me… It can still easily go over 85 on the freeway when there are no cops around… I’m keeping it till it just won’t go anymore!
I have 246k on my 2004 prius and it’s in pretty good shape. it wasn’t until I move to California that the sides got dinged up, because those drivers and parking let’s just don’t care. Both rear view mirrors are missing the casing on the back, and I’m not paying $240 each to fix them. But the car has been terrific to me and very inexpensive to maintain. I replace the battery at about 210,000 miles at a fraction of what it would have been in 2004.
I have a 2008 Gen 2 Prius with 212K miles that I bought new in April 2008. Other than the routine stuff (tires, oil, filters, wipers) the only other maint has been a temperature control valve replacement, shocks and wheel bearings at 200K, brakes once, and HID headlights twice (at 104K and 210K). I also tow the Prius on a tow dolly behind our motor home and have about 25K miles that way. I am still on both the original 12v and main batteries. I live on the east coast and almost all Interstate driving here involves 75+mph driving and the Prius is always up to it.
The Prius is the second best car I have ever owned, right after my 2000 Ford E350 van with the 7.3l Powerstroke Diesel that I also bought new and currently has 326K.
I LOVED my 2007 Prius, but after taking it to the top of a local ski mountain three years ago to watch a meteor shower, I hit an ice spot on the way down and rolled it 250-300’ off a cliff. None of the airbags went off, and I was sucked out of my seatbelt and deposited folded in half in the hatchback, next to my iPhone. Hard to say what saved my life, but there were a lot of factors. It was front page news in my local paper, and lead story on the Seattle NBC affiliate’s three local news broadcasts that day.
I bought a 2013 Prius to replace it, which I like, but not nearly as much. I just hope the freakin airbags work!
Dear Prius:
You’ve always been there for me when I needed you. You rarely ever asked for anything. We can go months without you asking for any attention. There are never any surprises between us. Whenever I have any needs, you are right there to faithfully take care of me. I brag to everyone about how much you can do, on so little resources.
But I met another. She has been around the block before. She has been known to smoke sometimes and have embarrassing leaks. She is a lot of work to keep around. Many times she just doesn’t want to take care of me without a whole lot of complaining. It seems that every month I’ve got to get under her and straighten something out before she makes herself useful again.
Through all the ups and down with her, we have a real understanding of each other, and she really needs me. God knows that anyone else would lose their patience with her and get rid of her. Yet, I simply cannot do that. I love all of her flaws, imperfections and even love her mistakes.
It’s not you – it is me. I’m a guy who wants more than a robotic girlfriend with a golf cart ambiance.
Goodbye Prius
You’ve bored the crap out of me and I can live with you anymore.
Prius as a camping vehicle with built-in automatic HVAC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow8CTPJw3sM
Less than a gallon of gas for overnight A/C in hot weather. The Prius uses a high voltage air conditioning compressor which is very efficient compared to belt-driven compressors.
215000 miles on my 2006 second generation Prius. We did have to replace the battery but did it ourselves with a refurbished battery for about $900. I love my car and will drive it until it won’t go anymore which doesn’t seem to be happening soon.
I’ve been an enthusiast for 50 years now but the thing I admire most about specific cars is competence and integrity. So while I’d love a Bullitt sitting in my garage, the tightness my 130k mile Outback 2.5 shows in the rain impresses me pretty well.
That’s always been my attitude with the Prius – out of the box it had a mission and improved itself each step (maybe not so much visually this last generation, but the Hyundai Ioniq carries on that shape). I’ve never met a disappointed Prius owner, and of the owners I know personally several are enthusiasts. The only opportunity I feel Toyota has blown with the Prius was not making it its own full-blown label with a coupe, small minivan and small FWD pick-up available.
Props to MikePDX in his efforts to make the least impact he can….
Wow, I’m amazed with all the Prius love on an enthusiast site like this. I unfortunately know some folks who just hate them, based on old stereotypes and I don’t know what. I’ll just wrap things up by pointing out that we tested a Civic Hybrid before buying the Prius, and it did not impress. Competent, sure, but not the whole package of the Prius combination of fuel and space efficiency. I think that’s what appeals to many enthusiast owners of Priuses.