Toyota Prius: A bunch of questions

Cathy F. <net> wrote:
 

I can't answer these questions since many of them 'depends.' What I can
share is how I got my NHW11 03 Prius after losing my '91 Camry in an
accident last September.

I looked at the Ford Escape and local Prius but neither was offered at
any reasonable price. The local Toyota dealer was adding $4,500 to MSRP
and putting everyone on a waiting list. Then two months later, they
called me at work and said, "First one with $1,000 to our door gets the
next Prius." I declined.

So I started looking at Ebay and in three weeks, bought a 2003 Prius,
last year of that production run, with 49,300 miles. I paid $17,300 and
flew out to Texas to pick it up. It now has over 64,000 miles and I'm
getting a little over 51 MPG.

Toyota has shifted the allocation around from time to time and one
California couple flew to Fairfax VA to buy a new Prius at MSRP and
drive it back home. One thing for sure, Ebay opens your options, a lot.

There are two Prius warrantees, 3/36000 and 8/80000. My thinking is a
Prius after the 3/36000 will have a lot of life left and give you years
and years of good service. You won't get the tax credit but the reduced
purchase price will make up for it.

GOOD LUCK!

Bob Wilson

"Bob Wilson" <com> wrote in message
news:1hi1prb.7tvhay406l9sN%com... 

Thanks. You're braver than I. I've bought things on eBay & had no
problems, but somehow would be very leery of buying a big-ticket item - such
as a car - via that route. And no matter how much I wanted one, I doubt
I'd be willing to fly somewhere to pick it up. ;-)
 

No middle route of 5/50,000?

My thinking is a 

Thank you - just doing groundwork, to eventually make up my mind...

Cathy 

Cathy F. wrote:
 

Depends where you are. Fortuitous circumstances/lucky timing allowed me
to go to a Toyota dealership last month and drive away with the model I
wanted. The color ("magnetic gray" / gray leather) would not have been
my first choice, but it's OK. Passing it up would have meant getting on
a list.
 

I didn't drive my Prius before I bought it. I had driven an older one,
however.
 

I'm not certain that driving a Prius is entirely about the owner saving
money. I think it's a political statement and a statement of where one
stands on the environment, oil wars, UBL, and all that business. Then
there's the act of being different from the hoi polloi, and, for many,
just a touch of smugness about it all. My Prius replaces a 13/17 pickup
truck <http://www.davidillig.com/starcar.shtml>.
 

I can't answer all of your questions. Detailed specifications for every
model year are available on-line, however.
 

??
 

My '06 does, but it has "Package #8" @ $6890 list. You should go to
toyota.com and select the "Build and Price Your Toyota" option. You
will be able to view all of the standard and optional features.
 

www.irs.gov
 

I believe so.
 

My dealer knocked $1100 of the msrp. The discount would have been less
with a lower-grade options package.
 

Don't know much -- too new. Handles well enough -- haven't skidded into
anything yet. Not much snow in MD in July.
 

Inside. Too loud for me, and I'm hard of hearing. I'm 62-years-old. I
have driven for many years (I was about 5-years-old when I soloed in a
motor vehicle) without a beeper to tell me I'm in reverse, and without
incident.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

"Davoud" <net> wrote in message
news:060720061830052990%net... 

I am Picky. Picky-picky. So would've passed unless the color was one I
really wanted. ASAlong w/ one of the prob. two pkgs. I want/could dela
with. I know I don't want a high end pkg. - has stuff I'm not interested
in, & way too much $$.
 

Oh, if I'd already driven another Prius it wouldn't bother me to order one.
But I hadn't even -seen- one in person at that point! Now, having test
driven the '04 model 2 years ago, I'd feel confident enough to just put in
an order should I decide to. 

Oh, yes, I agree, re: the reasons for buying one. OTOH, it also would be
cost-effective *if* a person's been driving a car that costs over $20K &/or
gets crummy gas mileage. But in my case I've never spent over $17-ish for a
car, and I get decent mileage, & the Corolla has decently low emissions. So
buying one would be a splurge - a rather large treat for myself. Even
though it would also be a bit of a subtle statement.
 

Okay. Although I realized I already know of one change. In '04 the basic
cPrius didn't come with a rear window wiper! You had to order the next pkg.
up to get one, which for a liftback was absurd. I know that the wiper is
now standard equipment - as it should've been from day #1, IMO.
 

Well, you know how the '04 was distinctly different from the '03? It was a
big redesign. And the other models get a makeover every 4 years - each
one's a new generation - that's what I meant. Is there a big revision due
out 4 years after the '04 model was introduced? 

Ackkkk!

You should go to 

I've done that before, but I still don't remember seeing it listed. Maybe
because it doesn't kick in until the high end pkgs?? I hope not, because
it's one amenity/detail I'd find really difficult to give up... No more
accidentally leaving the lights on, no more forgetting to turn them on at
night in lit parking lots & then driving down the city streets sans
headlights... 

Is it in plain, normal, non-taxese English?? ;-P
 

Okay, thanks. So maybe a little wiggle room. Better than paying over
sticker, at least!
 

Okay, will have to look into this more if it becomes a reality. I wish one
could order tires the way other options are available...
 

You have me beat out - I'm 56 & have been driving since 16, but also tend to
know when I'm in reverse. ;-) I can understand the beeper on the outside,
esp. for parking lots, or if one has little kids - or maybe even pets, as a
warning in the driveway. But I really think I'd rather silence the thing!
And I have a long driveway - I'd guess my neighbors would rather it'd be
silenced, too. Beep, beep, beep, beep.... arghhh.

Thanks for replying.

Cathy
 

"Cathy F." <net> wrote in message
news:com... 

I turned of my backup beep when I arrived home from the dealership and
haven't missed it a bit. I have an '05 and don't know if it is as easy to
turn off in the '06. I'm 65 and find the Prius comfortable and agile. It's
a pleasure to drive compared to my Explorer. Comparing mileage figures and
using, as I recall, $2.68/gallon, my Prius will use about $14,000 less fuel
in 100,000 miles. That's one hell of a lot of hydrocarbon emissions
eliminated too. Remember, Cathy, if everyone got 50 mpg gas would be a lot
cheaper.

"Bill" <now> wrote in message
news:com... 

It also has a *lot* of leg room in the back seat. When I test drove one, I
first pushed the driver's seat all the way back (how I drive - I'm fairly
tall & have long legs), & then sat in the back seat behind the driver's
seat. My knees still didn't even touch the back of the drivers' seat - had
a couple of inches to spare, in fact. The engineers/designers did a good
job of making a car which is small on the outside manage to have plenty of
room on the inside. I also liked the storage room: the double glove box, &
the extra storage drawer at the bottom front of the center console. And the
general fact that it's a liftback. My first Corolla - an '84, was a
liftback & I loved it - could fit a whole Xmas tree back there, but then
they discontinued that version.... :-(

Cathy


.. It's 

Davoud: 

Cathy F 

Hmmmm. Not certain. My truck cost nearly $40k and got poor gas mileage.
But I paid cash for it, so that's not an issue. The issue is that I
didn't get my $40k worth of use out of it before selling it. I don't
expect the Prius's economy -- perhaps four times better city mileage --
to compensate for the lost use of the truck /and/ the additional cost
of the Prius. But, again, for me it wasn't so much about saving money
personally. I happen to know Arabic, and I lived or traveled
extensively in the Middle East from 1976 - 1993, and it seems I have a
better understanding of events there than anyone in the Bush
administration -- or at least better than anyone who has spoken
publicly about the grave errors we are making there. I'm sorry if that
seems political; given my aforesaid experience, to me it is not at all
political, but a simple statement of reality.
 

A personal treat is also a valid reason for getting a Prius!
 

Are you serious? You can forget to turn your headlights on /at/ /night/
!?
 

Yes, but I wouldn't exactly call it wiggle room. That was the price,
take-it-or-leave-it.
 

I forgot to mention that they also have a backup camera that displays a
color image on the navigation/control display. It's in all option
packages, which probably means it's in all Prius's, because you are
unlikely to find a Prius with no option package. It isn't meant to
guide you in backing up, but to show you at a glance if there are any
yard rats or puppies behind you.

Davoud

--
usenet *at* davidillig dawt com

"Cathy F." <net> wrote in message
news:com... 
Do you own a home or condo, or do you rent?
mark_