asj2024

Love that he went for the really old underpowered gen 2

https://www.thedrive.com/news/why-i-...ing-old-trucks

Hey there. I'm Caleb, The Drive's truck editor. Regular readers and our staff alike know me as the guy who prefers old pickups to just about anything. I even own a 1966 Ford dump truck! With that track record, I understand it may surprise some folks that I just bought a 2006 Toyota Prius. What might be even more surprising is that I'm totally stoked about it.

Later, he finds people who actually tow stuff using their Prius, and for some reason that seems to stoke him more (not sure why...it's not like they're towing trailers).

https://www.thedrive.com/news/youll-...-towing-people

If you're new here, there's something you should know about me: I love trucks. I've owned old trucks, new trucks, red trucks and... actually, I've never owned a blue truck before. But I just bought a blue 2006 Toyota Prius! As my coworkers will tell you, I'm way too excited about it, and given my background, you can imagine how stoked I am to report that I've found my people amongst the Prius owners' community.

These people put their tiny, mighty hybrids to work. Whether it's towing boats, ATVs, dirt bikes, or U-Haul trailers, they're all about doing what they can with what they have. Any self-respecting pickup truck owner should be able to respect that too, don't you think?

SW17LS

My condolences to him lol

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

https://www.thedrive.com/news/a-toyo...ry-hard-enough

same guy

asj2024

LOL....that's weird.

Is it the same guy though? That youtube is from 2022, and from FL, whereas this OP is from the Ozarks and he just got his in 2024. Plus, they don't look like the same guy.

asj2024

Hell, he enjoys it and loves it. That's what matters. I'd love to see his gen 2, looks pretty good for a car that's going on 20 years.

Gen 2 or 3 is perfect for him. I don't think someone who's 6' 5" would fit well in the new gen 5. It may look great on the outside, but it's actually smaller (especially headroom). Toyota sacrificed utility for the aesthetics

SW17LS

My Gen 2 Prius was the worst vehicle I have ever owned, and one of the top 10 worst I have ever driven…so my condolences to him lol

Although what he has to compare it to are beat up old trucks so that’s a little bit different comparison.

mmarshall

I'll agree that the driving-experience of almost any-generation Prius leaves a LOT to be desired. But, from what I remember, the 2Gen version was probably the best of them in terms of materials and build-quality....which dropped off noticeably with the 3Gen version.

asj2024

I've been driving a gen 3 for almost 15 years, and I have absolutely nothing to complain about. It rides completely silent at low speeds (it uses the electric motor), and it goes continuously at high speeds (85 mph) quietly and with no rattling or strain. No major problems at all during that time, other than rotor replacement (something that couldn't be said about the Mercedes I had at same time), and it's surprisingly spacious inside (quite a few people who've ridden with me, including my dad, were surprised that it seems much bigger inside than you would expect).

Lotsa plastic, true, but it was never meant to be a luxury car, nor meant to be a sports car.

Gives me 50+ mpg even now, and has some nifty features like a solar panel that drives a fan to cool the car even when parked under the sun for long periods of time (VERY handy), satellite navigation map system (uses onboard database), as well as a moonroof. Another level (Prius type V) had self parking and other tech such as lane assist, dynamic cruise control, etc, included even in 2010 (optional package i think for the Type IV I have).

But yeah, the head gasket of the gen 3 is an alleged weak spot, although I've known quite a few with 200k + miles that have no problems (driving and care matters, as always).

Margate330

From old pickup trucks to Prius

Now that's a life style change. Lol

asj2024

He's keeping the trucks though. He just has expanded his horizons to appreciate more And if it adds happiness to his life, why not?

SW17LS

The materials and the build quality were fine, you are right that the quality of materials took a big nose dive in the Gen 3. The Gen 3 is better looking IMO, and I like the design of the dash and the console more but they drove about the same. Loud on the highway, I didn't have a sound pressure meter at the time but my guess is around 70dB. Lots of road noise and very little sound deadening to save weight and cost.

The way I used to describe it, is it was a Corolla that cost about twice what a Corolla cost at the time and I think thats pretty accurate. My wife liked the quirkiness and the technology, the fuel economy wasn't the driver for her. The day we traded it on the first Jeep was a real highlight lol

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

just because you can, doesn't mean you should.

ha... what was appealing when you bought it? saving on gas?

SW17LS

Wasn't appealing to me at all lol. It was all my wife, and that was before we were married.

Striker223

Ha! I feel that, mine drove RXs, a Jeep GC, and a Durango and it took me a second to convince her a car is good even though it's low to the ground. Now she doesn't want to drive anything else and complains that SUVs feel floppy and unrefined

BayeauxLex

My 2015 Prius is just as loud as my ‘23 R4P (in Ev mode) on the same highway at same speed which are both quieter than my 1794 V8 Tundra on the same road at same speed. Stepping up to the Lexus is when things quiet down.

I bought my Prius because according to google, 571 miles (give or take) was achievable on a full tank of gas and at the time I had a 200 mile daily commute to/from work. 1,000 miles/wk cost me $40/wk in gas (2 fill ups). Outside of that, it’s a slug to drive. Won’t get you anywhere quick but it’s great at what’s it meant to do, save on gas.

My wife used to drive a Mercedes before we married. Higher maintenance cost and it had little electrical gremlins that would magically start working again once arriving to the dealership. For her 1yr anniversary present, I traded it in. 🙃