saelee39

I am a college student who drives a 2000 GS 300 and commutes to school and work daily. I am in the process of trading in my GS for a 2004+ Toyota Prius mainly because of gas. I was wondering if anyone here owns or had any experience with the Prius. I would like to hear from you guys and list the Pros and Cons if possible. Thanks...

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

Because of high resale values, the Prius may not be that economical.

You can probably get good (not great) gas mileage and more room for the much less money with a brand new '07/08 Corolla, especially since it will be redesigned for next year (the '09 Corolla will debut next week, and will go on sale early next year).

However, if you still want the Prius, it's a great technologically advanced car. Gas mileage is best in traffic and city streets, so it's best as a daily commuter, not for long traffic-free rides. I would like some more "umphh" with the ride, but a Prius is all about gas savings, not performance.

PROS: good resale, great gas mileage in the city, distinctive, smooth and quiet, technologically savvy, good torque.

CONS: a bit pricey, not so good gas mileage on the highways, may be higher maintenance compared to "regular" cars, not as roomy as you think, engine is a struggling asthmatic above 80 mph.

SLegacy99

I drove my brother's gf's '05 Prius and I love it. It handled decently and had enough power I thought. She averages 62 mpg city and on long highway trips about 47 mpg I think she said.

I drove my sister's '03 Corolla for a month this summer. 32 mpg city, 40+ hwy so that was def. nice. However, it also had a 5MT with some tall gears.

Nextourer

I have one! lol

So far so good. There were two TSBs for 2004/2005 models - steering wheel recall and ECU update.

I've only done regular maintenance per the Toyota schedule (6 months / 8,000kms). Same maintenance cost as our 2002 Camry. I'm currently at 64,000kms and due for my next scheduled maintenance.

Because I'm in Canada, I do pretty much 99% city driving. My best tank this summer was 3.9L/100km (60mpg) and 902km per tank. My worst is, naturally, the winter tanks. Our mild winters mean I average 5-5.2L/100km (~46mpg) and I usually refuel around 500kms just to be safe.

Pros:
- high techy (SKS, bluetooth, nav, backup camera.. although I only have the SKS cause the latter three were packaged in a very expensive option package in Canada)

- spacious. (it's 3" shorter than the Corolla but the interior is nearly Camry sized)

- fold flat rear seats means you can carry lotsa stuff on moving day or whatever else you need for college. As a bonus, there's a lounge mode where you fold the front seats back (after taking out the headrests). Then you can sit in the back seat and use the front seats to rest your legs.

- naturally fuel economy. It varies depending on how much effort you're willing to put into it. After a while, it's like playing your favourite video game where the mpg is your high score

- HIDs. Those with factory HIDs love them


Cons:
- ******* and I mean ******* stock tyres. If your used Prius still has Goodyear Integritys, swap them out asap

- handling. It's ok but leaves something to be desired. After coming from a Camry, the Prius suspension is a bit on the rough side for me (and I'm fairly young). If you want better handling, I suggest a Touring edition. It has a stiffer (and better sorted) suspension and wider/larger 195/55R16 tyres

- Rubber bladder in the metal fuel tank means we can't usually take advantage of the full 11.9 gallon tank. The bladder size varies with temperature and makes refuelling a guessing game. But it shouldn't bother you if you refuel when the car says to "Add Fuel" even if you think otherwise.

- low ground clearance. If you have people in the back, go slow over higher speed bumps and driveways/ramps.