Any Prius owners?

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snyder66
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Any Prius owners?

Post by snyder66 »

I am thinking of possibly getting rid of our Sienna for a Prius. We have three kids and I think that they could fit in the back. The one issue we would have is vacation, we usually take the van to the beach. Just wondering how roomy and gas mileage. Thanks
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englishgirl
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by englishgirl »

Gas mileage is great, but you must know that, otherwise why look at Priuses?

As far as fitting 3 kids in the back, that depends on how old they are. If you have infant triplets, and they all need to be in car seats, probably not. Otherwise, you should be OK. And the beach trips? Well, I don't know how much stuff you consider necessary, or how long the trips are for. I live 2 miles from the beach, so I could easily tote 3 kids and enough beach stuff for a day. But if you're talking a 2 week vacation...?
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chrisjul
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by chrisjul »

I bought a new 2010 Prius and love it....have avg mpg of 48.5 and NO problems....not a rattle, squeak or issue. Love the technology and am amazed at this car every day. Would definitely buy another one. ( I do also have a new Miata for those times when I want something fun to drive).

The Prius is definitely not for those who like speed, handling etc.
etherscreen78
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by etherscreen78 »

love our prius as well. gas milage between 48-50 mpg. rides great. have just one kid, so packing is a breeze for beach trips. with 3 kids i'd imagine it would be a little tight. it's easy to obliterate your visibility directly behind you if you pack it in.
ProfessorX
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by ProfessorX »

Love my Prius.
yahoo
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by yahoo »

I just bought a 2012 Honda Civic LX. I average 45mpg (with ease). Please note I am a hyper mileager. But it is not hard at all. Most of my miles are highway and I avg 65mph. If you simply adjust your driving it is amazing what can be done. I only point this out because the Civic is less costly to purchase,
and there are no batteries or complex tech to fix ,if broken. I was choosing between the two and after doing the cost analysis (which forces you to guess about future gas prices, miles driven repairs, etc) I chose the Civic.
Hope this helps.
BarbInSD
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by BarbInSD »

I have a Prius and love it. I've had it for 7 years and will keep it for several more years.
It gets good gas mileage, handles well and I think it does have fairly good pick-up (compared to some other cars I've had in the past).

Toyota now has several Prius models. The Prius V is more like a semi-SUV.
That may be something to look at for traveling with your children, and more storage room in the back.

Barbara
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mike143
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by mike143 »

yahoo wrote:I just bought a 2012 Honda Civic LX. I average 45mpg (with ease). Please note I am a hyper mileager. But it is not hard at all. Most of my miles are highway and I avg 65mph. If you simply adjust your driving it is amazing what can be done. I only point this out because the Civic is less costly to purchase,
and there are no batteries or complex tech to fix ,if broken. I was choosing between the two and after doing the cost analysis (which forces you to guess about future gas prices, miles driven repairs, etc) I chose the Civic.
Hope this helps.
Wife also has a 12 Civic LX Sedan Auto. She drives with no concern for fuel efficiency and gets between 33-35mpg on each tank. I on the other hand I can drive the same route and wring out 41-44mpg, accelerating like a normal person, doing the speed limit and mostly using cruise. It will do 41mpg at 70mph on cruise consistently. Also got 42 and 44 mpg to and from Central Florida to Central Georgia. Overall we both think its a great car, will keep it for at least 10 years and or 200k miles. Has 25k on it now, only done 2 oil changes, 2 tire rotations, and one warranty item (rear TPMS sensors replaced). If I knew about the Prius C when we were shopping cars we may have waited and got that instead. We bought the 12 Civic 2 weeks after they came out.
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Winthorpe
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by Winthorpe »

I have 3 kids (ages 5, 3, and 1).

We got the 2012 Prius V (the new station wagon version). I get 3 car seats across the back with no dificulty. I replaced an old and dying year 2000 Subaru Outback. The Prius V is a bit larger than the old Subaru Outback I replaced. Road trips are comfortable and I have plenty room in the back. I think that with 3 kids you definitely would want to get the larger Prius V rather than the standard Prius. My wife has 1997 Honda Civic that refuses to die or require any repairs, and we get three car seats in the back. It's a fairly snug fit but can be done with Radian car seats (at $250 each!). However, the Radians are narrow and built like tanks. They don't have all the garbage that comes with most car seats (drink holders, etc). With these you could easily get 3 seats in the back of a regular Prius.

I get about 50mpg in cold weather and 55-60 mpg in warm/hot weather. This is with mostly highway driving at 55-60 mph, although I can achieve the same with city driving. Once you learn how to drive the vehicle in the city, you can largely avoid tripping on the gas engine and keep it mostly in electric vehicle mode. Just get be ready to be passed by a few grandmas.

I drive about 65 miles per day on days that I go to work. Assuming $3.80 per gallon, I'm saving about $50 per week in gasoline versus the Subaru.

I absolutely LOVE the Prius V.
jeff1949
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by jeff1949 »

My wife wanted a Prius mainly because of the MPG. We test drove the Prius and then test drove the Camry Hybrid. We bought the Camry and have been very pleased with the 42 MPG we are getting...........not as good as the Prius but pretty darn good. Be sure to test drive both!
thewizzer
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by thewizzer »

Winthorpe wrote:I have 3 kids (ages 5, 3, and 1).

We got the 2012 Prius V (the new station wagon version). I get 3 car seats across the back with no dificulty. I replaced an old and dying year 2000 Subaru Outback. The Prius V is a bit larger than the old Subaru Outback I replaced. Road trips are comfortable and I have plenty room in the back. I think that with 3 kids you definitely would want to get the larger Prius V rather than the standard Prius. My wife has 1997 Honda Civic that refuses to die or require any repairs, and we get three car seats in the back. It's a fairly snug fit but can be done with Radian car seats (at $250 each!). However, the Radians are narrow and built like tanks. They don't have all the garbage that comes with most car seats (drink holders, etc). With these you could easily get 3 seats in the back of a regular Prius.

I get about 50mpg in cold weather and 55-60 mpg in warm/hot weather. This is with mostly highway driving at 55-60 mph, although I can achieve the same with city driving. Once you learn how to drive the vehicle in the city, you can largely avoid tripping on the gas engine and keep it mostly in electric vehicle mode. Just get be ready to be passed by a few grandmas.

I drive about 65 miles per day on days that I go to work. Assuming $3.80 per gallon, I'm saving about $50 per week in gasoline versus the Subaru.

I absolutely LOVE the Prius V.
I too was going to recommend the Prius V based on the OP's situation (3 kids, need for extra room). We have a 2006 Prius (gen 2) which we bought new. It currently has 92xxx miles on it and we've had zero issues with it. It's been a great car and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. We only have two kids and all four of us fit quite comfortably in it. A fifth would be tight in the back seat.
Balance
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by Balance »

thewizzer wrote:
Winthorpe wrote:I have 3 kids (ages 5, 3, and 1).

We got the 2012 Prius V (the new station wagon version). I get 3 car seats across the back with no dificulty. I replaced an old and dying year 2000 Subaru Outback. The Prius V is a bit larger than the old Subaru Outback I replaced. Road trips are comfortable and I have plenty room in the back. I think that with 3 kids you definitely would want to get the larger Prius V rather than the standard Prius. My wife has 1997 Honda Civic that refuses to die or require any repairs, and we get three car seats in the back. It's a fairly snug fit but can be done with Radian car seats (at $250 each!). However, the Radians are narrow and built like tanks. They don't have all the garbage that comes with most car seats (drink holders, etc). With these you could easily get 3 seats in the back of a regular Prius.

I get about 50mpg in cold weather and 55-60 mpg in warm/hot weather. This is with mostly highway driving at 55-60 mph, although I can achieve the same with city driving. Once you learn how to drive the vehicle in the city, you can largely avoid tripping on the gas engine and keep it mostly in electric vehicle mode. Just get be ready to be passed by a few grandmas.

I drive about 65 miles per day on days that I go to work. Assuming $3.80 per gallon, I'm saving about $50 per week in gasoline versus the Subaru.

I absolutely LOVE the Prius V.
I too was going to recommend the Prius V based on the OP's situation (3 kids, need for extra room). We have a 2006 Prius (gen 2) which we bought new. It currently has 92xxx miles on it and we've had zero issues with it. It's been a great car and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. We only have two kids and all four of us fit quite comfortably in it. A fifth would be tight in the back seat.

We have a 2012 Prius and it has ample room for two children and their gear. We love it. We have family members who have the Prius V and it is significantly larger with a bigger trunk. If you have 3 kids I would opt for the V over the regular Prius. I also like the 2012 Honda Civic but I would suggest the Prius V over the Honda. The Civic will be much tighter with 3 kids and its harder to fit all the gear you want to bring for long trips. Plus a hatchback is so much more convenient for loading/unloading than the civic trunk. We have both a Civic and Prius so I can speak from both sides personally.
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dkdoy
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by dkdoy »

jeff1949 wrote:My wife wanted a Prius mainly because of the MPG. We test drove the Prius and then test drove the Camry Hybrid. We bought the Camry and have been very pleased with the 42 MPG we are getting...........not as good as the Prius but pretty darn good. Be sure to test drive both!
We did the same thing, have been very happy with the Camry Hybrid. Plenty of power and room with very good mpg.
scouter
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by scouter »

If I were the OP, I would go with the Prius V. The hybrid Camry is very nice, but the Prius' hatchback and fold-down seats makes it more versatile. And you'll need the V for three kids and luggage!
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mclvngr
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by mclvngr »

We've had the Prius Plug-in for a few months now. Goes 12 miles electric only. My wife drives all the way to work and half way back on a charge, and then burns maybe a cup of gas the rest of the way home. It only takes 3 hours to charge using a standard 110 outlet. We couldn't be happier!
dewey
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by dewey »

My wife has a 2010 Prius. She loves it. I'm less enthralled--but confess I like the gas bills. As another poster noted about his mpg versus his wife, I get significantly better mpg than she does, but, she drives it more than I do. I think it's a great urban and short highway distance car. But on long trips--it gets to be very tiring and uncomfortable. This is a bit afar from the original question re: family use but it's what we've experienced. Again, two drivers of the same car and we have different views. With over 40,00 miles, however, it has been absolutely problem free. Another real plus for the Prius.
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Gotta Tri
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by Gotta Tri »

On our 2005 Prius we have over 230,000 miles and just recently (~3,000 miles ago) had our very FIRST repair. Front passenger side wheel bearing, is blowing me away with the reliability. Be diligent with the fluid changes/routine maintenance and it has a high probability of treating you very well.
Valuethinker
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by Valuethinker »

snyder66 wrote:I am thinking of possibly getting rid of our Sienna for a Prius. We have three kids and I think that they could fit in the back. The one issue we would have is vacation, we usually take the van to the beach. Just wondering how roomy and gas mileage. Thanks
It sounds to me like you have too many kids to make the Prius a comfortable choice.

Unless these rides with all 3 kids are only a small portion of your total usage. The Prius pays off if you have a heavy commuting load, especially a heavy stop-go commute. (it is also quite aerodynamic, so the highway fuel economy is good too, the hybrid really seems to come into its own on urban commuting).

Seems to me people either love them, or would not go near them.

You might want to look at bigger options given the 3 kids issue. Also as they get bigger, will they still fit (happily) into the back?
BuckyBadger
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by BuckyBadger »

I love love love my traditional Prius, but your 3rd kid makes me think that a Prius V might be better for you.

The hatchback is amazing! I moved pretty much everything in a one bedroom apartment, excluding actual furniture (except for a nightstand), in a Prius on a 17 hour road trip. I found the car very comfortable on the long drive. We routinely drive it 8 to 12 hours to visit family.

Mine is a 2012, and at least with mine, I have no problem with power. I get about 49 mpg combined and I usually drive it in "eco" mode. (My 2012 has buttons for eco and power - and ev, but that one doesn't get used.) My husband drives it in "power" mode and gets maybe 43-45 mpg? He likes to VROOM VROOM, and it will go pretty nicely in power mode.
NoVa Lurker
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by NoVa Lurker »

We have an '05 Prius. We view it as a great second car. The trunk is very small. I don't think that a regular Prius would be a good replacement for a Sienna, for a family with three kids.
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greg24
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by greg24 »

We have a 2005 Sienna and a 2010 Prius. We have two kids, and for long road trips, we take the Sienna. We have used the Prius for short weekend trips. Overall, we love it. If you intend on taking trips, the new Prius V might be better, but I've never been in one.
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investor.saver1
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by investor.saver1 »

Purchased our Prius last year. Just the wife and me...retired. We love the car. We average 52-53 consistently except in cold Midwestern winter temps when we average high 40's. Plenty of power and acceleration! Roomy enough for what we do. We've taken several road trips and were highly satisfied. I've been looking around for a 2nd prius (I'd like to get a slightly used one to keep the cost down).
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mediahound
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by mediahound »

mclvngr wrote:We've had the Prius Plug-in for a few months now. Goes 12 miles electric only. My wife drives all the way to work and half way back on a charge, and then burns maybe a cup of gas the rest of the way home. It only takes 3 hours to charge using a standard 110 outlet. We couldn't be happier!

This is amazing. You probably will only need to fill up every couple of months!
BuckyBadger
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by BuckyBadger »

Until being able to charge at work becomes the norm, I wonder how much popularity the fully electric cars will get... I was driving behind a Leaf in traffic the other day and I got "range anxiety!!" All I could think of was what would happen if they ran out of juice!
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blacktupelo
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by blacktupelo »

Have two year old Prius 2010. It's got cumulative 43.3mpg with occasional highway driving and mostly short city trips. We did take round trip to Baltimore a year ago and it got fantastic highway mpg going through the hills in Maryland and WV, KY between St. Louis and Baltimore - well over 50mpg. I'm 6'4" tall and found the car comfortable for all day driving. We drive it in ECO mode always. We see the mpg drop during summer hot months and winter cold months. No problems, no repairs; changed the oil after the first year and it's time to do it again.
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Spades
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by Spades »

I have a 2011 Prius and love it. It'll be good space wise if you have one kid, two kids is pushing it but doable. My father has a 2006 model and has not had any mechanical issues with it. I would caution going in reverse, because it has some blind spots on the corners.

:beer
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ryuns
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by ryuns »

You might consider having a look at the Ford C-Max too. It's new, but getting good reviews. Mostly comparable to the Prius V.
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InvestoGuy
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by InvestoGuy »

I was under the impression that you need to change the Battery
every 2-3 years and that can be very expensive. Is that true.
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fandango
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by fandango »

My wife drives a 2005 Toyota Camry (4cyinder engine).

I was trying to talk her into considering a Prius for her next car. She said that she already gets gas mileage that is close to the Prius. In town driving, she averages about 38 miles per gallon. We just took a 1000 mile round trip where we averaged 44 miles per gallon.

She won the argument. Even though I would love the Prius technology, looks like we will be getting another Camry when the time comes.

I have read several articles recently saying that highly efficient gas engines can easily beat the Prius in gas mileage. Let's see if the automakes give that a try.
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blacktupelo
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by blacktupelo »

re: changing the battery in Prius every 2-3 years.

No that is not standard practice. The battery for motive power (part of the hybrid gasoline electric system) is designed for life of the car. My neighbor's Prius gen 1 sedan is over ten years old and still has its original battery. I'm not sure how long to expect the small 12v battery to last, but it should be more than 2-3 years.
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mediahound
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by mediahound »

I too am thinking about a Prius, but I'd be coming from a 'sports' car. An Si model Honda Civic which has a sporty suspension and fast engine with VTEC.

I know it would be an adjustment, how fun is the Prius to drive?
sunspotzsz
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by sunspotzsz »

Prius is great as long as you don't get into an accident.

The Japanese cars have great fuel efficiency because they are thin and light. I loved my Japanese until I was in a crash and almost got killed.

I now drive a Volvo. The only car that passed the recent more stringent crash test.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000087 ... 51234.html
mediahound
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by mediahound »

sunspotzsz wrote:Prius is great as long as you don't get into an accident.

The Japanese cars have great fuel efficiency because they are thin and light. I loved my Japanese until I was in a crash and almost got killed.

I now drive a Volvo. The only car that passed the recent more stringent crash test.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000087 ... 51234.html

I call foul on that. All cars sold in the US, no matter country of origin, meet or exceed NTSB safety regulations. They have to or could not be on the market.
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matjen
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by matjen »

I now drive a Volvo. The only car that passed the recent more stringent crash test.
Uh, I quickly scanned that article but it lists 2 cars that were rated as good. A Volvo S60 and an Acura TL. The Acura is Japanese.
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awval999
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by awval999 »

mediahound wrote:I too am thinking about a Prius, but I'd be coming from a 'sports' car. An Si model Honda Civic which has a sporty suspension and fast engine with VTEC.

I know it would be an adjustment, how fun is the Prius to drive?
Geez buddy. I can't recommend you do that. I've ridden around in both cars. Never drove either. The Si Civic is something special. You cannot compare a Prius to it. I bet if you'd go into one of the Si enthuisist forums you'd be tarred and feathered :P
boffalora
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by boffalora »

Fwiw, I have a friend who just survived a head-on collision driving a Prius that was several years old. Her Prius was totaled; she walked away. Banged up a bit and sore, but alive and vertical. It crumpled in all the right places. Needless to say, her husband is ordering her a new Prius.
chrisjul
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by chrisjul »

InvestoGuy wrote:I was under the impression that you need to change the Battery
every 2-3 years and that can be very expensive. Is that true.
No, all the hybrid parts incl battery are under warranty for 10 yrs or 100k miles.......these batteries have proven to be very reliable.
eucalyptus
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Re: Any Prius owners?

Post by eucalyptus »

mediahound wrote:I too am thinking about a Prius, but I'd be coming from a 'sports' car. An Si model Honda Civic which has a sporty suspension and fast engine with VTEC.

I know it would be an adjustment, how fun is the Prius to drive?

Fun like a root canal? :happy
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