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What are the pros and cons of owning a Toyota Prius?

I'm interested in purchasing a Toyota Hybrid. I'd like to hear from some people who already own one. Please let me know why you are glad that you purchased your Prius. Thanks for your time inadvance.

Public Comments

1. I own an '07 Seaside Pearl, Package #2. Never owned a Toyota before I bought my Prius, and I am very impressed. The chief reason why I bought the Prius is because it is extremely low-maintenance: - The Prius uses regenerative braking and does not need to have the brake pads changed until after 100,000 miles. - The Power Split Device transmission in the Prius is darn near indestructible. Just one gearset (and no gear-shifting), so it's a lot more reliable than conventional multispeed gear transmissions or belt-and-pulley CVT transmissions. - Unlike a regular car, the Prius does not have a starter solenoid or motor, no timing belt, no alternator. That's less things to wear out and cause trouble. - The hybrid system, including the battery, has an 8-year / 100,000 mile warranty. Bulletproof. If any hybrid component (including the battery) fails before 8 years, Toyota will replace it for free. I didn't even buy it for the fuel economy, which is a great side benefit IMHO. Computer geeks love the car because of the touchscreen control system and other technology goodies you can get with it. Sure, the Prius is no sporty car and you can't burn rubber launching off a red light, but for those who just want a reliable daily driver car, it's perfect. Just about the only other complaint I have about the Prius is that it's not very good in the snow (better tires do help), but I'm glad I have a Jeep Cherokee for winter driving.
2. Toyota Pius. Well well good old Toyota. First reason I bought a Toyota is for reliabailty and a little bit for sttyle. Yes you hear everyone say the styling in the Prius is horrible. But I like it. I got Seaside Pearl Package 1, Touring edition. The ouch Screen is not so great. I tried i out right after I got out of the lot. I set it to find me a Starbucks. I knew where the nearesrt one was. I just wanted to test it. It was horrible. I will probably never use my Navigation system. In snow it is pretty good. Since Chicago snow is not that bad. But if it is to hard for my Prius. I will send myself out in either my 2003 Toyota Sienna CE or my 2004 Toyota Camry LE. Now those are cars. Toyota cars. Toyota rocks~!~!
3. Pros: * Depending on where you live, tax incentives (some states or Canadian provinces offer income tax credits/deductions or sales tax reductions),or single-occupant HOV lane privilages (CA, VA, FL, NY), or reduced tolls (NY) or free parking... * better HP and acceleration than a comparable car * better (lower) emissions than a comparable car * better fuel economy than a comparable car (check http://www.fueleconomy.gov/ to compare vehicles, as they all undergo the same driving cycle test... The Prius is currently best overall: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/best... ) * own a neat techy car * long warranty * you do not plug it in (charges off of the gasoline engine and recapurted kinetic energy while braking) Cons: * own a neat techy car (should you need unscheduled maintenance (break down), you're mainly stuck paying dealer rates) * many ill-informed people stopping you and asking questions about your car, telling you untruths about your own car, or even telling you how stupid you were for buying it... (for example, those above who were going on about the vehicle's production and nickel use...) * you cannot plug it in The only real complaint I've seen in the US is about the Goodyear Integrity tires that are OE on the base Prius (not the Touring model), in that their traction is not the greatest. If you see some serious snow/ice where you are, you may want to invest in a good set of snow/traction winter tires, or at least some better "all season" tires. Some people do not like the lack of tactile buttons/switches on the dash for the audio and climate control systems - it's through the touch-screen display. But, you get used to the steering wheel controls in its place. And yes, there are whole debates as to which is better, the Toyota navigation system, or a portable 3rd party unit... I've never seen anyone do a cost-benefit analysis for a v4 vs v6 vs diesel engine, so why do one for a hybrid drivetrain? Most cost analysis articles neglect trade-in value which the Prius does very well in maintaining. (in some areas, used Prius are still selling for new prices for availability and rising gasoline prices!). Don't forget to include federal and any state tax incentives in your calculation (Consumer Reports forgot, and had to issue a retraction that hybrids are cheaper to own/operate than their gasoline cousins). Edmunds.com still doesn't take into account the true depreciation value (as seen by manually looking for a Prius trade-in value) when calculating their TCO, but they still say that hybrids will pay for themselves even when using their lower than actual trade-in amounts: http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/bc.autos.hybrids.reut/index.html Hybrids do cost less in the long term than their conventional counterparts. (Intellichoice used a 5 year ownership comparison in 2006) See: http://www.intellichoice.com/press/Hybrid-Survey-2006 http://www.intellichoice.com/carBuying101/HypeOverHybrids While Consumer Reports in 2006 only found the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid would pay off within the same 5 year frame. The Honda Accord Hybrid, the Ford Escape Hybrid, the Lexus RX400h, and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid were also studied. (I'll note that there was a mathematical error in the initial publication of Consumer Reports' hybrid vehicle cost analysis, which a retraction was published later... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11637968/ ) Since this publication, many more hybrid models have become available, so I can't use this to say about hybrids "in general." There is more to vehicle ownership besides initial purchase cost and the amount of gasoline used - there is also the costs to maintain and insure it, and also depreciation costs. However, the societal costs for emissions are not usually included. The hybrids tend to be at worst an ULEV, with many (like the Prius) an AT-PZEV. Some are only sold in CA-emissions states. (Compare that to the often suggested VW TDIs, which cannot be sold new in CA-emission states because of their poor emissions.) In the US, hybrid models (like the Prius) tend to be the best in fuel economy in their respective classes, using the same testing procedure to compare all cars: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best/best... The Toyota Prius is also in Consumer Reports' top picks for new cars: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/new-cars/top-picks-for-2007-4-07/overview/0704_top-picks-2007.htm (as well as for used cars: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/used-cars/used-cars-best-and-worst-406/index.htm ) The Prius is also in edmunds' used cars best bets list as well, and their lowest true cost to own list. http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/bestbet/articles/index.html http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/tco/2007/index.html The Prius is also in Kelley Blue Book's 2007 Best Resale Value Awards: http://www.kbb.com/kbb/ReviewsAndRatings/BestResaleValueAwards.aspx Remember that the Toyota Prius is celebrating it's 10th Anniversary this December 2007, so it's hardly new technology! http://web-cache.stream.ne.jp/www09/toyota/prius/main.html http://www.toyota.com/html/dyncon/2007/september/birthday.html The hybrid batteries in the currently available hybrid vehicles are usually listed by the manufacturer to last the lifetime of the vehicle, and have long warranties (not pro-rated!) to cover it. (Toyota Prius in the US: hybrid system (which includes the hybrid battery) for 8 years/100,000 miles, if in a CA-emission state the CA-emission warranty covers the hybrid battery pack for 10 years/150,000 miles.) So far, hybrid battery replacements are VERY uncommon, and rarely out of warranty. Pricing is much better when buying a used unit from a wrecked vehicle (much less than $1000), and not paying dealer-inflated rates/labor prices. Old battery packs are easily recycled (and Toyota even pays a $200 bounty to the owner to be sure it is recycled!). I don't know where another poster gets the numbers of a 10% loss every year, as I haven't heard that before... (My US 2001 Prius is almost 7 years old now, and the hybrid battery pack hasn't shown me any problems yet...) Meanwhile, here's the 2004 Toyota Prius Green Report (life cycle assessment): http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/k_forum/tenji/pdf/pgr_e.pdf (you'll need to download the Japanese fonts for your PDF reader inorder to read it, but the entire document is written in English.) Over the measured lifespan of the Prius, when compared to a comparable mid-sized gasoline vehicle, the Prius comes out ahead in the lifecycle assessment (LCA) for airborne emissions for CO2, NOx, SOx, HC, but actually does worse for PM (thanks to the material and vehicle production stages). Lifespan is given as 10 years use/100,000km. The CO2 break-even point for the 2004 Prius compared to this unnamed gasoline vehicle is given at 20,000km. (more CO2 is emitted during Prius production, but the Prius makes up for it over its driven lifetime.) Another neat thing is that the Prius is one of the first uses of Toyota's Eco-Plastic (plastic made from plants, as opposed to petroleum products). The battery is recycleable (NiMH), as is much of the car (steel and aluminum body, for example). BTW: you can view the scheduled maintenance guides at: http://smg.toyotapartsandservice.com/ (Basically just an oil/filter change and tire rotation every 5000 miles/6 months) More info at: http://john1701a.com/ http://www.vfaq.net/ But since you asked, yes, I'm very happy with my 2001 Prius. Since moving to the Big City, I don't see it/drive it often, and really should sell it because of non-use (living mostly carless now), but it's difficult to part with it... My mother had heard me raving about my 2001 Prius when I bought it, and bought herself a 2002 Prius (in the color I really wanted!). My husband bought a 2004 Prius when the new model came out (so he could stop "borrowing" my Prius), loved it, but sold it (to his mother!) when we moved. My cousin has also bought a 2007 Prius. So, they're in the family...
4. I would never buy a hybrid and there is not enough money in the world to ever make me buy another Toyota. That said, the main thing to consider is your driving. Do you tend to drive on the highway or city? Hybrids are not as useful for highway driving, so if that is a majority of what you do you may be better off with a less expensive small car. For city driving you really cant get any better than the Prius though. Be sure to compare the actual mpg that people get with the Prius vs. other small cars for your driving type to make sure its right for you. Many mechanics still will not touch them. Getting roadside help may be a bit of a problem. These arent big objections though, luxury cars have the same problem and people flock to buy those. Look at new before used as Prius's hold their value so well that once the normal rebates are applied theyre frequently cheaper new.