2009 Prius

Are there any differences between the 2008 and 2009 models? If so, what?

I'm coming from a 2005. Don't see much difference beyond factory leather, the audio AUX jack, the rear view camera, and an extra two grand. Some different color choices.

Sounds like no changes from the 2006 model.

When I bought my '04 in mid-Oct '03, I was sure this would be a rapidly evolving system as Toyota adapted to feedback from the market.

In fact, according to a friend at a local Toyota dealership, the part numbers for 99.9% of the car are the same 2004-2009. This makes the '04 Prius the most enduring design in modern automobile history.

I have never owned a car this long and would love a reason to get a new one, but this '04 (garaged at home and office) looks and functions exactly as it did when I bought it. And after five years and 50k miles, it can be sold for 75% of the price I paid... astonishing!

When my HOV stickers have run out (Jan '11?), and there's a plug-in Prius available, I'll make a change.

yeah, that whole VW Beetle thing--meaningless.

Come on, people, quit being stupid.

And if you'd bothered to pay attention, all the OTHER cars you got rid of after two years ALSO looked and functioned exactly as they did when you bought it.

The Prius is no different. It's a car, just like any other. There's no reason to fawn and drool over it.

Now go back and see how much money you saved by NOT trading it in after two years, and consider how much you would have saved by doing the same for the other cars you've owned.

What about the New Beetle? It's been essentially unchanged in a decade. Or the new Mini Cooper, also unchanged in six years. (Sure, both have convertible models, but the original is still there, sans major changes.)

Good examples (better than the old Beetle). I don't have access to their parts lists, but think these cars have evolved more than the '04 Prius. The New Beetle was introduced in the 1990s, so unquestionably has undergone changes in electronics (including the primary bus), safety, and emission control. Might be true for the Mini

- I don't know.

I propose that for the five year period after inception, he '04-'09 Prius have a higher percentage of common part numbers than either of those examples.

ummmmm....no, not at all. YOU, on the other hand, are comparing 5 years of Prius to 50 years of Beetle--and you think that, relatively speaking, the Beetle changed WAY more.

Let's compare 50 years of Prius, shall we? Or pick any 5 years of Beetle.

Don't confuse him; he wants to think that his precious baby (a hunk of metal and plastic) is somehow unique in the world, is somehow better than anything else in the world, so he makes shit up inside his fantasy world.

In 1998, to be specific. Unquestionably? Rather, possibly.

No, I am not comparing a 5 year product to a 50 year product (my earlier post referred to comparison of

5-year spans). However, until the 1960s the Beetle was not subject to emission control issues (no car was), and until the 1970s did not require significant electronics (the advent of the integrated circuit enabled onboard "smarts". The term "modern" doesn't apply to the Beetle, making it an inappropriate example for comparison.

The Prius has undergone insignificant change during the past five years, despite the fact that its introduction in October '03 represented a revolution in power train design, electronics, aerodynamics, vehicle management software, and other aspects - even over its predecessor. As an engineer I appreciate the complexity of that design, and have been surprised by its success, durability, and technical stability.

There were decades in the U.S. auto industry when change was almost all external, but to the ultimate pain of GM, Chrysler, American Motors, Ford, etc. other countries were developing internal systems characterized by reliability, economy, etc. - and ignored appearance.

In aviation, the C130 - arguably the best mid-size transport existing today - was designed by Lockheed in the mid-50s. Today's C130 has the same name (Hercules) and shape (distinctively ugly!), but everything else has changed including internal structure and (to a lesser degree) outer skin. The same holds true for the H46 and H53 helicopters - design designations of the mid-60s, superb performers today and 99% unlike their first generations. In today's tech world, you cannot judge evolution of a design by its appearance - but you can make estimates by comparing parts lists.

The parts list for the current Prius hasn't changed much. Nearly all of the '04 parts fit the current edition. It's an interesting car from many viewpoints, of which design stability is but one.

Hank

I agree with everything you've written. I'm torn between waiting for the plug-in or buying now so my daughter can have my 2005. Just the other day she said "I really look good in your Prius, dad."

I owned two beetles, a VW station wagon and a VW camping bus. From an engineering perspective, they were crap. IMHO the beetle persisted at first because it was a cheap way to get from a to b. Nostalgia alone keeps it alive. The Prius, on the other hand, has endured in it's present form for very different reasons: 1. Sales figures continue to climb. 2. It is reliable.

They were both VWs, but neither was a Beetle.

-- Michelle

I owned 4 VWs; two beetles, a wagon and a camping bus. I don't believe the wagon was sold in the U.S. In an automotive context, VW is implied when one writes "beetle." VW is not implied when one writes "wagon" or "camping bus."

Right, but "Beetle" refers to a specific model, or series of models, none of which include "wagon" or "camping bus".

Which is why I wrote that the wagon and camping bus were by VW. Did you get up on the wrong side of the bed again?

You said that the wagon and the camping bus were beetles. Here, I'll quote it for you:

"I owned two beetles, a VW station wagon and a VW camping bus."