This newsgroup recently showed up on Supernews and I'm very interested in the technology, if not the car.
Several things trouble me about owning hybrids and I'd like to find out from current owners what they've learned about a few topics.....
1 - I recently read Toyota is moving on to a newer/better/more geewhiz hybrid. What have they told you, promised you, contracted for with you, to service and provide parts for the car after production stops and Toyota loses interest? In other words, where are we gonna buy any of these VERY model-specific parts in 2012? Autozone isn't going to have anything.I have a friend with a 2003 Prius and have driven his around a bit, without the dealer hypist aboard. I was shocked to find someone here posted the cost of a battery at $10,000. I thought it was closer to $3,000. NiMH batteries DO, dispite one taxicab driver's experience, fail. I have hundreds powering electronics and tools and they fail.
2 - Have any of you found any external-to-Toyota mechanic even vaguely interested in Prius service-after-the-dealer?My Prius just died 4 miles N of Santee, SC, on I-95, on my way to West Palm Beach. Do I press the OnStar button on the navigation display and a Prius Repair Facility rolls up an hour later? It's bad enough getting my 1973 Mercedes 220Diesel fan belt replaced in the boonies. It's available at any Autozone but roadside mechanics are terrified of anything "foreign", to them at least. I can just see all of them shaking their heads peering into the guts of a dead Prius.
3 - With the dealerships playing games, like the BMW Mini, holding back cars on some obscure lot to get MSRP...OR MORE...out of panting Prius buyers, what's the resale black book look like on the oldest Prius in the country? Anyone know anything about depreciation on them, yet? Twenty Grand is a lot to lose in 4 years. I'm also, once again, concerned about Toyota "moving on" and dumping the Prius for greener (no pun) pastures. Jap companies have a long, proud history of dumping customers on their asses as soon as the warranty book is filled. Case in point in my own business....If you have a $25,000 Technics F5 theatre organ in your living room you did without to pay for, be informed Technics is GONE and Matsushita/Panasonic, who owned Technics, has AMNESIA when your organ technician (me) calls them for BRAND-SPECIFIC parts, like proprietary 720K floppy drives, all the cards that can't be repaired because the PROPRIETARY ICs on them are just GONE! If word ever got out Toyopet dumped them, your Prius and mine would be worth diddly squat, like a GM diesel car.This is no flamejob from some teenager. I'm 58 and WAS a GM diesel owner who had to give it away from its history. (1980) I'm still a happy diesel owner, however. 1973 Mercedes 220D (frame-off restoration, complete) and a
1983 Mercedes 300TD turbo-diesel wagon. The HEAVY 220D gets 34 mpg and you CAN survive being driven over by a Ford Exploder Maniac...Very cautiously optimistic Larry