Hello All, First time poster here, long time lurker. I just put a deposit on an 05 Prius. Should arrive in about 2 weeks. I drove a used 04 model today and like the way it drives and feels (had 16k miles on it and only 2 years left on warranty). Dealer was asking in my opinion way too much at 23,995. I offered 22k and he would not budge from it. Said someone will buy it at that price. The new ones are not much over that starting around 24k (depending on options).
My question is: Is anyone on the board familiar with these models, own one, or know anything about them other than they are getting harder to come by. Any known mechanical problems or other issues to be aware of?
Thanks
BTW: I thought this board was for discussing Toyota products and not so much of the OT items as I've seen lately.
Well, see our Toyotas run so well that we rarely have to discuss them, but we like the group, so the OT posts work themselves in. Add to that the fact that we are ALL opinionated SOBs and you get what we have here, which is how he wants...er, sorry. Off on a tangent again...
As for the Prius. it IS a Toyota so it will probably be a good car in the long haul.
The bad news is that as with any New Technology, there is teething problems. So far these have expressed themselves in the Prius as software glitches and battery problems. They seem to have these worked out now, but you are also running a multi-motor system that is pretty complicated. I would say that as a NEW owner you won't have any problems; I wouldn't want this as a third-owner car. Worn brakes and shocks I can deal with; a faulty electrical system on this car will be a nightmare...
And don't think you'll save any gas; I had a Tercel that did just as well as a Prius in the Gas department.
On the plus side, it IS a well-built car in terms of body and interior, it looks nice (I like the older models and their "Japanese Beetle" design better, but the current model is cool) it has a cavernous interior for it's size; it has laser LED taillights and it looks cool.
There is one thing I don't like about this car above all else, and I think it may prove to be a liability (a REAL liability...) and that is the gear selector. I drive these things every day and I'm waiting for the day when I'm backed into a row of cars, put it into Drive, turn the wheel and throw the lever into Reverse instead. Cool system (so was the old Dodge push-button...) but I can see some failing with it, sort of like unintended acceleration...
Thanks for the reply. I can understand how the gear selector can be a hazard. Definitely need time to get used to this new way of shifting. I think the "B" in the shifter can get real confusing if trying to use it. The way I understand what it is, it's like a "jake brake" on an 18-wheeler. I can see the wife now trying to use that feature and running into something.
You mention you drive one everyday; do you own one or work for a dealer and drive theirs? Can you elaborate on the gas issue. What is the avg range per gallon you've experienced?
Thanks skydog
----- Original Message ----- From: "HachiRoku" Newsgroups: alt.autos.toyota Sent: Friday, August 26, 2005 7:19 PM Subject: Re: 2005 Prius
I work for a Toy dealer now; I worked for a used car dealer before. I had a Tercel a couple years ago, and we had a Prius. I drive mostly rural roads, small towns (that call themsevles 'cities') and highway, but I like the old US route better. I can usually drive 40-50MPH almost all the time during my travels.
Under these circumstances, with my Tercel I was getting approx 45 MPG as an average. (Why did I EVER sellthat car?! Oh, Yeah...to buy a Supra...)
The same driving with the Prius for about a week yielded about 42MPG!!! Maybe I was driving the Prius a little more 'spiredtedly', and maybe a
*little* more in town driving, but then I used to press the pedal on the Tercel pretty hard, and drove it on the highway at 75 a lot.
I don't have any long term data; I can tell you one thing: I like the car. If you're buying it to save gas; maybe. If you're buying it to make a statement, maybe; if you're buying it because you want a nice little car with bleeding-edge technology, this is it.
The only problem I have with that is that sooner or later texhnology breaks; this looks to me like a pretty expensive car to fix. Make sure you have money for any extra repairs before you buy one, once the warranty is up. I don't have anything that says they break any more than any other Toyota; they are having some teething problems that are fixed by the manufacturer.
Oh, yeah...and with the electric motor being the primary, they go pretty well...
Our Prius is a week old. It was one of two on the dealer's lot. Both had option-package 5 -- essentially everything but the nav system. Both were available at strictly sticker price.
AFAIK the only quickly discernible difference between the '04 and '05 is the '05's rear wiper. Given the radically sloped glass, I suspect the wiper will be a useful feature. I don't know why they would have added that wiper if the need for it hadn't outweighed the aerodynamic penalty.
My dealer had a used '04. I passed it up because I could imagine unpleasant reasons why an owner would bail out after a year. Probably not to get the rear wiper. :-)
Our initial impression is that this would be a great car even without the hybrid technology. The interior room is startling, and adding to the utility are seven tie-downs. The seats are very comfortable, even on long trips with few breaks. The maneuverability is amazing. The interior is quiet.
The unconventional shift lever is a non-issue for us. A warning tone sounds repeatedly when the transmission is in Reverse, so I don't understand why confusion would be possible. I'm glad to have a shifter that wastes zero space. The gap between the front seats is better devoted to storage, and Toyota has made good use of it.
Toyota did skimp on one common feature. IMO it's a risky economy. The digital clock is a tiny display lost in the rest of the dashboard. It takes the driver's eyes off the road for too long.
We've gotten 50.something mpg over the initial 750 miles of mixed turnpike and town driving. That's about double our '98 Avalon's rate, and the Prius suits our needs better.
WWhat did we give up that has graced all our recent cars? Two things: moonroof and rain gutters.
I find that on long trips the moonroof's brisk airflow is better than caffeine for alertness. Even with the mpg penalty I'd have ordered it, and I'd have settled for a tilt-only model.
The rain gutters, you say? Yes, my Thule roof rack can't be adapted to the Prius (yet). My next long trip will be in the Avalon because I have to transport a new stormdoor.
Aside -- Traveling alone, I *might* be able to fit the boxed stormdoor fully inside the Prius. The front seatbacks recline to the horizontal, creating a clear span from the liftgate to the dashboard. (See the owner's manual under "Seats" for the how-to.) I'll check that possibility and post the outcome here. A major consideration will be the extent to which I can secure the box against movement in an emergency.
This Prius is more fun than I've had with a new car since my TR3. I bet you'll feel good about yours too, Skydog.
Wishing you the best, Brent "I told her to get the brakes fixed... but she's dragging her feet." -- Remark in alt.autos.toyota
Buy a new Corolla and say $10k --- that buys a lot of gas at even $3/gallon. Plus they handle a whole lot better and repairs will be less over the years and they have great resale value. I don't believe a 4 year old Prius will have the same resale demand since the technology changes so fast.
There is so great a selection that each of us can buy the car of choice. I'm glad that you're as satisified with your Corolla as I am with my Prius.
I look on the Prius as a petroleum time-machine. When today's gas prices have doubled, I'll be filling up then for what many are paying now.
And what will be the demand for used Priuses under those conditions? None of us knows.
Brent A sliver of moon slides by on a high wind calling, "I know why; I'll see you tomorrow; I'll tell you everything tomorrow." -- Carl Sandburg in "Potomac Town in February"
We agree on the probability. A friend has recently bought a huge SUV. I expect that minus its wheels it will be a suitable shed for his push-mower. :-)
There is a way to hack into a Prius through a port and change the programming. They program it for the US differently than for the rest of the world because they figure we want power and speed and gas savings are an extra added attraction. The rest of the world gets one that runs more on the electric motor and keeps the gas motor off longer. There's a web site somewhere, the guy wrote his own software and attached a Sharp Libretto so he can monitor the entire system and make changes on the fly.
and check out the racks available to fit the 2005 Prius. They show the 400XT Aero Foot Pack, LB 50 Load Bars, and 2142 Fit kit.
Or, if you have round load bars, go to
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and look at the Q Tower for a foot that will hold round bars. I understand that the round load bars for Yakima and Thule are pretty much interchangeable. A sporting goods store that sells both, like REI, can confirm that for you.
Not entirely. There is a position "B" on the gear selector for Engine Braking, like L or 2, that generates current going down hills. It doesn't slow the car a lot, but does turn on the wheel generators and recharges the batteries.
Also, every time you hit the brakes, the wheel generators create current and charges the batteries, so not all the current is generated by the engine.
And by hacking the settings, you can turn on the electric motor far mor than the gas engine.
Ah, but there are more efficient ways to eating your lunch.
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There is other information on the main site (downloadable dealers sheets, I believe) that explains the power and energy losses from an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) verses a hybrid.
If they were so inefficient, the railroad would have given up their locomotives that run diesel generators to run the electric motors for their wheel years ago. Running a diesel engine to run their wheels directly would be a very inefficient method of supplying power (and lots of it!). The distance they cover would be lost in higher fuel consumption to drive a engine-based locomotive with the problems of power train losses that are less with the electric motors.
I'm not sure I follow what you're saying here but the fact is, diesel/electric locomotives are popular and in use for reasons that have nothing to do with fuel efficiency. Now that fuel economy is an issue, diesel locomotives with newly designed automatic transmissions are slowly catching on because they're more efficient than the diesel/electric configuration. The simple move to CVTs in automobiles would allow ICEs to spend more operational time in their high efficiency 'sweet-spot' thus improving efficiency. Automatically Stopping/starting ICEs in downtown traffic is easy enough to do too - no need for the complexities of a hybrid. Buy one if you want but there are much cheaper and safer ways to improve fuel efficiency.
Some of the electric hybrid's efficiency lies in the lower power loss through the drive train over that of an ICE. If one assumes that fuel in equals 100%, then you soon also learn that the amount of power at the rear tires is maybe 13%, for a loss of around 87% just in the ICE and drive train. Fwiw, the majority around 63% is lost in the ICE alone. An electric motor loses far less than an ICE with more friction surfaces, hence greater efficiency. So one's "No free lunch" becomes a "Better digested lunch."
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