slk55lvr

LOL! I see your eyesight hasn't failed you yet, they are F-Ugly. My dad owned a Pinto hatchback that he used to haul provisions for his restaurant 20 years ago. After a while it's lack of stling starts to grow on you , kind of like that ugly puppy that becomes cute in your eyes.
I will say this---The Pinto makes your Prius look like an Aston Martin DB9!

ATS

I seriously can see why you love the Prius:

http://www.edmunds.com/edweb/romans/...us.int.350.jpg

rickyfanmdr

Styling and comfort are biggies for me. I can't imagine giving them up, even if it means taking a little longer to get somewhere here in L. A. Anyway, best wishes to you whatever your decision.

abalto

Hybrids are just great! I bought a new Honda Insight back in 2002 and drove it for a year. I got as high as 66mpg on a few trips. I wound up selling the car after 1 year and putting 12k miles on it for what I paid for it!

mick1

yeah but the Prius is kind of small. Did it do well in crash tests ?

I owned a Japanese car before and the sheet metal was incredibly thin.

Brian_I.

The funny thing is that it feels like it has a lot more room on the inside, especially for the rear passengers.

Oh and not that any of you care what it looks like, heres a shot of the inside (the other picture link wasn't the current Prius).



Oh and I just finished reading the owners manual and found out it has voice activated navigation/telephone/climate control/audio. I love finding out about these extras that not even the saleman told me about!

vraa

That's the point. At least it doesn't make you barf like a lot of the newer cars coming out these days.

EclassOzz

i dont understand why they have to make hybrids look like crap..i know there coming out with a s class hybrid..7 series as well,,but why didnt they just do this before,,i think the manufactures would of made a boad load of $$ had they made say camry hybrid instead of the prius

lig

I have to disagree. Look at the Honda hybrids - the Accord and Civic hybrids look almost exactly like the gas versions of the same cars.

Which hybrid has become the poster car for hybrids and the darling of Hollywood and sells at or above MSRP with a waiting list in many markets?

Prius.

Toog4me

I nearly fell out of my chair.

Brian_I.

I paid $4500 over sticker on mine.

Total out the door was $36,400.

Percentage wise, you don't even pay that much of a markup on any of the AMG models.

Brian_I.

I agree with you on this. My first choice was the Honda Civic because it gave me the ability to get on the carpool lane and saved me money on gas, best of all it looked like a "normal" car. The only reason I ended up with the Prius was because it offered so much more.

I don't know if this is true or not but the salesman told me that Toyota spends about $55k to make each of these cars and then sells them at a loss for plenty of reasons that will benefit them in the long run. They know that it would never sell in the US if they charged $60k for them.

SAguirre

HOLLY CRAP!!

My property manager/realtor got his at or a bit under sticker here in Longmont. He got his production number so that he can get the tax break, but he has to wait until June to get delivery. He did not get all the toys on it, but I am surprised at how much over sticker these cars are going for. So I guess that when he told me that he got a screaming deal he really did.

Steve

Brian_I.

"A bit under sticker" in southern california would be like hitting the lottery. The dealer tells me its "supply and demand", I think its more like highway robbery than anything else.

They know that we're getting a rebate from the IRS, saving money on gas and saving time in the carpool lane so they charge as much as they can. The actual markup was $6000 over sticker so in actuality I got a "deal". x 100

Not to mention these hollywood celebs that are driving these things to try and make some crappy political statement. Gosh...

SAguirre

All you say makes sense. I know that here in Boulder County the environmentalists are also all over this car. I was not aware of the exact markup that there was on the Prius. So I just want to make sure that you know I was not slamming you for what you paid.

I will have to tell my friend what a great deal he got after all. He was first going to go to Texas where he buys a lot of his cars, but he went to the local dealer to see if they would match the deal and they did. I think that it was a personal favor that the dealer did for him and there is no way that I would be able to walk in and get the same price.

Enjoy the car!

Steve

EclassOzz

i still didnt know they were goin that much over sticker still here in so cal,thats alot for a toyota..screw supply and demand,well i remember when the e55 came out.house of imports was asking over 105k for it,thats a **** load over sticker,it was like that for awhile,im sure same with the sl55

khaug

The current (April) issue of Consumer Reports has an extensive analysis of hybrids. They pretty much concluded that it's unlikely you will ever recover the cost premium you'll pay to purchase a hybrid, and suggest you avoid them unless "driving green" is important to you for its own sake.

This made me feel smug, having bought our '05 CDI for only a $1K premium over the gas version. Incidentally, regular unleaded gas is currently about 15 cents/gal more expensive than diesel at the corner Shell station (smirk, smirk).

I drove a Prius last fall and was utterly unimpressed. It drives like an inexpensive small car with an odd powertrain. The enthusiast magazines I read have had similar uncomplimentary impressions. AutoWeek, in particular, said the Prius was so unloved by their staff that they had difficulty accumulating the test miles required by their long term test protocol.

slk55lvr

Tell them to test it on the I-5 in LA, at rush hour, alone. Trust me they would be fighting over the keys!

Brian_I.

You guys are too funny but truthfully, how much value do you put on your time? I didn't buy the Prius to save money, that was just an added benefit. I bought it to save time and since time is money, those analysts are way off. In my count, the Prius will pay for itself in the amount of time I will save from not having to sit in traffic not to mention the amount of stress that will be avoided from bumper to bumper traffic on the I-110 into Downtown Los Angeles everyday.

I've been cheating and driving in the carpool lane without my stickers these last three days and has been so nice. I feel less stressed, got into work early, got home early it was great. How can you put a dollar amount on that?

Germancar1

Do you plan on keeping it for a long time? If so what about the battery expense when they need replacing?

M

jimbo1mcm

Weekends will mean more to you. You can wake up on Saturday morning and get into your Benz. Hope your wife likes driving the Prius on the weekends!

EclassOzz

i think yer hella cool for driving a prius.i live in orange county and i mainly see females driving the prius or old men...never younger..im assuming yer under 50? hah..prius is cool as hell,but man is it butt ugly as hell but must be nice not to be in traffic and get home early

Brian_I.

The battery is covered under the factory 8yr/100k mile warranty on all hybrid related parts (including the battery) and I believe I read in the manual that in CA the battery is covered 15yr/150k mile so I'm not worried.

They have tested it up to 150k with no degradation whatsoever so they really don't know how long they will last but with the technology they put into it, we may not know for a long long time.

Yeah, you're right! I miss my seat the most with its premium leather and drive-dynamic cushions and 16-way controls.

On the commute to Downtown LA, I mostly see men driving these hybrids. Usually in the 25-35 age range. I'm 28.

As for the looks, I try not to look at it too much. Once I'm inside I forget about the exterior and just enjoy the drive.

ultraseven

On a second thought, just slap that MB logo on it and you are set.

As far as the driving impressions, I can't believe that anyone reasonable would like to toss it around a corner or take it to the drag strip. It' not an expensive car, and it wasn't made to be a performer.

Up in the SF Bay Area you can get one for MSRP, and about a 2-month wait.

Toog4me

Yeah, like HO-BAG Kirtsten Dunst.