I know and I'm sorry, but learn me 2nd Gen Prius.

So to add perspective, I live in the middle of nowhere. To drive to my job, it's 50 miles round-trip. To drive to the theater where I spend a lot of my time is over 60 miles round-trip. And starting very soon, driving to and from university will average between 50 and 160 miles round-trip. I love my B-body wagon, but it does not get great gas mileage (350TBI with 3.23 gears,) nor does the '04 Silverado that I drive in the winter. The Mercedes is not finished yet, but regardless, it too will not be driven in the winter.

I get it. A lot of folks don't like the Prius or its owners, but for my needs, it will be perfect. I know some GRMers own Prius (Vigo, I am looking at you,) and I want to know just what to expect. I've done some initial searches, and I am having trouble trying to ascertain just where the sweet spot is. A lot of them have high-mileage, but are they near the end of their serviceable life? What are all of the different packages, and how can you tell with just a cursory glance? Are they options to steer clear from? What are the common problem areas?

My budget is for around 6-7k, maybe 8 MAX, so the Lexus HS/CT are out.

Don't be sorry, this kind of tech is freakin' awesome. These cars re-use horsepower that normally would be thrown away, how can that be something to be sorry for?

Yeah, I was once mesmerized by a video that showed how the powertrain worked to combine the engine and the motor. Very interesting tech. Maybe not so much an enthusiast car, but I have no ill will towards the cars themselves. They seem like a good choice for some commuters.

No packages/options that you really need to avoid. Nothing really worrisome either. Biggest thing I'd watch for is rust.

Maintenance is just like a normal car, with the addition of inverter coolant which needs to be changed every 50 or 100k. You should also check/clean the battery compartment cooling fan.

Find one that appears to have been taken care of and you'll be fine. Don't worry about higher mileage.

Yeah, no apologies required. They serve a function and if they fit your needs, they serve that function very well and are very cost-effective which = GRM compatible...

Seems to me the 2G+ Prius is the quintessential appliance car, very low maintenance, very durable (you even see them in Taxi service sometimes), very cheap to operate, nothing ever seems to go wrong with them beyond a failed cell in the battery pack now and then. It sounds like you need a high efficiency appliance, so go buy one. I think there are sporty struts/springs available to make them a little less boring.

If $8,000 is your max, you might be able to swing some 3rd gen Priuses. The LED lights on the 3rd gen V packages are worth swapping for if you drive a lot at night.

I'd just try to buy one with the best condition battery pack. Mileage doesn't matter so much as age and exposure to heat and humidity. I'd trust a high mileage 3rd gen over a low mileage 2nd gen.

That said, you can always recondition or replace them for a few grand.

Any chance of fitting a more sporting set of springs/dampers/sways? Doing so has made many an appliance far more entertaining.

Don't buy a Prius C unless you really enjoy lurching awkwardly and unpredictably on your commute. Other than that, I agree with the others here. They are perfectly fine little commuter boxes with some interesting technology and, honestly, some pretty cool interiors.

That said, have you considered a diesel VW? I ask because in some places diesel is cheaper than gasoline and, if you're mostly doing highway, the hybrid bits really aren't helping you much.

Don't be sorry. If a Prius fits your need, go for it.

If the Prius, or preferably the 2g Volt, were made with awd and got similar gas mileage to the fwd models, I'd probably already own one.

Compared to some of us here, your commute is short. Mine is 55 miles...each way. I thought the Prius was the ultimate answer too. And from a practicality standpoint, it probably is. I bought a 2010 and used it for my ride to work. It eats those miles up like candy. It's quiet, efficient, comfortable in cruise mode and reliable. I averaged about 40-42mpg. But...and it's a big 'ol but...boring doesn't do it justice. It is truly an appliance. The only "excitement" out of it is trying to make it run on battery alone as long as you can, though that game pisses off the cars behind you. The handling is sloppier than in our minivan, it's just gawd awful in corners. I just couldn't stand it as my one and only car. If you're going to have the opportunity to drive other cars that are somewhat enjoyable from time to time, then go for the Prius. But if your ditching the other cars you mentioned or won't get to drive them, personally I think you're better off spending the money on the nicest Civic type car you can find. You'll still get low-mid 30's mpg, dead nuts reliability, but not a total toaster to drive.

The last car I got a speeding ticket in was a rented Prius. I got 2 IN ONE WEEKEND!

How embarrassing!

I wasn't used to to lack of engine noise, and failed to judge my speed.

Try renting one before you make your decision. I rented one for a week and put 1500 miles on it. It does EXACTLY what they say it does. Awesome appliance, but I was bored to tears.

My son just bought one, and we are now shopping for 2 more. I trust them with my kids. But I am not sure I could drive one every day.

Are there any other hybrids at a similar price point yet?

My dad just picked up a used ford fusion hybrid, he drives around 50 miles a day round trip. He has always been a super conservative driver and he has been averaging 50 MPG. He really geeks out about the trip computer that tells you your MPG when you shut off the car so I am sure he is perfecting his hypermiling techniques.

2nd gens don't have as many suspension goodies, but have a lot of similarities with corollas of that era. I believe you can swap to a TRD Corolla rear swaybar for a huge increase in roll rate.

failboat wrote: Are there any other hybrids at a similar price point yet? My dad just picked up a used ford fusion hybrid, he drives around 50 miles a day round trip. He has always been a super conservative driver and he has been averaging 50 MPG. He really geeks out about the trip computer that tells you your MPG when you shut off the car so I am sure he is perfecting his hypermiling techniques.

1st gen Camry Hybrid is getting near that price point. Its equally reliable, and gets pretty solid mileage as well. Probably a better highway cruiser/family car, but you lose the huge hatch area that the Prius has.

Honestly, I think most that drive them and complain they are too boring are just used to "fun" cars. Yes, it wont turn a 15 second quarter or produce respectable skidpan numbers. The Prius, IMO, is no more boring than any other automatic econo-appliance you'll find for sale. In fact, due to its tech I find it more interesting. And the transmission is way less annoying.

A lot of awesome feedback thus far. Thanks, guys! As for what I am keeping, fear not, I will always have a "fun" car. Of course fun for me is defined by autocrossing stock B-body wagons, so my expectations may be set a little lower than the regular GRMer. Would I autocross a Prius? Absolutely. It's gotta be faster than my old 88 Caprice Estate.

I have noticed a few 3G Prien near my max of 8k, but there's surprisingly not many for sale (2G or 3G) in my price range here in NE Ohio, and the ones I do see in the range seem a bit beat up.

There is a dealership nearish me that has one. I'll go test drive it to refresh my memory. The last time I drove one was back when my LHS gave up the ghost in 2012. It was a really nice 2G, but it had an accident reported on the carfax, and the dealership couldn't provide any information on it.

DaewooOfDeath wrote: Don't buy a Prius C unless you really enjoy lurching awkwardly and unpredictably on your commute. Other than that, I agree with the others here. They are perfectly fine little commuter boxes with some interesting technology and, honestly, some pretty cool interiors. That said, have you considered a diesel VW? I ask because in some places diesel is cheaper than gasoline and, if you're mostly doing highway, the hybrid bits really aren't helping you much.

The VW is either a really good idea or a really bad one. One one hand, they should be really cheap, but on the other hand, VW may insist upon buying it back and crushing it.

Given what I've read here on GRM, I too have considered a Prius.
One tip I remeber from Paul, SVreX, was Tampa Hybrids that he recommended as a knowledgeable hybrid specialty used car lot who seems to really know what they are looking at and w/ an understanding of refurbing them.

Fly and drive or have one shipped directly to your home for about 50 cents per mile or in your case about $500. For that $500 you get a truely rust free car unlike what a 3 year old car looks like in NE Ohio.

My younger brother (who turns 40 today by the way) used to drive 100 miles round trip to work each day. He's a car enthusiast, but bit the bullet and sold his E46 ZHP for a Prius. To echo what others have said, he's found it to be reliable, comfortable, user friendly, and yes.....boring, very boring. Occasionally he gets a little fun out of pushing people on entrance ramps, as they don't expect a Prius to be driven with any kind of spirit, but besides that.....yeah--it's an appliance. It's very good at it's job, it's job just doesn't include fun.

Other good options are Civic Hybrids. Also the Ford Fusion Hybrid was actually a pretty entertaining car-- I was a big fan of the one we had around the office here. It gave hybrid-like mileage, without any dynamic sacrifices.

Yeah, I wouldn't hesitate to buy from TampaHybrids off their website and have it shipped. They probably have 15 or 20 in your price range.

Considering that the price range for 2nd gen Priuses is down to about $5K, I don't think there is much comparable in that price range.

Part of the appeal (to me) is that they made so darned many of them, and they've been in the market for so long that there are an enormous quantity available. Add to this the fact that they last long (300K is equal to most car's 200K). Large supply plus people's normal aversion to high mileage cars keeps the price very low on a car with say 180K that still has a lot of life left in it.

And none of them have been hot-rodded, or riced out with a bunch of after market "tuner" parts. They've all been used for a gentle life of grocery getting and taking the kids to ballet.

I definitely did consider a TDI VW, but as jstein alluded to, it's a bit of a crap shoot.

John, I was definitely thinking of going that route! In my search of the forums I did stumble upon SVrex's post and did check out the cars in the link. Definitely might be the way to go.

And perhaps I should check out the Fusion Hybrid. It honestly never crossed my mind.

2005 140k. Just got 52mpg on a 100 mile trip up the grapevine and back from lax.

I just put a podcast on and enjoy the drive

ProDarwin wrote: The Prius, IMO, is no more boring than any other automatic econo-appliance you'll find for sale.

Oh yes it is. Spent nearly a year with one and put 25k miles on it. It's exponentially more boring than a Honda Civic and significantly more boring than even a Corolla or Camry. Not sure how Toyota did it, but they found a way to suck all driving entertainment out of it. As I said, it's kinda sorta fun to try to make it run on battery alone, but it pisses other people off. My Nissan Leaf was way more entertaining from the tech perspective.

OP, if you autox a Prius, bring Dramamine.

I think the 2nd Gen is one of the best used car bargains out there. Between the great mileage and things like infrequent brake jobs, the average person can save a lot of money with one. A GRM'er can save even more.