Toyota Prius

backy

Here is how my sales rep explained it to me: Toyota will be producing X amount of package 3, 7, 8, and 9 Priuses (Prii, or whatever) in a variety of colors each month and will ship them to dealers without regard to the packages and colors specified on the dealers' existing orders. So whether or not I get my Prius in March, or May, or ??? depends not only where I sit on the order backlog list, but on when a Prius arrives with the package I want and a color I will accept. So it's a bit of a crap shoot, but at least I know I'll maintain my position on the list until the dealer gets a car with my package and color choices, and won't be forced into taking one outside of those choices.

markjenn

Congrats on your new car.

I'd go over the car pretty carefully. It sounds like the dealer did next to nothing to prep your car for delivery. Sounds like the rubber plugs are the "smoking gun" so I'd go in and complain and ask that they go through the pre-delivery checklist and to show you what they did. My guess is that they'll say the car is "new" and they're unsure what to do. IOW, they're too busy to read the instructions.

- Mark

daina

I'm looking for a prius here in Canada, and the MSRP is $29 990. WIth the 7.5% PST and the 7% GST that's $35 735.09, which is way more expensive than the U.S. Is there any way i can get it cheaper, like get one from the US or something??

texassalsa04

thanks for the comment. I will see if I can get a copy of the pre-delivery checklist from my sales rep. I am now wondering what else they forgot to do...hmmm...

gscheil1

I placed my order around July 1st and when all dealers got one for rental service, I got to drive that one. My Blue Prius with option 9 came in the next Monday. I traded in my Avalon . I like the car and am well satisfied, except, it does not come with a valet key. I ordered an extra remote at a cost of $230.00, plus programming. Car does NOT have the tire pressure warning as mentioned on the web site. I have a Bluetooth cell phone but have decided NOT to use it with the LCD display. Too complicaated. I like the navigation display but you need someone to show you how to program it.

Only problem I have had is with the "Check Engine" light. Mine came on with 150 miles on the odometer. Stayed lite until I got back to town and went to the dealer. They had to call California to get it off. Seems the cars are sprayed with an oil into the exhaust system before shipping and that has attracted an organic material which caused the light to come on. Their suggestion was to take it out on highway and burn the oil off the exhaust system.That worked. Also, there is NO compass in the rear mirror as mentioned on web site. You don't need one with the navigation system.

little_pogi

The Salsa Red Prius coming to your dealer is not the Prius you ordered. Your dealer is playing the old sales trick of bait and switch. It is certainly unprofessional for them to sell you a car you did not ordered under the threat of you falling back to last in line and having to wait 5 or more months. You should be still 1st in line once a Salsa Red 04 Prius with pkg#6 comes in. That is what you ordered and they have to honor that contract you made with a $500 down. Get a sales manager involve. Dealers could swap cars among themselves to satisfy specific customer demands.

Have you ever tried going to another Toyota dealer in your area? I still think driving say a 100 miles away to get delivery sooner is worth it.

gscheil1

I forgot to mention in my previous post that My Certificate of Origin is dated October 29, 2003. I am a long time Toyota owner having purchased my first one, a Corona many years ago. Since then, I have purchased my 20th Toyota from the same dealer and that speaks well for the cars and the dealership. The base price was $19,995, plus $515 for processing, shipping, etc., plus $5,245.00 for option #9. Option #9 is for everything, including Navigation. The monochromatic rear view mirror has Homelink which operates my garage doors. The only thing I miss is the "Automatic On for Headlights" but I'll learn how to turn the headlights on like other people. It does have the "Auto Off" for headlights.I'll miss the Avalon but my wife and I no longer need such a big car. I fully expect to reduce my gasoline consumption in half or more. Keep in mind, the Income Tax deduction reduces from $2,000 to $1,500 on January 1, 2004. Also, the 2004 Prius has free roadside assistance but not the free oil changes, as in the past.

ronaldk988

Option package #9 includes auto on headlights. Look at the headlight switch on the stem to the left of the steering wheel. There is a setting for automatic function.
Ron

alnvilma

It is unfortunate that there are unfair scenarios
posted about buying experiences with this great car. Not to rub salt in the wounds but there is also the flip side:
 Here in Oregon there is no sales tax, cheap registration and a $1500 tax CREDIT too. When I add that to the Federal $2000 deduction and the Toyota loyalty rebate of $500, my actual cost is $18436 w/Pkg.#1, floor mats, tags and a full tank!
 Of course, loaded up, that would be less favorable but I don't need or want all that stuff so my cost was less of a factor in this buying experience.
 I can't imagine a BC resident having to fork over PST/GST on top of a loaded Prius. Ouch.(think ECHO hatchback or Prius Classic).
 Good luck to all. Love this car.

gscheil1

Ron: I have Option 9 and there is NO setting for automatic headlights on my 2004 Prius.It's probably because of the HID lights? Also, it does not have DRL.

azstan

Picked up my new Prius and drove 210 miles on hilly state highway (although mostly downhill) and fairly level Interstate. Averaged 50.2 mpg and was up to 80 and 85 mph before I realized it.

Nice on the highway/Interstate. Some crosswind was noticeable but manageable (no worse than my '92 Camry).

Will take a little "getting used to" but is lots of fun to drive.

I have the blue with BC package and paid MSRP. The blue is a bit darker than I would have preferred, but still looks quite nice. Interior feels quite roomy because of height of the car. It is noticeably higher than my Camry when parked side by side.

Yes...I allowed my wife to drive it. After the initial start up, she had no trouble and was very impressed with the quietness and how nicely the radio sounded.

The way we drive, what we expect, and the size of the vehicle seems to be the best compromise of all the new cars available.

Now the only thing left that concerns me is what will it cost to maintain this vehicle. My philosophy is to buy the car that fits my needs, keep it maintained and drive the hell out of it (length of ownership...not speed).

My '92 Camry just turned 238,000 miles...before that I had a '75 Mercedes 240D with a bit over 300,000 miles really hated to sell it.

The comments of others on this board helped me make the decision to buy this car...I hope my comments help too. Now will be interested in any comments anyone has about maintenance.

john1701a

> Does the Prius have auto-lights or not.

IT DOES! There is no switch though. It is always enabled.

 
> Now we find out that the Prius doesn't have a
> tire pressure monitoing system

What the heck are you talking about. IT DOES!

I think you assummed it would display PSI. The actual purpose is to display a warning when pressure has dropped to a dangerous level.

 
> So the EPA testing...

This is true for TRADITIONAL vehicles too.

Remember, they test under IDEAL conditions. In the real-world, encountering them is rare. For example, their minimum temperature requirement is 68F. In reality, it gets much colder. Cold drops MPG.

 
> I want a sunroof , leather power seats with heating,
> cooling and memory

Keep that wish-list handy. You'll be able to use it in a few years.

 
> I also want a 6-speed transmission manual shift.

Not going to happen. You need a hybrid with gears in order to allow shifting. Prius (HSD for that matter) doesn't have any.

 
> Prius GT ...Now than would be a great car!

Mass-production is expected to open up opportunities for speciality hybrids, aimed at the performance buyer. With the battery-pack modules common, adding more inexpensively will become realistic, hence a performance increase due to greater capacity.

JOHN

petl

Buying a Prius in the US to bring back to Canada may not be as cheap as it appears to be. 1) The base Prius in Canada has more standard equipment. 2) The present conversion rate is approx. 1.3 ($23,000 US = $29,900 Canadian). 3) You will still have to pay the GST and the PST plus any other associated duties. 4) Although it may meet Canadian standards (they are different in both countries) you will most likely have to have it certified and e-tested.

Bottom line... it will cost about the same amount to purchase a similarly equipped Prius for export to Canada as it would to buy one in Canada (minus the exporting hassles). If the currencies were of equal value it might be a different story.

oldfox

Visited my dealer today and accepted the Salsa Red Pear Prius. Will arrive 20 Dec. I know, I know, I should have held out for exactly what I wanted but I really do want the car now and of course there is no guarantee that a red pkg 6 will ever arrive in this area. I tried the "will accept other colors" but but what is the incentive for another dealer to go thru any hassle re: swapping of cars?

Alnvilma, I grew up in Vancouver, and Seattle WA. and lived for a while in Portland OR. Beautiful area just way, way too much rain for me -

djasonw

John... I know there is mention of a tire pressure monitoring system in the manual but I thought that was left out. Are you saying that if one of my tires has 15 PSI I would get a warning? If that is the case, I'm pleased but there is nothing probative that leads me to think this is true. Comments?

Silver BC YTD MPG 46 <<-- Quite pleased!!!

rats126

My dealer saw the plugs in their dealer car and he stated they are used in a different area of the country. I'm in NY and the plugs he said are for the areas that have a lot of sand such as in the desert area out west. The plugs keep the sand out of the area of the car that's "plugged".
We ordered a red 04 Prius also. We ordered it this past weekend. I owned an '01 and traded it in for an '03. The '04 will be for my wife to use.

gscheil1

My 2004 Prius with Option 9 DOES NOT have Auto On Lights, daytime running Lights or Tire Pressure Warning. Upon inquiry to Toyota, I was told that those features are for cars sold in Canada only. If someone has a car with Option 9 sold in the United states and has those features, please respond to me or refer to this posting. Thanks!
I know about the automatic lights setting on the left control because my Avalon had it. My 2004 Prius does not.

wwest

If all four tires have equally low pressure the warning will not go off. The system uses the ABS wheel sensor to compare rotation rate amongst all four tires and if one (or two?) or unequal to the others the warning will go off.

footie

Oldfox -
There are 8 Salsa Red Prius in the Southeast Toyota zone (GA/FL/SC/NC/TN) scheduled for arrival between Nov 29th and Dec 6th.

They have a variety of pkgs ( no 6 ) 3, 5, 8, 9.

Some have add-ons like you described and most have the decidely wallet thinning "Toyo Guard". All of the non-Toyota stuff is added at the South East Toyota 'port' of Jacksonville.

Hope yours works out.

Anyone shopping for a Prius in the SET zone should check online inventory to get the low down on which cars have what. The last 4 digits of the VIN are given.

If you can't get a straight deal down there, drive to Virginia where there's no monopoly like the family that runs SET.

Good shopping

gscheil1

I hate to belabor the subject but, my owners manual, page 102, clearly shows only 2 positions.
It also says drl's are automatic but I have had my brother look at front of car to see if drl's are on. He said no. I'll have to check that later.

On to page 104. It mentions auto on but qualifies it by (with auto lite control system) I keep the car in the basement garage. I'll go down, keep the basement lites off, get in car and start it up in the dark to see if Headlights or daytime running lights come on. There is a sensor on upper portion of dash, next to windshield but I don't think it does anything except energize the A/C when in the sun. Someone give me help.

backy

I think it is okay to be pro-Prius and really like the car.

Well, you couldn't tell that from all of your other posts. To me, it is clear from your posts that you don't believe the Gen 2 Prius is the right car for you. You have described in detail exactly why the Prius doesn't meet your needs. Since this board is for people interested in the Gen 2 Prius, maybe your time is better spent on the boards discussing future hybrids, which perhaps will meet your wants/needs? For example, the '05 RX330-based hybrid will most likely have a sunroof option, leather power seats (hey, it's a Lexus) and maybe even faster performance than the Prius, albeit with some mpg penalty (I've seen a target mpg of 35). There will be a hybrid Camry also, and you should expect sunroof, leather etc. there too. Of course it's your time to spend here, but the stream of comments regarding how the Prius doesn't meet your needs IMHO detracts from the purpose of this board. For instance, I don't see that kind of commentary on other boards that I frequent that are dedicated to one vehicle, e.g. Elantra, Civic, MPV, Mazda3. There are many other boards where we can carry on long threads about all the things we don't like about a car--the Comparison boards, the News and Views boards, etc. There is already a board that discuss whether hybrids are up to the task--that might be a good one for your opinions. Or maybe you could start a "I Don't Like the Prius, How About You?" board.

Whether or not you like the Prius is your business. But your attacks on people who like the Prius are not appreciated. When a Prius owner says there is a tire pressure monitor on the Prius, and even explains how it works, why do you feel the need to call him a "'green' Prius bigot"? Why do you need to treat the discussion on automatic lights like it's a matter of life or death? When another owner posts that he got 50.2 mpg in highway driving going 80-85 mph on a brand-new car (not fully broken in), and the Prius' EPA highway rating is 51, why do you have to persist in stating that the Prius will never achieve its EPA ratings in the real world? Why do you care, when you'll never own one?

Now understand, I think it is okay to be anti-Prius. I'd just like those of us who have an interest in owning a Prius, or even own one now, to have a board where we can talk about the car without the name-calling and attack-dog atmosphere.

alnvilma

Amen to those remarks. Let these guys take their grudge match elsewhere. Very articulate response.
Know that you are not alone in that philosophy.
It is tedious.
aside(?): Second tank of gas in my 2004 was<40mpg.
Ouch. I'm sure warmer weather & longer trips will do wonders. Like I said once before; I never intended to recover my costs via mpg anyway.
I would have purchased this vehicle for its looks alone, really!

john1701a

I also feel it is unwelcome to present negative feedback here. That's what the "up to the chore" thread was created for.

JOHN

backy

Now that winter is here (in some places anyway, like Minnesnowta), maybe some owners can give us an idea of how the Prius handles in the slippery white stuff? I know some owners have already changed tires, so it would be interesting to hear how the car handles with the OEM tires and with the replacements. Anyone using winter tires yet?

Another question I have is related to the fact that the Prius doesn't come standard with trim strips on the doors. To me, that's a door ding or three waiting to happen, and one of the first things I plan to do when I get my Prius is add some body-color trim strips to at the outermost point of the doors. I don't understand why some cars nowadays (the Civic also springs to mind) don't have trim strips standard. My dealer told me they don't do that, but they can recommend a couple of shops that can do it. Has anyone else done this or at least looked into it? If so, how much did it cost?

john1701a

I played on the snow & ice yesterday with my 2004.

No slipping & slidding, just the TRAC (Traction Control) indicator light coming on every now & then. The VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) never even kicked in. The dang car is too stable already.

It was a really boring... with the exception of when I got to use the wiper & squirter on the back window!

JOHN

backy

That's good to hear! The weekend snow made it pretty slippery on the side streets around town, and my current cars don't have traction control--had a little slipping on startup.

What do you think on the trim strips thing?

john1701a

> I don't understand why some cars nowadays don't have
> trim strips standard.

You'd understand if you lived where salt is used on the roads. That trim is a place for it to deposit, especially in a vertical position like a door seem. The wind from driving would push it between the strip and the paint. Not good.

And of course, not including it does save them a few bucks.

JOHN

backy

Remember, I live in the same town you do--lots of salt! On a quiet day you can hear it going to work, disintegrating the body panels (unless you own a Saturn of course).

Of the fourteen vehicles I've owned, all but one had trim strips. None ever got rust under the trim strips. The trim strips absorbed a lot of dings, though--and you probably know what salt can do to a door ding that isn't touched up right away. The car w/o trim strips was a '75 Vega Kammback (don't ask--it was in my leaner days). Picked up several dings in the six months I owned it. I suppose the other thing is that trim strips, unless styled a certain way, could ruin the streamlined look of the Prius.

ronaldk988

Rats, I loved that on my Avalon (auto on/off headlights) So what are the switch options on the headlight stem switch?

Ron

john1701a

> what are the switch options on the headlight stem switch?

- primary lights
- secondary lights
- highbeams
- turn signals

And by the way, the auto-off is timer based... and it saved me once already. I powered down without manually shutting them off. So the system did it for me.

JOHN

wwest

As an owner of an 03 Prius and absolutely not being any distant relative of the shrub I say about negative comments.....

BRING'M ON!!!

finestack

Bring 'em on, too...but be respectful.
Thanks, backy - it was an articulate post.

texassalsa04

Yikes! If I can help it, my Salsa will never see neither. We don't get much snow or ice here in Texas but occasionally we do get some (lasting 3 to 4 days at most). My interest will be how she will do in the 107 degree heat this coming summer. I have an old minivan (145,000 miles and counting) that will do the bad weather just fine. Thanks John for the info on snow and ice driving, but I hope to never see those conditions in my Salsa.

gscheil1

I also hate to read posts of people who downgrade the Prius, even though they don't own one. I keep seeing references to the 2004 being Generation 2. Recently my dealer said that's incorrect. It's really Generation 4 and 2 and 3 were made only for Japan. Don't know who's right.

wwest

Maybe a definition is in order...

I NEVER want to be seen as sticking my head in the sand and looking at the world through rose colored glasses.

While I really want to hear about any and all valid complaints, and/or short-comings, I too, am less interested in subjective ones, comparisons, etc.

If you just simply don't like the looks of the Prius (like I felt about the 911 for many years), then exhibit some grace and keep it to yourself.

ateixeira

I have one bit of constructive criticism: Toyota should get rid of the hump in the floor of the back seat. There is not driveshaft to the rear, so why the hump? The Civic's rear floor is flat and roomy.

-juice

gscheil1

I went down into the basement garage to start my car in the dark to see if drl's came on.. Guess what
nothing came on. I called the dealer to ascertain what to do. They suggested towing it to their shop. Problem, couldn't get it out of "Park" to push it out of garage. Tow truck operator read the owners manual and found there is a 12 volt terminal under the hood. He hooked his jumper cables to it and got the electronic parking brake disconnected. Towed it to Toyota dealer who said would take about 4 to 6 hours to recharge the 12 volt battery, which is a dry battery. I have no idea what discharged the battery but they said to keep the remote away from the parked car, and if you walk near the car, the dome lights come on, thinking you're going to get in car. It appears that there are electronic systems in the car, that might draw current. Anyway, I will discuss with them this afternoon when I return to get the car.. I only drive the car about once a week and will have to park the RAV4 and drive the Prius more. I'm still a happy owner.

john1701a

What you are reading right now is a response to a THREAD, not a FORUM. The intent is to group together RELATED message posts.

The hosts will kindly set up a new one for unrelated discussions.

We don't want negative comments here, that's clear. That doesn't mean we don't want to read them though. We just want to be able to find all the related content easier.

With this type of organization, Edmunds can compete well with the other discuss formats available that use much different layouts. This will allow people to be able to actually find helpful info. Otherwise, you just end up with one very long string of unrelated messages where it is difficult to find all the responses.

JOHN

wwest

This, these, formats aren't??

I would agree about negative "comments", but any word about negative "aspects" concerning the 2004 or later Prius I think should be under THIS title.

jchan2

Does anyone know how long the wait list is for a Prius in the Midwest with package combo number 2?

backy

I would hope that we wouldn't limit discussion here to only the positive comments on (or aspects of) the Prius. That limitation would not serve the people who want the full story on the Prius to help them decide whether or not to buy one. No car is perfect, and it's helpful to see the complete picture, warts and all. What I'd like to avoid is the argumentative comments, and the mean-spirited comments. It's pretty bad when some posters get so fed up with being attacked that they stop coming here.

Anyway, wish me luck. I am off on a mission tonight to see just what the current Prius market will bear in terms of discounting, on the night before a major holiday, near the end of a month.

backy

To my knowledge, package 2 is not yet available in the Midwest, aka "Chicago Region" in Toyota-speak. What I've been told is that only packages 3, 7, 8, and 9 are being shipped to dealers in the Chicago region right now, until production ramps up. But one way you could verify that is to go to the Prius site at www.toyota.com and step through the "build your car" process using your zip code. It will tell you which packages are available in your area. It also gives some indication of availability. For example, I did that the other day and it told me that Package 3 cars were in good supply--whatever that means for the Prius.

equivue

Test-drove one last night, not bad. Pluses: back seat room, surprisingly peppy acceleration & quiet, large trunk. Minuses: Front seats needs to slide back two more inches, cramped front shoulder room, that screen- prone to take eyes off road, funky styling. One Question- why didn't Toyota use this technology in a Camry? Safe bet and would sell TONS. Test drove the Prius but kept doing a double take on the Camry. Better styling and it felt like way more room.

eheading

Regarding the comments about color coordinated door trim on the '04 Prius. Well, I just added black door trim to my '03 Prius. Not only does it protect the sides of the car, but in my wife's and my opinion, it really improves the looks of the car. The trim we used, which came from JC Whitney, is black with plastic chrome along the edges. It has the effect of cutting the visual height of the car, and it really looks more elegant. I believe the same would hold true on the '04. So, anyway, my comment is, consider black trim in addition to body color trim.

Sylvia

Here's the scoop...the discussion "Toyota Prius 2004+" is for people to learn about the vehicle. All types of questions around the Prius are welcome as are differing opinions.

The discussion should be constructive. That doesn't mean it has to be 100% positive. Saying that you wish an attribute of the car were different or where you as the consumer would make changes are wanted. We have had many cases where the manufacturers actually find the improvement idea (or verify it) here in Town Hall.

So long as someone isn't squatting in the discussion for the sole purpose of being the spoiler AND that negative comments are made in a constructive way, there is room for a great deal of dialogue here.

gscheil1

My problem was fairly simple and could happen to anyone. The dome light sensor on driver's door was stuck & wouldn't let dome light go off. They replaced the sensor, charged the battery for 6 hours and now the Prius is in good shape. I will check the dome light every time I park in the future.Incidentally, there is a 12 volt connection under the hood so you can jumper the battery or hook it up to a charger.

daina

Thanks petl for the info. So, think it's still worth the money? My other choices would be either a civic, camry, or corolla.

john1701a

> The discussion should be constructive.

Well said. That's a better description of purpose than "negative".

Unfortunately, there are participants that intentionally "negate" comments just to stir the pot. That's hardly constructive.

JOHN

backy

That's a good question. I've read that the hybrid synergy drive is coming to the Camry eventually. But then I asked my sales rep tonight when HSD is coming to the Camry, and he laughed and said something to the effect that if that happens, it would be the first sign of the Apocalypse. Not his exact words, but it gave me the feeling that HSD won't be coming to the Camry anytime soon. He did say that HSD will be showing up in the RX330-based SUV shortly after the first of the year, followed soon after by the Highlander.

One thing I found out tonight about this sales rep: he's not your typical car sales person. He's an electrical engineer by training and he knows a lot about the Prius and hybrids in general. I stopped in to see if I could wrangle another test drive, and as the dealership was dead and he wasn't doing anything he joined me on a long drive over a variety of road surfaces, including some washboard roads with some hairpin turns (which he encouraged me to take at whatever speed I felt comfortable at--it was snowing at the time). He also took me out on a deserted road and told me to act like a child just stepped in front of the car. Boy, can that thing stop on a dime! With no drama whatsoever. After this drive, I can say unequivocably that the Prius handles and brakes better than any "family" sedan I've ever driven. It's no BMW, but it's no slouch.

Oh, he also demonstrated the "automatic" headlights for me. They operate much like those on my Elantra. You can just leave them on all the time, and they'll shut off automatically when you turn off the car. Or you can operate them manually. The important thing is, you don't have to worry about running down the battery because you left your headlights on--just your dome light, right, gscheil1? ;-)

The sales rep also explained the Prius "generations" to me. He says there's only been two generations of Prius but there have been some tweaks along the way. For example, he said originally the Prius had a NiCd battery, which didn't charge well over time. So Toyota switched to a NiMH battery. So you might call that a generational change, but this guy didn't think so.

Finally, I did confirm that right now only packages 3, 7, 8, and 9 are being shipped to dealers in the "Chicago" region, which includes Minnesota and some other Midwest states. I saw the allocation percentages and it was 58% package 3, 20% package 7, 10% package 8, and 12% package 9. I'm sure about the numbers for packages 3 and 9, but fuzzier on 7 and 8--should have written them down. Other regions probably have other packages and other allocations.

One more thing (sorry for long post)--anyone notice that there's some new Priuses for sale on eBay? Starting bids range from $17,000 (pkg 3) to over $32k (package 9--hard to believe that one). There's a blue package 3 in Dekalb, IL at $21k. So apparently the waiting lists are not everywhere. But they are in the Twin Cities. I saw my dealer's list tonight and I'm #17 in line for a package 3.

prius4meus

"I would hope that we wouldn't limit discussion here to only the positive comments on (or aspects of) the Prius."

After 700 miles in my 2004 Prius I have finally found a significant flaw. Driving the Prius has made it truly insufferable to drive my 99 Corolla. No energy regeneration when braking? How inexcusably wasteful! Put a key into the ignition and turn it? How passe! And why is this darn engine still on if I'm stopped at a light? How primitive!

To any of you out there who may be considering buying a Prius: BEWARE!!! You just may not be able to enjoy your other cars ever again.