Toyota Prius (First Generation)

Kirstie_H · September 2003

Hi Paul34b - you might also check the 2004 Toyota Prius - What do you think? discussion to see if anyone else has more info.

kirstie_h
Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host

Kirstie_H · September 2003

Folks, I write for the nation media and would like to interview anyone who wants to buy a 2004 Prius. I'm most curious about why you are interested in a Prius, what you drove before and what you find appealing about the car. You must be willing to do a telephone interview and be quoted by name. Please send your contact information to carguy147@hotmail.com by Monday, September 29, 2003.
Thanks,
Car Guy

raggcm · September 2003

First of all, I want to say how much I love my Prius. I have had it for 2 1/2 years and had to go out of state to get it because of the long waiting list for a new one. Anyway, the original tires had to be replaced at about 15,000 miles because of wear as a result of the unique braking and regenerating system. I was informed that the new tires were stronger and would not wear as quickly. I just had my 37,500 mile check up/oil change and, sure enough, two tires have to be replaced. The others don't seem to be too far behind. To replace tires every 20 - 25,000 miles seems like a big service expense that I was not prepared for. Have others experienced the same problem?

john1701a · September 2003

Underinflation will kill those very soft tires that come with Prius.

Increasing the tire-pressure to a more appropriate level and switching to a tire with a more normal rubber hardness, you'll discover the tires last quite a bit longer.

Using Goodyear Allegras running at a minimum of 42/40 (front/back PSI) you'll get at least 40,000 miles from a set. Mine are at 27,500 miles now and they look fantastic. There is still quite a bit of tread left.

JOHN

mrvadeboncoeur · September 2003

OEM tires for the 2001-2003 Prius in the US are:
Bridgestone Potenza RE92 XL (Extra Load)
P175/65 R14
84S
Treadwear 160 Temperature A Traction A
new tread depth is 10/32"

according to the bridgestone usa site, these tires are supposedly warrantied to 40,000 miles, same as the 260 treadwear non-XL version (even though there's less tread on them)

most owners seem to get in the 20,000-30,000 mile range with these tires, by having a properly-aligned car and keeping the tire pressure at a minimum of the factory-recommended pressures of 35psi front, 33psi rear, check the pressures regularly, and rotate their tires at 5,000-7,500mile intervals.

(Depending on the destination of the Prius, the OEM tires are different brands/models. Dunlop in Canada, Michelin in Europe, for example. I haven't heard of tire problems outside of areas that use the above Bridgestone Potenzas as OEM tires.)

2004 Prius uses different sized tires, rumor is US will be getting Goodyears.

I'd suggest changing to another tire with a higher treadwear rating, so long as it has a high enough load rating for the Prius.

daysailer · September 2003

use a tire size more appropriate to the Prius' considerable mass?

The 1984 Civic was OEM equipped with 175 section tires of a HIGHER profile (and consequently higher load capacity) and it was only 1950lbm!

john1701a · September 2003

> use a tire size more appropriate to the Prius' considerable mass?

They switch from the original 15" in 1997 to 14" in 2000 to increase city efficiency.

JOHN

daysailer · September 2003

are attributable to the reduction in rotating mass, can't possibly be worth the cost in handling capability (and consequently safety) attributable to inadequate tires!

john1701a · September 2003

> inadequate tires!

It's a well proven fact that it was those particular tires, not the wheel size. So many owners are just simply switched to a better tire.

That's all. No big deal. End of story. Nothing else to debate. Even Toyota itself has switched. Case closed. Go directly to jail; if you pass "Go", do not collect $200.

JOHN

daysailer · September 2003

a 175/65 tire is inadequate for a 2700+ lbm vehicle! Otherwise you may suffer the handling of a Prius. ;-)

john1701a · September 2003

> a 175/65 tire

185/65 is what some owners have switched to. That size fits well on the existing rim.

JOHN

daysailer · September 2003

still marginal given the present Prius' inability to extract the full measure of performance from its tires (based on other vehicles which achieve much better performance with RE-92s). As I've said before, tires alone aren't an adequate fix for the Prius' handling deficiencies, but it apparently needs all the tire it can get.

john1701a · September 2003

> adequate

That's rather vague.

> deficiencies

That's vague too.

> Prius

This is actually misleading. Which one? They are significantly different. And doing comparisons against the classic model doesn't mean much now. Please state your purpose.

JOHN

daysailer · September 2003

"vague", "misleading", which you seem to apply to any statement with which you do not agree. In any discussion of vehicle performance, only those cars for which objective, independent test data are available are relevant. Let's hope that the '04 Prius is a BIG improvement.

john1701a · September 2003

> "vague", "misleading"

Yup, I really like those words... since they clearly indicate when numeric data has not been included (in part or entirely). Adjectives like "big" don't quantify, they just convey opinions... so when they are used, I point that out.

JOHN

jscheerhorn · September 2003

Has anyone heard if there will be the $3000.00 Federal energy credit for tax year 2003 when purchasing the 2004 Prius. At least I'm hoping to receive the Prius in 2003. Has anyone received their 2004 Prius yet?

J S

john1701a · September 2003

Only a DEDUCTION is available from the federal government. A few states do offer a CREDIT.

No one will receive a Prius until October 17. Toyota confirmed that date just yesterday.

JOHN

daysailer · September 2003

wouldn't "credit" and "deduction" fit John's classifications of "vague" and "misleading" since they merely suggest relative value without quantification, i.e "more" or "less"?

Logic requires consistency.

john1701a · September 2003

Ha! Now I've finally got you thinking about that. Yeah! I was was growing tired of having to point it out after the fact whenever a compare was attempted. (And by the way, you still didn't answer the question.)

CREDIT = $0 (for me)

DEDUCTION = $280 (for me)

I obviously can't provide detail for others since I don't have their location or tax-bracket information available.

JOHN

yerth10 · September 2003

Daysailer : Prius-2004 is sailing smoothly across both sides of the Pacific
   Japan-11,000 orders (18 days AFTER launch)
   USA -10,000 orders (25 days BEFORE launch)
If they cant meet the demand, they may have to decrease the production of
   Solara / Celica and increase the production of Prius. Please bear with it.

Wayne : If TCO is very important, then you can get a 5 years old used Corolla / Civic / Sentra for 7-8 k and with high mpg, the saving will more.
Please note that whether Honda discontinues Insight or launches a newer bigger model, then the existing model will become a 'COLLECTORS ITEM' just like old coins / stamps and no one will be willing to sell it for the price you want.

You know very well that Toyota plans to launch a Hybrid vehicles in this order
RX-400 - 2004
Highlander - 2005
Sienna - 2005
Camry - 2006 (estimated)
Corolla - 2007 (estimated)

So you have to wait for another 4 years. No use asking for hybrid Corolla today. Anyway if Corolla gives 40 mpg, then it is the best for you.

mrvadeboncoeur · September 2003

The 2001-2003 Prius clearly qualifies for the US
Federal Clean Fueled Vehicle tax deduction.
http://www.toyota.com/html/shop/vehicles/prius/prius_tax.html
The tax deduction is $2000 off of your taxable income for the year you purchased your car, assuming the calendar year is 2000-2003. The value goes down to $1500 for a purchase in calendar year 2004 (thanks to a sunset clause).

If you can argue it, the Electric Vehicle Credit (you can only take the credit OR the deduction, not both), is $2000 for calendar years 2000-2003. I haven't checked to see if it's also being reduced, as the Prius most likely doesn't qualify.

The credit is a direct reduction of the amount of income taxes you owe. The amout off of your taxes from the deduction depends on your tax bracket. (I had a link somewhere that showed the scale... not much more than $600, IIRC).

You can take the Clean Fueled Vehicle deduction whether or not you itemize your taxes. It gets its own line item.

More info can be found in IRS Publication 535 ("Business Expenses"), chapter 12.
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p535.pdf (2002 publication)

Individuals can claim the deduction - they just stuck the info in the "Business Expenses" because they felt like it...

tag9 · September 2003

>If you can argue it, the Electric Vehicle Credit...is $2000
>for calendar years 2000-2003. I haven't checked to see if it's also
>being reduced, as the Prius most likely doesn't qualify.

That Electric Vehicle Credit is not available for the Prius; the instructions for Form 8834 make it perfectly clear that gas/electric hybrids are not "qualified electric vehicles" (the Insight and Prius are both mentioned).

Anyway, I believe the credit is the lesser of $4000 or 10% of the vehicle's cost and, starting in 2004, the *maximum* credit will be reduced to $3000.

john1701a · September 2003

> If TCO is very important, then you can get a 5 years old used

Yes, that is an excellent point that routinely gets overlooked.

Another is how the "American Way" was to do things for the sake of keeping our country something to be proud of. Those days seem to be gone. Now a "sacrifice" of any type, even the smallest of things, is asking too much. The mindset is to consume as we please and figure out how to deal with it later... which unfortunately, it will be our children that have to deal with the problems we created.

In short, we should look closer at what we really NEED. Fulfilling a WANT occasionally is fine, but even then it shouldn't be to the extreme. (For example, buy a full-size SUV rather than a monster-size one. And then of course, use it for what it was actually designed for.)

JOHN

jeep2jetta · September 2003

...I am very interested in the tax deduction aspect of my purchase of the '04 Prius. So, based on what you said and the link provided, if I am in the 28% tax bracket, then my deduction will be $560.00 which is $2000 multiplied by 0.28 correct?? Since the two documents the feds required for the deduction do not mention the 2004 model, I guess Toyota Dealers will have to draft new documents??

jeep2jetta · September 2003

...located on this site http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/cvip/
would have given me another benefit of owning a Prius, however, since Texas and many other states are having budget problems I won't be able to see this benefit anytime soon, if ever. That's too bad...

xcel · September 2003

Hi John:

> John Said: If TCO is very important, then you can get a 5 years old used Corolla / Civic / Sentra for 7-8 k and with high mpg, the saving will more.
Please note that whether Honda discontinues Insight or launches a newer bigger model, then the existing model will become a 'COLLECTORS ITEM' just like old coins / stamps and no one will be willing to sell it for the price you want.

___I guess you are about to find out the hard way in regards to TCO with the $7,000 to $9,000 loss you are about to take on your 01 Prius trade

In the case of an 01 Corolla LE w/ Auto, ABS, Cruise, PW, PL, PM, etc. and 60K on the odometer, it would be more like $5.5K hit ... Did I mention that an 01 Corolla LE loaded cost less than $14,000 at time of purchase vs. your 01 Prius @ $20,000 +? Yes, you apparently know quite a bit about TCO and are going to find out the hard way with your Prius trade as mentioned time and time again.

___As for the Insight, the only reason I am interested in a used 01/02 is because with a bit of coaxing, you can cruise in its unique Lean Burn mode. In that condition, many achieve 75  90 mpg out of them. If I can pick one up for $10,000 - $11,000 with < 20,000 miles on it, the TCO will be minimal given I will take it to the end of its life as a give away to the Make a Wish foundation. I will have lost $11,000 (initial cost) over 150,000 + miles while achieving 75 + mpg for my commute. Maintenance will hopefully be minimal as is the case with a Corolla or Civic, fuel cost will be the smallest I could possibly imagine, and its end of life costs are $1,000 - $3,000 as a gift. That is how TCO works in the real world.

PS: I forgot to mention that I just received 45.2 mpg over 365 miles from my 03 Corolla LE w/ Auto

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

daysailer · September 2003

and I would not call a "sacrifice" of several $thousand "the smallest of things", particularly when I must suffer handling and acceleration more akin to an SUV than a competent sedan.

pat · September 2003

It definitely seems that you are not shopping for a Prius!

Let's move the conversation on, now.

Thanks.

john1701a · September 2003

> I guess you are about to find out the hard way in regards
> to TCO with the $7,000 to $9,000 loss you are about to
> take on your 01 Prius trade

The point was that the advantage was to the BUYER of the used vehicle, not the seller. So you make out really well purchasing used instead of new in that case, hence a much better TOC.

Also note that because the demand for the 2004 Prius is very high already (around 21,000 orders worldwide so far) and orders will likely take months to fill, the demand for the used 2001-2003 will be high. So the trade-in value should be fairly competitive, similar to what you'd expect for other vehicles.

JOHN

xcel · September 2003

Hi John:

> John said: Also note that because the demand for the 2004 Prius is very high already (around 21,000 orders worldwide so far) and orders will likely take months to fill, the demand for the used 2001-2003 will be high. So the trade-in value should be fairly competitive, similar to what you'd expect for other vehicles.

___How many times do you need to see the links to similar used vehicles and the actual prices you may expect to receive for a used 01 Prius w/ 60,000 miles? Log onto KBB.com, log onto Edmunds.com, or log onto Cars.com for the Black book values. The KBB TIV, Private Party, and Retail Values are listed. Here at Edmunds, the TIV, Private Party, and Retail Values are listed. At Cars.com, the Black Book TIV and Retail Values are listed. What dont you get? I hope your dealer will give you $15,000 or more but hes not in the business of losing money. In fact, I have a feeling he is in business to make money and you will be more than likely receive TIV type numbers ...

___I would hope Toyota would kick in some given your promotion of the Prius over the years but I havent seen anything like that come from you and I would rather doubt they will give the Pioneers a deal either given what is posted around the net in Toyotas own press releases.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

jscheerhorn · October 2003

I heard from the local Toyota dealership that the first wave of 2004 Pruis will have landed in the U S by Oct 2, their computers will be updated by the end of the day Oct 2, to identify who the lucky owners will be. Based on this information if it's correct we should see the Prius on the road in the next few weeks! I have a brother living in Japan, he has seen the 2004 Prius he says the really look nice.

marcb · October 2003

my toy prius first got the hybrid warning light springtime.

after the light disappeared on the way to the dealer, i thought it came from a loose gas cap and called off the appointment. all went well until september when the light started coming quickly. since it happened nights while i was at work the light usually was gone by the morning.

on the 4th occurance i was finally able to bring it to the dealer with the lights still on and it was diagnosed with a faulty accelerator gas sensor. the dealer also told me another prius with the same problem was fixed after resetting the error code in the computer. so we tried that and got charged $48 for diagnosis and reset but the problem only got worse.

now i am looking at a potential $608 parts + labor & tax since the warranty ended sept 1. the dealer tells me this part is not considered part of the hybrid component and don't qualify for the longer hybrid warranty.

to those who are more on the know, has this been a common enough problem with the prius? is there a recall or at least a dealer bulletin on it?

since my mileage is still low, the warranty period has not been too far off, the problem started earlier, and the part could arguably be part of the hybrid component (else why would it cause the hybrid light warning) can toyota be persuaded to be sympathetic enough to fix this under warranty? (remember i was not able to bring it in before and has no record of the problem).

thanks.... any advice would help. i may also go to the yahoo prius group and pose this problem.

mrvadeboncoeur · October 2003

often called "The Big Hand" in other groups.
(Feels like a big hand has come down and is holding
your car back, better described as driving through
molasses - sudden loss of power requiring you to
push harder on the accellerator pedal.)

The version that comes up with the various lights
actually stores codes. What code did your dealer
find when you brought it in? (most of the time
the error codes will be stored in the computers,
even if the lights go out.)

Try: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/tsbsearch.cfm
for a TSB search.
If you got the P1120 error code, TSB EG018-02 has been reported to cover the gas pedal assembly.
(direct search for EG01802 on the above site)
I understand that the http://techinfo.toyota.com/
site does have copies of all the TSBs for reading,
but I haven't paid my $10 for a day's downloading,
nor have I gone to my dealer to go through the site
(for free) to download/print copies, so they may
or may not be there...

pat · October 2003

Everything you need to know about any TSB can be found by looking up the Town Hall's good friend, 0patience, in this discussion: Technical Service Bulletins

adp3 · October 2003

what color combo do you think is gonna look best on the 2004 - what will look good 5 years from now?

I'd like my Prius to look a little edgy (sort of like the Scion) but not sure if that is gonna be possible.

jscheerhorn · October 2003

There should be someone on the West Coast that has driven the new 2004 Prius. I would be interested in hearing comments regarding how it looks and drives in real life. How far can it go in electric mode?

htmlspinnr · October 2003

I've posted the actual experience since posting the link is against Edmunds terms of service (sorry!). The test car was borrowed from a Toyota corporate employee who had the car for a while.

Our evening test drive took place in a Silver BC packaged Prius at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach, CA. There were a total of 5 interested people (and their families), 3 of which chose to drive the car. It was night, which intimidated some of the other potential drivers.

My test drive host started off by showing off a few features of the car, including the neat hidden storage rack for the teanu cover, the jumpstart location, the Smart Start/Entry, and the voice nav. In starting and stopping the car, I could barely hear the coolant storage pump cycling. I think I caught the sound of the A/C cycling once or twice as well, wasn't very loud at all. Just a slight whirring noise.

Then the question came up - who goes first? One of the other drivers voted that I drove first with everyone, however I didn't want to deprive my family of 4 the Prius experience, so I offered to stay behind and go for a second run. 5 or so miles and 15 minutes later, and they were back. Another driver had reset the mileage display on me and posted an impressive 51.9mpg (I think that's right). Of course, I was challenged to beat that.

I then put in my 2 year old's carseat, and piled the family into the back seat. First comment from my wife was "Well, it passes the family in the back seat test". I had scooted the passenger seat forward to make sure she had plenty of room. However once we got a bit down the road, my test drive host handed the wheel over to me. Now my test drive host, being taller, had the front passenger seat all the way back, and my wife, who has long legs, was still perfectly comfortable.

First task was to quickly merge onto PCH, which in that area runs at near freeway speeds. First thing I noticed is that the ICE revs to speed *much* quicker in this version. It does seem slightly more powerful, but it was difficult to gauge with 5 people in the car. Second thing I noticed was that the accelerator felt more conventional - almost as if it were attached to a cable. It also, unfortunately, had the same convetnional logarithmic (for lack of better wording) feel to it where not much pressure gets the car moving. This may make efficient driving a bit more challenging at first, and definitely differs from the Classic Prius.

The third thing that caught my attention was the green cast of the EC mirror. While not as "dark" as a flipper mirror at first, I quickly became accustomed to it. Visibility out the rear is somewhat limited, but this is something the driver can get accustomed to over time. Adjusting the side mirrors to compensate does help.

Next, I decided to try the voice commands. The first one I issued was "Temperature 68 degrees". The system paused for a few seconds, and quickly obliged, setting the climate control to 68 degrees. My test drive host was surprised it worked that way, however I recalled seeing it in the list. Temperature higher or up works too I believe. Side note, the help system only outlines about 100 or so of the commands, but my test drive host remembered the person saying (and I remember in training hearing) over 300 commands exist. I'm hungry works - and you can specify fast food, Italian, etc. as the types. She also said on the way she tried "I need cash", and it pointed out ATM machines. She had tried a few others before arriving to the beach (insert adult joke), however the NAV system wasn't as obliging there (she's quite the comedian you know!). After a couple of minutes, my kids were becoming noisy, so I decided after my wife's suggestion to try "Mute Children" as a joke. It of course responded "Disc not present". It was good for a laugh.

A few more miles and it was time to stop for a turn. WOW - the brakes feel "normal", not grabby and non-linear as you slow down like in the classic Prius. They also feel "strong". My test drive host asked me to suddenly make a left once we were well into Dana Point on the PCH (where the road splits to one-way). I checked the rearview, then got on the brakes and was quite impressed (ABS didn't even need to kick in). Handling was also much better than the Classic. I had a chance to push a yellow through a rather quick left turn and the tires didn't even howl (something that I would have expected in my Classic).

After turning around, we passed the beach again and I ventured up into Bluebird Canyon where I got a chance to try the high-beams w/ the HID. The lows did fairly well, however the highs do go even further. I guess I was hoping for a tad more distance, but I can't complain. The highs do illuminate at the same time as the lows, unlike the current Prius which switches off between low and high-beam filaments. The fog lights, on the other hand, do little as driving lights as they only seem to light up the very front of the car. Another note - the NAV screens light up like day/night depending on whether the lights are on or off. Quite impressive. The NAV screen was on most of the time for the Laguna Beach hills portion, and it appeared to be dead on all the time. It also hid my consumption screen, so I lost track of my mileage efforts.

While in Bluebird Canyon, I made a few tight turns. Steering feel has improved. I feel slightly more connected overall. I want to say the ratio is a bit tighter as well (the Classic Prius's ratio is insanely high and unsporty, almost truck like), but it's not 14:1 like some sports cars. I was still impressed overall with handling, especially with a car full of folks.

Coming down one of the hills, I flicked the car into B mode. I noticed some drag, but at 25mph, it wasn't much. Flicking it again didn't toggle it, so over and down to D to get back out was required. Probably not a bad thing.

Didn't get to play with the radio too much, though the sound was "decent" to my ears. I had to futz with the bass/treble since it was not to my liking. I'll have to play with that more later on when I have more time with the car. I also didn't get a chance to bond my blue-tooth phone to try that out.

Wow, I hope I've covered at least part of my experience. All in all, this car is very enjoyable to drive, and it will only most likely reassure just about anyone who's making the decision. My test drive host's own words were that she went from 75% sure she'd purchase to 200% sure after spending some time behind the wheel. I'm going to have to agree with her.

Oh, and for those who were wondering, we switched back from NAV to consumption once we got back, and I lost at 49.7 mpg over 10 or so miles - Still not bad for me since I avg 44ish in my current Prius, and I had accelerated rather briskly a couple of times to get a feel for the additional power. Driving up in the hills didn't help much either.

Hope this helps those who are looking for a driver's impression.

prius2004 · October 2003

I order my Prius at the beginning of Sept. I am going for a test drive tomorrow. My dealer received their first Prius today. I ordered Prius at the beginning of Sept. Hopefully I'll find out when I'll receive it. I ordered it fully equiped. It'd like Christmas!!!

Kirstie_H · October 2003

A major magazine is looking to interview someone who is planning to buy the new Prius, which is bigger and more powerful than the old model, but actually gets better mileage. (In fact, the new one is the size of a Camry). Ideally, this person has already put down a deposit or put their name on a waiting list at a Toyota dealership. Please respond by October 22 to jfallon@edmunds.com with your daytime contact info.
Thanks!
Jeannine Fallon
PR Director
Edmunds.com

eandlcubed · October 2003

htmlspinnr, you said it recognized your voice command. does this feature only come on a nav option? oh by the way, great first impression!!! i can't wait to test drive one myself...

eandlcubed · October 2003

tax incentive of $2000.00 does not apply to a used hybrid (previously enjoyed), only to brand spanking new. sorry

raguero · October 2003

I test drove the Prius at Santa Monica, CA Toyota this morning. WOW. It rides well and accelerates even better than I thought it would. I only drove it for about 15 min. There was a line of people and salespersons waiting for their turn. In normal LA driving (drive a block or two, stop) it was quiet. I did drive it on the highway for about a mile and it had no problem getting up to 65 in no time at all. This dealer is getting 30 of them tomorrow. I am about 40 down on the list of 79 people waiting. I hope there are a few that don't like what they get tomorrow and pass. Again, my first impression, WOW!

little_pogi · October 2003

Went to SoCal Longo Toyota this morning and they too had a display /demo model. In this case there was no line to look at this single Prius display. I spend about an hour checking the inside and test driving it. Maybe I got in at the right time. Let me just start with the only dissapointment on my part.
1. The cargo space with the back seat up was not as big and wide for my requirement.
2. The ICE was noisier than the V6 Camry I drove to the dealership but quieter than the previous gen Prius. I might have been the first one to drive it that day since the engine was cold and took a while to shift to stealth mode on my surface street test.
3. It took me a while to figure out all the new techs built into the car. At first, I didn't even know what to do just to turn on the engine and get the car rolling. it's just a matter of time to get acquainted with all the gadgets.
4. Looking at the rear view mirror, you see a bar (spoiler) that seems to divide the window into 2 parts.
5. A registration fee of $567! I blame it on the recalled governor.

Now for the things I did like.
1. Better than expected acceleration with 3 adults in the car. Merging to the 605 was a breeze.
2. The navigation system was really cool. It tells you when and where to turn to get to your destination. It was a welcome treat to have your wife just be quiet rather than giving you wrong driving directions.
3. Ample space both front and back. The center console armrest was just the right height.
4. A Thomas Bros. map book will fit into the door pockets. But who needs one if the Nav system works.
5. People where looking at you as you drive through the freeway. In LA, even celebrities don't get that much attention when they're driving those exotic cars.

The dealer, which claims to be the biggest in the world, is expecting a allocation of 90 units. Unfortunately, waiting list is even longer than that, who knows how far away I am down the list. I put separate orders on other dealers and hopefully one could be made available for me soon. One consolation about all the dealers I've been to, they will sell the Prius at MSRP with no mark-up.

prius2004 · October 2003

Took the Prius for a test drive this evening. It was raining here in Kansas City this evening. I had to wait about an hour for my turn to drive it and there were two other couples waiting after me for a test drive. The couple before me ended up ordering one.
The drive was quite nice. Acceleration was up to par getting on the freeway. Cruising at 75 mph on the hwy (70 mph speed limit) it showed I was averaging only in the low thirties mpg. Would have like to try cruise control to see if it would have done better, but not a long enough trip. It is going to take some time to learn all the electronic gadgetry in the car. This car had AG. The smart entry was nice, seemed they really like to show this off to customers. The interior room was great. I'm 6'4" and had plenty of head and leg room. Also in the back with the front seat all of the way back, I still had a couple of inches in front of my knees. You can not see the front end of the car because of the slop. Looking thru the rear view mirror seems like it will take a little getting use to with the split in glass on hatch back. Can not wait till late November or December when they said I could receive by DRIFTWOOD PEARL color with package BC. Even more electronics to learn.

Dean
Smithville, MO.

bdkamin · October 2003

Here's the IRS link stating that the IRS certified the 2004 Prius:

http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=114001,00.html

bdkamin · October 2003

For all of you who kept checking the Toyota web site to see more info on the 2004 Prius (not the 2003 Prius that's been on the web site up until yesterday) now's your chance. They finally updated the site.

kroos · October 2003

Just ordered my 2004 yesterday, took MSRP since I wasn't expecting to get much off of the price due to the low supply and low invoice markup. I'll probably end up going to some other dealers in the area to see if they can offer me better, but right now I'm just wondering if anyone who ordered their 2004 prius managed to get a deal that's lower than MSRP. Am I correct in the assumption that asking a dealer to go lower would just result in them telling you "sorry, I'll sell it to someone else"?

gilespenn · October 2003

Hi everyone,

Yesterday afternoon I picked up my 2004 Prius from Amigo Toyota in Gallup, NM. I got their one and only and they sold it at $300 below msrp. Happily, the manager, who had attended Toyota's training session on the car, spent time preparing me for the experience. The model has the #3 package with a couple of accessories.

First impressions: Driving 135 miles across the high desert at dusk was an amazing experience. The car did more than stay with the rest of the traffic- I found myself pushing it along at 85 without realizing my speed. My friend, following in my autostrada cruiser Alfa Romeo, was surprised at how well the Prius took the many long hills between Gallup and Albuquerque. I think I was most impressed be he way the 26 cd design slipped through the draft from the many big rigs on 1-40. When we got to my driveway I punched in the numbers and the Prius got 46.9mpg- all freeway speeds over 5,000 ft.

A word about acquiring a Prius. Two weeks ago I only called two rural dealers and they both ended up offering me their first cars. Seems Toyota is sending the Prius to every dealership, even if they have no record of selling the first generation. That means there are dealerships out in the countryside with a new Prius and no buyers.

Now, back to reading the manual...

djasonw · October 2003

I am glad to hear you enjoyed your ride through the high desert. I ordered mine through a dealer that really did not sell too many first gen Prii. This dealer is in NE PA which is truck territory. I was first on their list and my car (Silver with BC) set sail from Japan on 9-30-03. I expect delivery within the next month (mid Nov). When you have a chance, please give us a more comprehensive review.

xcel · October 2003

Hi Gilespenn:

___Thank you for the first hand review and add that it was a great post as well. In particular, your Hwy mileage! Please keep us informed in regards to the 04 Prius hwy mileage after a few miles are accumulated as well as its ride comfort, rear head room, overall performance, and how much you like your new car

___I am personally interested in your hwy mileage as it shouldnt take much to receive 55 to 60 mpg on the hwy with a little help from your friends in the rigs if you know what I mean ... Dont forget to get those tires inflated ASAP as it can only help with the Prius hwy efficiency and to lower its CO2 output.

___On a slightly different note, I received one of the better overall hwy mileages (actual) while traveling between Gallup, NM and Hinton, OK late this summer. The Acura MDX received 29.87 mpg in that 638.8 mile stretch. There must be some real good air or something up in your neck of the woods

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Toyota Prius (First Generation)

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