Toyota Prius: Need serious opinions
08-10-2016, 10:39 PM
#41
Burning Brakes
I work as a mechanic for my local county and we have over 50 Toyota Pruis's. We probably have over 750k miles logged combined and have virtually no issues with them. I can't recall ever sending one back to the dealer for warranty work and have NEVER had to replace a HV battery(or any part of the HV system).
That being said, they do have their issues. Firstly, as compared to other Toyotas the build quality isnt that great(still superior to any currently available VW), the interior isnt anything to write home about and there is a decent amount of road noise. Secondly, they do have a few parts that are known to fail, the HV water pump, the coolant storage pump and the coolant direction control valve are all known failure points but are all relatively cheap and easy to replace. Thirdly, they don't get spectacular mileage on the freeway, the hybrid system only helps during braking and acceleration and really does nothing cruising down the highway. Lastly, they don't like sitting for long periods of time, they use a small 12v battery to "power up" the car and have a relatively high key off draw so 2 weeks is about all the time you get w/o running into a no start condition.
Truthfully, if saving fuel on long highway trips is what youre after a diesel is the way to go. Unfortunately there arent too many options available in the US. VW is the obvious choice but knowing what I know about VWs as a mechanic I simply can't recommend one. Although they look good from a consumer point of view(nice fit and finish and a over all look/feel of quality) they suffer the issues of all German cars that the small parts(switches, wiring, engine auxiliary parts, etc.) are of poor quality are prone to failure and are vastly over priced. Its shame because I've been told that the TDI VWs can achieve nearly 50 mpg on the highway.
Anyhow, thats one mans opinion and I hope I've helped you out at least somewhat.
Good Luck, Doug
That being said, they do have their issues. Firstly, as compared to other Toyotas the build quality isnt that great(still superior to any currently available VW), the interior isnt anything to write home about and there is a decent amount of road noise. Secondly, they do have a few parts that are known to fail, the HV water pump, the coolant storage pump and the coolant direction control valve are all known failure points but are all relatively cheap and easy to replace. Thirdly, they don't get spectacular mileage on the freeway, the hybrid system only helps during braking and acceleration and really does nothing cruising down the highway. Lastly, they don't like sitting for long periods of time, they use a small 12v battery to "power up" the car and have a relatively high key off draw so 2 weeks is about all the time you get w/o running into a no start condition.
Truthfully, if saving fuel on long highway trips is what youre after a diesel is the way to go. Unfortunately there arent too many options available in the US. VW is the obvious choice but knowing what I know about VWs as a mechanic I simply can't recommend one. Although they look good from a consumer point of view(nice fit and finish and a over all look/feel of quality) they suffer the issues of all German cars that the small parts(switches, wiring, engine auxiliary parts, etc.) are of poor quality are prone to failure and are vastly over priced. Its shame because I've been told that the TDI VWs can achieve nearly 50 mpg on the highway.
Anyhow, thats one mans opinion and I hope I've helped you out at least somewhat.
Good Luck, Doug
Last edited by dugsgms74; 08-10-2016 at 10:53 PM.
08-14-2016, 06:32 AM
#42
Race Director
Member Since: Sep 2002
Location: Washington County, South UTAH
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I'm with the "just rent a car when you take this trip" group. You could rent a car for probably 30-40 bucks per day, and put miles on their car not yours.
And this is outside of what you're asking, but I'm just gonna throw my experience out there for you. When I moved to NC, my gf at the time and I had been dating for 5 years, living together for 4 years. It was a 12 hour drive each way (600-700 miles), and initially we had much the same plans as you for visiting. The reality of it is that doesn't actually happen, you'll find yourself really only visiting when you have 5+ days off in a row, because the travel is really 2 days of that. I wish you guys the best, but I would give it a few months before buying a new vehicle to see how often you actually do visit.
And this is outside of what you're asking, but I'm just gonna throw my experience out there for you. When I moved to NC, my gf at the time and I had been dating for 5 years, living together for 4 years. It was a 12 hour drive each way (600-700 miles), and initially we had much the same plans as you for visiting. The reality of it is that doesn't actually happen, you'll find yourself really only visiting when you have 5+ days off in a row, because the travel is really 2 days of that. I wish you guys the best, but I would give it a few months before buying a new vehicle to see how often you actually do visit.
Plus, a female in her situation, is going to be "hit on" constantly.
08-15-2016, 01:09 AM
#43
Race Director
for under $14k u should be able to find a 1-2 year old small car, I wouldn't buy the cheapest of ANY of them, for example, don't get Nissan Versa, get a Nissan Sentra. Its a safer better made vehicle. Or so I read
08-15-2016, 02:35 AM
#44
Race Director
Oh, I just bought new Toyota Corolla. Two years free maint and oil changes every 10,000 miles YIKES! Who knew! Still have my Vette now...
Last edited by ClipperFan; 08-15-2016 at 02:37 AM.