Hey everybody,
this has been a great forum throughout the years, but it is time to sell the old girl and get a Prius. We just bought a vacation home near Las Vegas, and plan to travel there a couple times a year. The 7.3 has been very dependable with no major issues and when I needed info, this site is the best.
Colin

 

Buy a VW TDI and you will enjoy 45 mpg and diesel performance.

 

No 4x4 for where you live? Think the prius will cut it in the winter?

 

When I first read this I thought it was a ploy to read this thread. He is serious! Good luck with that!

 

I agree, If you have to down size, get the VW TDI! I'd rather walk than dirve a Prius! Just looking at a Prius makes me angry!

 

Myself, I'd go for a Hyundai elantra instead, but hey, enjoy your new home and your new car.

 

If you want the prius to save you money, do some calculations. The Prius doesnt get the kind of mileage that people think it does. Expect 30-50 mpg.

Its not hard to get a cheaper, non hybrid car that gets the same mileage.

 

We have considered all options and looked at many cars.

Seventyseven - we test drove the '13 Elantra GT on Saturday, thou it was nice the hatchback it wasn't shaped to get our two dogs in the back. It had a high narrow lip and a 6-7 inch deep well. It was nice but not suited for us.

CPS - I'm near 60 so no wild 4x4in like I used to. We do more hiking and backing than offroading now. Where our vacation home we won't need 4x4 and driving in winter will be in Nevada not in BC. We also have a Sienna AWD if we come back to the snowy country in the winter.

LSO1123- I'll agree with you my wife and I don't care for the look of the regular Prius, but we drove the Prius V wagon with touring package (almost fully loaded) just after the Elantra GT. We both looked at each other and shook our heads yes. We have been looking for months for a new vehical that would suit us.

A/Ox4- A few friends have Priuses (prii) and it depends how you drive them, we also checked real world mpg at fuelly.com. We didn't rely only EPA ratings of the cars.

We looked at the Jetta wagon TDI, I liked it but my wife didn't. (and she is from Germany)
Sometimes you do have to make concessions in life.
With my 7.3 I was able to anything and everything to it, that I wanted,
no problem from her...Now it's her turn.
She was always behind me 100%.

Over the last month, we probably pissed off a lot of salespeople but I really enjoy the haggleing with them.

 

Congradualtions and good luck! Before you disappear into the Prius forum, please let us know how things went with selling the modified truck.

 

My mom has a Prius and I drove it when she was on vacation. I consistently got 34mpg. The car isn't roomy at all and I really wonder how it was rated the "number one family vehicle" in America as its commercials claim. You can't fit a friggin' car seat behind the front seat w/o the front seat slammed into the dash. Also, the front end is low and protrudes far over the front wheels. It scraped on speed bumps if I wasn't careful. The braking system took some time to get used to. I hated the way the brakes worked. I had to stand on the brakes once to avoid an accident and I really didn't think I was going to stop. It's not your typical hydraulic braking system. The steering is another thing to get used to. Very odd.

Not sure about the TDI. Our Chief Operations Officer has a VW product and it has been very unreliable. As soon as it gets out of the shop, (he can't fix anything) he's selling it. He just bought a Ford Focus Titanium with the premium package to replace that car and loves it. He told me he's getting just shy of 34mpg daily driving.

 

Couldn't agree with you more...enjoy the new car! You are a lucky man, happy wife makes for a happy life!

 

Just Say No to anything with a motor from China.

Good Luck !

 

There are kits available to make the prius work as a generator. The start/stop functions allows it to automatically runs the gas engine as-needed to keep the charge.
Plug-Out Kits

 

In 2001 I used my Prius to power our house for three days (basically a few lights and the refrigerator)...kept my salt water fish tank humming too!

 

I love the Prius. It is one of the most advanced vehicles on the road. It is a rolling work of art...every detail scrutinized to maximize fuel efficiency.

You made a great choice. The whine of those electric motors as you pull away from a stop is so cool. Its expensive for the average person, but as economies of scale come into play we will all have the option to burn less fuel.

Electric motors= 100% instant torque