Prius dependability, road noise

[ConchDiesel]

I have a 1998 Lexus ES300 and have to say it's the most dependable car and most comfortable I've ever driven. It's quiet and I really like the interior, even though it's just a slightly spruced up Camry.

I bought it with 75K and it now has 115K. Would I be happy with the look and size of the Prius? I know its a matter of opinion, but I have to say I'm not entirely impressed with the futuristic styling of the Prius. I did love test driving two of them in the past 2 days! They are fun to drive, peppy and I like the gas mileage. I think they are a little overpriced, in order to pay for the R&D Toyota's investment.

A salesman told me they really do not know how dependable they are after 50,000 miles, because there are not many out there with high mileage. Could someone please comment on this?

Additionally, I was not able to test drive the car on the highway. How does it handle? How is the road noise? Will I be able to hear my radio and CD's well?

Is it safe for me to buy a Prius with 50,000 miles if the owner has taken good care of the car? Looks like new ones are going for $22 to $24,000. I have found a used car for $17,000 with 50k miles on it.

Please lend some advice. Do you miss the sporty or conservative look of other cars? I'd just like an opinion from owners out there, not just from the dealer. Thanks.

[Tideland Prius]

Well we've had several owners who traded their ES for a Prius. Naturally, it won't be as quiet or as comfortable or as luxurious as the ES (I mean, it is a Lexus after all) but you won't be disappointed and it will be familiar to you. Actually, you guys get one of the cheapest priced Prius around. Your fully loaded Prius with nav and such cost the samea s a midrange Prius here in Canada (using 1.28% exchg rate).

There have been several taxis that have clocked over 300,000km on the old Prius with nary a problem. There are plenty of Prius taxis around where I live and the earliest 04 model already has over 110,000kms on it.

At 50,000 miles, the original hybrid warranty is still there. It's warranted for 8 years/100,000 miles. If you wish, you could always buy an extended warranty. I'm not an advocate of that but everyone has their reasons.

Highway driving is fine and uneventful. There are reports of strong crosswinds making the Prius a tad jittery. Seeing that you're coming from a Lexus, I would suggest snapping on a set of Goodyear Assurance ComforTred tyres on the Prius to help with comfort, road noise and stability from crosswinds. So far, I haven't experienced much wandering on the highway.

With regards to styling, I like the style of the new Prius. It's aerodynamic yet fluid in design. The dashboard is not as quirky as, say, an Echo or the old Prius but distinctive nonetheless.

I'd suggest looking for one with the "AM" Package (#4). This one model has the safety features such as Vehicle Stability Control, HID, Foglights, Side airbags and Side Curtain airbags. One with the Smart Key is nice since you never have to fumble for keys. Just walk to the car, unlock, and start the car without touching the key.

Hope that answered all your questions. Feel free to keep asking.

[ConchDiesel]

Thank you for the information. Would I be happier with the package number 4, or would package 1 be fine? I guess the Vehicle Stability Control feature would be nice in rain but we only get snow here once a year, for a couple of days. I've owned a small car before and do notice highway wandering in the civic I had, and toyota corolla. I grew tired of the bumps and roughness of the ride, so graduated to a larger luxury car (the ES300). That's my biggest concern.

Also concerned about the style of the body. It is a bit bubbly looking, compared to the ES300 sedan which looks somewhat elegant in the 98 model I have.

[Tideland Prius]

Well, do you need HIDs? It works for both low and high beams and if you consistently drive at night, then HIDs may help. The foglights are a little weak to be honest and useless with HIDs. Here in Canada, we don't get HIDs so it works a tad better with my halogens. I would strongly suggest you try out the SKS at the dealership. It's way cool =).

Hmm, well if ya don't need the extra VSC and HID, then by all means, stick with Package #1 or even #3. I suggested #4 because most people either went all out with the #6 or went with the "Safety Package" #4.

Well, styling is subjective. I could spend all day telling you how I like it but that may not change your opinion. Note it is very aerodynamic (a Cd of 0.26). This compares to an 02-05 Camry with 0.284, Acura TSX - 0.27, Lexus LS430 - 0.25, Subaru Forester - 0.35, 97-01 Camry - 0.31, 03-05 Corolla - 0.29. That's all I can remember off the top of my head. I actually like the 98-01 body style of the ES300. It's very very sleek.

[ConchDiesel]

Please comment on what VSC does in rain. Also, does anyone have advice on buying either new with the tax credit, or used. Invoice in the US is listed at $20,130 for the base number 1 package, MSRP $21,815.

What other fees should I prepare myself for and what kind of bargaining room do I have if any?

Do dealerships charge to have a car brought in from another dealer? I see there are plenty of them out there, they just have to be delivered from another dealership.

[Tideland Prius]

Well VSC is basically a yaw control. It tries to keep your vehicle (within limits) on track if it senses that you're going to under or oversteer. For example, if you take a corner too fast, it will brake the individual wheels needed to keep you on course and of course beep to tell you that it's currently working to keep you from skidding. It'll do that whether you're in the rain, in the dry, in gravel or on snowy roads.

You won't get any tax credit if you buy used. It's only for new vehicles.

There will be a dealership PDI (pre-delivery inspection) fee. I'm not sure if the US uses the same name. Don't bother with the extra "toyoguard" or "rust protection" or other crap that the dealer tries to unload on you. Note that if he insists that a car ALWAYS comes with those things, he's lying and demand that you be relieved from those charges or walk out of the door. If you're getting a new 05, you should have some room to bargain since the 06s are coming out soon and they would want to get rid of the "old" 2005 stock.

Dealerships don't charge for bringing a car over. In effect, they "buy" the car from the other dealer and sell it to you. A smart dealership will shop around neighbouring dealers for your car if they're eager to sell a vehicle to you. If they seem to sit on their ass, then I guess you would have to find a dealer that's eager and willing to do business with you =). Sorry if I make it seem like dealerships are bad but you know, I don't know how they're like in NC so I'm just covering all bases.

Edit: If you want more opinions, try PriusChat.com and PriusOnline.com

[Senna4ever]

I have a 1997 ES300 and have recently taken delivery of a 2005 Prius. The road noise in the Prius is horrendous compared to the ES300. The ES is much smoother, quiet and the stereo is much better sounding. Hell, you can barey hear the JBL clearly in the Prius at highway speeds. Having said that, I have no regrets in purchasing it. We drive the Prius in the city, but tke the ES for longer trips.

[BobHickling]

I love your information, Tidewater, but is there a Prius dictionary somewhere? I've been reading web and forum info for a few hours now and I'm still not clear on some of the alphabet soup. What's VSC, HID, SKS, ....

[Tideland Prius]

Not that I know of lol. Check PriusOnline or PriusChat for more info.

VSC - Vehicle Stability Control. This is Toyota's latest yaw control system (the old one was Vehicle Skid Control). This system brakes individual wheels to maintain control when it senses that the car is starting to rotate around its axis. A "skid" icon will flash and a beep will accompany it when VSC is in action

HID - High Intensity Discharge. These are the headlights that you see that are white or whitish blue (or even yellow). These lights provide a brighter and clearer view of the road while using less energy and reducing glare (or so they say. Some people will refute this). HIDs tend to have a sharp upper cut off while halogens will fade out and blend into the night.

SKS - Smart Key System. This feature is one found in luxury cars such as the LS430 or Mercedes SL, S, CLK and E-Class among others. Recently, it's been filtered down to the G35, Prius and even the new Yaris/Vitz. What this does is allow you to lock/unlock the vehicle and start/stop the vehicle without ever touching your key. The fob that you keep in your pocket or purse receives the signal from the car (which is sent at a set interval). Once the car senses the fob nearby, it will put the door locks in standby mode and all that's needed is to touch the door handle to have the doors unlock. Once inside the vehicle, you're cleared for entry and a simple push of a button or twist of the ignition will start the car. To stop the car, to the reverse and to lock the vehicle, close the doors and push the black button on the door handle to lock the vehicle.

[vincent]

Back to the road noise question.

I took an 05 out for a test ride and it was noisy. Sounded like mostly tires. Has anyone heard a difference using "quieter" tires.

Thanks,

[Tideland Prius]

Try switching to Goodyear Assurance ComforTreds =). It's fairly quiet but mostly because of the aerodynamics and the fact that the engine is off at certain times. I hope you'll get used to the CVT-like transmission. It's different from a regular automatic.