[Wildman]

I probably sound like a whiner... if you have read my posts here. The Prius looks great from a gas economy standpoint. I love the technology and will buy a Prius if and when my '94 Tercel gives up the ghost. I've had great service from my old Tercel, and I like Toyota's reliability. 30+ mpg for almost 100,000 miles with almost no maintenance is hard to match. I'm a bit nervous about the complexibility of the Prius.

I suspect most auto care providers can't deal with fixing (or even servicing) a Prius, the Toyota dealership is the only available "car fixer".

How can I figger out who can fix one of these thing? Some folks here have griped about issues as simple as tire pressure.

This is a complicated car. My feeling is there are Toyota dealers who would rather sell Corollas with fewer maintenance and training problems.

I live on an island about 40 miles from the nearest dealership. I'm willing to buy from one that's further away (if they'll tow it when it needs it). The nearet dealer isn't necessarily the best choice.

 

[funpilot]

My thoughts

You are correct that if there is something other than an oil change, you will need to go to a certified Prius dealer with certified mechanics. I am not sure I would encourage you to do that based on where you live. You might be better off getting a more common car from Toyota as your next one for peace of mind.

 

[efusco]

I concur, in your situation with the distance to a certified Prius service man that, unless you keep your Tercel as a back-up vehicle (which isn't a bad idea since resale/trade in probably wouldn't be much) that you may be one of the few people I wouldn't recommend the Prius to. It is, for the most part, well beyond the means of any normal service station to deal with.

 

[Henry]

OK, I'll play the spoiler here. IF I could find a competent, reliable, and trustworthy Toyota service department *only* 40 miles from my house, I'd stand in line at their door---and there are several Toyota dealers within fifteen miles of me.

Henry