[magicmax]

Hi I live in canada and i've been seriously thinking of getting the 2005 prius. I know performance might have to be sacrificed for the awesome fuel consuption but i've heard otherwise for the prius. I heard its 0-60 in 9 secs? If so that isnt too shabby. And I am worried about possible higher maintinence with soo much new tech in the car. Im asuming service would cost more as well considering newly trained technitians for hybrids would be needed. Has anyone had problems with it? I'm kinda hesitent to buy high tech things when they first come out. I know toyota is a trustworthy name and all but this isnt familiar grounds their building on. I know hybrid technology isn't very new but toyota is intreducing alot of new things along with it. I've had alot of electic problems with cars, and with this amount of electronics it just scares me.

I know for a fact I want Toyota, either camry or prius (this is my first "new" car). I heard they perform about the same. And here in canada their priced about the same. I know i cant go wrong with camry. But this prius really catches my interest. I wanna try something new. I just dont know if i should follow my heart with prius or mind with camry. I would love an owners insite on this, thanks!

 

[mrv]

Maintenance is no more often than a regular car. Most things can be done by any competent service shop, or you could even DIY.
US 2004 maintenance guide is here: http://www.toyotapartsandservice.com/sm ... &year=2004

You can check in with other Canadian owners here: http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Canada-Prius/

 

[RSnyder]

0-60 in 9 sec? Sure, if you go downhill

If you're looking for a fast car to make yourself the envy of all your friends, the Prius probably isn't for you. It's more geared towards people who admire efficiency. But that's just the Prius. Electric hybrids can be built to absolutely blow away all your friends in the speed arena and still get pretty good mileage. In a few years, some automaker probably will. Toyota built a prototype that's really impressive, but doesn't seem to be planning to mass produce it.

Anyway, as far as reliability, remember that Toyota has over 6 years experience with this form of hybridization, this is absolutely not new technology for them. With the last model, they learned the valuable lesson that the computer software needs to be field upgradeable, and so it is with the 2004 model. Much of the mechanical stuff in a hybrid is actually simpler and more reliable than its counterpart in a conventional auto. The rest is no different. So with the 2004 model, you should have no fear of new technology.

The Prius does cost more to repair since there aren't that many out there and Toyota charges a lot for parts while bundling them into "assemblies" so you can't just by the small part you really need. When they start making millions of hybrids a year, this should change.

So, it won't break as often, but when it does, it will cost more. Hard to tell if it's a net gain or loss.

 

[Victor]

The Prius does cost more to repair since there aren't that many out there and Toyota charges a lot for parts while bundling them into "assemblies" so you can't just by the small part you really need. When they start making millions of hybrids a year, this should change.

And for the first 3 years, if a part breaks, its probably a warentee item anyway (unless its your fault of course!), certainly on the larger items such as transmission, etc.

 

[Daniel]

I think the 0-60 is a bit over 10 seconds. It's still plenty powerful for a family sedan. And since the electric motor has high torque at a standstill, the Prius accelerates faster than a conventional car with the same total horsepower. The Prius is not a muscle car, but it's no slouch.

My previous car was a Honda Civic. The Prius totally blows away the Civic for acceleration, whether from a standstill, or for passing at highway speeds.

However, the great selling points for the Prius are its fuel economy and, more importantly, its SULEV rating. It emits 90% less smog-forming stuff than other cars. It has comfort, quality, and features normally found only on much more expensive cars.

I've never driven a Camry, so I cannot compare from personal experience. But I sure love my Prius!

 

[Phoenix]

Prius performance vs. Camry

I have both. The Camry has a V6 with auto. There is no comparison off the line -- The Camry will leave the Prius in its dust. However, the Prius will keep up with the Camry on highway and mountain roads, passes competently (though not with the same safety margin of the V6) -- and will keep on driving when the Camry is stopped for fuel.

By the way, I take the Prius on road trips. The Camry stays in town.

The Prius gets about 48/42. The Camry gets 21/26.

 

[dcstar]

Hi I live in canada and i've been seriously thinking of getting the 2005 prius.
.....
I know for a fact I want Toyota, either camry or prius (this is my first "new" car). I heard they perform about the same. And here in canada their priced about the same. I know i cant go wrong with camry. But this prius really catches my interest. I wanna try something new. I just dont know if i should follow my heart with prius or mind with camry. I would love an owners insite on this, thanks!

I can't speak for the latest model, but I've had my Prius since December 2001 without any reliability problems whatsoever.

It's mostly done city driving, but it also has had long trips as well and coped well with the warm(ish) conditions in my part of Australia, how it goes in the colder climes of Canada I don't really know.

Having said that, I do have to take mine in to a dealer tomorrow for a recall inspection on the HV battery.......

Have a test drive of one, if you like it - and the rest of the Prius's attributes - then seriously consider upgrading and leaving the 20th Century technology vehicles behind.......

 

[finman]

decision...

run, don't walk to get your name on the Prius list! You will be disappointed with the Camry, especially if you are thinking Prius. This car is the best thing going out there...bar none. Heck, people are trading in their Porsches for this car. It's just plain fun to drive. Not some boring ho-hum run-of-the-mill car. It's from the future but here today (if you get on the list, maybe here in 6 months). I obviously LOVE my Prius and would have no other car. Clean-burning, best mileage, fast, roomy, really cool look (different and stand-out), and overall my blood pressure is down 10 points since driving this car. There, that should sell a few more...

 

[Bob Allen]

Re: decision...

run, don't walk to get your name on the Prius list! You will be disappointed with the Camry, especially if you are thinking Prius. This car is the best thing going out there...bar none. Heck, people are trading in their Porsches for this car. It's just plain fun to drive. Not some boring ho-hum run-of-the-mill car. It's from the future but here today (if you get on the list, maybe here in 6 months). I obviously LOVE my Prius and would have no other car. Clean-burning, best mileage, fast, roomy, really cool look (different and stand-out), and overall my blood pressure is down 10 points since driving this car. There, that should sell a few more...

Finman drives the same model, color and option package as I do, and I agree with him completely. Maybe it's the blue color; maybe the option 7 package, or, just maybe, the extra ordinary car itself. Never thought I'd see the day when I would be disappointed that my commute was over when my Prius HUMU and I arrived home. Nice to see the family, etc, etc, but I had to leave my car!

 

[AgentElrond]

My wife drives our own 2003 with 10,149+ miles; I'm driving the 2004 with 1329+ miles - we haven't experienced any problems with either one.

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