[paul16451]

Hi everyone, I am glad to find this board! I visited my Toyota dealer this weekend. While I had thought about owning a Prius, I did NOT expect to walk out with one. I figured my budget could handle a 2000 Camry or Corrolla, but I managed to bargain down the sale to a $425 payment...only about $40 more than I would have paid for either of the other cars, so I went for the stretch and took it. And it's great!!! Everyone at work was in awe of this nifty little car, and when I saw another one on the driveway, we did a mutual "honk & wave."

I love it so far...unfortunately it is a 2002 model so I don't get the tax deduction...a used model w/11,000 miles on it.

Can anyone in California tell me what it costs to register a 2002 model? I'm not sure what to expect next year. Insurance was about what I thought it would be too.

 

[hybirds]

Welcome

Hey there! Nobody felt like replying to our introduction, so I thought I'd make sure you didn't wind up in the same boat.

I'm curious - was this your first Prius, how are you liking it, did you buy it certified used, and if so, what warrant(y|ies) dod you get with it? Ours is a 2001 with 46k - we got a pretty sweet deal due to the mileage.

Can't help with the CA registration question, I'm afraid. We're in Wisconsin.

 

[paul16451]

Not only was this my first Prius...this is actually the first car I shopped for and bought entirely myself...well, with the help of my wife. All my previous vehicles had been hand-me-downs or "extended borrows" from friends. It was certified used by Toyota, so I decided to trust it. And they gave me the same 8 yr warranty that comes with every Prius. When the finance guy asked if I wanted to extend the warranty, I could tell he really did not expect me to say yes...he had sold some of them and knew they already carried a considerable one.

So far it's working great...I love the automatic climate control and it handles REALLY well and very quietly. Everyone at work is very interested in it and I have given rides to a few of my co-workers. Our mechanical engineer was having a great time looking under the hood and figuring out all the components, connections, and where the engines and batteries were located. When I told them i only paid $18K for it which included the LoJack system, they all said it was a great bargain. I have a few other friends now who are interested in buying one in the near future...I told them they'd better hurry because the dealers around here are selling them out fast due to the rising gasoline costs. Our average cost here is $2.15 a gallon!!! My consumption screen so far says I am averaging 45.1 mpg.

One thing that also impressed me was how clean the interior still was after 11000 miles of use.

I DID make the mistake once of forgetting to release the emergency brake before pulling out of a parking space the second day I had it...and those intense squeaky noises I heard really scared me for a bit LOL until I figured out it was my own idiocy that was making it squeak, not the car itself.

 

[john1701a]

> forgetting to release the emergency brake

How common is it for an automatic transmission driver to use the "emergency" brake?

With a manual transmission, it seems a logical need. The odds of bumping the vehicle out of gear are fairly easy.

I personally find it odd that people use that as a "parking" brake for an automatic on a flat surface. The only time I ever use it is on steep-hill parking. And even then, it's only in the summer since there's a potential for it to freeze locked in the winter in Minnesota. So I rarely ever use it. There doesn't seem to be the need.

 

[paul16451]

You're right about there being no necessity to use the emergency brake most of the time on flat surfaces.

However, during my car research, I read that if you DON'T use it, then the brake line tends to rust into the off position. So then when you take that vacation drive to a hilly region where you DO need to use it...or god forbid the regular brakes go out on a hill somewhere and you start to coast down...trying to use it after long periods of non-use could cause the line to snap and make the brake entirely useless.

Like any other part of the car, it needs some "exercise" to keep it in optimum working condition.

 

[john1701a]

> then the brake line tends to rust into the off position

That happened with my Omni ages ago with both the BRAKE and MIRRORS.

The brake cable was easy enough to replace by crawling under the car with a bunch of tools and a Mountain Dew.

The mirror cable was buried deep in the door assembly. Had I realized it could rust in place then snap from not using it, I would have sprayed WD-40 in that long before that happened. Instead, it broke leaving the mirror unattached. Shoe GOO worked great for glueing it back in place; the stuff stays soft and is immune (for the most part) to winter salt.

 

[mrv]

parking brake

> forgetting to release the emergency brake

How common is it for an automatic transmission driver to use the "emergency" brake?

With a manual transmission, it seems a logical need. The odds of bumping the vehicle out of gear are fairly easy.

I personally find it odd that people use that as a "parking" brake for an automatic on a flat surface. The only time I ever use it is on steep-hill parking. And even then, it's only in the summer since there's a potential for it to freeze locked in the winter in Minnesota. So I rarely ever use it. There doesn't seem to be the need.

Last I checked my owner's manual, the parking brake should be set...

 

[paul16451]

well...

I don't want the same thing to happen to my nice new Prius. I know absolutely nothing about fixing cars and don't have the time to dick around with trying...I already work 60 hours a week doing two jobs as it is. Don't have the time to crawl under the car and mess around with a brake line I know nothing about...I'll just keep using it periodically to keep it working .

 

[stevesol]

Parking Brake?

I just got my Prius yesterday and am a bit puzzled by the manual. As noted in this message thread, the user manual seems to suggest that you apply the parking brake (pedal) when you park the car. I have never done that (unless I'm parked on a hill) with any automatic transmission car that I have ever owned. Is there a feeling/consensus among Prius owners whether the parking brake (pedal) needs to be used routinely?

 

[AgentElrond]

I think that particular manual entry is off. I would expect to use the parking brake (pedal) under the same situations as any other car. So far, haven't used mine at all; always parked on flat/level surface. 8)