How woeful is the proud prius owner who is not privy to the internet for purposes of a prius users group. Heck, I would say that many drivea half rs simply buy a car and do not necessarily join a user's group related to their car. There is no doubt to me that the prius is a special car but there are many other very expensive cars that special and rare in their own right.
The seemingly small, yet consistent problems, that plaged the 2001-2003 prius are no longer a mystery to those that peruse the Prius usergroups. The rather consistency of the particular front-end problems (steering wheel, rack, tire wear) seem close to inevitable. While some may be greatful that their problem surfaced before the expiration of the warranty (36K), what fate is beholding to those that are not furtunate to encounter the problem before that milepost. Furthermore, for those current owners who have had their rack replaced (some twice), what feeling will you get should yous fail again just outside of the warranty period.
Furthermore, how straightforward has the dealership been with revealing the scopd of the front-end problems. That is, who paid for the tires and alignment once the problem was discovered past the 1 year 12k miles point. If you did, it may seem like a small price to pay to maintain the attributes that was te marketing pitch "you look smart, you should be driving a prius". It you had known and had been fortunate to act earlier, you may have felt smarter. Are any of your steering wheels slightly off center but have not made an issue of it?
These problems should have been recognized by toyota (I believe they were) and addressed so as to avoid these eventualities. It should not be left you you to stumble upon, lament, and then be placing you in a role to find someone's son or daughter to pass afficted car onto. It will cost them more than the gas savings and may cost you more to your inner person.
Don't mistakenly blame the dealership.
