2004 Toyota Prius: Why I Bought it

Enjoy the solo carpool driving, because it will end soon.
From what I heard it will be extended until July of 2011, but after that you will be stuck in traffic with all the other single occupant commuters out there.

Every LA related post just reminds me to ask this question: why the hell would anyone want to live like that? I'd rather commute across a sarlacc pit

Can't wait until they just call them inflated ego lanes, a prius isn't twice as fuel efficient than any car made in the last 5 years, so anybody carpooling with at least 1 other person is having a lesser impact on the enviroment.

The prius is just a response to CAFE and CARB requirements without actually saving anyone any energy.

How does it work selling yourself a car from the company? You go straight for TMV or haggle yourself down?

+2 for the sarlacc. You just made my day!

The Illinois Tollway Authority is considering installing commuter lanes on the tollway system and it would be the only reason I would consider buying a hybrid.

I would look at the new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid as the Prius is a bit small for my 6'3" frame plus coupled with the recent recalls for the Prius.

Lostboyz, actually, yes it is. I'm not sure what Edmunds drivers do to get such poor mileage out of their Prius, but my mom has one and she easily gets ~52 mpg in the summer and high ~48 in the winter. The EPA agrees. With the exception of subcompacts, the Prius is definitely twice as efficient as most conventional cars out there.

"For me it's not a political statement, it's the easiest way to get to work and home again in LA without losing your mind. "

I agree. If I lived and commuted in LA, I would own one too for just that reason. And I generally hate the Prius. Still, I don't hate it THAT much to put up with the traffic.

GM really needs to pay off some CARB "officials" to get their Volt eligible for the carpool lanes too. Even if it costs them a few million in bribes, it will be worth it in increased Volt sales in CA. And no, I'm not kidding or exaggerating - that is how politics works in this country. The U.S. is no less corrupt than Russia, China, or any other country. We just wear nice suits while doing it.

My wifes Prius has been an awesome car. It is roomy, comfortable, smooth, quiet and gets awesome mpgs. I hate the steering but the damn thing keeps on running and running.

Amazing-- Philip's semi-raving about an '04 Prius causes me to ponder this: If the '04 Prius is so wonderful, then what is the 2011 like? It has to be much better than the '04, doesn't it?

@bodyblue: What year is your wife's Prius? And can it hold enough in the hatch for a week's vacation? That's pretty important to me, because my girlfriend likes to load steamer trunks into my Outback.

"The only down side to it is that now I'm viewed as a Pruis guy."
You can pretend this is your wife's car like bodyblue :p

>a prius isn't twice as fuel efficient than any car made in the last 5 years

What?

About 5 posts down from the Prius entry is the latest fuel economy numbers. The Prius is at 42 mpg. The middle of that list is at about 21-22 mpg. Meaning the Prius is getting exactly twice the mpg of the the newish cars listed. It gets 30% better mileage than the next best car, and more than 3x the mileage of the worst "car." Not to mention that the type of driving done in LA, city or stop-and go highway, the Prius gets it's best mileage and other vehicles get their worst mileage. In commuter-only duty, the Prius will probably more than double the average car mpg.

"For me it's not a political statement, it's the easiest way to get to work and home again in LA without losing your mind. "

Perfectly rational reasoning. But the numb steering, on/off brakes, video game IP and general blandness would make me drive something else.

Good car for what you need it for.

aren't carpool lanes for 4 or more passengers?

It really comes down to measuring the wrong metric. MPG is only a mesure of how much fuel you are using while driving, no one takes into account how many miles you are actually driving. I've already brought up the argument that someone can drive a monster truck to work if he only drives 5 miles, if you have a 40+ mile commute and use a prius you aren't actually saving anyone anything.

Nothing so far brings everything into the equation of how efficient a vehicle is, from manufacturing, transporting, driving, and amount of driving. Might as well grant special lane stickers for cars with the most efficient windshield wipers if you are going to promote such portion of the window of efficiency.

Just how do the carpool lane stickers work in CA?

Hybrids seem to get one automatically while there are other requirements for other cars right?

@lostboyz

In CA 2 people count as a carpool for some HOV lanes.

Also, the whole argument about more miles = more gas burned has nothing to do with the argument that 2 * 25 mpg = 50 mpg.

I dislike the Prius, but the whole hippie-heart-on-a-sleeve-liberal thing is about five years out of date. People of all political leanings drive them. It just makes sense if you want a great commuter car for $20k and don't care about sportiness.

"@bodyblue: What year is your wife's Prius? And can it hold enough in the hatch for a week's vacation? That's pretty important to me, because my girlfriend likes to load steamer trunks into my Outback."

It is a 04 also. The cargo area is a bit shallow because of the battery pack. If you can fold down the seat there is plenty of room. I guess it depends on your girlfriend! LOL

I am still in wonder of why toyota did not slap on a small turbo to this car.

The electric motor would negate the issue of turbo-lag. It would give drives increased top end power for better highway cruising capabilities, as well (if they tuned it right) better highway fuel economy. The issue of turbo cooling could be solved with a simple small battery powered oil pump.

3 cylinder engines aren't that bad, they just need to be augmented.

i just picked up a prius as a long term rental while my car is being repaired (thanks dbag for hitting me)...

...sorry, i just could never, never own one of these. yep, it gets good mileage - i get it. but it handles like crap, is slow, isn't quiet, doesn't ride particularly well, looks awful, and the interior looks sort of futuristic but i hate the layout.

in other words - all that is soulless and wrong about many "appliance" cars. forgive me while i go jump off a cliff after thinking about it.

My mom's '06 Prius is a disappointment on the highway...jiggly ride without the handling to back it up, mediocre power and brakes, and quite a lot of wind noise and tire roar (the expensive LRR michelins we put on it are an improvement over the OEM tires, but not by enough) plus some rattles in the interior. Plus the driving experience is like sitting on top of a milk crate and the dash looks kinda cheap.

I can't say it's TERRIBLE, it's comparable to economy cars I guess, but then I remember that it's a mid-range model that cost $28,000 new and I think...yeah, this is pretty terrible. I was trying to get my mom into an A3 2.0T for the same price. There isn't even a comparison between those two cars.

Yeah, I think liking a Prius is very much dependent upon how much you paid for it. My family paid $22k for ours back in '05. We've put over 130k on it, with lots of family road trips and commuting. It's very well equipped at the base price and has served us extremely well.

You see a lot of Priuses stickering in the high 20's with tons of useless options, which is a horrible value IMO. But for the low 20's, it's amazingly cheap for what you get. Look at the $40k Volt--it still gets roughly the same mileage.

"but then I remember that it's a mid-range model that cost $28,000 new and I think...yeah, this is pretty terrible."

I think that is a bit high. Remember standard equipment levels are pretty good A/C power windows and locks..c/d player with decent stereo. I am not sure what else one really needs in an economy car.

"3 cylinder engines aren't that bad, they just need to be augmented."

What are you talking about? The Prius has a 4.

wrinklebump - awesome. That's why I won't leave the mid-west. I refuse to deal with traffic like that.

@bodyblue: It has the JBL sound, bluetooth, rear backup camera, and HID headlights. No leather or heated seats or nav though. I think it was package #3 of the 5 or 6 that Toyota was offering at the time. It was also MSRP; actually that was a very good deal for a Prius at the time, most Priuses were going for several thousand dollars over sticker.

What's a battery pack going for these days?

@bodyblue: Thanks for your response. Yes, I would have the rear seats lowered (just as I need to do in the Outhack.)

$8k for a car that allows you to avoid a Los-Angeles-congestion commute and garners 40mpg (at a minimum) to boot?

Done. It could be pink, covered in OB ads and Pelosi campaign stickers and I'd still drive it to work and back. And no where else.

Right tool for the right job. Brilliant purchase.

As to whether single-occupancy stickers are going away (yada yada) -- we've been hearing this in CA for years now and nothing's changed. But it would behoove Edmunds to document upcoming changes to laws like this -- I'd still support spending $8k on the commuter if just for a years' worth of pain-free commuting, but I wouldn't go over that...

"It was also MSRP; actually that was a very good deal for a Prius at the time, most Priuses were going for several thousand dollars over sticker."

Yep....but now you can deal on one, no problem. They are a great car for the money on the cheaper ones. If you can stand the steering, that is.

@ makakio:

I'm not saying he shouldn't have bought it because the HOV stickers expire soon. It's still a great car for commuting, especially when it involves the 405 around L.A.

"As to whether single-occupancy stickers are going away (yada yada) -- we've been hearing this in CA for years now and nothing's changed."

If you live in CA you probably noticed that the newer Prius' don't have the stickers anymore. The government only gave out a certain number of them and they were always temporary.
The stickers were to expire at the end of this year, but got extended until July 2011.

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm