[Davesrose]

I've been driving a Prius 2010 for 13 years....no jokes At the time I got it, it was the main option for a practical hybrid as it was the only one with fold down seats (I was also looking at a Ford sedan, but its trunk was reduced with battery being behind the back seats). Another cool feature with it that I haven't seen with other cars is that it has a solar panel that circulates a fan (so during a hot day, the inside of the car isn't as hot). Don't know why Toyota dropped it with subsequent models. Even though my Prius has 120,000 on it, I have been thinking it might be time to get another practical car. With age, the NiCad battery starts depleting reducing its fuel economy reduces (I guess also it might have times where the gas engine is charging the battery).

So I was still thinking about something practical and well designed. The next generation Prius turned out to be so ugly looking. Hybrid sedans improved. Now there's EV options. Or maybe also splurge a big more for a luxury car. I might have considered Tesla if it weren't for Musk being political. Plus not sure if full EV is great for long range driving in the South (I live in Atlanta). Then a little over a month ago I found out Toyota has a new Prius and Prius Prime...that look sleek! The Prime has an EV range of over 40 miles, with the larger gas engine and LI battery has 100 hp more than my current Prius, and reviewers seem impressed with it being a Prius that actually has pick up. The only main thing is that it's generating hype, so its hard to get. Allocations are just now starting to open in the SE (and are still being sold before they hit the lot). I was checking Toyota's website regularly. Saw a top trim Supersonic Red Prime listed at an Atlanta dealership, so I drove up and made a deposit. They're now saying it's probably going to arrive in 2 weeks.

Seems a lot of the review cars have the solar panel option, but mine will have glass roof with shade.

 

[SilverEars]

I've been driving a Prius 2010 for 13 years....no jokes At the time I got it, it was the main option for a practical hybrid as it was the only one with fold down seats (I was also looking at a Ford sedan, but its trunk was reduced with battery being behind the back seats). Another cool feature with it that I haven't seen with other cars is that it has a solar panel that circulates a fan (so during a hot day, the inside of the car isn't as hot). Don't know why Toyota dropped it with subsequent models. Even though my Prius has 120,000 on it, I have been thinking it might be time to get another practical car. With age, the NiCad battery starts depleting reducing its fuel economy reduces (I guess also it might have times where the gas engine is charging the battery).

So I was still thinking about something practical and designed well designed. The next generation Prius turned out to be so ugly looking. Hybrid sedans improved. Now there's EV options. Or maybe also splurge a big more for a luxury car. I might have considered Tesla if it weren't for Musk being political. Plus not sure if full EV is great for long range driving in the South (I live in Atlanta). Then a little over a month ago I found out Toyota has a new Prius and Prius Prime...that look sleek! The Prime has an EV range of over 40 miles, with the larger gas engine and LI battery has 100 hp more than my current Prius, and reviewers seem impressed with it being a Prius that actually has pick up. The only main thing is that it's generating hype, so its hard to get. Allocations are just now starting to open in the SE (and are still being sold before they hit the lot). I was checking Toyota's website regularly. Saw a top trim Supersonic Red Prime listed at an Atlanta dealership, so I drove up and made a deposit. They're now saying it's probably going to arrive in 2 weeks.

Seems a lot of the review cars have the solar panel option, but mine will have glass roof with shade.

Nice, I was always curious about Prius. I was actually considering getting a good used model when I was researching what past years had the best reliability rate. The draw is of course the city mpg and the large space in the back to lug stuff around for a car. I probably would have went with it for efficiency.

I was actually looking for an SUV for comfort, since they are easy to get in and out now that I'm a bit older now, and Toyota RAV4 Prime looked real good, but pricy.

 

[Davesrose]

Nice, I was always curious about Prius. I was actually considering getting a good used model when I was researching what past years had the best reliability rate. The draw is of course the city mpg and the large space in the back to lug stuff around for a car. I probably would have went with it for efficiency.

I was actually looking for an SUV for comfort, since they are easy to get in and out now that I'm a bit older now, and Toyota RAV4 Prime looked real good, but pricy.

Yeah, I think Toyota won't be able to keep up with production (saw that they weren't producing as many due to consolidation with Japanese plants, and lower sales with gen 4). What was keeping their market up was it's #1 choice with Uber drivers (with it's regen braking, also minimizing maintenance costs). The main thing I had to get used to when I first bought the Prius was that it took a little bit to accelerate if I was entering the highway. I learned how to compensate (have to for Atlanta traffic). Once it gets going, it's great with highway driving (can drive higher speeds and aren't blown around like compact sedans). It might be a shock for me to get back to having a car that has pick up. The Prius also does have a surprising amount of cargo space if you know how to pack. I bought a 65" OLED from Best Buy. Before buying, I looked up its box dimensions and measured the car. Saw that it would just fit with seats down. The sales folks didn't think it could fit...but I insisted, and they were surprised that it wasn't hard to fit at all.

Apart from the solar panel, I'll also miss the spare tire. It came in handy once when I was driving back to Atlanta and needed to change the tire because of damage to the sidewall. I could just change it and go: their included repair goo seems awful. I've got a good tire inflator and plug kit. Will probably look at seeing if I can find a low profile tire that could still fit under the cargo mat (I've read that it's fairly easy to do with the non plug in).

Kia seems to have a model that most reviewers compare the Prius Prime to. It doesn't have the EV range and looks more like a box. Plus I've started watching a car mechanics site who has nothing but bad things to say on Kia's reliability. I think the plugin hybrids are just now starting to become relevant. As for getting a Toyota hybrid used, I assume the main concern is the battery. Nice thing was that Toyota's warranty for my Prius was 100,000 miles (and this new Prius is 150,000). Of course I guess that's just a rough generalization, since it's better if you can run a battery test on the car.

 

[dougms3]

Yeah, I think Toyota won't be able to keep up with production (saw that they weren't producing as many due to consolidation with Japanese plants, and lower sales with gen 4). What was keeping their market up was it's #1 choice with Uber drivers (with it's regen braking, also minimizing maintenance costs). The main thing I had to get used to when I first bought the Prius was that it took a little bit to accelerate if I was entering the highway. I learned how to compensate (have to for Atlanta traffic). Once it gets going, it's great with highway driving (can drive higher speeds and aren't blown around like compact sedans). It might be a shock for me to get back to having a car that has pick up. The Prius also does have a surprising amount of cargo space if you know how to pack. I bought a 65" OLED from Best Buy. Before buying, I looked up its box dimensions and measured the car. Saw that it would just fit with seats down. The sales folks didn't think it could fit...but I insisted, and they were surprised that it wasn't hard to fit at all.

Apart from the solar panel, I'll also miss the spare tire. It came in handy once when I was driving back to Atlanta and needed to change the tire because of damage to the sidewall. I could just change it and go: their included repair goo seems awful. I've got a good tire inflator and plug kit. Will probably look at seeing if I can find a low profile tire that could still fit under the cargo mat (I've read that it's fairly easy to do with the non plug in).

Kia seems to have a model that most reviewers compare the Prius Prime to. It doesn't have the EV range and looks more like a box. Plus I've started watching a car mechanics site who has nothing but bad things to say on Kia's reliability. I think the plugin hybrids are just now starting to become relevant. As for getting a Toyota hybrid used, I assume the main concern is the battery. Nice thing was that Toyota's warranty for my Prius was 100,000 miles (and this new Prius is 150,000). Of course I guess that's just a rough generalization, since it's better if you can run a battery test on the car.

I went to test drive the prius while I was car shopping.

The new one is leagues better than the old one and looks really nice as well but its still quite boring to drive. I was enticed by the gas mileage but nasty dealer markups really discouraged me. I asked about the GR corolla and they marked that one up even more.

Decided to with a Mazda 3 Turbo Hatch. I'm getting close to Silverears age and I can't sit in NYC traffic with a manual anymore.

 

[SilverEars]

I went to test drive the prius while I was car shopping.

The new one is leagues better than the old one and looks really nice as well but its still quite boring to drive. I was enticed by the gas mileage but nasty dealer markups really discouraged me. I asked about the GR corolla and they marked that one up even more.

Decided to with a Mazda 3 Turbo Hatch. I'm getting close to Silverears age and I can't sit in NYC traffic with a manual anymore.

When you get close to my age, you need something higher. You seen all those middle age folks riding huge trucks or suvs? I have a compact Japanese SUV however. I just find them really comfortable to get in and out. And it's 6 cylinder so acceleration is respectable in the highway.

I understand classic Mustang from Gone in 60s (Eleanor) is a beaute, but this custom made ones look so good. He accentuated the classic looks in the right spots.


It seems these custom builts are the next thing in cars. The old beamer custom builts look really good as well

 

[Davesrose]

I went to test drive the prius while I was car shopping.

The new one is leagues better than the old one and looks really nice as well but its still quite boring to drive. I was enticed by the gas mileage but nasty dealer markups really discouraged me. I asked about the GR corolla and they marked that one up even more.

That's nice that you could test drive a Prius Prime. When I first started looking in the SE, only a few dealers had started getting any 2023 Prius allocated, much less Prime. I have heard about big mark ups....guess there's differences with regions. Since I've put the deposit down, I have the final dollar amount of my trade in, MSRP, dealer fees, etc. I'll be able to test drive it when it arrives and can ask for my deposit back if I don't like it. But from where I'm coming from, I'll probably like it: if reviewers are saying it has the same pickup as sporty compacts. Seems a lot of reviewers are negative about the instrument panel: that it's dependent on your seating position and steering wheel orientation. In my current Prius, I sit pretty high, so I don't think I'll find an issue (plus when I first bought it, it was a learning curve to have it in the center dash).

As for pricing, the main thing also in GA is that they changed taxes since the last time I bought a car. Now they have sales tax and complete tag tax. The main mark up the dealer is doing is adding window tint (they said it wasn't optional). I think if I really wanted to negotiate, I could have asked more for the trade in. I'd rather just trade in vs selling the car and having to drive a rental around. The trade in covers the taxes and dealer fees at least.

 

[dougms3]

When you get close to my age, you need something higher. You seen all those middle age folks riding huge trucks or suvs? I have a compact Japanese SUV however. I just find them really comfortable to get in and out. And it's 6 cylinder so acceleration is respectable in the highway.

I understand classic Mustang from Gone in 60s (Eleanor) is a beaute, but this custom made ones look so good. He accentuated the classic looks in the right spots.


It seems these custom builts are the next thing in cars. The old beamer custom builts look really good as well

Meh, I'd rather have one of these and build it.



I'm more into compact hot hatches. And function over form.

If you want a car thats comfortable to get in and out of, the fiat 500 might be the most comfortable for that, its like sitting in a chair.

 

[SilverEars]

Meh, I'd rather have one of these and build it.



I'm more into compact hot hatches. And function over form.

If you want a car thats comfortable to get in and out of, the fiat 500 might be the most comfortable for that, its like sitting in a chair.

I'm wondering why you didn't get a Yaris GR instead. You will understand someday when you reach an age when you don't want to bend down to get inside a vehicle.

 

[MickBenjamins]

I went on this Dream Car Tour today. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun. Jon is a great guide and made the experience truly a dream.

https://www.gothamdreamcars.com/dream-car-tour

Highly recommended.

for a sec I thought "wow, this guy has a lot of card"

Thats a a great mix of cars! Must have been an awesome day

How did you like them? Any ranking on which you liked best, and why?

 

[MickBenjamins]

Not sure what the general concensus on electric cars is here, but this is sick!

 

[dougms3]

That's nice that you could test drive a Prius Prime. When I first started looking in the SE, only a few dealers had started getting any 2023 Prius allocated, much less Prime. I have heard about big mark ups....guess there's differences with regions. Since I've put the deposit down, I have the final dollar amount of my trade in, MSRP, dealer fees, etc. I'll be able to test drive it when it arrives and can ask for my deposit back if I don't like it. But from where I'm coming from, I'll probably like it: if reviewers are saying it has the same pickup as sporty compacts. Seems a lot of reviewers are negative about the instrument panel: that it's dependent on your seating position and steering wheel orientation. In my current Prius, I sit pretty high, so I don't think I'll find an issue (plus when I first bought it, it was a learning curve to have it in the center dash).

As for pricing, the main thing also in GA is that they changed taxes since the last time I bought a car. Now they have sales tax an complete tag tax. The main mark up the dealer is doing is adding window tint (they said it wasn't optional). I think if I really wanted to negotiate, I could have asked more for the trade in. I'd rather just trade in vs selling the car and having to drive a rental around. The trade in covers the taxes and dealer fees at least.

Its a nice car and it drives fine. Again, leagues better than the last gen prius but theres alot of competition on the market for that price range.

I'm a little different when looking at cars I wanna buy. My criteria is favored towards performance more than anything else.

I'm wondering why you didn't get a Yaris GR instead. You will understand someday when you reach an age when you don't want to bend down to get inside a vehicle.

They don't offer that car in US. I'd have bought it in an instant if it were. Lol you're about the same age as me.

 

[Davesrose]

Its a nice car and it drives fine. Again, leagues better than the last gen prius but theres alot of competition on the market for that price range.

I'm a little different when looking at cars I wanna buy. My criteria is favored towards performance more than anything else.

Well looking at what you bought and MickBenjamins reply to another post of yours with sports cars...yeah, we're at different reference points. You're looking for hot hatch, while I was looking at something economy centric as well. Seems as far as the price range, the economy/performance for what the Prius Prime offers is a good competitor for what it is.

It would also be interesting to see how dealerships are in different regions when it comes to mark up. It's funny that reviews for the Prius Prime say the top trim is 39K, yet that's excluding the 1K+ destination. The other added for mine were the red paint and protective coatings. If I was really good about negotiating...think at best I might save about $1K from what I'm spending.

 

[dougms3]

for a sec I thought "wow, this guy has a lot of card"

Thats a a great mix of cars! Must have been an awesome day

How did you like them? Any ranking on which you liked best, and why?

Lol I wish.

Was the best day ever haha, like the first time you goto Disneyworld as a kid.

I'd say the Ferrari was the best by far. Razor sharp, light, agile, fast. Very raw and visceral. Amazing brakes.

Aston Martin was 2nd, it was the most comfy and drives like a better version of the corvette. And the exhaust, backfires, crackling, gurgling everytime you lift off the throttle, so much fun.

Corvette was 3rd fav. Comfy, surprisingly refined and well balanced, I wasn't expecting it to be so.

Porsche was 4th, its a porsche. Nothing bad about it but that model didn't belong in the group.

Audi R10 was quite disappointing. It didn't feel that fast despite having the same engine as the lambo and overall kind of boring and uncomfortable.

The worst was the Murcielago, extremely tight interior space, I had to push the seat all the way back and tilt the chair up almost vertical so I could fit in it. Half my head was sticking out the top. The wheel arch is so big that you have to fold your left leg because theres nowhere else to put it. The steering is sluggish and has a wide turning circle, it feels vague and uncommunicative, needs alot of input to respond. Power was nice and it did sound the best though.

 

[Davesrose]

Not sure what the general concensus on electric cars is here, but this is sick!

Well yeah, electrics have been the fastest for a few years. Tesla with ludicrous mode being the fastest road car. Maybe gear heads still would prefer the feel of manual transmission?

 

[dougms3]

Well looking at what you bought and MickBenjamins reply to another post of yours with sports cars...yeah, we're at different reference points. You're looking for hot hatch, while I was looking at something economy centric as well. Seems as far as the price range, the economy/performance for what the Prius Prime offers is a good competitor for what it is.

It would also be interesting to see how dealerships are in different regions when it comes to mark up. It's funny that reviews for the Prius Prime say the top trim is 39K, yet that's excluding the 1K+ destination. The other added for mine were the red paint and protective coatings. If I was really good about negotiating...think at best I might save about $1K from what I'm spending.

The prius is a prius, its main selling point is the mileage. Probably the best hybrid available bar none. Nothing comes close to it unless you want an old lady's dead behind the eyes RAV4.

Well yeah, electrics have been the fastest for a few years. Tesla with ludicrous mode being the fastest road car. Maybe gear heads still would prefer the feel of manual transmission?

Thats the Rimac Nevera which is now called Bugatti Rimac, it will blow the doors off a Tesla anything. The Lucid Air Sapphire will also do that.