Toyota Prius

[hawkeye08]

Anyone have any experience with the new to the US high mpg diesel BMWs?

 

[houstonscott]

From what I have heard, one decent BMW repair bill would be more than my '06 Civic is worth. That's really rolling the dice on total cost of ownership just for repairs, let alone the purchase price.

I have owned four BMW's from new. No failures in any of them. The 335d I drive now is an extraordinary car. I have seen 43.7mpg, and if you understand real cars, not not first car, starters, you know what 425 fort pounds of torque at 1700rpm means. HS

 

[Spindifferent]

I drive my Prius for most everything, my Tacoma when necessary, and my John Deere for fun.

 

[dave1949]

I have owned four BMW's from new. No failures in any of them. The 335d I drive now is an extraordinary car. I have seen 43.7mpg, and if you understand real cars, not not first car, starters, you know what 425 fort pounds of torque at 1700rpm means. HS

BMW: 1 in 45 engine failures ranks 7th worst.
German cars lose out in reliability survey - Telegraph

The best three:
1. Honda (failure rate: 1 in 344)
2. Toyota (failure rate: 1 in 171)
3. Mercedes-Benz (failure rate: 1 in 119)

Don't be so cheap, at least get Mercedes. LOL

High HP and torque mean nothing to me, there is nowhere around here to make use of it and stay out of jail, or go airborne off our really bad roads. Cars don't make good tree ornaments.

 

[houstonscott]

BMW: 1 in 45 engine failures ranks 7th worst. German cars lose out in reliability survey - Telegraph The best three: 1. Honda (failure rate: 1 in 344) 2. Toyota (failure rate: 1 in 171) 3. Mercedes-Benz (failure rate: 1 in 119) Don't be so cheap, at least get Mercedes. LOL High HP and torque mean nothing to me, there is nowhere around here to make use of it and stay out of jail, or go airborne off our really bad roads. Cars don't make good tree ornaments.

I guess if performance, and handling mean nothing to you I understand the Honda, Toyota purchase. In the real world, of all the cars I have owned there has been four engine failures, three Chevrolet, one Toyota, that's my personal experience. Your link never says what denotes an engine failure, I wonder? HS

 

[dave1949]

I guess if performance, and handling mean nothing to you I understand the Honda, Toyota purchase. In the real world, of all the cars I have owned there has been four engine failures, three Chevrolet, one Toyota, that's my personal experience. Your link never says what denotes an engine failure, I wonder? HS

The only engine failure I've had was 1963 Pontiac with the slant-4 engine (half of a 389 V8). A rod broke and the crank journal used it to cut a notch up the cylinder wall. Of course I abused it. :laughing: Got a replacement engine from the junkyard, swapped it in and sold the car.
Pontiac Tempest - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I understand performance and handling. I lived in Germany over nine years and drove the autobahn. We had three vehicles while living there: a plain jane VW Golf, a VW Jetta, and VW Golf GTI. Even the GTI is a low performance car by German autobahn standards. I could be running the GTI flat-out around 115 mph and an Audi or Mercedes would go past like I was standing still.

Sure it was fun, in large part because the people you shared the road with actually knew how to drive and followed the rules, the roads were designed and maintained for those speeds, and they have more vehicle safety inspection requirements, but it's not the same here.

 

[MossRoad]

I have a friend who has a early Prius (04?), which they bought new. Well over 200k miles now and still going strong on the original batteries. They had to replace the 12v battery at 4-5 years, but otherwise they love it.


It depends on if you do the work, or take it to a shop...
My current car and its two predecessors are Volvos ('89 740, 93 940, 97' V90). My parents have had several 850/S70/V70 cars, my siblings have had several S70 or 740 series cars and (other than my current V90 which only has 130k miles) all have gone to 150k+ with just normal maintenance. VWs are similar (Dad had a '03 Jetta TDI which was great till we sold it with 205k miles as long as he kept hamfisted mechanics from working on it) as are many Hondas (my little sister has a '89 Civic with close to 200k miles on it that is still going strong).
My inlaws have a '97 Dodge 1500 pickup which is at 197k miles with just normal maintenance.

Aaron Z

Heck our 2000 Impala has 190K on it. Only issues have been a water pump and an intake manifold. Did those myself. The only reason we're replacing it is because of rust.

 

[MossRoad]

Other advantages to a Prius, to name a few:

Constantly variable transmission, engine always runs at optimum RPM for efficiency.
Headlights are self-leveling.
Programmable smart key system.
Touch screen control for heating and air, audio, GPS, more.
Large digital readout speedometer.
Hatchback with rear seats folding flat and inside tie downs.
Hidden trunk under the trunk.
Traction control.
15" alloy wheels.
Full center armrest, rear center armrest.
Inside lights come on when you approach the vehicle.
Same interior space as the Camry.
I could go on but you're already bored...

I am bored... in a Prius. :laughing: They are boring to drive. No guts.

 

[houstonscott]

1986 Chevrolet Blazer 2.8
1998 Chevrolet Suburban 5.7
2009 Chevrolet Suburban 5.3
1979 Toyota Land Cruiser

All had engine failures requiring opening up and in the 2.8 Blazer total replacement. The 5.3 was covered under 100k drive train warranty.

1 Alfa Romeo
2 Fiat's
4 VW's
1 Ford
1 Toyota
4 BMW's
1MB, currently at 180k

All never had wrench on the engine, each exceeding 100k.

HS

 

[txdon]

I am bored... in a Prius. :laughing: They are boring to drive. No guts.

Da, it's a machine, you want guts get a horse.

 

[sixdogs]

I am bored... in a Prius. :laughing: They are boring to drive. No guts.

Years back I drove a boring 1962 Ford Falcon with an underpowered four cylinder. I learned to turn the radio up to make it more exciting and it worked. Maybe turn the radio up in a Prius?

 

[MossRoad]

I'm not knocking them at all. I love both the Prius and VW TDI. I'm just pointing out that they are not the lowest cost solution.

IT, you may be right about a used VW. I need to run the numbers, it's just that I keep coming up against a timing belt change every 1.5 - 3 years which is pricey and kills overall fuel savings. VW should've run timing gears or pushrods IMO.

Prius owners I have a question which could only be answered by a seasoned owner. My 125 mile commute goes like this. Load kids into car and drive to front gate, sit there for 10 minutes with the radio on waiting for the school bus. Then onto the highway for roughly 60 miles at highway speeds 75mph (now the speed limit) with the air conditioner near full blast. The last 5 miles is city traffic stop and go but averages 40 mph. My question is, with the highway speeds at 75, without much battery re-generative braking, what would you estimate the mileage to be? So in effect, I'm NOT a hypermiler.

I know you are on the right track buying cheaper gas cars that get less mileage.

Look at it this way. If your car currently gets 30MPG on the highway, and gas costs $3.25 per gallon and you drive 30K per year, you're going to spend $3250.00.

If you get a car that gets 45MPG, and gas costs $3.25 per gallon and you drive 30K per year, you're going to spend $2166.00.
That's a $1084 savings in fuel costs, but only if you stick with a gas car.
If you switch from a 30MPG gasser to a 45MPG diesel, the average price of diesel is over $3.80.
30000/45*3.80=$2533.00
That's only a $717.00 savings per year.
Its not worth the cost to trade up to a more fuel efficient car once you figure the energy savings payback.
And while you'll find a ton of people that say their VW's are great, you will still see the horror stories of folks that lost a timing belt and face a multi-thousand dollar engine rebuild.
Also, no one mentions the $500.00+ service required at 40K, which is on you, as the warranty runs out at 30K.
Buy 3-4 year old Impalas that get 30MPG hwy and drive them into the ground. They are big, roomy, hold 4 sets of golf clubs in the trunk while still seating 5, or even 6 if you find one with a bench seat.

 

[MossRoad]

Da, it's a machine, you want guts get a horse.

Neigh! :laughing:

 

[RichZ]

Here's another Prius question...What about repairs and service? Being a hybrid, my guess is that the typical garage couldn't do repairs to the electric engine or the batteries, so you'd have to take it back to Toyota, right? That sure would increase costs. What do you Prius owners do?

 

[troutsqueezer]

Here's another Prius question...What about repairs and service? Being a hybrid, my guess is that the typical garage couldn't do repairs to the electric engine or the batteries, so you'd have to take it back to Toyota, right? That sure would increase costs. What do you Prius owners do?

Nothing. They don't break. Oh wait, I did have to take mine in one time so they could update the software.

As for the car being boring to drive, maybe, but that's what I like. I stopped worrying about how I look driving a car or having one that is exciting to drive sometime back in my twenties.

If my Prius did break, the last place I would want to take it to is a typical garage, or any of my vehicles for that matter. Cars now-a-days are all computerized and highly technical. Elmer and his crew can stick to the old Buicks and Impalas that some here prefer.

BTW, the no guts comment is entirely off the mark. The electric motor provides a huge amount of torque when accelerating as any Hybrid owner can tell you. Another misconception.

The only service it needs is the standard oil change. Jiffy Lube does mine.

 

[powerpace]

Here's another Prius question...What about repairs and service? Being a hybrid, my guess is that the typical garage couldn't do repairs to the electric engine or the batteries, so you'd have to take it back to Toyota, right? That sure would increase costs. What do you Prius owners do?

Very little service needs to be done. No belts to change, timing or otherwise. Long intervals between oil changes. The Hybrid Battery needs no maintenence till it is changed. My dealer has never changed one. The 12 volt auxillary battery is about the same size as a motorcycle battery. It is a plug and play 15 minute job anyway. Doing your own oil changes will not void the warrantee. Brakes are only used in hard fast stops like in a screeching stop to avoid hitting something. The regenerative brake system is what slows the car. Theretically the brakes never need to be changed.

Go talk to a dealer they will show you everything.

2013 Toyota Prius Manufacturer Service Schedule and History - DriverSide.com

Hybrid Taxicabs - HybridCars.com

Diesel vs Hybrid - Cars Bikes Trucks - Malaysia Cars Bikes Trucks One Stop Automotive | Cars Bikes Trucks - Malaysia Cars Bikes Trucks One Stop Automotive

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I remember that a Prius was lightly rear ended in a fender bender in front of where I work. The fire dept came and sprayed a foam all over the Prius. I think a bit of common sense should of prevailed and realized is was a slight fender bender and there was no need to spray the car down.

 

[dave1949]

I remember that a Prius was lightly rear ended in a fender bender in front of where I work. The fire dept came and sprayed a foam all over the Prius. I think a bit of common sense should of prevailed and realized is was a slight fender bender and there was no need to spray the car down.

EV's are a real shock hazard to fire fighters. We've had some training sessions about this issue, especially in extraction situations. Unfortunately, we don't have a junk Prius or similar to cut up for training.

 

[Dan Hunter]

I haven't seen a single Prius commercial extolling their hauling capacity or service in commercial delivery.

 

[IslandTractor]

I haven't seen a single Prius commercial extolling their hauling capacity or service in commercial delivery.

I've never seen such an ad for any BMW either.