<p>We have had 3 Prius vehicles, an original 2001 (ordered sight-unseen online in July 2000) and two currently-owned 2004 models (including the first off the lot in our county in Oct. 2003). My husband is 6’9" tall, and my two sons are 6’4" and 6’6": we sold and replaced the original 2001 when the boys got too tall to comfortably fit in the back. I am 5’4" tall. We all fit comfortably in the 2004 Prius, although the rear roof slope can be a little tight for the boys when they’re in the back and leaning over to the side. Plenty (PLENTY) of legroom for them, though. None of us have comfort issues with the Prius.</p>
<p>We completely love the cars and have had only one problem with one of them outside of normal maintenance. My H’s 2004 (which was the first one off the lot) had an odd experience when it was a year old, where it just… turned off. He coasted to the side of the road and Toyota took care of getting it repaired etc. </p>
<p>Otherwise we’ve been astoundingly happy with them. We find them comfortable, peppy, economical, roomy, and reliable. I am getting 48-50 MPG in mine, my H gets less because he drives with a lead foot. (I keep trying to train him…) I’ll be looking carefully at the next generation, and also looking at plug-in hybrids and all-electrics as a next vehicle. (The solar panels go on the roof this summer.)</p>
<p>I LOVE my Prius. I have two big sons: 6’4" and 6’9". The 6’4" son wants the Prius to be his when I buy a new one in a couple of years. The taller son has a hard time driving the Prius (headroom, visibilty, legroom), but is comfortable in the passenger seats. The visibility is limited, especially for lane changes. I always double check. Mileage is great for me (45 mpg or more), less so for my husband. I often take it on long drives, but the driver’s seat is a bit uncomfortable for super long trips. I have had the car for years and finally bought a memory foam seat cushion for it recently, which I plan to try soon. I highly recommend the car.</p>
<p>We loved our 2003 Prius so much that we bought a 2005, too. We haven’t had any problems with either one. H and S are both about 6’1" and have no comfort issues. We tend to make fairly short trips and find that our average mpg is about 44–efficiency is better with a warm engine. Several other Prius drivers that we know have added those convex mirrors to their rear view mirrors to enhance their ability to see well when changing lanes.</p>
<p>marite, that stuff gets stolen in Boston, too?! I just saw a report on the local evening news about a growing number of used cooking oil thefts in Seattle. Unbelievable!</p>
<p>There’s the problem with thieves drilling holes in gas tanks to steal gasoline. With cordless drills! Dangerous to do and expensive for the vehicle owner to repair.</p>
<p>I have an old Avalon which gets about 28. It isn’t really worth it to get something in the mid-30s. Mid-40s may be worth it. But it’s nice not having to pay heavy property taxes and insurance rates on a new car. The Avalon is nice for carrying a lot of people too (we have the front bench seat).</p>
<p>Calif_dad, whatever you decide to do, do not get a Smartfortwo! It requires PREMIUM gas :eek: to get the combined city/hwy 35 mpg! I just read that in the paper and almost choked on my dinner. So much for saving money on gas! I’m glad I got a Corolla hatchback. Get your Prius and you’ll be happy.</p>
<p>Yes, Toyota calls it “Matrix”, but it is just a hatchback version of the Corolla. It is more versatile than the sedan when it comes to hauling stuff, since the back seats can be folded flat. Our automatic transmission gets 32 mpg (city/hwy combined), as determined experimentally by tracking fuel receipts/odometer readings for several months. However, D has a very light foot, so YMMV.
The car is also available as Pontiac Vibe.</p>
<p>Another Prius fan here: we liked our 2002 Prius so much we bought another one in 2006. We tend to get MPGs around 45 in the winter and in the low 50s in the warmer months (we live in New England). You can improve your gas mileage if you adjust your driving style – don’t drive over 60 mph, don’t peel out, don’t use the heater or air conditioning until it’s torture not to, etc. Also, having a Prius tends to train you in energy-saving ways – you start thinking more about combining errands, or walking when you could be driving, when you own one. </p>
<p>For all you college parents wondering if you can transport your child and all his/her stuff to college and back in just a Prius, yes you can! But you have to have a child on the same wave-length enviro-mentally who truly buys the premise that less is more – i.e. no fridge, etc. We managed to transport D and all her stuff back and forth to college all four years in just a Prius (the 2006 model – the one with a hatch-back). </p>
<p>I hear that it’s really hard to get Priuses now with everyone wanting them. We bought our 2006 model right off the lot, not caring enough about color or other options to wait, and we were able to take it home with us.</p>
<p>Both of our kids learned to drive on the (old) Prius. We have had no complaints about either one so far.</p>
<p>A coworker just had one delivered. I think that it took about four weeks from purchase. He was asking me today if the extended warranty and prepaid service are worth it.</p>
<p>I have had my 2005 Prius for 3.5 years now. It is the first car I have owned that I actively love. I am in St. Paul and have driven it on -20 days as well as 100+ days, all with no problem. In summer I average about 50 mpg, in deep winter 40 with sub-zero days going towards 38 mpg. Starting has never been a problem.</p>
<p>Mechanically flawless so far - have 60k on it.</p>
<p>I am 6’ 2" and have no problems with room in the front seats. I have also been comfortable in the back but have not had to ride there for extended periods. Plenty of trunk room and the flexibility of a hatchback was a big feature for me. I can get bigger things into the car when I need to.</p>
<p>Flaws? A few:</p>
<p>– I don’t mind the rear view (with a split) but the blind spots out the corners are quite large. The curtain air bags (another feature we really like) does make for thicker front columns which create wider blocked-out areas.</p>
<p>– The LCD display goes out at below-0 temps, coming back to life slowly as the car warms.</p>
<p>– The original equipment tires a kind of cheapo. I replaced mine at 30K.</p>
<p>So far that’s what I have to complain about.</p>
<p>A couple of questions for you Prius owners (from a Prius wannabee) -</p>
<p>Would a Prius fit a small harp (about 5’6 inches tall) in the back? I’m pretty sure the original model would, but I don’t know if they’ve changed dimensions on the more recent models.</p>
<p>Are heated seats an option? Do the new models have tire pressure monitors?</p>
<p>Should I wait for the plug-in model? </p>
<p>The lines are too long to wait to pose my questions at the local Toyota dealerships!</p>
<p>I was at the dealership this morning for a minor repair and was amazed to see that the showroom was empty. I couldn’t see any small cars in the lot either. I asked them about it and they apparently are getting cleaned out on small cars.</p>
<p>They said that the Prius had a wait of several months and that the Camry Hybrid had a wait of several weeks. I have been seeing a lot of Corollas on my regular commute and have been seeing fewer large vehicles. I guess we have a major trend change in progress.</p>