Just wanted to introduce myself. I've been lucky enough to live in a city where driving is far from a necessity- I can walk most places I need to go, bike most others. I've kept a '96 Saturn for the past decade as an "as needed" car, but it's finally dying its last death. So I just bought its replacement- a seaside pearl '06 Prius, leased and returned to original dealer, certified and whatnot with a clean bill of health and less than 23k miles on it. I'm pretty sure it came with package 6 (6 disc changer, backup cam, no nav system). I'm quite pleased. Frankly, with the kind of driving I do (less than 1500 miles per year on average) it's almost overkill, but I'll consider it severance comfort for the years I spent in a barely functioning Saturn. I'll be picking it up Friday and look forward to driving around my city without fear that a piece of the engine will fall out. I actually bought it in PA where I'll be for Thanksgiving, so my first drive in it will be the 7 hour one back home to Chicago. Figured I'd transition to a more-engaged style of car-ownership to go along with my new purchase, so I signed up here to glean and learn and whatnot. The first thing I'd like to learn is how iPhone users can maximize integration with the Prius, so off to the search function I go. My real name is Mike. Trebblekicked is an old internet psudeonymn that just won't die. I'm in my early 30's and I'm a professional comedian. Huzazh.
Welcome Mike! A couple of other topics you might want to look into. 1) Battery (the small 12 volt battery) issues with a car that isn't regularily driven. The battery is much smaller than a conventional car's battery. 2) The "guess" gauge (gas gauge) and the bladder in the fuel tank. In short, there is an emissions limiting bladder in the fuel tank that is somewhat flexible (more so in warm weather). This flexibility prevents you from truly "knowing" how much fuel is in your tank. The common work around is to refuel with "2 pips" on the fuel gauge. This way, you won't be left stranded, looking less smug than you otherwise might.
Hurrah, Chicago! Welcome to Priuschat, Mike! :welcome: I'm shocked that you were able to find such a low-mileage Prius. Congrats on the good find. Get comfy; there's a lot to learn.
