Here's the background... I drove a company Prius a few times a few years back (it was an 04 or 05). I really liked the car because I'm a techie and I like gadgets. Well the Prius is the ultimate gadget Fast forward to today. We test drove a Prius today for 40km and netted 6.0L/100km (it's only 6 degrees C here right now)... Anywho I think we're going to do it. The dealer located a red Prius (base model) about 400 km away so it'll take a week to get it. We're going to sleep on it for a day before signing anything but we might have a Prius in the next week or so! The "special edition" model with VSC, JBL, Bluetooth, etc. costs $3300 more so I decided it's just not worth the extra cost. The feds will give me a $2K rebate so that's nice Not to mention the slow monthly savings of spending less on gas. I work from home and my wife stays home so we have no daily commute Can anyone convince me to spend the extra $3300 for VSC, JBL, Smart Key, and Backup Camera?
Just one caution, given your lack of commute (which is a good thing) - if your typical drive is less than ten minutes (local grocery store and back) your mileage will not be close to the posted average. The first five minutes before the engine warms up (more in cold weather) the engine operates like a normal vehicle. My worst tank was with 3 mile commute, temps at -10'C or colder and I got 36 mpg (sorry, can't convert right now, but more than 6l/100km). Warm weather and mix in several longer trips, I get 50 mpg no problem. But I like to look at gallons per month (gpm) not miles per gallon (mpg) anyway. As for the extra features, I have the base package and have been happy, but I imagine it's easy to get used to SKS. Some people believe VSC is an essential safety feature (including Consumer Reports), but I've driven quite awhile without any accidents it would have prevented, I figure. Depends on driving habits and personal choices.
JBL is very nice, so is BT, I got the full package because I wanted everything, so I would have no regrets. The only thing I can say is, if you have long commutes or do a lot of traveling, MAKE SURE the base in Canada has cruise control, I've read too many threads where people really regret not having that.
Yeah. Base model in Canada has cruise, 16" alloys, fog lights, garage opener, etc. The car I drove today had the JBL system and I thought it pretty much sucked (not the best factory one I've heard!) I realized that I was thinking of tinting the rear windows. Maybe I'll need that backup camera after all. I wonder how hard it is to see out the back after the windows are tinted....? I want a grey tint, not limo. I had limo on a Mustang years ago and couldn't see anything out the back. Hmmm....
JBL is not too bad once you add a sub, which I did, Bazooka $99 at Circuit City, made all the difference to me, but sounds like the base is Canada isn't too bad then. I do like the backup camera, thats kind of cool. I got tint on my car and seeing out isn't bad, at night its a little dark..
EJFB1029, I haven't read much yet but can the sub be well hidden and not take up much space? Got a pic?
Sounds to me that you don't really commute a lot. Perhaps the only time you may get a descent ride is during a long trip while on vacation, etc... If money does not matter, I say go for the purchase and enjoy the Prius. I guarantee you it is fun to drive.
Well I guess money doesn't matter to a point I'm selling my brand new truck I've had less than a year. I estimate I'll lose close to $8 - $10K in depreciation (it's a Ford). I plan on having the Prius for longer though!!
