Well, my bride has finally about had it with feeding gas to her Camry and has expressed interest in a Prius. I'm inclined to buy her one, if only to distract her from trying to get hold of my 2008. Gen IIs in good shape and low mileage seem to be only about $5000 less here than a base 2011. Seems likely the Gen III might be a better deal. Has anyone here owned one of each, and if so, what do you or don't you like better about your Gen III? I tried this yesterday over on the Gen II forum, got about 75 looks but no response . . .
I think the best way to find out is, take your Bride to be out and try out the different models and see which one she prefers to drive. See if you can have each model for as long as possible. You could even rent the models she likes and that way she can give them a good test drive. Hal
That would be great -- unfortunately, no Prii in the local rental fleet. She's driven my 2008 a fair bit -- perhaps I could chloroform my friends James or Dave and "borrow" their Gen IIIs for a day (grin)?
We have both a 2008 (package #5) and a 2010 (III, with Navi) to which I have added an autodimming mirror and fog lamps. Both are nice cars. The 2010 has better seats, is more powerful, gets better gas mileage, has more information on its instrument panel, rides a little firmer, seats you a bit lower, and has better fan and temperature controls among other things. The 2008 seats you a bit higher, has more room between the front seats because there is no bridge, has better positioning of the navi screen, better cup holders up front, and a tad more rear leg room (but less head room). I'd say overall storage space is a wash between the two. Both can carry a lot more stuff than you might think from outside dimensions. That said, I'd take my 2010 over my wife's 2008 every single time and I have driven both extensively. I'm so glad my wife insisted upon a Prius (she's a science teacher) when she bought her's in 2007. I would have never considered one had it not been for driving her car. Tom
I think she would be happy with both. Let her decide and we can have a lottery on what she decides on.Much less money purchasing a used low mileage Prius than new? Better hurry thu, as I think the values may be on the way up? H
We have both (2005 & 2010). I like the quirkiness of the Gen 2. It feels more specialized and you feel like part of the club. In the Gen 3, it feels like a normal car. Some of that uniqueness is gone. That said, I very much like the improvements they've made on the Gen 3 (no bladder in the fuel tank, better warm up time with the exhaust heat recovery vs. the coolant thermos, more driver seat adjustments, nicer sounding JBL audio and a slightly larger cargo area which can fit my fully stuffed suitcase under the tonneau cover in the Gen 3). The increased mileage also helps.
In addition to what the other members are saying, your II can run out of gas and still drive but the III will shut off immediately if you ever run out of gas.
That isn't how I read Bob Wilson's tests. His Gen3 quietly and without warning continued running until the traction battery was depleted.
My Bride DID offer that *I* could have the new one. Alas, chivalry is not dead, and I could not allow it to be so. Given that, with gas $4+ per gallon here, the price of a good used one (around $18K) is close enough to new (a friend recently bought one for $23K, new, with warranty, etc) that I believe there is no advantage to buying used. TeacherMan, funny you would mention your wife's having been intrigued with the technology. I teach General Science and Physics, and had been using the Prius as an example of how energy can be readily changed from one form to another; sort of a more modern pendullum! I was very, very lucky when a friend left island and gave me a great deal on her 2008 Gen II.
If you can afford the difference get the 2011 but aren't losing a lot with the Gen II if you can get a decent price on it.
