Hey everyone - So, my grandfather just unfortunately passed away and we are all sorting out his estate together. The rest of the family seems to feel it'd be great if I took his 2013 Prius instead of us trying to sell it. I think according to the VIN it's a "III" for the trim? I'm currently driving a 1997 Honda Civic EX MT with 220k miles on it so it would be a heck of a change of car but it might be really awesome and a lot newer. I live in the Northeast US and we get snow a lot in the winter usually so I' m a bit nervous about that, since obviously grandpa didn't drive unless he had to. Would you say catastrophically, problems that develop with the Prius would be about the same financially as transmission or gasket problems with most old gas only cars? I'm used to being able to bang around inside my Honda by myself using only Youtube as my guide so that also makes me nervous. Anyway just wanted to make this post, say and invite any wisdom any of you may have while I'm deliberating. I have a little under 10 days to decide. Hi and thanks! I'll keep sorting through stickied threads in the interim.
Sorry to hear about your grandpa - loved ones dying always sucks. As to the Prius, I'd say take it! It probably has low miles on it if grandpa didn't drive much, and I can speak from experience that I've had no major issues with my 2010 except for recalls. As you've been reading through these threads, you already have a good feel for how to drive it for MPGs and performing any maintenance issues such as changing the oil (if you're so inclined.) As for how it handles in the snow, I haven't had any problems unless we get socked with 10+ inches or more, in which case I just work from home.
Greetings and Welcome Aboard! I'm sorry for your loss. There's nothing to be nervous about with the Prius and snow. I think it sits an inch or so lower than your Honda, but other than that it's just another smallish front-wheel drive car with 5 seatbelts. Ops Normal. Best of luck!
Hi from Cornwall UK. I too am sorry for your loss, but welcome you to Prius Chat. My daily driver is a Gen 4 (2016), but i would advise you to just drive the Prius same as any other car. It's perfectly capable of giving you good mileage without fussing over hypermiling, ie getting the most from a gallon you possibly can. Of course you may enjoy doing just that and it would be perfectly acceptable. Long as you don't impede the traffic flow and get us Prius drivers a bad name, LOL!
Sorry to hear of your loss. This sounds like a way to remember your Grandpa every day. You will love the car too. Good luck with it!
Welcome! Sorry about the way you got your "new" Prius. But I do agree with the others. I think you'll love that car. And, if you're a diy person, it's pretty easy to work on and there is a ton of info here, on Youtube, and other sources like NutzAboutBolts (Toyota "How-To" videos - YouTube)
I was a Honda fan before I got my Prius. I had 2006 Civic before and have driven many Gen 6 Civics like yours. Just about everything in the Prius will be superior to that Civic including most importantly acceleration. That old 1.6 VTEC even manual competitive for its time can't keep pace with a decade and a half of automotive progression. I'll have to disagree with a poster above about ride height. I have a steep driveway and scraped the bottom of my 06 Civic almost everyday. Not as much in my Prius. I remember the Gen 6 Civic even lower than my Gen 8 . I expect snow performance to be incrementally better in the 13 Prius. It's unlikely that whatever maintenance and wear items in a 4 year old car would exceed a 20 year old car. Think of it this way. Roughly, a 1997 Civic requires a timing belt change and 2 clutch replacements say every 100k miles? $1200-$1500? A Prius will need a new battery at some point. Let's say at 200k miles for easy math. Prius don't have belts or clutches. A battery replacement is $2500-$3000? Use your own math and rates and see how they stack up. The only thing you'll miss from the Civic is better handling and the being able to shift on your own.
