Hey ya'll!! New to Prius but have marveled at them for sometime now. When I went out car shopping, I knew in the back of my mind that I was going home in a Prius, and I did. I got a 2013 Prius V with 58,000 miles for $11,500. It looks brand new inside and out. LOVE IT!!! I have some questions due to sheer ignorance and inexperience; like....is it bad for the engine to switch drive modes while driving? Are there any tricks of the trade so to speak I should know about to save myself and "Ruby" future anguish? I named 'er Ruby on account of her beautiful RED exterior paint job. Believe it nor not, the dealership was struck by lightening while I was there and they had to close down and usher everyone outside to leave, but that meant I got to take Ruby home for a 24-hour test drive essentially. LOL How awesome is that? I need to take 'er on the highway tomorrow to make sure "she" runs smooth at all speeds. Thanks in advance for all and any advice or tips. Much appreciated!! -Dale (Floridian)
Welcome (anyway)! Making engine mode changes on the fly is fine, just realize the mode will not actually switch until you come entirely off the accelerator pedal.
You will find more specific information in the Gen 3 forum. Just realize that forums often focus on issues but the Prius is one of the most reliable vehicles out there. Consumers Reports recently listed it as a number one used car. It obviously holds value well compared to some vehicles. A couple of interesting facts: you have no belts on the engine to replace, your air conditioner is an inverter driven three phase electric driven unit for top performance even with the engine off, brakes can last well over 200k miles (my case), and Toyota is pretty good about taking care of clear design issues that may pop up down the line.
congrats and welcome! just drive her and enjoy. nothing special to do or worry about. spend some time here perusing old threads and you'll pick up tips as you go along. all the best!
