I am new to this forum, and have found it to be amazingly helpful. After a happy 14 year relationship with my 1992 Toyota Paseo (207,000 miles), I’m finally in the market for a new car again and would love to buy the ’06 Prius. Being a teacher, I’m on a limited budget and am trying to cut costs by avoiding unnecessary options. Three questions: 1. How much safety value do the optional side airbags add, as opposed to the front ones that come standard with the Prius? Are they worth the $650? 2. Several writers on this forum have mentioned that dealers sell you the floor mats for $186. This seems awfully expensive for a few mats. Must we buy these, or can buyers opt out of this one? 3. Any recommendations for reputable dealers in the Charlotte, NC area? Thanks in advance for any insight.
I'm not in NC, so I don't have a specific comment about the last point. HOWEVER, I will say that I think the side airbags are REALLY important. Crash tests have shown that they are REALLY effective at keeping you alive if you're ever in a side-impact crash. We were really concerned about money, too (I'm a grad student; S.O. is a teacher), but the side airbags were the one "must have" accessory. I agree that the floor mats seem expensive. We got ours included in the MSRP, but I know that some people here opted out of them and got them for a lot cheaper at, for example, Costco. I don't remember the exact details, but you can do a search on this forum to try to find the specific mats. Good luck, and enjoy! It's a great car!
I just bought the same exact, factory mats on eBay for $65, instead of the $209 dealer installed ones. B) I bought a Package #3, because I feel the full airbag package may be worth it some day, even though I've been driving for 30+ years with VERY few incidents.
1. The $650 will seem cheap if it saves your life. On the other hand some owners have removed the OEM seats in order to replace them with ones that fit their body better. A resistor was inserted to make the car think the side airbags are there. When asked why they said they put comfort over the unlikely event the side airbags would open. 2. Most of the time you'll see the floor mats already installed as this is how the dealer makes more money. You may be able to get the dealer to remove them and get ones you want for less money.
