1 Year / 14,400 Miles / 70Mpg: Mission (Nearly) Accomplished

[Bibsy]

"I've never owned a car with what could be considered 'soft' suspension;"

Maybe that's the key. Amongst many others, I've had a Lexus GS300, a Lexus LS430 and a couple of Jaguars, all of which gave, obviously, a much better ride than the Prius in normal spec, so any deviation from that makes it feel, to me, even worse.

Nothing wrong with the standard feel of the car, but no real ride comparison, as you might expect looking at the list prices originally.

But I'm happy, as the money saved on fuel alone has paid for some very nice holidays and a new kitchen!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

But I'm happy, as the money saved on fuel alone has paid for some very nice holidays and a new kitchen!

lol, you've sussed hybrid ownership. Friends or colleagues in their flash X5's or whatever, paying out to buy the thing and paying out for road tax and fuel just so they have something flash on their drive. Or you get something like the Prius and put the money to other use :)

And if fuel costs go up, which they always do, there'll be no moans from your or my direction either.

[Bibsy]

Yes. The issue for me is:

My Gen 2 has 95k on it and a couple of minor niggles. Runs out of hybrid warranty very soon therefore.

1) Do I keep it, running the risk of expensive repairs

2) Replace it now with another hybrid? Trouble is, mine has a trade in of about 3.5k and the cheapest sensible Gen 3 is about 10k-12k to buy. Big difference

3) Replace it with a non hybrid - even at twice the running costs, Something Lovely might be only 5k-6k to buy, so it all balances out.

Stuck in the decision making process at that point at the minute.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

The gen2 is rock solid compared to the gen3. Get the hybrid health check done which at least covers the HV Battery upto 10 years inclusive (assuming you comply with the requirements etc), though I appreciate the transaxle is the expensive part causing most people worry should it go pop.

Maybe give the car a bit of a recondition? We used to do that in the taxi job with our Mercs every year or 100,000 miles. Kept them on the road for longer and more often - not in getting bits n bobs done all the time.

Just preventative maintenance or a right good going over :) What about changing the transmission fluid? I know Toyota say it's sealed for life, but what is 'life'? 100,000 miles? I know users on the US forum change theirs at about 60,000 miles and have said the oil at that mileage was next to useless. Then your ol' girl has another few miles left in her and by then the market should be much more interesting with regard to PHEV's, BEVs and hybrids. The PIP will be a bargain in a few years, the Tesla S might have dropped to an affordable amount too.

But if I had a gen2, I'd stick with it. The anxiety you have with yours is much increased with me and my early gen3 :(

[Bibsy]

That's good advice, GC. I think perhaps a little fettle might be in order - even if it costs me a grand that's way cheaper than starting again with something else, and if it still all falls apart, well, it's a pain but not the end of the world. Ta!