Hello from the Black Country

[Catlover]

21 minutes ago, demag said:

Actually you mentioning the Auris, one of my questions was going to be, in my price range of up to £6k there are a few later Auris's (Aurii?) and gen 3 Prius's listed but with 150k+ mileages. Is it best to stick with a low mile gen2 Prius or look at later but high mile models? I know these cars will do phenomenal miles but surely stuff must wear out on them as well.

From all reports I have reviewed (lot on You tube) the actual engine and electric drive part of Auris/Prius seems to be bullet proof. Not read of any review saying "watch the Battery pack". Of course the rest of the vehicle is like any other, exhausts will rust, brakes will wear,  track rods and other such linkages will wear.......... but the actual hybrid bits seem to last.  Probably over engineered from day 1 and we, the buyers, are the benefactors.

[Cyker]

Heh, I remember when the Gen2 came out I figured the battery'd be dead in 2 years, but here we are how many years later and 99% of them are still using the original Battery with most of the charge still available! Toyota's Battery management has done wonders for extending the life of those things!

 

[16_Auris_HSD]

6 hours ago, demag said:

My present Citroen is an 04 plate C5 exclusive estate 2.2 hdi auto so not exactly the most economical car on the planet, but I've seen 50mpg+ at 60mph in cruise on the motorway. However around town I usually see mid to high twenties!

So that's worth 1 grand privately if you're lucky. And it's fair to say that the depreciation is non existent. Spending 5 grand to save a couple of hundred pounds each year isn't going to cost you less in the long run. Unless you're bored with C5 and feel the need to change.

[demag]

They're only fetching 500 quid for series 1 even really nice ones. But it has to go, its the combination of high insurance costs and ved plus low mpg. It looks like diesels are rapidly being seen as the bad boys and I can see ved rising on older cars as well. If the Prius has high insurance but low ved and high mpg I can live with that and I'll be doing my bit to save the planet.

I'm looking at a T4 in a dealers and Spirit from a private owner but with more miles. Hopefully the money should be in my account next week.

[danowat]

Just out of curiosity, what are you expecting to get mpg wise out of a Prius?

[demag]

Fifties would be nice. Anything more would be a bonus. My main aim is low overheads, I just want to get my basic costs down so I can plan ahead.

[PeteB]

5 minutes ago, demag said:

Fifties would be nice. Anything more would be a bonus. My main aim is low overheads, I just want to get my basic costs down so I can plan ahead.

Gen 2 Prius should easily achieve mid 50s and low 60s for Gen 3 on 15" wheels, maybe high 50s on 17".  If you regularly drive in London as I did in the Gen 2, about 50 is the best you can hope for.  On longer runs, taken gently, much higher mpg can be achieved.  Even when tootling though villages, the reported mpg on my Gen 3 would climb into the 70s if driven non stop for half an hour or more on a moderately warm day.

Apart from some dealer servicing charges being quite high (better if the car is over 5 years old and they admit to their reduced prices for cars of that age), maintenance costs are quite good too, compared to non-hybrids.  Recommended replacement for spark plugs is 60,000 (and they don't look like they need it even even), and if the car is driven daily discs and pads can last ¼ million miles or more.  Be warned though, if the car is not driven regularly, the discs rust like hell, and wear out very quickly indeed, taking pads with them (as I found to my cost on a Gen 1 Prius when it was hardly used for a year.

Most maintenance can be done by any reputable garage, but if you buy a Toyota extended warranty, then they stipulate servicing must be done by a dealer.

[danowat]

It varies quite a bit, and the OBC is optimistic, but I summer I was regularly getting 70+, in winter best I've seen is 65, worst about 56, weather and temperature plays a big part. 

On a run, it get low 60's with the cruise set at 67mph.

I think some people go in expecting 70 all the time, and get disappointed. 

[Catlover]

The guy who delivered my 59 Gen3 Prius drove from Liverpool to Chester area, about 27 miles, probably 20 of those Motorway, and he had set the reading to zero before he left and it was doing 67mpg going no faster then 65mph.  Having used it this week on my "normal" runs (no M-way) I getting 53.4mpg.   Thats about the same as my wifes Auris hybrid (used to be mine).

[Duffryn]

On both the Gen3s I've owned I've struggled to get much more than 51/52mpg during Dec-Feb time.

Having said that, I am retired, don't use the car every day, and a lot of my trips are fairly short so more engine warming up necessary which equals more petrol engine usage.

In warmer months an additional 10mpg is easily achieved. I never expected for one moment to reach the 70+ officially quoted, day-in day-out.

[demag]

Done the deed today. I bought a silver T4 60k miles 06 plate one owner full Toyota history. I took it on a test drive and it was very nice, first time I've driven one. It was spooky pulling away in total silence and when up to speed it went very well.

We also tried an 07 plate Spirit in black with 46k on the clock which I thought would be the better car but it wasn't half as nice. It was noisier, bouncy and had some graunchy noises. Maybe broken springs? Anyway we went for the T4 which I think was the better car. Pick up in the week.

[demag]

Just a quick update. I am so impressed with this car, I just wish I'd bought one a while back. No. 2 son likes it that much he's just bought a 13 plate Lexus ct 200h.

At the moment I'm getting 66-67mpg mostly round town and one or two 30 mile runs a week. I've only filled the tank twice, I got 452 miles on the first one and at the moment it's showing 350 miles on half a tank. Incredible.

I fitted some Osram Nightbreaker headlamp bulbs which took about an hour to do and were a bit of a fiddle but the lights are now really good and no one has flashed me. I fitted my Dashcam but need to tidy the wiring although it's working ok. I also have one to fit to the rear. I'm also going to fit some reversing sensors as my neck is crocked with arthritis and it's hard to look back.

I may have a problem with the 12v Battery being old but I think all else is ok.