Which Model To Buy?

[Cognoscenti]

Hi - I'm new here, so forgive my ignorance and repetition of any previous posts. I'm looking to replace my current car (3.0 X-Type Jag ) with a Prius to give something back to the environment I've been steadily destroying for the past 2.5 years.

If the test drive goes well, I'll probably be sourcing it from Pinkstones of Stoke, simply because we had the wife's RAV4 from there and are happy with the service.

My question is simply which model should I go for? I currently use a bluetooth headset for my phone and a Palm with GPS navigation, so the T-Spirit looks like a waste of money. The T4 looked like a lot more than the T3 with no real added value (either at resale or in terms of driving), although this seems to be the grade that most people have. Finally, I've just seen some posts about the 'GT' vesion, which I thought was purely a concept vehicle.

So:

- Is the GT real or imaginary, and is it worth waiting for?

- If not, is the T4 really worth the premium (I'm about to lose the £1200 I paid extra for toys in my Jag and so may be biased against 'premium' audio).

- Is the waiting list significantly shorter for the T4?

Thx in advance,

Cog.

[Braindead]

The audio in the T4 is OK but nothing special except for the multi CD player.

I use the cruise a lot on the motorway.

The fogs give you option of driving around looking like a pratt - how much real fog do we get?

I guess the T3 would be the logical option. That's what I set out to get but ended up with an ex demonstrator T4 for less that a T3.

Check out some of the internet brokers who can point you at dealers who can save you a fortune. Last time I looked savings of over £1k were possible.

Not sure about the GT - nice idea but can't help but think it defeats the object of buying a Prius. :D

[asfafa]

What are your requirements for buying a Prius? Being the owner of my Prius for nearly three weeks, I am really happy with my purchase. The reasons for purchasing a Prius T4 was:

- My Volvo was beginning to become expensive to maintain, so I needed a new car.

- Being green, more economy, driving in traffic and commuting :-)

- I opted for the T4 as it had cruise control as I also do a bit of driving on motorways.

- I didn't go for the Spirit, as I don't like/want to use a phone in the car, and I would prefer to use Tom Tom instead of a built-in Navigation system.

- I think the GT is for real, but when it'll be available, I've no idea. The same goes for the Diesel model.

The longer you leave your decision to buy one, the longer the waiting list :-). I ordered mine on July 1 and it took a full 4 months to turn up. People ordering in October now have a 5 month wait. I don't think it really matters which model you choose - the list is just as long, though it seems to matter (from what I've read) as to the colour!

You're probably going to notice the difference in power and acceleration between the Prius and your Jaguar :-). You'll have to tell us what you think of the test drive!

[gasman]

I agree . I went for T3 because I have a portable sat nav and a separate bluetooth headset for my phone. With the exception of cruise, I just wouldn't use any of the other options ( although a demo car sounds a good option - none available when I bought).

According to the toyota mag the GT is pure concept/showcase and not due for mass production in the near future, simply because as was said, it defeats the purpose of hybrid power as things currently stand.

The dealer told me that delivery was currently up to 6 months but should start to drop quickly next year when production is significantly increased.

less than 48hrs now!!!

[Cognoscenti]

What are your requirements for buying a Prius?

Bascially, I've got a new job which means I have to drive a 120 mile round trip to the office each day (as opposed to 20 miles to the airport on a Monday and back on a Friday), so the jag's sub-30mpg economy means I'm feeling anything but smug on the drive!

In addition,

- I want to feel like I'm doing my bit for the environment (in addition to my Greenpeace membership...)

- The daily commute is 20 miles local roads and 100 miles up and down the M6, including the notorious Thelwall Viaduct, so I need a car that's very efficient in stop-start conditions, but has enough wheelbase and track to be comfortable and relatively stable on the Mway.

- I want a car that looks distinctive and not too run of the mill!

- I need four seats because this could be family transport at weekends.

I don't think it really matters which model you choose - the list is just as long, though it seems to matter (from what I've read) as to the colour!

So what's the best colour? It's costing me just over £100 per week in fuel at the moment, to say nothing of the extra miles on the Jag, so I really need to look at changing sooner rather than later. The only other car on my consideration list right now is the Golf 1.9TDi, and that's only because our local dealer can source one with a lead of less than a month.

We bought a RAV4 T4 D-4D last year which I don't find sluggish at all, so I don't expect to be too disappointed with the performance - plus I do know the meaning of 'compromise'!

Thanks for your suggestions and comments so far - I'm thinking the T3 will be the one I order. The salesman has given '3 months' as a delivery estimate in Astral Black......

[lininjim]

OOh, the Thelwall crawl. We do this every 3 weeks when I come home to visit my family. You cannot beat that smug feeling as you watch them burning fuel unnecessarily!

We have a black T Spirit and love everything about it. Having said that, we don't get mega fuel economy and we think it's down to hubby driving only 4 miles each way to work, it must hammer it. Still, 45mpg beat the reported 25.7 that my Clio gives me.

Go for it, spec is purely down to taste, but try the T Spirit for its handsfree phone and sat nav before you make a final decision.

[tooyoung]

Thelwall viaduct... When are they going to finish that. Last Thursday night there was only one lane northbound and even that went off at jn21 and then came back on again!!!

[Braindead]

I need four seats because this could be family transport at weekends.

The Prius has loads of rear leg room. I took my six foot teenage lad round when I was looking for a car. Prius is better than the Avensis, Mazda 6 and Nissan Primera in that respect. The headroom is also very good.

So what's the best colour?

I went for black but think silver works well also. All down to taste I guess. However, black shows the dirt far quicker than silver.....believe me!

[Cognoscenti]

An update on the Prius situation -

In the end, I couldn't face (and probably couldn't afford) the 3 month wait. VW had a new model Golf GT TDi (2 litre) in stock at a similar price to a T4. I've done almost 7,000 miles in it and it's giving an average 52mpg - albeit in expensive diesel. The other economy point is that the service interval is computer-determined and could be as much as 30k miles, depending on driving style etc.

Cog.