2007 Toyota Prius
Discussion
This should be a fun thread. I'm ready to hear it all. Hand in my PH card on my way out. Tree hugger. Hippy. Lentil munching yoghurt knitting liberal leftie pious self-congratulating don't care about cars or driving penny pinching w
ker.
With all that out of the way, a brief explanation of why on earth I chose it. Things here in NL aren't what they are in the UK. Used car prices are way higher and road tax is a bh. The heavier your car, the more you pay. Fuel type comes into it too - roughly double for a diesel. My petrol mk3 Golf is around €360/year. Back home (UK) my Dad has a Mercedes W210 320 CDI estate - it would cost around €1700/year tax here!
For months I umm'd and ahh'd and pored over used car ads. My main criteria was something not too heavy, petrol and reliable. Doesn't even have to be fast; it is not possible to have much fun driving here because the roads just aren't conducive to it and there are speed cameras everywhere. I was gunning for a 325ti but had grown very fed up of 3 doors.
Back in around January I found a Gen 1 Prius for sale locally with suspected battery pack failure. I considered it but after some research, realised it was more hassle that it would ever be worth. But it got me looking at the Prius. The more I looked, the more I was intrigued.
The more intrigued I became, the more research I did and the more I looked. I'd pretty much decided to buy one but could hardly bring myself to. I'm a petrolhead. Love all interesting and different cars. Love driving. Prius? Forget it.
But I couldn't let it go. The only way I was ever going to satisfy this curiosity was to buy one. Went to have a look at one at a dealer, mileage was a little high but the price was good. Unfortunately it was rusting oddly so I walked. Ended up with this one from the other side of Amsterdam (20 mins away) from a private seller.
As seen when I arrived at the guy's house:
Parked up at home next to neighbour's Gen 3:
A shade under 206,000km on the clock:
It was wearing winter tyres which I didn't want to wreck over the summer. As luck would have it, a set of 4 wheels and summer tyres were advertised on Marktplaats (Dutch ebay/Craigslist), I paid 280 for them and fitted them myself.
That's all the photos I have so far. Computer is showing an average of 5 l/100km which is 56.5 UK MPG. That is a mix of around town and motorway.
It drives great. Of course it isn't the last word in dynamics, handling, power. But it picks up perfectly well enough around town and the acceleration on the motorway is fine, perfectly drivable. Steering lacks feel but on your daily commute, who cares? Auto a/c, electric windows, remote locking, cruise control - all luxury items when you come from a povvo spec Mk3 Golf!
Go on, do your worst
I'm absolutely open to questions. Fire away 
ker.With all that out of the way, a brief explanation of why on earth I chose it. Things here in NL aren't what they are in the UK. Used car prices are way higher and road tax is a b
h. The heavier your car, the more you pay. Fuel type comes into it too - roughly double for a diesel. My petrol mk3 Golf is around €360/year. Back home (UK) my Dad has a Mercedes W210 320 CDI estate - it would cost around €1700/year tax here!For months I umm'd and ahh'd and pored over used car ads. My main criteria was something not too heavy, petrol and reliable. Doesn't even have to be fast; it is not possible to have much fun driving here because the roads just aren't conducive to it and there are speed cameras everywhere. I was gunning for a 325ti but had grown very fed up of 3 doors.
Back in around January I found a Gen 1 Prius for sale locally with suspected battery pack failure. I considered it but after some research, realised it was more hassle that it would ever be worth. But it got me looking at the Prius. The more I looked, the more I was intrigued.
The more intrigued I became, the more research I did and the more I looked. I'd pretty much decided to buy one but could hardly bring myself to. I'm a petrolhead. Love all interesting and different cars. Love driving. Prius? Forget it.
But I couldn't let it go. The only way I was ever going to satisfy this curiosity was to buy one. Went to have a look at one at a dealer, mileage was a little high but the price was good. Unfortunately it was rusting oddly so I walked. Ended up with this one from the other side of Amsterdam (20 mins away) from a private seller.
As seen when I arrived at the guy's house:
Parked up at home next to neighbour's Gen 3:
A shade under 206,000km on the clock:
It was wearing winter tyres which I didn't want to wreck over the summer. As luck would have it, a set of 4 wheels and summer tyres were advertised on Marktplaats (Dutch ebay/Craigslist), I paid 280 for them and fitted them myself.
That's all the photos I have so far. Computer is showing an average of 5 l/100km which is 56.5 UK MPG. That is a mix of around town and motorway.
It drives great. Of course it isn't the last word in dynamics, handling, power. But it picks up perfectly well enough around town and the acceleration on the motorway is fine, perfectly drivable. Steering lacks feel but on your daily commute, who cares? Auto a/c, electric windows, remote locking, cruise control - all luxury items when you come from a povvo spec Mk3 Golf!
Go on, do your worst
I'm absolutely open to questions. Fire away We bought a Gen 3 in March , new for the wife , it replaced a diesel Skoda Superb. I have to say it wouldn't have been my choice but my wife often drives them in the US when on business so that's what she wanted and we all know how those talks go .......
Truth is I rather like it , its inoffensive to drive , picks up rather well and cruises nicely on the motorway, can hit 60 in less than 10 seconds so much less of a slouch than many think and its a rather nice place to be roomy and spacious.
Fuel economy is about the same as yours a genuine 56mpg fill to fill but we don't drive with economy in mind, its a significant improvement over our diesel however.
Of course as you say not very PC but very under rated imo, but you need to have something to hate and the Prius has become the butt of jokes just like Skoda was 15 years ago.
Personally I'd drive a Prius over a diesel anyday
Truth is I rather like it , its inoffensive to drive , picks up rather well and cruises nicely on the motorway, can hit 60 in less than 10 seconds so much less of a slouch than many think and its a rather nice place to be roomy and spacious.
Fuel economy is about the same as yours a genuine 56mpg fill to fill but we don't drive with economy in mind, its a significant improvement over our diesel however.
Of course as you say not very PC but very under rated imo, but you need to have something to hate and the Prius has become the butt of jokes just like Skoda was 15 years ago.
Personally I'd drive a Prius over a diesel anyday
I'll just leave this here.....
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/someone-is-build...
Graag foto's als die van jou er ook zo uit ziet
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/someone-is-build...
Graag foto's als die van jou er ook zo uit ziet
hostyle said:
Now go and apply some man math! With the savings on the Prius to be had, what could you use those for... a track car! As you're close to Amsterdam, Zandvoort isn't to far of. Go and do some Vrij Rijden!
It has certainly crossed my mind. Not yet though, it isn't possible at the moment. liner33 said:
We bought a Gen 3 in March , new for the wife , it replaced a diesel Skoda Superb. I have to say it wouldn't have been my choice but my wife often drives them in the US when on business so that's what she wanted and we all know how those talks go .......
Truth is I rather like it , its inoffensive to drive , picks up rather well and cruises nicely on the motorway, can hit 60 in less than 10 seconds so much less of a slouch than many think and its a rather nice place to be roomy and spacious.
Fuel economy is about the same as yours a genuine 56mpg fill to fill but we don't drive with economy in mind, its a significant improvement over our diesel however.
Of course as you say not very PC but very under rated imo, but you need to have something to hate and the Prius has become the butt of jokes just like Skoda was 15 years ago.
Personally I'd drive a Prius over a diesel anyday
"Inoffensive" is a good way of politely describing it! I'm unsure how different the Gen 3 is to drive, I imagine they are pretty similar except for the power. It'll be interesting to hear back from you and your wife in a few months to know how you're getting on with it and how it compares to the Superb. Truth is I rather like it , its inoffensive to drive , picks up rather well and cruises nicely on the motorway, can hit 60 in less than 10 seconds so much less of a slouch than many think and its a rather nice place to be roomy and spacious.
Fuel economy is about the same as yours a genuine 56mpg fill to fill but we don't drive with economy in mind, its a significant improvement over our diesel however.
Of course as you say not very PC but very under rated imo, but you need to have something to hate and the Prius has become the butt of jokes just like Skoda was 15 years ago.
Personally I'd drive a Prius over a diesel anyday
320touring said:
Oooh, a Pious!
Looks good-plenty of knowledge out there re getting the most out of it and repairs etc
Yes there is loads of huge knowledge, the Prius forums are packed with folk who can answer anything related to these cars. Quite amazing.Looks good-plenty of knowledge out there re getting the most out of it and repairs etc
oldcynic said:
This thread got me thinking and shopping. I've just found a Prius on Autotrader with an LPG conversion!
I'd always assumed LPG was to make gas-guzzlers bearable, so an LPG Prius intrigues me.
I'd go for it. Unlikely it will break, just drive it around a bit and check the battery indicator while you drive. It shouldn't fluctuate much at all, if it does then the high voltage battery is dying or dead. Apart from that, things which go wrong are pretty easy fixes. See how you get on with it, if you don't like it then sell it on.I'd always assumed LPG was to make gas-guzzlers bearable, so an LPG Prius intrigues me.
Medic-one said:
I'll just leave this here.....
http://www.autoevolution.com/news/someone-is-build...
Graag foto's als die van jou er ook zo uit ziet
Dank je http://www.autoevolution.com/news/someone-is-build...
Graag foto's als die van jou er ook zo uit ziet
Certainly a sleeper! Mine does indeed look the same, I will take some more photos in the next week or so and update this thread with them, although there isn't much to see Some preparation for a basic service has started, I bought these the other day and am waiting for an online car parts shop to deliver air filter, cabin filer and oil filter.
Good question! I'm sure there is a specific grade/spec from Toyota but at the end mostly all full synth 5/30 is going to be basically the same. Right? I had looked online and found it for at least €35/litre up to around €90! A colleague happened across this Valvoline which ended up at something like €29.95 for 5x 1 litre.
Some more "fun" bits arrived today:
Oil filter. It is TINY. Hëre it is next to one for my Ducato based motorhome (granted, that is a big filter)
And here for better scale next to a tasty jar of tastyness:
Cabin/pollen filter. This sits behind the glovebox and is a 3 minute job; the current one is filthy:
Engine water pump belt. This is the only belt on the engine, there is no other aux/cam/etc belt anywhere:
Engine air filter. Current one looked OK but since I will change all these other bits why not do this at the same time:
It may be some time before all these things are done (Le Mans is next week - I'm going there in the motorhome so not worried about doing these bits for that trip) but I'll keep this thread updated cos I'm sure you're all dead interested
Some more "fun" bits arrived today:
Oil filter. It is TINY. Hëre it is next to one for my Ducato based motorhome (granted, that is a big filter)
And here for better scale next to a tasty jar of tastyness:
Cabin/pollen filter. This sits behind the glovebox and is a 3 minute job; the current one is filthy:
Engine water pump belt. This is the only belt on the engine, there is no other aux/cam/etc belt anywhere:
Engine air filter. Current one looked OK but since I will change all these other bits why not do this at the same time:
It may be some time before all these things are done (Le Mans is next week - I'm going there in the motorhome so not worried about doing these bits for that trip) but I'll keep this thread updated cos I'm sure you're all dead interested
I like them - once I learned how to drive them. When I first drive one I got confused at a set of lights and had to turn the whole thing off and on again just to get it moving. But that was more me than it.
You can get a Kayak inside one and still shut the boot too... (had to pick one up from Bristol and drive home, I was stunned when it went inside and not on the roof...)
You can get a Kayak inside one and still shut the boot too... (had to pick one up from Bristol and drive home, I was stunned when it went inside and not on the roof...)
OpulentBob said:
I like them - once I learned how to drive them. When I first drive one I got confused at a set of lights and had to turn the whole thing off and on again just to get it moving. But that was more me than it.
Without your foot on the brake pedal you cannot turn it on or shift into Drive - is that what caught you out? kapiteinlangzaam said:
Theres a reason why NL is the biggest market in the world for Hybrids
Do these still qualify for gratis wegenbelasting?
The reason is they have little or no BPM for the first buyer so they aren't cheaper to buy new, just a lot less expensive! There are loads here for sure.Do these still qualify for gratis wegenbelasting?
No free road tax unfortunately but they do 'give' you a weight discount so instead of paying tax on the real weight (around 1250kg), you pay it for something like 1150 kg. It is only one tax band higher than the Golf and will cost around €36/month here in Noord-Holland.
kapiteinlangzaam said:
So is that the case for all petrol electric hybrids then?
I was under the impression the new XC90 T8 was going to qualify as free, but perhaps not
No idea, you'd have to look it up. Given my experience trying to find this info out, don't expect it to be easy. The only way I knew for sure how much I'd pay was when the letter arrived. Info online is conflicting and/or outdated.I was under the impression the new XC90 T8 was going to qualify as free, but perhaps not
Today I did some servicing - oil/filter change, transmission oil change and water pump belt. There is no cambelt, no alternator so no belt for that, PAS and A/C are electric so no belt for those either.
Up on the ramps, tools at the ready:
Old transmission fluid drained - here's a sample. Not as terrible as I'd expected...
But when compared to the brand new stuff, clearly needs changing.
Engine oil was clearly overdue and it was also fairly obvious that regular changes have not been observed in the past. It will need a few close interval changes to help clean out the crud.
Water pump belt was dead easy to change, and like the oils - clearly overdue:
This was all at just under 207,000km
Next step will be to change the engine coolant, inverter coolant and check/change spark plugs.
Also today I filled it up for the second time, 811km after the last fill - it is using 5 litres per 100km which equates to 56 mpg.
StuntmanMike said:
I actually like these and think they are an interesting car...... I'll get me coat. 
Give one a try... you might like it...
320touring said:
glad to see it is being nice to you
its so good when servicing goes according to plan.
i'll be interested in your mpg-reckon you can beat my octavia?
Thanks - yes so far it is behaving fine. its so good when servicing goes according to plan.
i'll be interested in your mpg-reckon you can beat my octavia?
Maybe I could get it over 60mpg but that would require a lot of effort and driving like a dick so I'll stick to the current 56-ish thanks. Getting so many miles from a tank on petrol is great. I'd like to see you try that in a petrol Octavia
Roo said:
I've got an '07 plate one as well. Had it for just over three years.
It averages 57mpg in summer and about 49 in winter.
Perfectly adequate commuter car. Petrol, auto and comfortable to drive.
Have you ever had any problems with it? It averages 57mpg in summer and about 49 in winter.
Perfectly adequate commuter car. Petrol, auto and comfortable to drive.
shouldnt prove too difficult
they do a 1.2 tsi
now..
spritmonitor shows them at 55-59mpg (over 40 fill ups)
being slightly less facetious, the Octavia 1 1.6 petrol seems to be doing 45-50 for a few folks too!
its all about what you use it for-in an urban setting the Prius is likely top dog!
anyways, good luck with this car-I'll watch this thread with interest, as they're nearly at my paltry budget level
they do a 1.2 tsi
now..
spritmonitor shows them at 55-59mpg (over 40 fill ups)
being slightly less facetious, the Octavia 1 1.6 petrol seems to be doing 45-50 for a few folks too!
its all about what you use it for-in an urban setting the Prius is likely top dog!
anyways, good luck with this car-I'll watch this thread with interest, as they're nearly at my paltry budget level
I decided on a hybrid Auris as a Carbon Offset scheme for my TVR...
secretly I actually rather like it. Inoffensive is exactly the right term - it's well screwed together, is lovely around town and does everything I ask of it. More than I could ever have said for my now departed Chim!!
secretly I actually rather like it. Inoffensive is exactly the right term - it's well screwed together, is lovely around town and does everything I ask of it. More than I could ever have said for my now departed Chim!!
Not had any problems with mine in the time I've owned it.
Up until recently I used to sell used hybrid cars for a living. Generally they're all fairly robust. The biggest problem is the 12v battery can be a bit weak as they're very small. If it starts to lose its charging ability it can effect the fuel economy.
Up until recently I used to sell used hybrid cars for a living. Generally they're all fairly robust. The biggest problem is the 12v battery can be a bit weak as they're very small. If it starts to lose its charging ability it can effect the fuel economy.
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