The Premier's Limo: 2004 Toyota Prius "winter beater" ecomodding thread

[MetroMPG]

For me it's around $60 a month. I only do liability coverage -- no collision, theft, fire etc.

And I don't live in a big city where rates are higher.

Actually, State Farm has said my sleepy little city is one of the safest (lowest claims) in the province. So rates may reflect that a little.

[Mustang Dave]

I feel fortunate. My 2007 Ford Mustang insurance costs me less than $45/month. That includes ($500 deductible) comprehensive and collision insurance. My F-150 for the same coverage costs even less.
I've shopped for better prices, but State Farm beat all the others every time.
I've known my State Farm agent since I was 12 years old. (And she was 14.)

[MetroMPG]

High insurance rates: that's Ontario for you.

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And finally, here's my "Sayonara Prius!" pic, with the new owner at the helm.



He's a younger guy, maybe mid 20's? His mom came with him to look at the car, because the ownership went under her name. Hilariously, she was the Bad Cop in the negotiation process. Sharp eyes too: she noticed a chip in the windshield that I hadn't noticed, and it really needs to be fixed/patched (or whatever you call it) to keep it from turning into a crack. And of course she used it as a negotiating point for a few more bucks off my asking price.

[MetroMPG]

This was definitely a cool car to own & drive.

I remember test driving a new 2000 model year Prius and saying at the time, "this is the coolest car I've ever driven." I was interested in the fuel economy of course, but the quiet (and frequent) engine-off mode, and especially the low-speed electric-only driving, was the clincher.

In fact, I can point to the magic of EV mode in that first Prius experience as part of the inspiration for building the ForkenSwift.


Favourite things about it:

• Effortless fuel economy: this is the first automatic transmission I've owned in a loooong time. I understand why people buy this car as an efficient commuting appliance.

• I LOVE how easy it is to pulse & glide and engine-off coast simply by lifting your foot to stop the engine and then modulate the pedal to keep it in "neutral".

• eCVT: fantastic how it responds to drag-reducing ecomods. 1250 engine RPM at 50 mph on level ground with a low-torque Atkinsonized 1.5L is pretty impressive.

• Toyota engineering/quality: it ran smooth & quiet with no hiccups or oil consumption, even at 275k km / 171k mi. (was maintained by the book by previous owners).

• Original hybrid battery still had decent capacity (based on EV mode range, tested a couple of times)

Least favourite things about it:

• Design flaw: you have to lift the engine to change the right side control arm (bolt access)! I said "screw it" and sent that job to my $$ mechanic.

• Not the most comfy driver's seat - lacking in thigh support. I realize seat comfort is a subjective/personal issue. Maybe the higher trims have an adustable lower seat cushion.

• Small 12v battery - I accidentally drained it a couple of times. Yes, it's physically small, but even so, it had much less capacity than I would have expected. EG: leaving the doors open for a chunk of the day while cleaning it out would kill it. Even with a new replacement battery. Maybe the car draws a lot more power than other cars when you do anything that wakes up the computer? I dunno.

• It cost me money to own (about $500 for 12 months)! I'm used to being able to buy a used car, driving it for a year and then selling it to make a few dollars (or at least break even) including taxes, inspections, repairs & maintenance. The trick of course is buying low -- that is, finding a good deal on a decent car. I learned it is genuinely difficult to find a GOOD deal on a roadworthy used Prius.

How did owning it compare to a 1st gen Insight?

I liked the Prius, but I will not miss it as much as I miss the 2000 Insight.

Despite Honda's battery woes, the Insight was FAR more engaging to own & pilot (manual trans, yay!). Every time I drove the Insight, I marvelled at how far the engineers were allowed to go in the pursuit of efficiency, and the results (the MPG) spoke for themselves.

It'd be very, very cool to see Toyota do an equivalent balls-to-the-wall implementation of their hybrid approach that makes fewer compromises than the Prius does. But it still wouldn't sell well enough to justify.

The Insight has FIVE (5) factory fuel economy gauges. The gen 2 Prius has two. That speaks volumes.


Would I ever get another one?

Sure... for the right price.


Maintenance/repairs in 12 months:

- driver's side control arm (required for safety inspection, was not critical)
- brakes - rotors/pads/shoes (required for safety inspection, were not critical - my mechanic was beeing a doofus about the brakes)
- 12v battery
- exhaust repair
- small rust repair
- oil & filter change

If I hadn't had to change that control arm and brakes (both not strictly necessary), I would have broken even on the car.


Fuel economy wrap-up, 1 year:

I'll be the first to admit I did not push the car's abilities.

~3.8 L/100 km / 61 mpg US in just under 12 months over ~5000 km (~3000 mi.), with about half of that distance during cold winter months.

25% freeway (100 km/h / 60 mph),
50% highway (80 km/h / 50 mph),
25% urban.

My highway driving style was not super-eco. I typically cruised at the speed limit +/- a couple. And I just used cruise control most of the time, though I would drive with load by tapping the speed up & down if it didn't affect following traffic.

City driving was more hardcore: engine-off coasting wherever possible (including liberal use of the EV mode/kill switch, which every Prius hypermiler needs). Pulse & glide wherever it didn't affect following traffic.

[gone-ot]

You always remember the "first" ones...cars, girlfriends, etc.