My first hybrid: Toyota Prius

This past Thursday, I purchased a “new to me” vehicle. It’s a 2003 Toyota Prius in dark blue.

I have no desire to own a new car and most likely won’t ever own one. I much prefer used and love paying the bill in full so I don’t have any more payments.  It’s the oldest car that I’ve ever purchased. In fact it’s the first generation of the Prius’s.  It’s a 2003, which was the last year they were made before they moved on to the second generation. And that’s another new to me feature… owning a first generation car. I guess a first gen, would be appealing to some car collectors or so say some of the Prius enthusiasts where I’m a member. Guess what? I’ve been wanting an older Prius for well over a year and this one came along at the right time. Can you believe I’ve been praying for a Prius for the same amount of time? Yes, it was paid for in full, so that means no bills. There are a few minuscule nicks on the paint, but it’s not noticeable. I might eventually get a paint job, but for now I’m content.

This car was well cared for by it’s owners (two) and is in pristine condition. You want to know something? It’s the most quiet car I’ve ever owned. I rarely hear it when it’s running. In fact, I had no idea it was running. It’s fooled me a few times since I’ve driven it. My daughter loves this vehicle. Since purchasing, I’ve done a bit of additional research about the Toyota Prius. These cars tend to last a long time. I knew that. My “big purchase” might be purchasing the battery, which can cost a few $1,000, but if you get a refurbished battery, you can have it installed for a little over $900.

What I like is that it uses electric and gas to run. The gas tank only holds 9.9 gallons and thus far I’m averaging a little over 42 miles per gallon. On the highway, I was averaging 51 mpg. That’s not bad, and it’s much better than the “gas guzzler” Ford Expedition that I was driving. That was about 18 miles per gallon. Yes, big difference! I’m slowly getting used to being low to the ground and not up above the clouds as I was in the Expedition and while I do miss that, I’m not missing the frequent trips to the gas station. We’ve already had a few short road trips. I must say, it’s a shock returning home and seeing the gas gauge hasn’t budged at all! I predict several road trips for my daughter and myself.

Towards the end of this week, I’ll be taking the car in for general maintenance. After all, it has over 140,000 miles. Again, I was well aware about high mileage Prius’s before I made my purchase. I’ve quite a few Prius users, online, that have cars with over 200,000 miles. I plan to drive this car (Lord willing) until it stops working. In a few months, I’ll start saving up for a “new to me” car so when the time comes, I can pay that in full to. If it’s Gods will, that won’t happen for years.