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Toyoto Prius Hybrid Buying Guide: The Toyota Prius is the worlds leading hybrid car and has been around since 1997 (2001 in the US). In a 2007 test, it was rated the most fuel efficient vehicle sold in the United States with a fuel economy of 46 MPG (miles per gallon). The technology behind the Prius is what makes it such a great car for those interested in saving on gasoline prices and reducing carbon waste. The car can run on the combustion engine, the electric motor, or both combined. They are so popular that in some cities you have to wait months just to get one. I live in the Pacific Northwest where citizens tend to be conscious of the environment and the Toyota Prius car can be seen on highways and in cities around Portland, Oregon. Sales for the Prius should top 170,000 for the year 2007 with much anticipation of more sales in 2008. With gasoline prices at well above $3/gallon and oil at nearly $100 per barrel there is little relief in site and car owners should be prepared to make a change to hybrid technology moving forward. The 2008 Toyota Prius comes in 2 different models - the Prius for $20,950 and the Touring for $23,220. Some companies offer incentives to buy hybrid cars like Google in the Bay Area and some local governments give tax incentives to go with a car like a Prius. Consumer Reports has given the Toyota Prius excellent ratings since 2001 although they said the fuel economy was not what the manufacturer noted on the brochure. CR has since revoked that finding and given the latest Prius models a very good mileage rating. The Prius batteries are in question as to how long they last and can they be recycled. The battery is covered up to 200,000 miles in most cases. The 2008 Prius has a 1.5 liter engine with about 75 HP and a hybrid system net power of 110 HP. I think that for years cars have been sold on power and looks and that is one reason that millions of the Prius are not selling in the U.S. where Americans are not willing to leave that image behind. As gas prices escalate, I feel that the hybrid cars will take over market share more and more in the next decade. You can find out more details about the Toyota Prius online at http://www.toyota.com/prius/. Toyota Prius Reviews: Reviews on the Prius are all over the Internet at sites like Edmunds.com which does in depth reviews on past and present models. Consumer Reports has excellent detailed ratings on features like cooling, transmission, drive system, ignition, fuel, electrical, AC, suspension, brakes, exhaust, power equipment, and more. CR does intensive surveys of their subscribers to get this information and it's fairly accurate in terms of reliability. The Prius gets outstanding reliability ratings in all areas of the car. If you are looking for owner feedback and opinions, go online to Priuschat.com or Priusonline.com for knowledgeable comments. The Prius has become almost synonymous with the term "hybrid" since it outsells it's competition by so much. The Honda Civic hybrid has stopped being made by Honda since the sales were not high enough. It appears that for now the Toyota Prius is "king of the hybrids" and furthering itself from the others. Durability was once an issue for Hybrids as naysayers thought it wouldn't hold up as well as traditional cars. They have been proven wrong by the strong reseller ability of used Prius's. Used Toyota Prius: If you can't find a new Prius, take a look in the classified to find a used one. These cars hold their value pretty well dating back to the first model in 2001. For about $10,000 you can get a 2001 Prius, $11000 will get you a 2002, $14K a 2003, $16K a 2004, $18,000 for a 2005, and about $19.5K for a 2006. A 2007 model is not much less than the new 2008's so we say go with the new one. Mileage doesn't seem to be a big deal when buying used so don't fret over a 3 year old Prius with 60K miles. The battery life was originally warranted at 100,000 miles in the older versions and has since been upped in the newest models to closer to 200K. Nevertheless, buying a new battery is probably cheaper than investing in a totally new Prius. We found some great deals online at Edmunds.com, Craigslist.org, and on the Motors section of Ebay. Toyota has one of the most reputable names in automobiles and their reliability always rates 1 or 2 in most vehicle categories. Prius Reliability and Repair History: We've mentioned it quite a few times in this article already, the vast majority of Toyota Prius hybrids have zero or few issues that need repairing. There are always going to be some problems with used cars (tires, brakes, etc.) but the major parts of the car like the engine, suspension, transmission, ignition, and electrical all rate "very good" on the Prius. You can find a repair history done by Consumer Reports each year in their Annual Buying Guide book. They rate all the cars on a scale from bad to very good on features listed above. Some owners have squaked at worse fuel economy than is quoted by the Toyota dealers, but in tested scenarios done by several car magazines and the one by CR report similar findings to those of the manufacturer. © 1999-2008 Funskins.com - Product Reviews