Prius: Who Has It, Do You Like It & Tax Break Questions

Having been relieved of my beloved 2002 Saturn wagon by a rouge driver from a foreign country I won't mention but one not known for driving ability -- who rammed a freaking Suburban into the back of my car going freeway speed on a city street, grrr.

Anyhow...suddenly in the market for a new car, and I love the Prius but am finding them hard to find, at least here in L.A.! With gas hovering at $2.20, I can understand why...

SOO, I was trying to figure out how much tax deduction it is, and it says $2,000 for 2003 but then the "clean fuel" deduction is to be phased out so I would get $1,500 and it would go down $500 a year after that.

Is this another GWB "Environment President" move to make the tax advantage for cleaner cars so fleeting??

they are doing away with the tax credits for fuel efficient cars and keeping them for gas guzzling SUVs?

:wtf:

Has this administration done even ONE thing that makes any sense?

All BushCo had to do to phase out the deduction was . . . nothing. There's been some shuffling and snorting about enlarging and extending the deduction, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Congress to do something. It rolled back to $1,500 this year, and is scheduled to drop $500 per year until it's gone.

Meantime, you could buy a Hummer and deduct up to $75,000 of the cost if you use it *coughcoughhack* for your business, as plenty of dentists and florists seem to have done.

The problem with the Prius is that you may be waiting a long time after plunking down a deposit with your dealer. I've heard estimates anywhere between six months to 14 months, depending on where you live. In California, where demand is high, I'd bet you'd probably spend somewhat less time waiting, but Toyota has been forced to resort to a lottery system to ensure some measure of fairness to dealers in other parts of the country, where demand is also growing.

For what it's worth, I've had mine for not quite three years now, and it's a great car.

Was it that you could take a deduction up to 75K in the first year for the purchase of vehicles over a certain weight?

Normally, you'd have to depreciate over a couple years, right?

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-news/ir-03-114.pdf

Kerry campaign should jump on this.

It's amazing that nobody here has an opinion on the prius based on experience?

Original year generally drives great.

Mileage a bit less than advertised (as expected) but still above 40 mpg even in city traffic.

Has 31K miles on it and had to take it in twice for problems. Once was the electrical system, the other time the gas tank computer went out. First model year, so they are probably getting the bugs out.

We both put down on the 2004 - she's trading up her 2001, I'me getting rid of my aging Corolla. 2004 is a nice model, really like the lift-back.

I was surprised at the pick-up -- REALLY NICE and with a primo futuristic type interior....there's no gear shift really, there's a knob like you would see on a cock pit...you BOING push it to Drive and then DRIVE shows up on the digital display in front of you and the knob sort of returns to the original place..

Plus it's got that Bluetooth thing basically, this is where your cell phone works through the video display on the dash, the navigator thingee....VERY KNIGHT RIDER!

Great car...and probably no waiting list.

He and his wife were saying how much they liked it. I asked him point blank, "What don't you like about it?" He and his wife looked at each other but couldn't come up with anything that they didn't like. Sounds pretty good to me.

One concern would be for battery life and cost of replacement of the batteries when they are depleted.

The batteries are warrantied for 8 years or 100,000 Fuck...I THINK that's what they said DEALING WITH CAR SALESMEN IS MAKING ME NUTS!

the wait isn't as long for the car, the TDIs look like 'normal' VW's, you can get nearly any model, any color.

mileage is high, the cost of B100 is getting closer to petrol everyday.

best of all; when you burn B100, saudi princes don't get a cent.

Thanks! I love all the good input from DU -- it's my fave site for 411 on almost any subject!

because even though biodiesel is THE way to go right now, sadly, it's only happening in Europe (where they're coming out with a car that gets 190kmpg). Our US Cartels are holding back the technology.

2004 Salsa Pearl red Prius with all the bells and whistles. I ordered in Feb. and was told 8 months waiting list. Put down $500.00 deposit. 2 months later I was called and told they had one that someone had ordered and didn't or couldn't buy. I took it. Also a few weeks later I asked if they would call me when my car came in. It had already been sold. So I think the waiting list is a bit of a thing to not let you get your hopes built up.
I love the car. I'm not getting 55 miles per gallon but 39 mpg. I've only driven it 1000 miles. But I live in the mountains. Found no problems with it going over the mountains it was just a zippy as my Passat.
It is very comfortable. There is a terrific amount of head room. The trunk is large and the back seats fold down COMPLETELY. So you can get lots of stuff it.
What else do you want to know.

Is it a real dog?

Do people who test drive the prius also test drive the insight?

and it's a little 2-door, I always have passengers (kids.) The Insight is more people who usually drive alone IMO.

they'd sell 10 million of them in a year.

Hey thanks for that!

One thing is, I have many, many Toytoa Dealers within 20 or so miles of my house (L.A.) They are all lying liars....when they find out I'm calling all the dealers they "find out" one is coming only to "have someone buy it" on the way over...do NOT understand how "the list" works, I had 2 different dealers try to charge me $31,800 and $28,500 for the exact same car with the exact same options....$31,800 is TOO MUCH DEALER MARK UP!

I paid $27,900 for mine and it has all the bells and whistles. That wasn't my original order. I ordered the next lower one...without the map, telephone, 6cd changer. But this one was there.
Good luck

http://www.loe.org/ETS/organizations.php3?action=printNewestContentItem&orgid=33&typeID=18&templateID=56&User_Session=2dcb16cabe3c72f8120b31520a32ed5a

LOBET: So if you don't mind waiting four months, the Prius is one nearly zero-emissions possibility and some 76 thousand Americans have bought them. Another 41 thousand have bought the Honda Civic hybrid. And about 12 thousand are zipping around in the sleek hybrid Honda Insight. That one's only a two-seater, so the appeal is limited. But you'll soon have many more than just these 3 hybrid choices.

Later this year there will be two new sedans in hybrid form: the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. If you're looking for a pickup -- the Chevy Silverado and Equinox should be out later this year too.

But carmakers hope hybrid sales will jump out of the tens of thousands and into the hundreds of thousands when hybrid SUVs arrive…

There's more, and you get the mp3 and real audio as well.

the supply so you have to get on a waiting list. They would much rather you purchase that gas hog and keep the oil guys fat and happy.
I have a 2003 and I love it. Very nimble, fast and gets over 45mpg in foothill country.

I don't have a hybrid, but after I read your thread, I took a look at the Toyota website. Here's one of their concept hybrids:

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/volta.html

In 1800, Alessandro Volta arranged zinc and copper discs in a column and invented the battery. 204 years later, Toyota has electrified automotive history with the first high-performance hybrid, named in his honor. The Giugiaro-designed carbon-fiber body seats three people abreast and features "drive-by-wire" controls, allowing you to position the steering wheel and pedals in front of any one of them. And the Volta's 408-hp Hybrid Synergy Drive (a 3.3-liter V6 with an electric motor for each axle) not only delivers 435 miles on a 13.7-gallon tank, but 0 - 60 acceleration in a mere 4 seconds. Somewhere, Count Volta is smiling.

of the new hybrid Lexus that I have seen announced for '05.

Also Ford has licensed this system and they will be marketing a knock off.

--IMM

I got a 2002 Prius and received the $2000 reduction of income which is not as good as $2000 less in taxes.I can get 65MPG if I drive electric only at 35MPH with the A/C off and drafting trucks on the highway will get me about 55MPG.It took two weeks to arrive because gas was $1.25 a gallon and it still had the "bleeding edge technology" label.Consider a used Prius if you really want one,I prefer the 1st generation because it is smaller,I had a go-cart when I was a kid and my belly does not shake like a bowl full of jelly.One problem I had was a brake warning light which was low hydraulic pressure setting off sensor which goes away and is explained in service manual written in pidgin english.
I suspect that Detroit is afraid to sell a hybrid because a recall would require technicians at every dealership who could not cope with the volume.I did not get an extended warranty because the standard warranty is fine and if something breaks I will go to the dealership and then make sushi at home.I do not use synthetic oil but I use distilled water when I change coolant.My other car is an OBD0 with no airbag and crank windows,it will last forever because I do my own maintenance.I hope the economy does not wither into the "peak oil" scenarios I read about but I have a Prius to enjoy for now and a go-cart from Honda to keep me civilized.