2004 Toyota Prius consumer reviews

The mileage on this car saved me a ton of money...UNTIL the main battery died, $7500 later I despise this car. I wasn't wanting to get one cause quite frankly its ugly! The interior is nice, But the body is just an eyesore. I traded this for a 1999 Nissan, I'm getting over 30mpg with my Nissan and since it doesn't have a rediculously expensive battery i'm not worried for my pocket. Not to mention the Prius chasis can take NO abuse so if you slide off the road in winter in snow say goodbye to all your bushings and ball joints! And you will slide off! I have better traction on skis than I do in this little pile! At the end of the day you save NO $$$ with a hybrid when you have to pay for a SEVEN THOUSAND dollar battery.

You will not only enjoy the fuel savings you get from this car, but you will enjoy the Prius's comfort. Whether you are making a trip across town or across the country, you will be find that the ample legroom and the comfort seating matches or exceeds some luxury vehicles. Another surprise is the performance. This car has great pickup and you can easily pass and get around other cars on the road. The Bluetooth technology for handsfree phones and GPS were availeble many years before other models. If you like technology, you'll like this car. The negatives are the interior design. I don't care for the consol and cup holder design. I also don't care for the screen in the back that covers what you have in the hatchback. It's a poor design but for some reason they kept it. I've had this car for almost 10 years and it has the reliability of a Toyota. It has over 110,000 and no problems with the battery. I had almost 80,000 before I had to do anything to my bakes! Other maintainence has included replacing tires and headlights. I'm going to trade it in next year for another one. I love this car!

Back in 2003 when the naysayers were bashing the Prius with its Hybrid Sys I decided to buy after a lengthy test drive. 154,000 miles later I'm a very satified owner. With the miles has come many surprises. 46MPG average..no serious repairs (a water pump)...Smooth as silk transmittion...brakes that last foever...reliability unsurpassed. There seems to be one or two flaws that I'll address here. One is the "Waffeling" sound when windows are open (very annoying). The other is the headlite replacing takes a brain surgen to master. In 9 yrs 3 bulbs and skinned knuckles. Truly one of the finest, most well designed cars to developed in yrs.

Due to gas prices and lack of "big car" need, I traded my 2001 Toyota Sequoia with 223K miles for a 2004 Prius with 74K miles. I love the way the Prius handles and I can't gush enough about the 46MPG. It is surprisingly roomy and has good storage capacity. I spent a lot of time on line trying to find any one that wasn't happy with the same model Prius and the only complaint I found was seat comfort and lack of a jack for an ipod. I just bought the cassette adapter for my iphone, and I think the seats are very just fine. I do miss the fancier interior package on my Sequoia, but I can always get one on my next Prius.

I went from 16 to 47 m.p.g. What a savings at the pump it has been. A comfortable car with good sports car like handling. The hatch back makes carrying tools and groceries a breeze. Would definitely buy another Prius when the time comes.

Love this car! It appeals to the geek in me in so many ways. Loaded with electronic features, but the coolest by far is the way it runs on battery only part of the time. I'm getting 50+MPG. It's comfortable, compact, and bulletproof. I bought it used for around $17k but I keep forgetting it's not brand new because it's in great shape. I will definitely buy another one.

I went from a Saab 9-3 convertible to this car. I couldn't have made a better choice. This is a Package #9 car that I bought used with 45K miles on it. It is a 6 year old car at this point, but looks like a brand new car still. The HID headlights, JBL stereo, nav system, voice recognition, iPod interface, leather and every other feature trump or match what you would find on the typical luxury car. As far as the mileage, I have a short drive to work (3 miles) in hilly Seattle. If you have to sit in city traffic, it is a nice feeling having the engine shut off and not wasting gas. I am averaging about 42 mpg around town, but get about 50 mpg on trips. I love the fact that I don't fill it up very often and that it is loaded with so many frills for such a small amount of money spend. It is not a car for every purpose, but it does most things very well. I will buy another when it comes time for a new car.

I AM 56 YEARS OLD AND WAS FORTUNATE TO OWN OR DRIVE JUST ABOUT EVERY CAR EVER MADE FROM 1955 CHEVY TO 2008 PORSCHE,AND I CAN HONESTLY TELL YOU THIS PRIUS IS THE REAL DEAL.COMFORT,HANDLING,FEATURES,STYLE,NOT TO MENTION GREAT GAS MILEAGE AND A GREAT FEELING THAT YOU ARE DOING GOOD FOR THE WORLD.(NO MATTER WHAT SIDE OF GLOBAL WARMING YOU ARE ON).GET AS MANY OPTIONS AS YOU CAN FOR THE ULTIMATE EXPERIENCE.

I bought one used in 2006 and have not had one single problem. It is cool looking, good for the environment and very nice to drive. I gave a 4 for performance because, come on, it is not a BMW. Costs $25 to fill up the tank - cant beat that!!!

I have owned Toyotas all my life, and they are usually pretty good cars. This one? Not so much. I bought it for my wife a couple of years ago, it had 50,000 miles on it. It was supposed to be a "certified" used car, but, right off the bat, we had several electrical issues, which have persisted ever since we bought it. Other than that, we hadn't really had any major problems with it, until a few weeks ago, when a front suspension piece broke while my wife was on her way home from work, and nearly caused her to wreck! The mileage is very nice in town, but the highway mileage, which is where most of her driving in this car is done, is worse than her old Toyota Echo. Probably more HER fault than the car. My wife loves the way it looks, which is fine, because it's her car. On the few occasions that I have had to drive it, I almost felt like I had to disguise myself. Such a goofy looking little car, like a jelly bean on wheels. My cousin bought one of these new, and hasn't had nearly as many problems as we've had, so maybe it was abused or neglected before we bought it. If you don't mind the styling, and you know the history of the car, go ahead and buy one used. If not, save yourself the headaches, and go buy yourself a brand new one! I guess that could apply to any used car, but this is the first used car I have ever bought that gave me this much trouble.