2004 Toyota Prius

This is a truly amazing Hybrid car. It is very economical to drive and we are averaging 49.9 to 53.6 mpg average at gas fill-up. This is our overall milage for city and highway driving and a lot of mountain driving in the Smokies. Do not expect this type of mileage if you accelerate quickly. Even my 18 year-old son was easily able to get 52.7 mpg on the interstate. There is a screen on the dash which can be set to always show you what your current mpg is. We have found this very useful for learning the most economical driving style.

If you get a used prius be SURE to get a spare master key asap. If you loose your only one, the module in the dash must be replaced after the car has been towed to a Toyota dealership. I understand this will cost well over $1000. The master key is $184 for the black logo and $100 more for the silver logo (Smart key). Ebay is a great place to get spares and the door key insert is about $6 at my local dealership.

As this is primarily an electric car with an auxiliary 1.4L gas engine it starts up in electric mode and above 8 to 12 mph changes to the gas engine. This is really cool to creep people out as your silent car slides out of a parking space.
Maintenance consists of air filter changes and oil changes like any other car.

I won 3 Toyota Prius Hybrid bids within days of each other so we did not go through with the purchase of this vehicle. It might have been a nice drive home from Pennsylvania had we followed through with it. It also appeared to be a very clean, well maintained vehicle with everything else apparently in order.

well, i just wanted to warn you this auto seller in houston texas Michael A. Roa
Team Autoplex, Inc.
5712 Southwest Freeway
Houston,Texas 77057 who sold my 06 prius for $17000. Before i bought my car, i asked him if anything negative i need to know about this car. I asked him if any stains, scratches etc. he answered me car is in great shape. i bought the car and a few days later i realized front and rear bumpers were repainted! i wanted to buy a 2 years old new shape car, not a repainted car even it is only 24 months old car. so what happened to this car is a question because he swears that he didnt know about it but he is in car business for 25 some years and he is not a stupid guy to buy a repainted car without knowing it. but he thinks that buyers are stupid and they will not find out about it. he sent me $150 pocket change to repaint what ever is necessary but damage is already done to this car and it is not original paint.Seller`s name is Michael Roa and i want you to be aware of him. He talks nice and looks nice guy with an evil of way of business. Just go get your car from someone else.

I was in the market for a new car and tired of the Big Three ignoring the need for better milage. It was time to make a statement but knowing Toyota is coming out with a Plug in Hybrid Electtic Vehicle in 2010 I didn't want to invest in a new 2009 Prius. So I bid on and won this 2004 prius which was loaded with everything that was available in 2004. I have only had the car for one week but I love it. I have put 1,000 miles on it getting 45 miles per gallon on the highway and 45-63 in town depending on my route and the air temperature. The car is in great condition and runs well. The only negative so far: In bright sun light I can not see the speedometer at all so I am just guessing at my speed. The feul tank only holds about 8 gallons. which means I still have to fill up as often as my old car. The cost of filling the tank is just less.

I loved this dealer
Great communication, the car was exactly as promised. I took the car to an independent inspection and they told me that the car was in excellent condition and I should buy it right away. LOL
Elias, was very helpful and always available to answer any question I might have had. He even delivered the car to my door. If you are looking for great preowned cars definatly buy from preowned toys!

Okay so when I first saw this car I thought it looked like a suppository, but i liked it because there was nothing really else that compared looked wise. Kinda space age. Im a tall guy 6'3, a professional actor and model and thought this car would be a tight squeeze. NOPE. This care is bigger on the inside then the outside. I dont know, they should use it in the circus for clown cars. I often get 55mpg on the highway, I travel alot. 40k in less than a year. I never have problems, other than replacing the stock tires. EVERYONE who rides and drives it loves it.

Honestly this car has changed the way we think about automobiles.

Bottom line.....I love the car, but I had some problems.

After picking the car up in Sacramento, I found out the hard way that the small 12v battery (not the high voltage Hybrid Battery) was dead and didn't hold a charge. It was the weekend and I couldn't get another one. It was such a small battery that a motorcycle battery with some jumper cables worked well enough (battery in trunk) to drive it back to Los Angeles were I could fix it. I fixed the battery at a cost of $135.

I was also noticing a very small amount of coolant on the ground under the car when I parked it at night. I figured it was probably some overflow and let it go on for 2 weeks. It ended up being a small hole in the coolant hose that connects to the inverter coolant pump. Easy fix, cost about $40 for the hose and special Toyota coolant.

Those were the only mechanical repairs I had to make. Not too big of a deal.

The only other concern is that the paint job on the repaired panels could have been much better. The painter could have done a better job matching the texture. Toyota has a smooth finish from the factory and the repair is more orange peel finish. You can only tell when you're up close. I'm not going to pick it apart because it is a great car. It has low mileage and runs great. I saved thousands of dollars buying it from Gene.

This is a truly amazing Hybrid car. It is very economical to drive and we are averaging 49.9 to 53.6 mpg average at gas fill-up. This is our overall milage for city and highway driving and a lot of mountain driving in the Smokies. Do not expect this type of mileage if you accelerate quickly. Even my 18 year-old son was easily able to get 52.7 mpg on the interstate. There is a screen on the dash which can be set to always show you what your current mpg is. We have found this very useful for learning the most economical driving style.

If you get a used prius be SURE to get a spare master key asap. If you loose your only one, the module in the dash must be replaced after the car has been towed to a Toyota dealership. I understand this will cost well over $1000. The master key is $184 for the black logo and $100 more for the silver logo (Smart key). Ebay is a great place to get spares and the door key insert is about $6 at my local dealership.

As this is primarily an electric car with an auxiliary 1.4L gas engine it starts up in electric mode and above 8 to 12 mph changes to the gas engine. This is really cool to creep people out as your silent car slides out of a parking space.
Maintenance consists of air filter changes and oil changes like any other car.

YES, I love the fuel economy of this hybrid Prius. I have a lead foot and average a very good 47-48mpg on flat highways no hills. I have also babied the gas pedal and have gotten 51 mpg. The car is considered a mid-sized sedan; there is plenty of room in the front and rear for 5 passengers; rear leg room is generous.

I also like the features of package #9; the touch-screen navigation, voice command for various display items (such as the radio functions, volume, map features etc...), Bluetooth, Smart key (I never have to take the key out of my pocket), push-button start, steering wheel controls for everything, HID headlights, auto dimming mirror with garage door opener, hatchback feature allows for plenty of storage (limited storage? NO, the storage area has a lower panel that can be removed for added storage space. It also reveals the tools and a spare tire. The battery pack is actually small and out of the way). In addition I like the added safety feature of side curtain airbags. It's a good bargain because most of these features are found in high end vehicles. The 06-07 Prius adds a backup camera, leather option, and an auxilary audio hookup maybe for the I-pod.

Changing the oil is a breeze, both the oil plug and filter are close to each other and offset to the left of the car (when facing the car). From Costco I use Mobile 1 Synthetic 5W30 and the 6-pack will just about last for two separate oil changes! The OEM oil filter is only $4.99 at the local Toyota Dealer. The car only uses 3.3 Quarts.

No SMOG check here in CA, ever.

I like having to sit in the car and use the electric air conditioning unit w/o having the engine on and worrying about battery drain.

Also, when parking, it is no longer a problem squeezing into a tight spot. Talk about tight, I no longer need to make a 3-point U-turn on most large urban neighborhood streets; just one full turn of the steering wheel will do it.

There are so many other positive aspects of this vehicle you will have to discover for yourself.

What I dislike about the car is the OEM paint job. The new environmentally friendly paint is not too friendly on the hood; I got a touch-up marker. Consider a clear bra. Also, not too fond of the interior that is painted dark burgundy: dash, glove and door panels. Just wish they came textured black like the 06-07 models.

I decided to buy the Prius to save money on gas, long-term. I got a used '04 purchased in May 2007 with 37,000 miles. The price was right and it had the coveted Carpool HOV stickers. So far so good. Great vehicle Toyota.

I love the gas mileage of course, but the car itself is comfortable and easy to drive. I have wanted a Prius for several years. This car was three years old but only had 26,000 miles on it. I am very happy with my purchase.