Just picked this up - Prius C

[tooter]

Originally Posted by kimona

Well... it's a Toyota, so it's a great car, but I'm not a fan of the body style, especially the C pillar and the tail lights.

Wow... thanks for making my ugly 2012 Yaris tail lights look good.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Im not a critic. It is what it is. With me its all about bottom line. Right now the Prius C is the loser when it comes to a Yaris in that department.

Its not in my interest for cars like the Prius to do well. I dont want Toyota to make cars I dont want to buy. I want Prius's to sit on the dealers lot and rust. I want Toyota to lose BILLIONS of dollars making the PRius. So I have to tell my side of it. I need as many people who think like me as possible.

I must crush the Prius anyway I can.

I want a small car like maybe the iQ that weighs less than 1800 pounds and has a 1 liter or less GASOLINE engine, costs less than $15000 and gets 50 MPG. I could live without airbags, crush zones, ABS, traction control, and a lot of other things I cant think of. I bet without those things like car would be <$12000.

Its nothing personal.

If gas goes over $5 you will do very well with the Prius. You will have made a wise choice. We need to drive cars that get better than 50mpg on a large scale and bring the oil companies and the hostile foriegn countries that hate us to their knees. The Prius does that.

Unfortunately it just give the money we would give to our enemies to Toyota.

I agree with you re the Prius v, the 3rd Generation Prius ('standard Prius'), and the Prius Plug in. All three of those models are too big and too expensive. ....and wishing they would rot on the lots (as opposed to some sort of government intervention...I'm against the verbal strong arm tactics employed by the mayors of Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Philadelphia and intend to not generate any sales tax revenue for those cities while those mayors are still in office) is the right attitude. I'm a fiscally conservative, socially liberal, straight agnostic libertarian. I think the Chick-Fil-A approach to business is wrong, but at least they are honest about their beliefs and I believe they have a right to exist in any market and fall flat on their face, or not....I just wish customers would demand they stop their religiosity and stop buying ANY of their products if they don't stop the religiosity, AS I WISH CUSTOMERS would stop buying THOSE 3 PRIUS models (just as you do) so they would rot on the lots and Toyota would stop making THOSE 3 MODELS (certainly not ALL models....I wouldn't mind if Chick-Fil-A went out of business but I don't want Toyota to go out of business).

But is the c really a Prius? I think it is only in the U.S. (or maybe just North America) that it is called a Prius.......and one KNOWS that this is predominantly to cater to affluent or aspiring left wing people who glom onto the words Prius, Apple, etc. In Europe it is called the Yaris Hybrid and in Japan it is called the Aqua...........OOPS -- decided to do more research while in the middle of writing this. I was previously under the impression that the Priuc C, the (Japan) Aqua, and the (Europe) Yaris Hybrid were all the same world platform, with slight variations.

However, I just found an article that seems to contradict this....see the elp.com article: "PRODUCT EYE: Toyota forsakes Prius C for Yaris hybrid". This seems to say that the Prius C and the Aqua are the same, but that the Yaris Hybrid is smaller. I found this article quite interesting. It goes into, I think, interesting detail about the flexibility of the Yaris plant in France --- 62 different variants with 80 percent of the parts common to all models -- and also the extra training staff members got specific to assembly of the Yaris Hybrid.

I was previously going to conclude that you're right about the three larger Prius models, but wrong about the Prius c. HOWEVER, after reading this article and knowing we PROBABLY COULD HAVE HAD THE YARIS HYBRID IN THE U.S....I reluctantly state that I MIGHT EVENTUALLY agree with you about the C. It might seem silly to state this (because I'll be INCLUDING an EXCLUDED factor), but when it comes time to weigh a new Yaris against a new Prius C I'll put 'but we could have had the smaller Yaris Hybrid' as a con against the Prius C.

I agree with your 'live without it to make it cheaper' mantra. My car does not have ABS, nor traction control, and I could live without the airbags and probably some of the other things you stated you couldn't think of. I sat in a iQ at an auto show and it was too small for my taste. I wouldn't mind though if a smaller engine with less power was a U.S. spec choice for the Yaris, as long as it got better gas mileage than the current U.S. spec offering.

[auxmike]

Holy rant, Batman!
How the hell did chick fil a get pulled into this discussion? I just saw a white Prius C at 711 and it does look like a '12 Yaris four door. NICE! The tail lights don't bother me a bit....

[Hershey]

Agree . Tail lights not all that bad . That seems to be the norm for some new vehicles . Find the "C" to be good lookin' as well .

[tk1971]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Im not a critic. It is what it is. With me its all about bottom line. Right now the Prius C is the loser when it comes to a Yaris in that department.

Its not in my interest for cars like the Prius to do well. I dont want Toyota to make cars I dont want to buy. I want Prius's to sit on the dealers lot and rust. I want Toyota to lose BILLIONS of dollars making the PRius. So I have to tell my side of it. I need as many people who think like me as possible.

I must crush the Prius anyway I can.

I want a small car like maybe the iQ that weighs less than 1800 pounds and has a 1 liter or less GASOLINE engine, costs less than $15000 and gets 50 MPG. I could live without airbags, crush zones, ABS, traction control, and a lot of other things I cant think of. I bet without those things like car would be <$12000.

Its nothing personal.

If gas goes over $5 you will do very well with the Prius. You will have made a wise choice. We need to drive cars that get better than 50mpg on a large scale and bring the oil companies and the hostile foriegn countries that hate us to their knees. The Prius does that.

Unfortunately it just give the money we would give to our enemies to Toyota.

Wow... tell us how you really feel.

Personally, I think the C is more like a Yaris than a Prius (as stated by others), so it's exempt from all the Prius hate.

My first car was an 1981 Datsun 210 SL that weighed about 2,000 lbs, had 87 HP, and got 47 MPG in the real world. I'd get another one in an instant if available new, but, as you know, our Government will never roll back their safety requirements. I'm afraid the auto industry will just keep tacking on safety features (more weight, and more things to fail) and increasing the prices of these basic cars.

Supply and demand at work: Look at the 2010 Civic. Honda tried to pull a fast one (cheapen the car and kept the price point about the same) and customers ran from it. 2012 (only 2 years later) an all new design comes out more true to customers expectations.

Unfortunately, there is apparently a huge demand for the Prius (regular one), which means there are a lot of young (or young at heart) people riding the popularity contest wave to drive a car that makes "car" people dead inside.

[tooter]

Just a side comment about your avatar, tk...

Did you ever think that a window crank would ever become something to actually be proud of?

I feel exactly the same way about my cranks and regard myself as being lucky to have gotten them before they disappear altogether...

...as they're a symbol of simple practical reliable mechanical functionality.

[edmscan]

I don't care what anyone says (I am not a car guy .. so I can just plead ignorance) .... if I had the money I would buy a Prius C. It is a great car .. and the mileage is from what I have seen, better than the Yaris. So .. really I think that you cannot go wrong.

However .. I don't like the other prius' ... they are just funny looking and much bigger than I would like.

I do 90% of my driving in the city .. and it is here where the Prius C shines. A friend of mine has one .. and in the city, it really shines.

[goliath1812]

too bad it did doesn't have a solar panel roof, or small wind turbines in the grill, or something similar to try to help make the battery last longer and get better mpgs....

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by tooter

Just a side comment about your avatar, tk...

Did you ever think that a window crank would ever become something to actually be proud of?

I feel exactly the same way about my cranks and regard myself as being lucky to have gotten them before they disappear altogether...

...as they're a symbol of simple practical reliable mechanical functionality.

...."disappear"........then...Aha! Light bulb! Will all of the needed part numbers for 2012 Model Year hand crank operation for the driver side door on a 3-Door Liftback be open for purchase by a single consumer?...if so...Will future year (3rd generation but AFTER hand crank windows have disappeared) driver side door interior/'innards' accept all of the 'needed for hand crank operation' part numbers?....if not...Could the inside of the door be modified to make this a reality without huge expense? Is all of this unknowable until after the hand crank windows disappear? Are these CTScott only questions?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Im not a critic. It is what it is. With me its all about bottom line. Right now the Prius C is the loser when it comes to a Yaris in that department.

Its not in my interest for cars like the Prius to do well. I dont want Toyota to make cars I dont want to buy. I want Prius's to sit on the dealers lot and rust. I want Toyota to lose BILLIONS of dollars making the PRius. So I have to tell my side of it. I need as many people who think like me as possible.

I must crush the Prius anyway I can.

I want a small car like maybe the iQ that weighs less than 1800 pounds and has a 1 liter or less GASOLINE engine, costs less than $15000 and gets 50 MPG. I could live without airbags, crush zones, ABS, traction control, and a lot of other things I cant think of. I bet without those things like car would be <$12000.

Its nothing personal.

If gas goes over $5 you will do very well with the Prius. You will have made a wise choice. We need to drive cars that get better than 50mpg on a large scale and bring the oil companies and the hostile foriegn countries that hate us to their knees. The Prius does that.

Unfortunately it just give the money we would give to our enemies to Toyota.

I was just reading my reply to this post (from yesterday) and it dawned on me -- Bronsin writes "With me it's all about the bottom line" -- Then why did he get an automatic?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by edmscan

I don't care what anyone says (I am not a car guy .. so I can just plead ignorance) .... if I had the money I would buy a Prius C. It is a great car .. and the mileage is from what I have seen, better than the Yaris. So .. really I think that you cannot go wrong.

However .. I don't like the other prius' ... they are just funny looking and much bigger than I would like.

I do 90% of my driving in the city .. and it is here where the Prius C shines. A friend of mine has one .. and in the city, it really shines.

Re your middle paragraph.....my sentiments exactly.

[tooter]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

I was just reading my reply to this post (from yesterday) and it dawned on me -- Bronsin writes "With me it's all about the bottom line" -- Then why did he get an automatic?

Sometimes it's all that's available...

There were only three in the whole state of California when I bought mine. In the evening, the location of one was disclosed to me and I drove 50 miles to be there first thing the next morning when they opened with the cash in hand to immediately buy it on the spot. It not only had hand crank windows, but used a real key to open the doors and the hatch.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by tooter

Sometimes it's all that's available...

There were only three in the whole state of California when I bought mine. In the evening, the location of one was disclosed to me and I drove 50 miles to be there first thing the next morning when they opened with the cash in hand to immediately buy it on the spot. It not only had hand crank windows, but used a real key to open the doors and the hatch.

I know. I decided my previous car only had about 500 more safe miles left (steering rack) when I was on a trip and headed to the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. MA. I plopped myself down in Chicopee, MA and started a search for my Yaris . I searched every dealer in the entire Northeast region of the U.S. and only found five 5 speed manual liftbacks. I ranked them in order of desirability. #1 was in Cambridge, MA near the Harvard campus. I paid a visit to the dealership and they had lied....the car was still out at sea on a boat! My #2 choice was in Rhode Island and I immediately drove there and bought my Yaris.

If a person only has one vehicle, then waiting or not is more likely a front burner issue. Bronsin has a Corvette and a motorcycle. I've ridden in a car during an East Coast winter, but I've never tried to drive in one. Perhaps he wanted an automatic because it is safer to drive an automatic during an East Coast winter? Bronsin?

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

...."disappear"........then...Aha! Light bulb! Will all of the needed part numbers for 2012 Model Year hand crank operation for the driver side door on a 3-Door Liftback be open for purchase by a single consumer?...if so...Will future year (3rd generation but AFTER hand crank windows have disappeared) driver side door interior/'innards' accept all of the 'needed for hand crank operation' part numbers?....if not...Could the inside of the door be modified to make this a reality without huge expense? Is all of this unknowable until after the hand crank windows disappear? Are these CTScott only questions?

Tooter.......do you know the answer to any of these questions or do you think they are likely CTScott only questions?

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

I was just reading my reply to this post (from yesterday) and it dawned on me -- Bronsin writes "With me it's all about the bottom line" -- Then why did he get an automatic?

I have something called "polyneuropathy" in my feet. Pushing in a clutch made my foot hurt so much I could harly walk at times.

So I sold my ECHO and bought a Yaris with AT.

Im a much better man for it.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

I have something called "polyneuropathy" in my feet. Pushing in a clutch made my foot hurt so much I could harly walk at times.

So I sold my ECHO and bought a Yaris with AT.

Im a much better man for it.

I hear ya. I'm sitting with one leg propped up on a chair right now. In California I put a tarp on my driveway to get it through the rainy season (before repairing) and I attempted to walk around the edge of it and slipped. Essentially I sat on my corkscrewing leg as I was falling. It is essentially the same injury that San Francisco 49ers running back Garrison Hearst had on the field that put him out for so long. It didn't heal right, and later that year I had to go back in the hospital. After 4 days of fighting the infection the doctors said that I had just turned the corner so they could tell me that if I hadn't I would have either lost my leg or died. The hospital was a high rise and one of the floors served as a convalescent hospital. The next day they put me in there for 2 weeks. After I got out of the hospital my leg healed, but blood would pool in my feet. The vascular surgeon told me I'd have to wear compression socks for the rest of my life. I lost weight and the pooling stopped and I no longer needed the socks. The infection I had was called Cellulitis, and occasionally I'll have a reoccurrence. Antibiotics take care of it, and occasionally I'll have to prop my leg or legs up for a bit....until June of this year. The antibiotic didn't take care of it and I had to go into the hospital for 3 days for an IV drip antibiotic. I get these reoccurrences in both legs, even though all the pieces of metal for my ankle are only in one leg. The infection that put me in the hospital in June was in the leg without metal in it. The last time (before this June) that I had Cellulitis was in 2009 and for the first time I got it twice in one year and 2 months apart. I'm hoping this isn't happening again right now. The doctors told me early on that my circulation will never be 100 percent in either foot and even when I'm at my best weight and exercising I can still tell that my circulation will never be 100 percent. Other than when I get Cellulitis, I don't have any pain and I have normal sensitivity and function. I hope it stays that way...and I hope I'm not having a reoccurrence right now. I may go to the doctor later today.

[tk1971]

Originally Posted by tooter

Just a side comment about your avatar, tk...

Did you ever think that a window crank would ever become something to actually be proud of?

I feel exactly the same way about my cranks and regard myself as being lucky to have gotten them before they disappear altogether...

...as they're a symbol of simple practical reliable mechanical functionality.

The cranks in my 210 were original to the car, dirty and sun faded, but they were perfectly functional when I donated that car to the Salvation Army at 395,000 miles.

Yep, I'm proud to own a modern car with window cranks. I also want my kids to remember their dad had a car with window cranks.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by tk1971

The cranks in my 210 were original to the car, dirty and sun faded, but they were perfectly functional when I donated that car to the Salvation Army at 395,000 miles.

Yep, I'm proud to own a modern car with window cranks. I also want my kids to remember their dad had a car with window cranks.