Question Gen 2 Or Gen 3

[RNS]

hello all

i have decided.i am going for a prius but now.... its a case of a Gen 2 or shall i go all the way and get a brand new one

so you ones out there who had a Gen 2 and now moved on to a Gen 3 please tell me what you think to both of them

ps please bare in mind it will be used as a taxi :)

[Grumpy Cabbie]

The 5 year/100,000 mile warranty presently offered on the Gen3 would swing it for me.

Half tempted to trade mine in now and get another just to get the warranty.

[ian rooke]

hello all

i have decided.i am going for a prius but now.... its a case of a Gen 2 or shall i go all the way and get a brand new one

so you ones out there who had a Gen 2 and now moved on to a Gen 3 please tell me what you think to both of them

ps please bare in mind it will be used as a taxi :)

Hi Had 2 Gen 2 and now on the Gen 3 Its a far better car,faster, better on petrol and a lot nicer to drive

[Chris Dance]

I would take the advice of Grumpy Cabbie. He knows the cab trade and what vehicle is best for your use.

Chris.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I would take the advice of Grumpy Cabbie. He knows the cab trade and what vehicle is best for your use.

Chris.

lol nothing like putting me under a bit of pressure

I have previously offered my advice on this under a different thread, but I think the poster is now asking whether he is best with a cheaper gen2 or pushing the boat out and getting a new gen 3. Is the gen 3 worth the extra money? Or is the cheaper gen 2 worth the compromise.

Perhaps other members can offer their experiences of the two vehicles, especially those who have owned both vehicles.

[RNS]

I would take the advice of Grumpy Cabbie. He knows the cab trade and what vehicle is best for your use.

Chris.

lol nothing like putting me under a bit of pressure

I have previously offered my advice on this under a different thread, but I think the poster is now asking whether he is best with a cheaper gen2 or pushing the boat out and getting a new gen 3. Is the gen 3 worth the extra money? Or is the cheaper gen 2 worth the compromise.

Perhaps other members can offer their experiences of the two vehicles, especially those who have owned both vehicles.

yer that the thing i got £10,000 in cash was just going to get a gen 2 t spirit but now been thinking about getting a gen 3 t4 with leather :) but its alot more cash.... alot more taxi fares aint it :(

ps name names Ryan.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I suppose you've got to ask yourself a lot of questions. What are the Pro's and the Con's between the two models. Also, I don't know what the earning potential is in your area or your own personal out goings. For me, despite the recession I felt the gen3 was worth the money. The fuel savings over my last car mean the monthly cost is about £50 more than I was paying before on fuel alone, including £15 per month road tax savings. I was paying about £550 a month fuel whereas now its about £280. This is the main reason I could afford such an expensive car.

The Gen2 has cost on its side (you can buy one outright), has £35 annual road tax, good fuel economy and still attract extra 'green' customers. The negatives are it will have little warranty left, a 1.5 engine (105bhp) so will struggle with a full load/hills and won't return super economy on a motorway run.

The Gen3 is more expensive but new and you will have minimal monthly payments after the £10k deposit. I also think they now come with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. Zero road tax, a 1.8 engine (140bhp) and slightly better fuel economy than the gen2, but much better than a 'normal' car. Also, the boot is slightly bigger than the gen2 - 445 litres to 405 litres. Perhaps you'll have to keep it three years instead of two with the gen2? But it will have a lower starting mileage and warranty will cover you for a couple of years.

Pretty much that's about it. There is no right or wrong answer - more personal choice/risk. We ask this sort of thing at work all the time and there are two camps. Some prefer to buy an older car with highish miles for about £5k and hope its reliable, but if they are unlucky it can cost £1000's if the clutch or gearbox goes. Others prefer a new/newer car with low mileage, a warranty to cover the worry of expensive repairs and you pay a set monthly payment to buy it. I'm in the latter camp but whether it's right or wrong really depends I guess.

Clear as mud?

[RNS]

I suppose you've got to ask yourself a lot of questions. What are the Pro's and the Con's between the two models. Also, I don't know what the earning potential is in your area or your own personal out goings. For me, despite the recession I felt the gen3 was worth the money. The fuel savings over my last car mean the monthly cost is about £50 more than I was paying before on fuel alone, including £15 per month road tax savings. I was paying about £550 a month fuel whereas now its about £280. This is the main reason I could afford such an expensive car.

The Gen2 has cost on its side (you can buy one outright), has £35 annual road tax, good fuel economy and still attract extra 'green' customers. The negatives are it will have little warranty left, a 1.5 engine (105bhp) so will struggle with a full load/hills and won't return super economy on a motorway run.

The Gen3 is more expensive but new and you will have minimal monthly payments after the £10k deposit. I also think they now come with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. Zero road tax, a 1.8 engine (140bhp) and slightly better fuel economy than the gen2, but much better than a 'normal' car. Also, the boot is slightly bigger than the gen2 - 445 litres to 405 litres. Perhaps you'll have to keep it three years instead of two with the gen2? But it will have a lower starting mileage and warranty will cover you for a couple of years.

Pretty much that's about it. There is no right or wrong answer - more personal choice/risk. We ask this sort of thing at work all the time and there are two camps. Some prefer to buy an older car with highish miles for about £5k and hope its reliable, but if they are unlucky it can cost £1000's if the clutch or gearbox goes. Others prefer a new/newer car with low mileage, a warranty to cover the worry of expensive repairs and you pay a set monthly payment to buy it. I'm in the latter camp but whether it's right or wrong really depends I guess.

Clear as mud?

its stressing me out....

£7000 down and then they wont £72 a week for 5 years :( that would be a t spirits in red with leather.

but the place i am getting it from, if i do use there finance i will get the offering of a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty.

down side to a new one 2/3 month waiting list dunno if that true yet that what salesmen said today.

honestly dunno what to do..

also just after leaving this post i found this one on e bay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270559486934&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_1327wt_938

[Grumpy Cabbie]

I suppose you've got to ask yourself a lot of questions. What are the Pro's and the Con's between the two models. Also, I don't know what the earning potential is in your area or your own personal out goings. For me, despite the recession I felt the gen3 was worth the money. The fuel savings over my last car mean the monthly cost is about £50 more than I was paying before on fuel alone, including £15 per month road tax savings. I was paying about £550 a month fuel whereas now its about £280. This is the main reason I could afford such an expensive car.

The Gen2 has cost on its side (you can buy one outright), has £35 annual road tax, good fuel economy and still attract extra 'green' customers. The negatives are it will have little warranty left, a 1.5 engine (105bhp) so will struggle with a full load/hills and won't return super economy on a motorway run.

The Gen3 is more expensive but new and you will have minimal monthly payments after the £10k deposit. I also think they now come with a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty. Zero road tax, a 1.8 engine (140bhp) and slightly better fuel economy than the gen2, but much better than a 'normal' car. Also, the boot is slightly bigger than the gen2 - 445 litres to 405 litres. Perhaps you'll have to keep it three years instead of two with the gen2? But it will have a lower starting mileage and warranty will cover you for a couple of years.

Pretty much that's about it. There is no right or wrong answer - more personal choice/risk. We ask this sort of thing at work all the time and there are two camps. Some prefer to buy an older car with highish miles for about £5k and hope its reliable, but if they are unlucky it can cost £1000's if the clutch or gearbox goes. Others prefer a new/newer car with low mileage, a warranty to cover the worry of expensive repairs and you pay a set monthly payment to buy it. I'm in the latter camp but whether it's right or wrong really depends I guess.

Clear as mud?

its stressing me out....

£7000 down and then they wont £72 a week for 5 years :( that would be a t spirits in red with leather.

but the place i am getting it from, if i do use there finance i will get the offering of a 5 year unlimited mileage warranty.

down side to a new one 2/3 month waiting list dunno if that true yet that what salesmen said today.

honestly dunno what to do..

also just after leaving this post i found this one on e bay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270559486934&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:watchlink:top:en#ht_1327wt_938

Crikey mate their finance is a bit steep. £72 per week? That's £312 a month over 5 years even after you've put £7k down. I'd say that's taking the p*ss. I don't pay much more on my T3 and I only had a £500 deposit!

I'd shop around for sure. I was quoted £100 a month more by one main dealer than the one I eventually bought the car from.

I think you're going to have to go with your gut feeling on this one. You'd be better getting a gen2 and paying for it outright than pay that nonsense finance you've been quoted. No wonder it was stressing you out.

I'd check out the US site www.priuschat.com and look up an Irish gen2 Prius taxi owner. His profile name is halpos4. Drop him a line and see what he says and what he says to look out for. Let me know how you get on.

[Ancient Nerd]

Hi Ryan,

I've owned both, and to be honest, there really isn't that much in it. The Gen II was a really good car, and I would say was somewhat better built than the new Prius. It has 16" wheels, which makes it more comfortable that the 17" of the current T4 and T-Spirit. The electric motor on the GenII has MUCH more torque than the Gen III (although less power). I believe (but check it) that the rear suspension was better on the Gen II (but they had to get the extra boot space from somewhere). Gen II tax is only £15 (not £35), so that isn't really an issue. Fuel consumption isn't as different as the official figures suggest.

If you're doing a lot of airport runs, I would find the money to go for a Gen III - it is much better at motorway speeds. In mostly in town, I think the Gen II is marginally better.

From your description, I would say that the Gen II would be the better option, IF you can get a relatively low mileage one for a reasonable price. The problem is that Toyota dealers load the price of s/h cars to a silly extent. I was originally looking for a s/h Gen II, but I ended up getting a new T-Spirit for little more than the dealer was asking for a six month old demnstrator with nearly 10,000 miles (reasonable discount on new, no movement on the demonstrator).

Whatever you do, get the Toyota extended warranty when the standard warranty runs out. Two years is better value, but time it so that you take out a two year unlimited mileage warranty before it reaches 100,000 miles.

[Batsran]

I would take the advice of Grumpy Cabbie. He knows the cab trade and what vehicle is best for your use.

Chris.

lol nothing like putting me under a bit of pressure

I have previously offered my advice on this under a different thread, but I think the poster is now asking whether he is best with a cheaper gen2 or pushing the boat out and getting a new gen 3. Is the gen 3 worth the extra money? Or is the cheaper gen 2 worth the compromise.

Perhaps other members can offer their experiences of the two vehicles, especially those who have owned both vehicles.

yer that the thing i got £10,000 in cash was just going to get a gen 2 t spirit but now been thinking about getting a gen 3 t4 with leather :) but its alot more cash.... alot more taxi fares aint it :(

ps name names Ryan.

Never had a Gen2, but the GEN3 T4 we have is great. I would warn against leather, we previously had a Rav t180 and although the 'leather' looked great, after 20K miles and 34 months a tear / rip appeared on the side of the drivers seat pad (above where the seat adjustment is). The tear seemed to show that apart from the material being VERY thin it was not leather. Apparently only the very center middle section is leather, the rest is a none durable synthetic material that matches very well but is prone to tearing / ripping. This appeared to be caused by the natural crease that is formed when the seat starts to wear. After some investigation Toyota reluctantly agreed to replace the seat base (estimated cost at £1000 fitted) but warned that once the 3 year warranty is up it would not be covered. Even an extended warranty would not cover what they class as wear and tear! This was one of the reasons for changing the car and getting a Prius with regular seats. For a taxi I would suggest cloth with leather seat covers. Until recently our other car was a BMW 330i that we had for ten years and did nearly 130K miles in it - that had proper leather, and the seats were still comfortable and not showing any signs of wear other than a little creasing.

Although searching google didn't show lots of hits, it appears that there was at least a dozen people complaining of Toyota seats tearing in unlikely places..

As for which one, Gen 3! The HUD helps a stack with getting the max MPG by showing the pressure on the accelerator and the optimum braking pressure to recover energy and not use the PADs too much. From a cab perspective, I understand there is more headroom in the back due to them changing the roof line.

[RNS]

I would take the advice of Grumpy Cabbie. He knows the cab trade and what vehicle is best for your use.

Chris.

lol nothing like putting me under a bit of pressure

I have previously offered my advice on this under a different thread, but I think the poster is now asking whether he is best with a cheaper gen2 or pushing the boat out and getting a new gen 3. Is the gen 3 worth the extra money? Or is the cheaper gen 2 worth the compromise.

Perhaps other members can offer their experiences of the two vehicles, especially those who have owned both vehicles.

yer that the thing i got £10,000 in cash was just going to get a gen 2 t spirit but now been thinking about getting a gen 3 t4 with leather :) but its alot more cash.... alot more taxi fares aint it :(

ps name names Ryan.

Never had a Gen2, but the GEN3 T4 we have is great. I would warn against leather, we previously had a Rav t180 and although the 'leather' looked great, after 20K miles and 34 months a tear / rip appeared on the side of the drivers seat pad (above where the seat adjustment is). The tear seemed to show that apart from the material being VERY thin it was not leather. Apparently only the very center middle section is leather, the rest is a none durable synthetic material that matches very well but is prone to tearing / ripping. This appeared to be caused by the natural crease that is formed when the seat starts to wear. After some investigation Toyota reluctantly agreed to replace the seat base (estimated cost at £1000 fitted) but warned that once the 3 year warranty is up it would not be covered. Even an extended warranty would not cover what they class as wear and tear! This was one of the reasons for changing the car and getting a Prius with regular seats. For a taxi I would suggest cloth with leather seat covers. Until recently our other car was a BMW 330i that we had for ten years and did nearly 130K miles in it - that had proper leather, and the seats were still comfortable and not showing any signs of wear other than a little creasing.

Although searching google didn't show lots of hits, it appears that there was at least a dozen people complaining of Toyota seats tearing in unlikely places..

As for which one, Gen 3! The HUD helps a stack with getting the max MPG by showing the pressure on the accelerator and the optimum braking pressure to recover energy and not use the PADs too much. From a cab perspective, I understand there is more headroom in the back due to them changing the roof line.

hey there

i know what ur saying about the leather but my first taxi had seat covers and ill never have them again u get drunks taken them off as ur driving running down the street with them my dad as even had his floor mats taken from his car ;) my 4 other taxi have had leather in. 3 skoda's and 1 ford all been ok... just have to use leather cream and wipes alot.... makes life easy also if someone is sick and so on just wipe up :(

the high life of being a taxi driver.