I had my Prius for a year, and I love it. The battery issue you hear about is mostly a FUD. Toyota offers 10 year warranty on the Prius battery. The car hasn't been out for 10 years yet, so we don't really know the real life span of the battery. But you won't have to worry about it for at least 10 years.

I'd say the biggest gripe is the steering wheel. It can be adjusted up and...

I had my Prius for a year, and I love it. The battery issue you hear about is mostly a FUD. Toyota offers 10 year warranty on the Prius battery. The car hasn't been out for 10 years yet, so we don't really know the real life span of the battery. But you won't have to worry about it for at least 10 years.

I'd say the biggest gripe is the steering wheel. It can be adjusted up and down, but not in and out. It's missing the telescopic adjustment. The steering wheel is located rather far out. You either need to sit close, or have long arms to be comfortable.

One thing you might want to wait for is Lithium Ion version. The current NiMH battery is good, but Lithium Ion is better. The rumor is the next Prius with Lithium Ion battery is wall pluggable, boosting the gas mileage even further. It'll probably come out late 2008 as 2009 model.

Since there was so much hype about the Prius, I actually test drove a friend's Prius. My conclusion is that it's just too wimpy. The fuel mileage might be great but the car just doesn't have enough power and the acceleration is abysmal. You can pretty much forget about having enough power to overtake other cars on a hill.

Also, it drives like a small Japanese car. You don't get any of the joy th...

Since there was so much hype about the Prius, I actually test drove a friend's Prius. My conclusion is that it's just too wimpy. The fuel mileage might be great but the car just doesn't have enough power and the acceleration is abysmal. You can pretty much forget about having enough power to overtake other cars on a hill.

Also, it drives like a small Japanese car. You don't get any of the joy that you would get from a sporty European or even a sporty Japanese car. About the only thing is the mileage.

Wait until they make a hybrid car that's actually sporty and fun to drive. If you currently have a modern car that is considered a driver's car, you're not going to be satisfied with the driving experience of a Prius.