Overhaulin'

Should I buy a Toyota Prius for 2008 or wait until 2009?

I heard Toyota Prius will have the next generation release in 2009, which is a shame because I was expecting to buy the car early to mid-2008. Should I just wait a few months for the 2009 or buy the 2008 model (which will have additional savings because of the redesign soon to come)?

Public Comments

1. Wait until the 2009 comes out and check it out if it really has more value for your dollar. If not, then Toyota will want to sell off their 2008 models and you will save even more $$$
2. The latest rumor is that the next-generation complete-redesign Prius (using Lithium Ion batteries) won't hit the market until the 2010 model year. In any case, you probably don't want to buy the newly-redesigned Prius right when it comes out-- It would be wise to wait a couple years for them to iron out any bugs first. The first of a newly-redesigned model is bound to have inevitable bugs. The 2008 is the finest of the 2nd-generation Prius-- This particular generation has been around since 2004, and the 2008 is the most refined and bug-free of its generation. I would buy a 2008, then wait until 2012 to upgrade to a 3rd-generation Lion-powered Prius after it has had a couple of years to mature. Hope this helps.
3. Hi, the generation 3 Prius is due out in late '08 or early '09. We've been told it will have an improved NiMH (nickel metal hydride) battery pack and a strengthened hybrid system. The idea is to get more miles per gallon from the NiMH system. The current gen 2 Prius uses a NiMH battery stack. We have been told that there will not be a Li-ion (lithium ion) battery stack in the gen 3 Prius. But that could change next week. My advice is to wait until closer to the actual release of the gen 3 Prius, compare and then decide. That's assuming you don't have to jump into a purchase within the next few months. When more concrete information is available, draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper, write the benefits of one on the left and the benefits of the other on the right. Leave that paper alone for a week and come back to it and see if you've leaned more one way or the other. Gas will continue to spike in the next 12-18 months, we all know this. If gas is $4.00 - 4.50 a gallon by 2009, there may not be Prius on lots to give you the time to make a long decision. Don't wait until then to start looking at the hard facts. What I have seen happen is people wait until the next model year, or until the winter comes and they think they'll get a better deal, only to find that gas has shot up to $3.50 - 3.75 a gallon and all the Prius have been snapped up. Watch the oil futures, mideast activities, and current administration rumblings and figure that into your equations just as much as any new doodads the '09 Prius might have. Good luck.
4. Wait and do some more research — i.e. internet search: "toyota prius problems". One caveat with Hybrids is that they can only be serviced by the company you bought it from. I am having problems with my 2006 Prius — excessive engine noise, shuddering or obvious and abrupt switching from gasoline engine to electric motor ... Anyhow, I can't even sell it because that the car has problems is very obvious to everyone but Toyota — they insist the shuddering and engine noise are normal — and I'm at their mercy because it's a hybrid....