Who owns a Toyota Prius and how do you like it?

Count me in as another happy Prius owner! I have a 2006 model and have been very pleased by the car's reliability, excellent fuel efficiency, and nice features. The fold down seats and built-in D-rings make hauling all sorts of stuff a breeze. In fact, I can fit all my windsurfing gear -- boards, sails, booms, and masts -- completely inside the car, no roof rack required!

The only down sides are that the car can't/shouldn't pull a trailer and I personally find the seats rather hard. As for the looks, I have decided that the car looks much better and sportier from the back side than from the front, so I just park it accordingly!

So what year Corollas are you looking into? I know with my Prism the one thing I wish I had was the 4 Speed Automatic. My mileage would be 3-4 MPG better if I had it on the highway. Keep an eye on craigslist too, I have a friend who picked up a very nice Corolla for $5500 when it blue booked at more than $7500.

I haven't had to do a lot of maintenance on my Prism but it has had the new timing belt, water pump and I replaced the front axles last year due to the CV boots splitting and it was cheaper to buy new axles then reboot them. I change the oil about every 3k to 5k depending on the type of miles I drive.

I am actually looking at Corollas in the 2003-2007 range. I have my eye on one 2004 LE model at the moment. It has a manual transmission. I have always driven manual transmission cars and I believe I would get better mileage and service out of a manual. My friend has about a 2004 or 03 model 5 speed that I drove one time and I really did not like the clutch. I don't know if that characteristic is normal for that generation Corolla or not. I need to test drive some to see. If so, I may have to look at automatics, which are much more common anyway.

An older Corolla is probably better made. But, I like the roof height of the new ones as my head can hit the roof on the older generation Corollas.

I haven't committed to anything just yet. I have plenty of time to find a deal. If I see a Prius cheap enough, I may yet buy one.

I prefer a manual myself actually but my wife doesn't drive a manual and trying to convince her to learn has so far been unsuccessful. Manual transmissions are easier to work on and have a tendency to last a lot longer than automatics.

I'd never buy a used electric/hybrid car. Way too many ??? regarding battery life and replacement costs.

I bought a Prius in 2005, still going, no major maintenance, no battery replacement, no complaints, except it makes an annoying beeping noise when I back up.