Update on car for tall person - we bought a used Prius!

[csziggy]

2006 Toyota Prius for a great price in really good condition.

The seat goes back just far enough for my husband to be comfortable - but I found seat extenders on the internet if he decides he wants even more leg room.

We're really happy to have a fuel efficient vehicle after years of two SUVs. I need my Suburban for hauling the horse trailer, but we really didn't need a second gas guzzler. The last two we had were bought because at the time they were the only vehicles we could find in our price range that fit my husband.

For those who are tall, the newer Prius are even better - he tried out a 2010 but it was way out of our price range so we hunted for an older model in good shape.

The Prius is definitely different from any other vehicle we've ever owned and learning it's quirks is more complicated than we expected. So far we're very happy with it.

[Orsino]

1. One of the things that sold me on the '05...

...was the extra headroom even in the back seats.

Of course, the trade-off is a shortage of elbow room, but the car is working out well.

edit: first major or unscheduled repair came this summer, when the big hybrid battery finally died--after lasting 8.5 years. not bad.

[csziggy]

2. We seldom carry passengers in the back, so the space there is no deal breaker

The real hatchback with the option to fold down the back seats is of more use to us. We're used to traveling in a SUV with lots of stuff, so a regular sedan just wouldn't have the cargo space we're used to.

One of the other "hatchback" models we looked at only had the same opening as their non-hatchback trunk. While you could lay the back seats down, it just did not make it easy to get things in and out, so as far as I was concerned was not a real hatchback.

How many miles did you get on the battery? I've read many are getting over 200,000 miles before they have to replace them. The 06 we got has 177,240 (or did when we made the deal) so we're hoping to have a lot of years before we have to put a new battery in it.

[Orsino]

5. The battery died at 125k miles.

[csziggy]

8. That's not good news - but I'll deal with it when it happens

I've read that it is possible to find salvaged batteries from wrecked Prius. Not sure if I'll go that route or just go through the Toyota dealer for more money.

[DebJ]

11. What did a replacement cost, and did you get it new or used?

We have a 2007 Toyota Camry (only 69.000 miles) and at the time we bought the car,
replacements were said to cost $7000, but expected to be much less years later
when more replacement batteries were likely to be needed/sold.

[Taverner]

3. Remember to coast

You build the most power back by coasting

[csziggy]

4. Oh yes - we're leaving the power usage display up and keeping track

On the two hour trip back from where we bought the car, even at interstate speeds, my husband averaged about 40 mpg. Tuesday he let me drive it into town and on the way home (part in town, part on the rural highway with speeds of 45) I averaged about 50 mpg. The trick for us is to baby it up the little hills and coast down them.

Even if his daily commuting trip doesn't take the best advantage of the Prius' capabilities, he will double the mpg he got with the GMC Envoy he's replacing (which got maybe 22 mpg if he was careful). It will make up for my GMC Suburban that gets 13 mpg no matter what I do - but the Suburban gets little use any more - maybe leaves the farm twice a month in our normal routine.

My plan is that is the last truck I will ever own. It's got 156000 miles on it - at the rate I drive it, it should last me ten years or more. Our old Suburban got over 350,000 miles on it before the engine block cracked after seventeen years - this one will probably age out before we wear the engine out!

[Mopar151]

6. Now you'r e thinking like a racer!

The whole idea that one vehicle can do anything or everything died when gas went past .30/gallon. "Horses for courses" is the mantra.

Consider "shedding" the 'Burb - sun damage is a significant factor in vehicles that sit a lot, and tires for the big fella are expen$ive.

[csziggy]

9. We need to extend the carport

My husband convinced me to only go for a one car carport when we built the house. Bad decision - it's usually full of stuff, especially the electric golf cart. We really need a three car area, so maybe we'll add on a two car cover.

Most of the time we've had a truck and a smaller car. The previous two times when we went shopping for a second car, the best deals were SUVs. This time we could take longer to look and could make a better choice.

[Mopar151]

10. Good plan.

No need for a concrete slab - small stone or rock dust, or even a nice crushed gravel, over a decent base, pour piers to mount the carport structure to.

Racing Junk.com is a great site to check out if you need anything for trailering or towing - the classifieds run the gamut from the outhouse to the penthouse, and a lot of the race trailer dealers & manufacturers do horse trailers as well.

[csziggy]

12. I don't do much horse hauling any more

I have this truck, I'll keep it. But when it dies I will not replace it with a truck. I figure I may get ten more years out of this truck if not more. If any of my horses are still alive (my mares range from 16 to 8 years), I can pay someone else to haul them if I need to move them. Now, I have to have someone help me hook the trailer up and handle the mares anyway.

It took me months to find this Suburban 2500. Three quarter trucks are not that common around here - people usually get the basic half ton or go for the big one ton duallys. And most of the Suburbans I did find had too many fancy options - DVD players in the back seat and other junk I'd never use. I hope I don't have to make that search again!

[Mopar151]

13. Same thing, different context

I'm working on an engineering project for a niche market motorhome (a"ramp toter" in current parlance) - and part of making it right for our target market is keeping it simple - unlike a "normal" RV, this will be designed to fit in with a lifestyle, not to BE a lifestyle. If racers want some outlandish toy, they want to spec it in themselves - And we don't tow 100 miles to watch TV inside the camper, especially if we can harass our buddies while they are doing the "3 hours and a 30 pack" head gasket change.
And I so hear you about keeping a good old truck - I've owned my tow rig ('72 F-350) for 29 years.

[csziggy]

14. Way back in the 1960s a writer for Western Horseman

Gave a talk to our 4-H group. He was designing a RV with a couple of stalls in the back. A year later he began a series in the magazine about his travels across the US in that RV. He and his wife camped out all over the place, rode their horses where they couldn't drive and explored areas all over the country.

That RV would be very similar to what you are designing - very simple with a ramped space at the back for alternative transportation. His version had stalls for two horses and provision for carrying a folding corral on the side.

I think the writer was Randy Steffen - unfortunately my collection of Western Horseman magazines was long since destroyed. Randy Steffen wrote and illustrated a number of books, but I don't see one of his travels.

Our first Suburban was a 1977. I drove it for 17 years until the engine block cracked at something well over 300,000 miles. I may get more years out of this one, but not put the miles on it.

[Mopar151]

15. Thanks for the tip - I'll look him up.

My Gramp had a lot to do with horses - mostly draft & work horses, but he trucked racehorses as well.

[1-Old-Man]

7. Know what you mean. I've got a SuperDuty (Powerstroke Diesel) but I drive a Honda Accord

These days a tank of fuel in the truck lasts three to four months. Meanwhile the Honda gets 30mpg, which is fine with me considering its a V-6 6-Speed that I drive like a 12-year-old idiot.