Am I too far out for a Prius?

[Impatient]

Looking for a new car in the next few months, and the Prius is on my list. Being a mid-size car, and having that lovely hatchback that is all the rage, it looks to have the size of storage that I need. But here's my situation:

1. I live in a somewhat rural area and drive ~40 min to work (mostly highway driving to work, but 50/50 overall).
2. The nearest Toyota dealer that sells them is about an hour away (other dealers are closer but the don't stock the Prius.)
3. Living in Ontario, so the snow here gets fairly deep on some days.

These three things give me a few concerns:
Is the Prius going to be a good option with the driving I'm doing?
Do the dealers have to have specially trained techs on staff to repair/service these cars? (ie: will I have to go to that dealer an hour away to get service?)
What are they like in the snow?

The salesmen only tell you what you want to hear. You guys love these cars and drive them everyday. What have you found?

Thanks.

[lillucas]

You should email and ask john1701a. His website is john1701a.com (no www.) You can contact him there. He lives in minnesota so he has experienced snow before.

[ifidie2nite]

Originally Posted by Impatient

Looking for a new car in the next few months, and the Prius is on my list. Being a mid-size car, and having that lovely hatchback that is all the rage, it looks to have the size of storage that I need. But here's my situation:

1. I live in a somewhat rural area and drive ~40 min to work (mostly highway driving to work, but 50/50 overall).
2. The nearest Toyota dealer that sells them is about an hour away (other dealers are closer but the don't stock the Prius.)
3. Living in Ontario, so the snow here gets fairly deep on some days.

These three things give me a few concerns:
Is the Prius going to be a good option with the driving I'm doing?
Do the dealers have to have specially trained techs on staff to repair/service these cars? (ie: will I have to go to that dealer an hour away to get service?)
What are they like in the snow?

The salesmen only tell you what you want to hear. You guys love these cars and drive them everyday. What have you found?

Thanks.

The latest Priuses get over 50 mpg highway, much better than the typical 20-35mpg for a conventional vehicle, so don't be worried.

As far as specially trained techs, Toyota is working on training as many techs as possible, so there's a big chance the dealership you get it from has a technician trained on high-voltage hybrids like the prius. As far as traveling an hour away for servicing (which with a brand new car should have to happen for a while), that may be something you'll have to go to the dealer for. Most small shops won't touch a car that has "hybrid synergy drive" pasted on it.

So overall, I'd say do it.