Considering buying a Prius....

Me to!

 

Leasing is interesting idea. Never did it myself. You live in NC also there is a company called Re-Involt which does Prius battery replacements. They are supposedly making a Lithium replacement battery for Prius, don't know if that could allow you to do short trips on the battery. Its a long shot. How many miles per year? Plug_in Prius (PiP) lease is intersting idea but you may have to go to VA to see one, as NC was not a roll-out state.

 

spidey is right, you will get relatively poor mpg's on trips less than 5 miles or so if the engine is cold. pip solves that problem. you might want to consider looking north for better pricing. i don't know what it is now, but pips have been quite inexpensive around here over the last 6 months.

 

I bought mine new with no regrets... (2012 Four and my first ever new car) and wanted the moon/solar roof package with the Softex seats and the stereo is great to boot.

The gas mileage? Is really awesome! My daily commute is just under ten miles and in the summer I had some stellar trips for a non PiP... looked at the PiP briefly but until more charging stations are in my area, it seemed pointless. Right now I have not seen a single one in my daily travels but I guess they are out there after the NY Times Tesla article....

Would agree that going up a grade on the highway causes a bit more "noise" at speed than I'd like but also having a diesel truck that also makes noise, the Prius just makes a "different" noise.

 

We find the short trip mileage to be painful because we know how much better it does on longer trips. What we forget is that conventional cars also do poorly on short trips and we get twice the mileage that most of them get in either case.
The short drive thing would definitely be a bad thing for a VW TDI, as they take a long to warm up and require periodic regeneration cycles every few hundred miles that take 10 minutes or more to burn the soot out of their filters.

As far as acceleration is concerned the Camry hybrid has an easier time of it (doesn't sound as out of breath). It is much more powerful. The downside is that you lose the hatchback utility and, of course, a bit of fuel economy but it might be a good compromise for you to consider.

 

Here is a post I made about who should NOT buy a Prius. No car is ideal for everyone.

considering a Prius | PriusChat

It is based on the Gen 2 Prius, but most points are true today as well.

 

I leased the 2010 then purchased it. It has been great getting close to 60,000 miles with a LMPG of 57 . I would go with the PIP , given your situation and find a cheap lease deal thru Toyota, then in 3 years decide if its for you. I find it climbs hills fine you just have to step hard on the gas. I also carry a 9.5 ft Kayak in it with the top closed, Have a habitent that hangs on the back and turns it into a great little camper. Very usable and flexible design...

 

Ted cool...what kayak do you have? Do you have a pic of it in there?
I have a Tarpon 10-ft but I have not tried to stuff in my Prius yet, I put it inside my minivan though no prob.

 

Based on what you've told us I suggest that you go with a new standard Prius.

• Reliability is better than nearly every car on the road which leads to low maintenance costs
• You (like me) prefer a hatchback
• It is likely to be able to give you good service for far longer than the 9 years that you have kept cars in the past
• My experience has been that it has enough power for any normal driving situation including for long climbs at high speed and for short nasty freeway on-ramps.
• Current generation (2010 and later) rather than the previous generation because of numerous substantive improvements
• New rather than 2nd hand because with the Prius that's generally the better deal at present (not the normal case for cars over the past 50+ years)
• Standard Prius rather than plug in (PIP) primarily because you don't do enough miles for the PIP fuel cost savings to make a big difference (That car's high reliability and low operating cost may lead you to go on more long trips but the plug in capability generally provides little additional benefit for this kind of use)
• Prius rather than Camry hybrid primarily because of the hatchback and the better fuel efficiency

If you have cash, I suggest buying outright, if not, I would check out a bank loan before committing to dealer financing. I would avoid a lease due penalties, restrictions and (usually) greater direct cost.

 

From an emissions viewpoint, the PiP would be much better on his commute to work, and he wouldn't be using any gasoline at all. It isn't all about fuel cost savings. Plus the plug-in helps in overall fuel economy, even on longer trips. My lifetime average mpg is 83, with a ratio of EV/HV of 29/71%. His ratio would probably be more weighted to EV than mine.

 

Is it really that much nicer than the Pri? In what ways? I'm curious as I'm strongly considering getting a 2010-2011 Camry Hybrid to replace the XB, giving the wife the Pri and driving the Camry.

 

I used to live in Asheville (love it) and visit often now. I've never had my Prius up there because I'm always towing a travel trailer when going to the mountains. However, I've always noticed that Asheville seems to have the highest Prius-per-capita rate of any city in North Carolina. They are everywhere. Along with Chapel Hill (where I also spent a number of years), Asheville is a bohemian magnet, which might explain the Prius' popularity there. In any case, they probably perform adequately in the mountainous terrain or all the old hippies wouldn't be driving them (just kidding).

 

I'm in Knoxville. While not in the mountains, Knoxville is still pretty hilly (and poorly engineered, but that is a difference story). We've had the Prius from almost 10K and are not quite reaching the advertised number of 50mpg. I chalk it up to still being in break in, and the topography. Then I think, we are getting 46+mpg in this car, the Subaru we replaced with it wasn't even hitting 25mpg. Double the mileage isn't bad on the wallet.

 

Just to address the "fees that add up when your lease ends"
As someone who leased 3 cars in the past 5 years I can say I never was charged a penny when I turned in any of my cars.
I do take really good care of my cars, but still nothing on 3 lease returns, never even a call or question about anything.
Walked in with all my books and original paperwork, and they always just said ok thanks.
Now on my Prius I bought it outright, I plan on keeping it for much longer then my last 3 cars.
The amount of money I have saved just in gas in the 5 months I have owned it is pretty amazing.
My wife has a Venza and has the same commute as me and uses twice as much, almost 3 times as much gas as I do.
It costs $15-20 more to fill up her car and I do it more than twice as often.
Her next car will probably be a Prius as well.

 

The Venza is no slouch on MPG, what MPG are you getting with it?
We looked at one when they were new.

 

My wife doesn't drive as conservative as I do. She only averages between 20-22. I can get between 26-28 if I am driving.

Nice car though, I almost bought a second one a few years ago instead of my Highlander but the rates weren't as good. My wife has had a 2009 and now has a 2011.