I may be in the market for a car in six weeks or so. I'm considering the Prius C three as one of the "suspects". I will be the sole occupant around 98% of the time. I will likely keep the car a decade or so, perhaps longer. I expect to average maybe 1k miles a month in mixed driving. I believe given that amount of driving over that many years the fuel savings would more than offset the added initial price of the car. I joined here to hopefully learn enough to make the best decisions prior to purchase. Thanks for the access.
... back in 2004, these cars were moon rocks. To get one, you had to fight like a dog. Six month waiting list, bumped out of line three times, I finally had to threaten the finance manager, with physical violence: "... bump me out of line, just one more time, and I'm going to break your arm!" And, voila! Two days later, a white one magically shook loose, from Toyota's Prius tree. First on the block with a hybrid, my wife and I were deluged! The whole neighborhood turned out! My wife and I had never experienced anything like this. No sports car in history ever generated the extent of enthusiasm this car did. My other car's a show car. Nobody even paid the least attention to it. All day long, busy shuttling endless streams of neighbors around the block, doing little fun runs, answering stupid-silly questions, "... how do you plug it in?" and "... where do you plug it in?" It wasn't long before I figured out, I am going to be having fun, laughing it up at the strange looks on people's faces, spinning far-fetched, incomprehensible answers, to all these mindless questions: "... no, sir. That's a negative. See, it's a hybrid. You don't have to plug it in. Just get it as close to the outlet as you can. And, you'll be just fine." One of my favorite questions: "... what happens when you run out of gas?" If only you could see the incredulous looks of befuddlement on their faces, when I'd reply: "... it's okay. It won't blow up, just so long as you're using fabric softener, in your laundry. My wife's using a liquid fabric softener in the wash cycle, plus tossing in extra fabric softener sheets, into the dry cycle, just to be safe. Thus far, that's been working pretty good." But, my favorite of all time: "... aaaa, sir. Excuse me. It's a hybrid. That's 24 thousand giga-jewls. You're not supposed to be touching the car and the ground, at the same time. Getting in and out, you kind of have to jump." Samuel, '04
Sounds like Prius C fits you well and 10-yrs it'll still fetch decent trade-in price as the cars hold up. If you tell us what state you live in we might have some further tips or ideas.
I'm in the south Houston area. I'm about 5'9" and we won't talk about weight but I can fit most any vehicle. It's possible I will have about a 2 mile drive with 1.5 of it in the neighborhood at 30-32mph and below, the last 1/2 mile maybe up to 40. Two to four times a month I drive 90 miles round trip to have lunch with my cousin and his wife, 85-90% of it on the interstate at 62-64mph. Once or twice a year I like to drive about 150 miles to eat and visit an antique mall and that's mainly state highways. Once a year I might make a trip to Ohio for an expo and that would be mainly interstate and probably 66-68mph most of the way.
I had the same concerns. I bought one last month. It is the best car I have ever bought ( prius four ). It rides very nice. It has the best mpg. When the rest of the cars are hoping to get 35 or 40 mpg on the highway, you are getting high 40's & over 50 mpg. You will be pleased with the well built prius c. Good luck. SCH-I535 ? 2
I have a Prius v (the station wagon version). Never had a hybrid before. Immediate prior cars were a Porsche and a SUV that were maybe 9 and 10 years old. I take the trash to the recycling center (cheaper than paying for pickup), the Xmas tree to the dump, the furniture to the repairman, her list to the local grocery store, around the neighborhood, etc. Several times a month I go 90 miles round trip to visit or pick up grand kids. Their daddy has a Prius hatchback he commutes 35 miles to work in. I go 300 miles up to and 300 back from my former home twice a year. I drive it like a normal car, a/c on if needed, cruise on, radio on. I can't imagine it wouldn't do anything or go anywhere I'd want it to go. Before I bought, I constructed a spreadsheet showing what various MPGs and and miles per year and years would cost. I shopped several dealers and several states (it can make a difference) before buying. Glad I did it. The point I am trying to make is have no fear of the "hybridness", it is all good and takes no adaptation. But sample the car for an extended drive and make sure it is comfortable for you if you plan on keeping it a long time. And buy when gas prices are low and there isn't a line waiting for the high-MPG car, you'll have more bargaining power.
The Prius C is attractive, but the Prius is a more comfortable ride IMO. Greater space for when you are not doing the solo thing
Get yourself to a dealership and have a sit in all the contenders. There's quite a difference between the regular Prius and Prius C, the feel and look. I sat in a c after having our Prius for maybe a year. For the most part I was a bit disenchanted by the feel of the c, it seemed a step "cheaper". OTOH, I kind of liked some of the more conventional components.
