Hybrids don't make financial sense

Yep. But you also get many more hybrid options that we don't get. The Ford CMax was designed and sold here for years before it made its way to the US, yet you get a hybrid option and we don't.

Toyota, Honda and Lexus support hybrids, but the other manufacturers don't. Some dabble with them, such as Peugeot and BMW but they're very very expensive and only sell in small numbers just to meet fuel economy averages.

 

That's just not true.
Yes...there are cases where some hybrids do not make economical sense, but for the most part they do if you keep and drive them long enough....otherwise only bunny-huggers would be driving them.
I'm nobody's idea of a Prius Cheerleader!
However (comma!) unless you're a three and out driver? Priuses do make fiscal as well as ecological sense if you can deal with the spartan driving experience.
Period.

As far as censoring?
That's a lib thing.
I say keep this person around for comic relief.
The Prius community SCREAMS for levity!

 

I wouldn't be driving a Prius+ in your situation either. In the US the Prius+ is about 2k UKP more than a Prius.

 

I need space for the frau's wheelchair when we go out... it fits fine in the rear area in my car now, but then there's no room for air cans if I have any other passengers... soooo, the V is looking like my next option when I hand this little car down to my son.

 

You are going to kick yourself for not buying this car years ago.

Just kidding, but I'm pretty confident you will be extremely happy with your purchase.

 

Hey, what about the 'car premium'? Compared to many (all?) other forms of transportation, you'll never get that money back, you know.

 

Isn't that a Mazda rotary?

 

I sort of agree with you, I have been saying the same thing especially in Virginia where our car taxes tend to hit hybrids harder, and then we tack on $64/yr hybrid fee (hope that'll get stopped soon). But you need to look at say Camry vs. Camry Hybrid...there you have ~$4000-5000 cost difference, and about 12-14 MPG delta. If you put on enough miles per year, say 15000+ per year the hybrid will pay off over 10-years, depending on your state tax policies.

But I am bummed in Virginia if my lifestyle changes in retirement (<12000 miles per year) and with tax policies that hit hybrids harder, a new hybrid for me is not the easy financial choice it was in 2006. There are so many higher MPG cars out there now. However used hybrid or plug-in may work out.

Seems funny to say with the proliferation of hybrids, but I am concerned about hybrid future. Prius works just because it is great car forgetting all about the 50-MPG hybrid thing. The next Prius "killer" could be an ICE liftback car getting 35 MPG and then bye bye hybrid market.

 

I looked up fuel economy on fueleconomy.gov

Camry Hybrid: 41 mpg (combined)
Camry 4 cyl: 28 mpg (combined)
Camry 6 cyl: 25 mpg (combined)

I'll again use 300k miles as the life of the car.
Hybrid uses 7317 gallons
Camry 4 cyl uses 10714 gallons
Camry 6 cyl uses 1200 gallons

Taking an an average fuel price range of 3.5 - 4.5/gallon, fuel savings in the hybrid are
$11889 - $15286 compared to the 4cyl
$16390 - $21073 compared to the 6cyl.

 

Actually, when deciding to purchased my 2010, the Yaris and Fit came out winners against the Prius using average yearly miles driven in a five year cost analysis. This included fuel, anticipated trade in values and maintenance. I just did not like them...plain and simple. Troll or not, there is some truth to his/her statement. YMMV.

 

I agree with the math but that is a 30-yr old car by the time a retiree puts 10k miles/yr on there.
Alternately, it points out that if you do 30k miles per year, hybrid is no-brainer.

 

As Corwyn likes to point out, the fuel economy value should show up in resale. In any case, there are hordes of families who drive 15k - 20k/year, and if money is *actually* an important priority, they should keep the car 15 - 20 years. A retiree would be smart to buy a used Prius.

The point of all this is that blanket statements like the OP are garbage. If he had said "Toyota hybrids are not the cheapest choice in every situation" I would agree with him 100%. It seems a bit silly to argue whether Toyota hybrids are the least expensive comparable car for the majority of people, but I think a pretty good case can be made that is indeed true.

 

Many of us drive off-highway too, so Combined MPG is still a better guide for us. Among all the US-market cars, I'm seeing exactly one non-hybrid car, from only one carmaker, that gets 40 MPG combined. And it is quite small, bare, unrefined, sluggish, and has no safety track record whatsoever.

Who are you to say that anyone needs to save all possible money on size / features / comfort / safety before they save money on fuel? I prefer to allocate money between fuel and features according to my preferences, not your insistences.

Because I also drive off-highway, the Mirage would cost me significantly more fuel than you show. It would also cost me a lot in rental fees and fuel on the many occasions where a larger cargo capacity is needed. And I'd be confined to an underfeatured unrefined sluggish car the rest of the time, with no track record for safety or reliability.

The minimum car I want consumes nearly $10k of the purported savings you claim. And because it gets far less than 40 mpg combined, fuel eats up the remaining savings quite rapidly, in one-half to one-third the distance we have driven our recent pre-hybrids.

 

Exactly so, and this is before the cost of the inferior reliability is considered.

Heagy is just trolling, but he is typical of so many people who are unable to calculate a reasonable estimate for lifetime car TCO.

 

I have always said that the Prius was more akin to a higher level Corolla with a $5k upgraded engine.

I think that you are close, but the numbers that you threw out are just a bit off. To compare to a Prius you would need a higher level trim than you factor in so cost is more like $17 to $19k and the mileage is in the mid to high 30's, not the low 40's. So the cost gap is more like $5k and the payback period, while long, does exist.

 

Do you know anything about the Mirage? Comparing it to the Prius is like comparing shopping at the .99cent store to shopping at Target. Sure you can get an 4 pack of toilet paper at both, but only one is fit to wipe your a$$ with.

Sorry for the thinly veiled cuss word - it just worked so very well.

 

...... but now with my prius , the folks at the gas station don't know my name

 

Of which virtually all our cars are here. If a car isn't getting 50+ mpg (40 mpg US) then it's classed as a gas guzzler! The Prius is a normal car now and should be priced accordingly. I'm not sure how they still feel able to charge such a premium. Infact, the premium here is getting higher Maybe it's the currency differences or maybe greed because petrol is increasing. do not know.

 

It's true there are always many variables to consider for one's individual justification in choice of vehicle.

However, Troll or not, Troy's general statement is accurate if you are "truly" trying to save money or are on a tight budget. The Prius is not a budget car for people of lesser means. Get over yourselves people.