Sell 1st Car (Prius) For Scion tC

Just go get the car that you want as gas is cheap now. Enjoy it and if gas goes higher think about another Prius. It is that simple.
TomK

 

Have you driven the tC? It's alright, but I don't know if it's enough of a change to warrant getting rid of a Prius. If I really wanted something sportier, I'd probably go Civic Si....or Mazda.

 

actually, it's the opposite. now's the time to buy a prius, not sell/trade it, and when gas goes up, it's the time to buy a gasser. but all smaller cars should be undervalued right now, not just prius.

 

I've test drove both the SI and the TC (manual transmission) over the last couple months along with other cars (Abarth) and I've gotten insurance quotes on all of them.

The TC is significantly more to insure than the SI. Supposedly due to the fact that lots of younger kids with no driving experience buy them because they are sporty and cheaper, drive like how kids do and wreck them. Not saying the same is not true of the si but insurance was cheaper.

But....

I preferred driving the TC (manual, never drove the auto) over the SI, even though it is down on HP over the si it feels quite a bit faster as it is torquier. The si felt cheap and the new stereo interface blows.

But...

I almost bought the Fiat Abarth in automatic, I hated the stick and I nornmally like manual trans... Just an amazing, fun little car. Sounds and feels like a race car...

But I'll digress, I traded my persona last week for neither of the 3 above cars. I went with a brand new Ram 1500 Big Horn Crew Cab 4x4 (Hemi)... Insurance only went up $3 a month on a truck with msrp of over 47k

 

Forget the tc. Get a copy of The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. I wish I'd had it when I was college age. Keep your Prius, especially if it's paid for, and memorize that book. When you're older you'll be glad you did.

 

you traded your 2015 prius?

 

If that was for me... Yes. I got a new truck, had the Persona for 14 months.... Missed the Hemi my old charger had and have always wanted a new truck. Could not pass on the deal. It gets tinted out Tomm..

Dealership gave me 22k for my trade and I owed $18750, they rolled the equity into the new truck as a down payment and had crazy discounts and incentives and certificates on the truck which I ended up leasing and managed to lower my payment $60 going from a 28.5k (Persona) to a 47.1k (Ram)... In essence that price diff will pay for my gas now as obviously it will be significantly worse than the Prius. Lol.

Heck they also threw in free tint, remote starter, and spray in bed liner worth about a grand total!!

Op. Sorry for the thread jack re. Above... but as I said earlier the TC is a nice car and enjoyable to drive but insurance can be higher than expected so get a quote first.

Or keep what you have and do the financially sensible thing (unlike me, I like to buy and trade but always seem to make out ok in the end).... On the other hand you only live once so drive what makes you feel good as long as you can pay the bills...

 

I'd vote against the tC as well. If "fun" is your thing, I really don't think you're going to find what you're looking for in a tC. Plus, "fun" really shouldn't be your thing on the road. Safety should. I know, I sound like an old fogey, but trust me, if you don't die by the time you grow up, you'll look back at your life and wonder how you're still around and be thankful you didn't take anyone else out along the way (I know from personal experience).

You say a Miata is too small, so that knocked out a bunch of other cars that might be options, like the S2000, Z4, and probably the RX-8. Perhaps a Mini might ok? However, even with those cars, none are exceptionally fast. I guess it depends on what you mean by "fast." Faster than a Prius? Faster than most cars on the road? Fast enough to pin you back to your seat?

Again, I'd recommend the Prius from a financial standpoint as well as a safety standpoint. It suits your *needs* better than anything else, even if it doesn't suit your *wants.*

 

It's easy to guess what a bunch of Prius owners are going to tell you to do, but in this case I think that I'd keep rolling the Prius and look for a good used ricer to play with on the weekends and try to cash flow that...or maybe look for a cheaper hobby.

Here's the thing.
Nearly anything with a motor in it is going to be worth almost nothing in 10 years.
That's cool if your kid's college is paid for and you don't feel like paying off a second house or funding silly stuff like retirement.
That's pretty much why people are trying to buy your scratched Prius, and you're hearing the melodious Siren call from the car lots.

Jason and Odysseus had to use loud music and beeswax (respectfully) to foil the Sirens.
You're a little luckier.
You can use your Prius.

Good Luck!

 

Ultimately, you should do what you want to do. No one else can tell you what you'll be happiest with. And with those decisions we keep going back and forth about, it's often best just to go forth, otherwise it could be a source of conflict for years to come. I'm facing that with a decision right now and I'm just going to go for it, otherwise I know I won't be resolved. Going forward and focusing on other things seems better than an eternal hem and haw.

I researched and drove the 1st-gen tC a fair bit when I was helping my sister car shop. It was pretty fun to drive and we did get entranced with the sunroofs, 17" wheels and the Black Cherry Pearl paint color. It's certainly not an irresponsible car. It's plenty safe, Camry-powered, front-wheel-drive and easy to own. She liked it but ended up choosing an Accord coupe with manual gearbox--also fun to drive, but with extra sophistication.

In '07, I was doing similar deliberation, except I was going from sporty (2nd-gen Integra hatch) to Prius. I do miss rowing that close-ratio 5-speed now'n then but overall, am very glad I went for the Pri. I really enjoy driving it and it matches my use much better. Not to mention being incredibly easy to own.

Good luck!

 

Im 45, I have had my fair share cars. 2000 Suburban, 05 Scion tC, 06 Vette, 07 Z06 Vette, 01 Harley Davidson Dyna low rider, 05 Big Chopper ( that I that I build) and 2012 Rubicon Unlimited Jeep on 37 inch tires. My brothers 2011 Mustang. My girlfriend 08 Lexus gs 350 and 2011 BMW I135.

All I can say is keep your Prius. It's a fun car to drive around in. My .02 cents.

 

I agree with with above. It is surprisingly fun and when I want more torque, I take the BMW. But, do as you wish as gas is now cheaper.
TomK

 

Even with gas being cheaper there's still a satisfaction every time the optimismeter shows 5x or 6x mpg.

 

I don't think current gas prices should play any role in vehicle selection. Buying a vehicle based on gas prices is just a gamble, and one you're always going to lose if you buy the gas guzzler because gas prices will always go up.

 

Disagree johnny, that is the only reason I bought my first Prius along with a longer commute. I still have my Mazda Millenia and BMW 530i which get low to mid 20's mpg. The Prius can now sit longer with gas cheaper, but I kind of like the little guy and drive the other cars on the week end.
TomK

 

And financially, that's a very poor decision. It might be fun and what you *want* to do, and that's all good and dandy for you, but it's not sound financial advice, imo.

 

When the Prius becomes as FUN to drive as the BMW, I will own no other vehicle. I really like the Prius and it serves it's purpose well, Toyota does not call it the ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE. There is no comparison. Drive around and count the ratio of Prius vs. other vehicles. People do not drive on their financial mind, more on need (trucks, SUV & minivans). The OP is wanting more of a FUN factor, not to save $$$. The Prius while surprisingly fun to drive as it is no Ford Escort, it does not have that FUN factor of actually driving a vehicle that is FUN to drive. I get your point johnny and I am on my second Prius for financial reasons (miles driven/fuel cost) but I have no problem paying and extra $3 a tank for premium fuel in the BMW for what it gives in driving experience. The OP was not asking for financial advise if I remember, or was he?
TomK

 

The TC might be the right thing to do if it is what you need to learn your mistake.

The first car I bought myself was a used 1995 Milano Red 2 door Acura Integra GSR. I had been driving Civic and Corolla hand-me-downs prior. This was the first car I chose on my owned, financed and purchased all by myself. It was exactly what I wanted as a 20-year-old wanting to look cool. I bought rims, header, and a cold air intake. I painted the engine, installed clear lens, and other cheap mods. I was so proud of myself. And then I drove it daily.

It had a close ratio stick shift which drove me crazy commuting to work and school, especially parking in hilly San Francisco. The GSR engine droned at 3500 rpm at 65 mph. It was loud and buzzy. At 25 mpg, it wasn't exactly thirsty but the tank size was only 10 gallons. I got less range than a Tesla Model S back then. It took premium gas and when the heater core broke, I bypassed it. I, thus, froze in the winter without heat. It took all my money to buy the car, gas to run it, and stupid modifications. I couldn't afford to fix anything or pay insurance. So being a "smart" 20 year-old, I paid liability on it only. What an idiot. Thankfully, an old man plowed into me from behind rendering one of the worst financial mistakes I ever made over. His insurance totaled my car and paid out. I went back to Civics and Corollas until the my current Prius.

TL;DR I had to make the mistake of buying a high priced exciting car so I could learn that all I needed was a commuter to get from A to B. Maybe you need to get it out of your system too. Better to make that mistake now on a cheap car rather than on say $45,000 BMW later in life.