First time getting a hybrid, I need your help.

There are still left over 17 Primes in NJ where I bought mine and drove it home to Wi. They currently have a a $5000 factory rebate. Add in a dealer discount $2000? and the $4500 tax credit (if your tax situation works for that) all adds up to significant savings on a new car. I love mine. I get 25 to 30 on a charge. When I run strictly Hybrid the economy often exceeds the EPA rating of 53. Trips without electric easily are in the 60 mpg area. Took a 80 mile round trip the other day and averaged 70 MpG using the hybrid only. (didn't charge that day). Amazing car!

 

Gas saving, comfortableness, and reliability... yep - you want a Prius!

If you won't be able to charge a Prime at home in the future, consider if you can charge it while visiting the places you tend to go to - work, stores, etc. Charging point availability is rocketing, so this will likely be easier as time goes on. Also, depending where you live, charging may be free at these locations.

I can't speak for your financial situation, but you can pick up a high trim level 2017 Gen 4 Prius for a lot less than a Prime. But a Prime will pay for itself if you do enough miles on electric only mode and have free charging points available.

 

worth it? that is a personal decision. have you weighed the cost/benefits vs another corolla or some such?

 

btw, why did you start another thread on the same topic?

 

How many miles do you drive a month and what MPG do you get in your Corolla?

 

Putting my Management Hat on - I'm retired from it now - get yourself with a big piece of paper like such:


In fact - get 2 or 3 (or 6) pages - head them "PRIUS" ... "COROLLA" ... "KIA FORTE" ... "HYUNDAI ELANTRA GT" ... "JAGUAR XE" etc

and write in all the good/bad reasons for getting that particular car. Include cost of insurance (you can search for that online), service, registration - and fuel cost. Easiest is to get the manufacturers MPG figure - while it's not exact, it is comparative between cars. If you have lease or interest charges, you can include them. I also did a projection of depreciation.

With costs, I extrapolated the costs to 2 separate figures "over 3 years" and "over 5 years".

The other comments you might make include equipment included, as well as "heart issues" like "noisy ... rough ... super-smooth ... quiet ... loved the driving position ... only 3 yrs warranty ... excellent 10 year warranty" etc.

Then - you'll find that one has many more CONS than PROs - put that one aside ... etc - till you come up with the one you 1) want to buy, and 2) can afford to buy.

You could find that with the number of miles you drive, it's better to buy the PRIUS - but it might go the other way - and the KIA or HYUNDAI might come out on top.

 

I'm reading between the lines and speculating some here, so throw the advice out if I'm missing the mark. BUT...

When I got my Prius, I lived in an apartment. So I never gave much serious thought to a plug in Prius. Even though they were available at the time.

I got GREAT gas mileage with my regular Prius and was very happy.

This is where I'm reading between the lines....

If you plan to move out...start living on your own, in your own apartment, you may find yourself with a growing number of expenses you currently do not have.
You also may find it impossible or at least pretty difficult to recharge in an apartment environment.

Therefore, I think I would recommend just getting a standard Prius.

If you go way, way back to the early years of Prius, Toyota actually ran ads explaining that the Prius Hybrid, did NOT need to be plugged in. NOT having to plug it in..was advanced as a selling feature, benefit.
Well things have changed. Being able to use more battery, recharge at home and get that extra "electric vehicle" boost is now the most fuel efficient incarnation of The Prius.

But it's not a sin to own a regular Prius. And reading between the lines, cheaper buy in...and NOT having to worry about plugging it in? Might at least at this point in your life be an advantage.

 

Here's an idea.

Take a few days to yourself, make your way to Indiana. Buy my 2016 Prius C and take your time driving it back home. It'd be like taking a mini vacation!

 

Perhaps you've already bought something by now but in case not, or in case someone else comes across this with similar questions...

You were thinking about buying a new car with 6 years of payments, and you were living with parent(s) but planned to move out on your own, and it sounded like perhaps you don't have a completely rock-steady amount of income (freelancing & delivery driving)... If you buy the new car you lose a lot of value to depreciation, but you are also stuck with a payment for 6 years, and if your income isn't as high as you expect (lose the job temporarily, for example) and you can't make the payment then your vehicle can get repossessed.

To make a more wise decision regarding what you can truly afford, a good place to start is to make a budget, listing your income and all your expenses. Not guessing or estimating, but actually tracking EVERYTHING and adding it up. Since you plan to move out on your own, you'll need to budget for when you have your own place, so things like rent, rental insurance, all utilities, any household expenses (cleaning supplies, toilet paper...), food, vehicle expenses including fuel, insurance, maintenance, fees and taxes (registration, license plates...), personal expenses like shoes, clothing, dining out, medications and doctor visits, contact lenses or eyeglasses, plus if you have any debt then an amount from each paycheck to pay down the debt as fast as you can, plus from each paycheck any charitable giving and saving...

 

Very Wise, might be best to hold onto the 09 Corolla and eat the larger gas bills as those cars definitely last for the long haul. I just traded up from an 03 Matrix but I have a good job for many years and had 333K on it. Start putting money aside as a down payment or even pay off the new Prius in full, chances are your corolla will last longer than you really want to drive it, and as a bonus the next 100k wont cost you hardly any depreciation on your new ride