Get a Prius or not?

you should pick up 10-15 mpg

if you put on 16,000 a years that's 400 gallons x 3 bucks = $1,200.

at 55 mpg, that's about 300 gallons. so 100 gallons = $300. savings per year x # of years you plan to keep her

 

is 26,600 including TTL?

 

will you be racking up that many miles?

 

looks like $5-8,000. on kbb

 

Unless you can afford to spend the extra money, I'd run the Corolla another year or possibly longer.

 

i just search the dealers inventory of dealers i'm willing to travel to, then ask for the best price on line.

 

never used it, but you can find others experience here. do a little goggle searching and select priuschat hits

 

If your Corolla is still reliable, there is no doubt that you will save a lot of money by keeping it. If you want a new car and can afford one, then the real comparison would be the cost (up front and long term) of a new Prius vs a new Corolla or similar car. Many variables and preferences to consider.

 

That adds up over 365 days per year - could well be better to buy a PRIUS. Prius will have significantly lower fuel use, but also things like brakes last forever (likely the life of the car). There is no gearbox as such - but a clever Hybrid Synergy drive which uses 2 electric motors and the petrol motor driving through an epicyclic gearset. Normal gearboxes - and worse, belt-type CVTs can be very expensive to maintain and repair. PRIUS petrol engine only drives maybe 75-80% of the time, so should last longer.

Check the car out - drive it, check that you like the drive. Not sure if you get the COROLLA Hybrid there - it's a cheaper car than PRIUS, though without the aluminium bonnet and boot lid, and not as aerodynamic won't be as economical - but worth considering.

I forgot that you get SEDANs in USA - they do have them here, but most we see are the hatch. Which has a very small boot in the 2019 version.

 

That's life isn't it. Always balancing things up.

• Yes, I could walk - too hot, 32°C and only 11am;
• Or ride a bike - getting too old for that, and bursitis in my shoulder is aggravated by a bike;
• Or catch a bus - but it's a kilometer walk to the bus-stop - and last time I tried, the bus came along with "BUS FULL" on the front - next was 45 mins later so I walked back and got the car!!!
• Or a TAXI - and they're expensive if you're going far (at least here);
• Get an old banger - and spend every Saturday night getting grime out from under your fingernails from the day's repairs.

Or buy a car - and then you pay your money for what you consider appropriate. While we maybe able to afford a Merc, we may choose something more humble. Choices, choices.

Yes, depreciation is something which is approximately proportional to the initial capital cost. A 50% depreciation on a $100,000 car will be, $$$ wise, considerably more than on a $12,000 new car. In fact - you could buy and financially write-off several $12k or $20k cars and have less depreciation than on an S Class. You'd probably enjoy driving the S Class more - but we've decided that a PRIUS, at $25k ish is what we'll spend. But it comes down to ... Choices.