I have been having a debate with my wife. My argument is that it makes economic sense to replace almost any car with a new Prius because, eventually, the gas savings will pay for the price of the car. So, as long as you keep the Prius for at least the number of years that it takes to save (in gas costs) the equivalent of the price of the Prius minus the trade-in value of the old car, you've basically received a free Prius. Am I wrong? PS - I recognize that there are vehicles that serve functions that the Prius cannot, like carrying big cargo or 6 or more people. Let's leave that aside for now.
in driving 19 months and 40,000 miles i saved about $2000 in gas. so at the end of the loan i might of saved 6000? add the 1400.00 i got from the irs for buying the car and then add in whatever i get, which i have no idea when i sell it, who knows? if its worth say at least 13,000 in 2012, that will be 20,400.00 so i of only spent what 11,000 for the car after 5 years? its the mail in rebate of hell i think as it stands right now my 2007 touring has a blue book value of 23,000.00 and i only owe 20,000.00 on it, i could sell it right now and pocket 3,000
In the UK the mid range Prius costs around USD $32,478.45 (converted from £17,500) How much is it in the US ?
The most expensive Prius in Spain costs 28500€ = 41000$ (Full equipe, IPA, navi, BT, Leather, comfort package, etc... no more complete is available here) Basque goverment pays 2000€ for you if buying a Hybrid. I got a discount for 2500€ Finally I have paid 23500€ = 34000$ Still good business...
Hi sweet..., I doubt the Prius will pay for itself. But one of the car rating companies says its the lowest total cost of ownership midsize family car. For the Prius to pay for itself in gas savings, take 125000 miles divide by 50 mpg, and you get 2500 gallons. A similar car getting 25 mpg uses 5000 gallons. That is a 2500 gallon difference. So, 25000/2500 is $10/gallon. Gasoline would need to be $10/gallon for fuel savings alone to pay for the car. That said, there are maintanence costs which tip the balance in favor of the Prius. Brakes go 125K miles and there are no starter or alternator repairs.
Gas mileage savings depends on how much driving you do. The big Prius savings are in depreciation and gas mileage. High miles means more gas savings but somewhat more depreciation. Low miles the opposite. So you are still ahead on both counts.
If a Prius is free, I should be getting paid for walking to work. And even more for the days I work from home.
Driving solo, get to drive in the HOV lanes AND cross the Bay Area bidges for free - when I'm in my EV with white stickers. So, when I cross the bridge in the EV that is also full of people - a REAL HOV that also has HOV stickers - then shouldn't the toll takers be paying ME to cross the bridge?
Pretty much more or less. Most of your miles are in a congested traffic, a normal car would get 15 MPG and Prius get 60 MPG. In this case, if gas price is $4, Prius will pay for itself.
no. you still have to outlay the ~$25k or more to buy the car. you could instead buy a little used civic for say $5k and get reasonable highway mpg. say you replace it once for a total of $10k in car purchase costs. then you're talking about making up a $15k difference in gas savings alone. at $4/gal that's 3750 gal, at 45 mpg that's 168750 miles before the car uses that much gas period, much less saves that much over a used civic. that does not take into account taxes at time of purchase (more on new car), costs associated with a car loan (higher loan balance= higher loan cost, also not in favor of new car), insurance (another not in favor of new car, especially considering a car with a lien requires full coverage), applicable annual property tax (more for new car with higher value), maintenance (in favor of prius), repairs (could go either way), etc. then there's the question, what if the car is totalled before it makes up for that cost and you get bent on the depreciated value? (unlikely, but always possible given insurance companies.) overall i'd say i wouldn't count on a new prius breaking even, much less being free.
Sounds great to me -- except it is like buying a lot of stuff on sale to save money. You can go broke saving so much money...
No car is free unless someone gives it to you for nothing and buys your gas for you. The fact that the lifetime operating expense per mile is less for a Prius than for many other cars, does not mean it's "free." You're still paying money for the car and the gas. In fact, the cheapest transportation is not a new Prius, it's a late-model used reliable econobox, like a Civic or a Corolla. That said, the Prius is an excellent car, and excellent value for the money.
