the mathematical/economical justifications are important to some, are rationalizations to others, and are n/a to yet others. i bought my 02 in 05 used. i paid 13K cash and sold my paid for chevy Avalanche (15mpgs) for 23K cash. So, 10K cash in my pocket. I went from 15MPGs to 50 and my commute was 70 miles per day. I was saving $9.15 a day and 2.2K per year (at 2.80 a gallon). The avalanche would have depreciated a lot (especially when gas hit $4) and the prius has not. So i am way way ahead financially. BUT i was driving a used car, built in 2001. So now i am buying a 2010 w/ solar nav. My mileage will go from 50 to 55 (i hope). There is no way that i can justify the 2010 financially. The smartest play would be to buy an 06 or so with 40K miles on her, to get back into warranty and to not pay the depreciation. Further, the smartest economic play would be to find an 89 civic for 3K. So i rambled, but the point is its not about the economics - they help people consider the technology, but at the end of the day its about doing what you want. For me the real question is - what car do i want to buy for $31K?
ya, on the tidelands which ran from June 2004 to Sept 2006 it was $2.30 a gallon. on SPM which ran from Sept 2006 to present, its $2.92 a gallon. and the way gas prices are going, that average might be going up here soon. then again, i also have my Zenn, its pushing 9000 miles, now we can look at it as either getting 165 mpg, or on a Pri level, its either getting 165 mpg or its paying 94 cents a gallon... granted, its slower, but i can accept the trade off... :rockon:
i wouldn't say "wise" as much as "lucky timing". a job change forced the issue and things worked out right. but really - that 23K would have been 12K one year later.
to emphasize a word, i use italics or bold text... to suggest other intreptations, i use the quotes...you did hit on my "2nd" choice...
i'm with you - just wanted to be clear on the lack of prescience on my part i love quotation marks. at my grocery store on the bathroom door it says "please" don't bring merchandise into the bathroom
I did math when I traded in my 2000 Celica for 2006 Prius too. With the tax credit and 5 years of ownership, buying a new Prius would save me $$. That didn't include the extra benefits that came with green car. HOV lane access saves me 30 mins every day. Green pass also saves me on tolls. I got a bigger, cleaner, safer, quieter, smoother and better equipped car too! I got rear and side air bags, backup camera, Smartkey and push start button, MFD touch screen with climate control. Do you have to give up any of the features from the CR-V? What extras are you getting with the Prius III on top of saving you $1k per year?
We're getting way off topic here, so my apology to the OP, but this is a great question which I want to address. I'm giving up: Moonroof, interior room, leather, and heated front seats. I'm getting extra with my Prius 3: Smart key, Bluetooth, automatic climate control, and a better sound system. When leveraging the features above to see if the economy I'm getting with Prius worth the features trade-off, the Prius came really handy because I'm basically getting it for lots of hwy drive, riding just by myself, therefore: The leather is really nice with kids, but mine won’t be riding the Prius as they have way more fun with the Odyssey. I won't miss heated seats that much since I only use it in very cold days and very briefly, just for initial warm-up (I have a theory about men using heated seats for prolonged periods of time... you don't want to know). The extra interior room is not necessary anymore since I will be driving it by myself most of the time and the Prius have a decent amount of cargo space and interior room if I need it occasionally. I really like the moonroof, but would rarely use it now that I will be driving only in the hwy. The extras I'm getting with the Prius 3, though, will be a lot more useful during my long why drives, especially the Bluetooth and the better sound system.
The AC kills my mileage on my Civic Hybrids big time. I have not did a check on the Prius yet since I always turn the AC off except when my wife is in the car. At high speeds the AC on may give you better MPG than the windows cracked. 100 degress is getting me a little miffed in this heat wave and may turn the AC on. Be sure your tires are at 42PSI or higher and throw in some fuel injector cleaner as well as check your intake filter. Use 0W30 synthetic oil and call me in the morning. LOL Also check your battery for over 12 volts. Also they are spiking the gas this summer with dumb A** ethynol big time.
Got our 2010 about 2 weeks ago and we've been averaging about 45 - 47 mpg, mostly street driving but since we live in FL the A/C is on most of the time. Our former car got about 15 MPG..... we're happy!
You can't tell much about mileage from the first fill-up, because the person who filled it up may have filled it to the neck (great mileage!) or filled it until the bar just barely lit (terrible mileage!). You need to average mileage over several fill ups. My results are in my signature. I broke the car in very gently and got great mileage; it has been gradually decreasing as I've driven it a bit faster on the freeways, often cruising at 65 MPH.
