Don't read the following article if you have high blood pressure. These writers really need to learn to research before they post. I believe this is also a story on NBC Nightly News tonight. It would have already been seen everywhere except the west coast. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8975473/ Is a hybrid car worth the gas savings? Green cars cost more to buy, more to insure, and depreciate faster David Champion tests cars for Consumer Reports. The government says the popular Prius gets 60 miles a gallon in the city and 51 on the highway. But in real-world driving, Champion, got less. “We found very similar results on the highway,†said Champion, “But instead of 60 miles per gallon we only got 35 miles per gallon in the city. So it’s a huge difference.†Automotive analysts say these green vehicles depreciate faster and, because they are more expensive, cost more to insure. "Hybrids make great sense if you want to make a statement," adds Champion. "If you purely want to save money, they’re a little less defensible.â€
Isn't it amazing how many ignorant people there are out there? :mrgreen: I wonder if he would like to meet my friends Mr. Smith and Mr. Wesson?
Jealousy is a cruel mistress and apparently she's one too. Just wait til Chrysler makes a cheap hybrid. They'll be slobbering all over it like Homer Simpson at a buffet. Then they'll say it's cheap, it's great, it's all the things that we've said before but they refuted.
I sent a message to NBC news on this one. The amount of misinformation being generated about the Prius is truly amazing.
I saw it on the Evening News tonight. The first two quotes you attribute to CR were in fact by their test guy. But, the 'automotive analyst' claiming they depreciate faster and are more expensive to ensure, as well as that last quote about 'making a statement', was not by Champion. The written article is wrong. It was by some guy from Edmunds.Com. Which, if you know Edmunds attitude on hybrids, is right in character. They also truncated the insurance quote - the actual quote was "Because they cost more, they are more expensive to insure" which is very differnent from just "more expensive to ensure" Gotta love that trust we have in Journalists these days.
Is this the same Edmunds which wrote this regarding the Prius in one of their road tests... The introduction of the Toyota Prius is causing a stir - and for a good reason. This is a thoroughly practical, entertaining car that makes you feel good about driving it. It also shows that Toyota is sending a message to the public that hybrid technology is available today. Just because they're not proclaiming it the ubercar, and let's be honest, it's not, doesn't mean they're slamming it. They pointed out a few faults in their long term review, and ya know what... they were right on the money.
Hey, I had posted this message an hour ago on priuschat on a new thread... http://www.priuschat.com/forums/facts-for-...26aecf0f#117278 I have a possible press oportunity, and am looking for a one pager that I can hand to reporter to help him get facts straight. Do we have anything here that I can draw upon????
Its a shame they have such boldface errors in that article. The biggest and easiest to prove wrong is the depreciation part. Its simply not true. Hybrids depreciate LESS then any other type of car except certain rare collectables. Also $23,000 is today NOT an expensive car.
I agree... $23,000 is not an "expensive" car, that thought is somewhat subjective though. I like the the statement that insurance is more, I called my insurance provider to get a quote on a change from my current car (2004) to a new Prius the quote was an additional $36 per 6 months. Yes I suppose on the most basic level the statement made is correct but considering I would save that in the first 2 weeks in gas alone I cant imagine that being a deciding factor in purchasing a car that is light on the environment and easy at the pump.
I decided some time ago that I'm going to start a collection of articles. Already I have articles of General Motors bashing hybrids from last year which I couple with GM's Lutz talking about dveloping hybrids of their own. This is just another article I will print, hold on to, and store until I can pair it with another one from the same source reporting the exact opposite position.
I received an insurance quoate which will change my insurance from a 98 with no collision to a 2006 Prius (act used 2006 Prius)... My rate is only changing $15 a month. That is not more expensive... in reality. <_<
Is this the same Edmunds which wrote this regarding the Prius in one of their road tests... The introduction of the Toyota Prius is causing a stir - and for a good reason. This is a thoroughly practical, entertaining car that makes you feel good about driving it. It also shows that Toyota is sending a message to the public that hybrid technology is available today. Just because they're not proclaiming it the ubercar, and let's be honest, it's not, doesn't mean they're slamming it. They pointed out a few faults in their long term review, and ya know what... they were right on the money. [snapback]117280[/snapback][/b][/quote] Sigh... If you read the article, they interview a guy from Edmunds who right off the bat slams the Prius and says that even though it was rated at 60 MPG city, they only got 35 MPG in their tests. They don't talk about the driving conditions. They don't talk about how long the vehicle was driven. They don't talk about the type of driver that drives the vehicle. They don't talk about whether the vehicle was broken in or not. For all we know, they could have taken a new vehicle and driven it like a maniac in city paying no mind to the consumption, not how it would be driven. Then he goes on and works out the math based on their own deflated mileage numbers and says you only save $81 over 5 years compared to a Camry. Sigh. This guy is brought out by MSNBC like an expert, but he's blasting the Prius over mileage, which he forgets to mention depends on a LOT of different factors. EPA numbers may be high, but that doesn't mean Edmunds low numbers are RIGHT. Neither are representative of what everyone should expect from the car.
I think it takes like 4 to 5 years of gas savings to pay for the price of the car. But, that is figured at like 2:25 gas now it is over 3.00. My insurance only went up 12 dollars a year for my prius. Before I was driving a Subura outback sport
I love it! Great idea. I can only imagine how fun it would be to read GM's about face in black and white.
Genious!!!! What those guys are doing when calculating those numbers (savings) is quite wrong, as we all know. I wanted to change my Big SUV (4runner 8 cylinder car) and I had to decide between a Camry (comparable car according to Edmunds) and my Prius. I am going to use an alternative approach called cash flow savings to compare both. What is important when you are struggling with your finances (like me) is your monthly Cash Flow no total savings at the end of the car’s life like they calculated. I just want to illustrate my case (very particular though). When you drive an SUV (a huge SUV) your main preoccupation is how much you paid at the PUMP right? And how much this payment could hurt your monthly income. In my strict case my SUV needed a fill almost every week ($60 in gas prices $3. per gallon), that means around $240 per month. With the Prius I have an average of 55 MPG and I filled the car almost every other week ($28), which means $56 in expenses for Gas . Just there I have a $184 dollars in savings.($240- $56/) The insurance for My SUV was around $80 (because I have house and car insurance Combo) with the Prius my policy drop to around $68 (then I have $12 in additional in insurance savings). My monthly payments also drop because my SUV's was a more expensive car than my #5 package Prius. I used to pay around $480 and now I am paying $395. (Savings around $85). All this flimsy math is giving me a monthly savings for: Gas = $184 Insurance= $12 Monthly payments= $85 Total Monthly savings = $281 That means and increase in total wealth for almost $281 in a monthly basis!!!. I also posted a thread here that shows that the Prius is one of the cars with higher resale value so not sure about the depreciation comment. Now let’s analyze the Camry as an option (which actually I did) The Camry could give me an average of 31 MPG (24 MPG city/ 34 MPG HW with a 30% city and 70% HW commute I get 31 MPG on average). My driving is around 1200 miles in the month, which means around 39 Gallons of gas to be burn during the month. At $3 per gallon it means around $116 in gas (saving versus old SUV = $124). I asked my insurance and they quoted me almost the same rate as the Prius (3 dollars less!!!). Regarding to the monthly payments. When I tried to built a Camry to make the car comparable to the features and nice gadgets that my Prius has actually The monthly payment of the Camry got even higher!!!!!! It is true that you can have a higher maneuver of negotiation when you buy a Camry than a Prius still I get more from a Prius for every Dollar spend it. (For the comparison I got a Camry LE 4 cylinders automatic I added Side airbags, mats, alarm (equal to the transceiver). And some other features Still I do not get the nice smart key and the great MFD. Camry gets: Gas savings = $124 ($240 - $116) Insurance savings = $15 Monthly payments= $70 ($480-$410) Total Monthly savings = $209 with the Prius I get a $281 in wealth versus $209 for the Camry. It is true the Camry is a more “conventional†car but I do not think that it gives me the excitement that the Prius gives me. Intangibles: With the Prius I do have a lower expenses while helping the economy, reducing pollution, reducing our dependency of foreign oil. I just see PLUSES. For my monthly cash Flow the Prius seems to be the best investment ever!!
