Toyota dealer got a C III in Dubois PA yesterday. Went in for a test drive today and I'm just not sure what to think. It was my first time in a Prius and it is a lot different then my Chevy HHR. The C was more comfortable then the HHR. I found the perfect driving position. Seems too have enough power for me. More space in the front seats then the HHR. A lot less space in the back. About the same amount of road noise. Ride might be a little rougher. And the C was a little more fun to drive. Just not sure if the mpg difference is enough to spend over $22,500. On my 80 mile commute to work and back I am getting and average 33-34 mpg on the HHR. If I could get 50-55 mpg on the C that would save me $ on gas but not enough to make up the cost of the C. I will get sick of it and want something else in 4-5 years. Might wait until they get another color in and look at it again. This one was silver and I am not going to buy a car the same color of the road.
A bit bigger than a PT Cruiser (to my brain at least), but the same "classic" shape. At $4/gal, it would save $3.30 of gas for the 80 mile round trip each day, but it's not going to be worth it to replace it now. But, at least the OP now knows that they can get a c (or better) when the time comes. In the meantime start saving and hope for a car pool.
80 miles on highway only? I drive 2010 civic 2-dr and I spend $200 on gas each month. 60% city and 40% highway. I estimate I can save $100 on gas. lol $1200/ year $ 250 / insurance. $ 200/ maintenance
HHR is rated 25 MPG by EPA. If you are able to get 33-34 MPG from it, who knows what tou can get out of Prius c.... Your commute is far enough to make sense with the saving. Are you trading it in? How many miles do you have? Consider future maintenance cost and insurance.
If your main concern is money, get a used Prius Gen 2 for $8000, save $1200/year on gas, drive 7 years, the car is free. Very simple math.
I have been thinking about this. Would like the newest Prius 2010 up but can't handle that center console (what were they thinking)? Have been looking at 09's down.
Correct.. This is the best way to save money. The Prius is very reliable and unless it has had serious damage or flooding, it will be a worthwhile investment.
Where do you find a Prius for $8000 that's worth buying? Just talked to a Dealer I have bought from before and he has a 2008 45,000 miles for $15,600. Seen a 2003 on Auto Trader for over 13,000. If the 08 was a different color I might buy it and trade in a year or two for a C.
You'll find a bunch of Prius at cargurus.com. A pretty good site, select manufacturer, model and just put in the year ranges of the car you're interested plus how far you are willing to travel to see one, and they will pop up like popcorn! You are the second person I've seen on this site to mention the console. I thought they did a great job with the interior on Gen III. That console wraps everything right around you where you can reach it. The Gen II that we had felt more like siting up in a chair with a desk in front of you that happened to have a steering wheel attached. Ergonomics were not that well sorted out, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Other than that, the Gen II is a great car. Well driven and maintained, they will often exceed 50 MPG. I would look at the ones that have a good maintenance record, either with a dealer or private individual. A Prius that has been regularly maintained at a dealership is good. There are a lot of nice 2004-2009 Prii out there for sale, but with any car, you should check it out really well. A Prius is a very reliable car.
Keep an eye on local and nearby big city's Craigslist and be patient. Autotrader.com and cars.com are also good sources, especially they give you pretty good price indicator. I bought my used cars on Autotrader, and my friend bought two Prius Gen II on Craigslist in Chicago. Hire a trusted mechanics to inspect for you if you are not good at it. Pay attention to your gut feeling of the private seller. That's what I do.
I test drove a Prius C 3 today, figured I would add my impressions in an existing thread, maybe we can make this the test drive thread. Anyway, I drove it for about 10-15 miles with only 2-3 miles on the interstate, my initial impressions were - visibility seemed fine, didn't notice any major blind spots but wasn't really looking for them - "trunk" real small, won't fit a set of golf clubs without folding down the seats - road noise was low, seemed quieter than my 2010 prius but my car has aftermarket 17s and high performance tires so that could be the main difference - power seemed fine, even getting up to speed on the interstate - 46.8 mpg for my trip (i reset before I left, no AC running and windows down during lower speeds) - cloth interior was ok, really want to try out the softex, I miss having leather. - drivers seat wasn't too much more cramped than my 2010, I got in the back seat without moving the drivers seat and had plenty of room also. One note, the car was showing KM/H instead of mph and the salesman didn't know how to switch it over, interestingly enough the readouts still showed mpg readings I was thinking about possibly trading my 2010 prius 4 with moonroof/solar panel and navigation but they were WAY off on trade in value. They offered me $16K for my car, ridiculously low in my opinion. Especially after telling me all their hybrids are selling for msrp, you know they will sell the 2010 used at full retail. So, looks like I won't be trading mine in anytime soon, I'll wait to see how well others are doing with mpg figures. With the 17s on mine I'm getting 40-45 all the time, if the C can realistically get 55+ all the time I'll think about selling mine and getting one in a few months.
One note, the car was showing KM/H instead of mph and the salesman didn't know how to switch it over, interestingly enough the readouts still showed mpg readings The exact same thing happened to me.
is it worth it in savings? if you drive 24K a year (your commute alone 80mi*250days=20K), per Fuel Economy you'll save $1,800 a year. In 5 years = $9,000 if gas price stays the same. Add what you can get for HHR now, add to likely cost at the end (~$8-9,000), do the math.
I get $1046 savings per year. I drive the HHR about 20,000 per year. I don't work in the winter and I have two other cars ( that never go to work). The Prius C that I would want works out to $23,636 over $25,000 with tax) My HHR is worth about $7500-$8000 if I sell it out right. So it's not too economical for the gas savings to buy new and I don't think I would be happy with regular Prius.
