Getting my Prius, just one thought before purchase

i'm a grad student, make much less than you, and my husband doesn't make as much as either of you, either.

we paid 26100 after taxes and all that stuff on our 05 package 5 (no nav, hid lights or bluetooth), and are very-i mean VERY-happy with our decision. even the $500ish a month car payment on our salaries is really worth it.

there are a ton of people here who have kids and the prius easily accomodates the right kind of car seat and baby gear. it is really very spacious inside.

good luck in deciding. the prius isn't for everyone, but the tech certainly is enjoyable.

 

I certainly don't regret it. My wife is a grad student, and I will be soon, and it's a great car for us. There are a lot of little things that make the price worth it. Since you're looking at a #7, then that means you get NAV. Planning any road trips? I went to vancouver, BC for three days (for the first time) and didn't get lost once! That's really worth it when you're trying to get to your hotel in a strange city.

Does the Acura have a comparable feature list/safety rating for the same price? Is that price for the top-package Acura?

Also, It has integrated child seat restraint points! Congrats!

My opinion is that if you can afford it, pay the 3K extra and get the shortest lease that makes sense, since they'll get a few K in interest anyway.

 

If you can afford the payments (I presume you figured this out before you made a deposit), THEN DO IT!!!!

The Prius is a very VERY VERY safe car, with very VERY VERY low polution. What better way to carry a kid?

When I was looking for a car the previous time, I looked really hard at the 1st generation (US) Prius. It reminded me of a Corolla, and the MFD didn't have Nav, according to the clue-less dealer. I chose a Camry as a better deal, more car for the money. But gas was cheaper then.

Now, with the car you can get in January, you ought to get the Prius. Or, if the need isn't that pressing, wait for the hybrid Camry. Or the hybrid Sienna the year after.

Get the car in January.

 

I bought mine 3 weeks and 2,000 miles ago... I still have second thoughts. It's a good car for the money, the least expensive car I think I've ever purchased new. But it has nav, bluetooth etc. The seats are not the best and I personally found the car terrifying to drive in the rain, but it's probably the stock tires. I figure, since I'm in socal, the market is hot, and I can sell it and not get hosed if I decide to just cave and get another mercedes. It's a good car, I only average 40mpg at best, and that's way better than I've gotten in any other car I've owned. I think the technology is fantastic. Also, it's the only car in this price range that is as chic to drive as something that costs twice as much.... the tax break and HOV land access didn't hurt either.... so what the hell, go for it... it's got better resale (at least here) than any other econobox on the market

 

Have you figured the tax credit on the Prius into your equation? If you get around $3000 back from that, the final cost on that Prius will be similar to the Camry. And the money you save on gas every month will be pure "profit".


Joe

 

The Prius is the coolest car in the universe. You will not regret it, assuming you can afford it. It's fine for your baby and extremely safe.

I do not know the MSRP on the '06 options packages. DO NOT pay over MSRP.

Note the caveat above: You'll love the car, but if you cannot afford to pay for it you'll be unhappy. Excessive debt is one of the major causes of unhappiness and marital stress. If money is an issue, don't buy any new car: buy a recent model used car. You can hardly go wrong with a Civic or a Corolla. Economical and reliable. - - But if you can afford a new car, the Prius is the choice. It has no transmission or clutch to wear out, brake pads last nearly forever because you seldom use them, and it's the cleanest sedan you can buy.

 

MSRP for package #6 is $26,135, including destination.
You are probably paying signifcantly over MSRP.

 

Just a quick question, how long was your test drive? There are drivers that are in pain after a short while, making the honeymoon period with the car short indeed. Personally I don't have a problem, but others have.

 

Holy crap, $198 for documentation fee? My dealer only charged $45.

My dealer didn't offer any free oil change but did mail me coupons for $21.95 oil change + 25 point check up.

 

we paid 399. for the doc fee, ugh. try to negotiate them down on that one.

also, you may want to check out the college grad program (http://www.toyotafinancial.com/finance/college_grads.html). i don't know if it works for recent grad-school grads or not, and i don't know how long you've been out of school, but you could try. they give you a $400 rebate (taken off the price of the car) and 6 months deferred payments (but they do charge interest during those 6 months)

the only catch with that is you have to finance with the dealer, so shop around for good finance rates and make the dealer compete with those numbers. you can get around 5.5% about now. we just did a refi for 5.24 back in october.

good luck

 

I am not too sure how these fees work. Another dealer I went to was charging like $198 too. But the dealer I bought the car from only charge $45 without even trying to bargain.

galaxee, $399?!! I thought ur hubby works there.

 

If you're worried about is it worth it economically, then figure out the return on investmnet. If you drive 10k miles a year your better financial investment may be a lower priced car. If you drive over 25k miles a year the Prius will offset your monthly gas purchases (effectively reducing your monthly payment+expenses).

P. Noonan did the attached ROI spreadsheet and posted it previously on PriusChat.

 

[I purchased a new 2004 Prius and put 30,000 miles on it. Liked it very much and had no trouble with it. Has loads of space in the back seat area as well as in the hatch back area. We kept it and sold our other car and I purchased a 2005 Prius 3 months ago. As you can see, we like em! My son who lives in Boston also has a 2005. In my opinion, the technology is worlds ahead of any other car. Go for it!

 

With some dealers charging significantly over MSRP, you're lucky if you pay MSRP. I got a coupon for one free oil change (about a $30 value) which my dealer gives with every new car sold. But I got the coolest car in the universe. And I paid MSRP. I think I did pretty well. (And I paid no interest because I didn't borrow to buy it.)