Prius C Owners What do you do for a living and why the C?

A lot of IT people here..

Occupation: IT support/system administrator
Bought my C: Because I have a 100-110 mile round trip commute. I love the tech inside, the mileage, the small commuter size.
Paid: down payment was the $6k leftover after trading in then paying off my Jetta, rest was financed for a comfy $285/month. Just to make things simple I just pay an even $300 though... I feel like that'll make the loan paid off a couple months early by the end

SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 ? 2

 

I'm a laboratory technician with a 25 mile commute one way to work. I have wanted a hybrid for some time now but didn't want to pay $26,000 for a new lift back Prius. I saw the c at the Philadelphia auto show and fell in love with the mpg and price.


iPhone ?

 

Position: branch rental manger for Penske

Why:
Previous car was stolen. I think the C is the best new car value in its price range. The Three has more content than anything in the segment by a long shot. I actually wanted a lift back but for similar features the price passes the point at which I consider it a good buy for me.

 

Thats what I want to go to school for

 

Position: HR Professional (Sr. Compensation Analyst)
Why? Commute is 60 m round trip, from up in mountains , over short highway area, then on expressways and surface streets. Replaced elderly (but much loved and exceptionally reliable!) 2000 Toyo RAV4 with 140k miles, mostly for mileage, and value for amenities I have never had, like keyless entry, etc... My first new car, and I am not a big spender, so it feels like luxury at a price I won't regret.

 

Buyer of LEDs for a major distribution company. 26 mile each way commute, went for the C because of MPG. Got the 4 for all the bells and whistles.

Financed with Toyota, paid it off with a lower interest, lower term loan (that also lowered my monthly payment)

 

Mission Support, middle management at an AF base
My husband had a Prius we loved and had put 90K miles on. We both got C's on the same day. We live 20 miles out of town, so lots of weekly driving. Still have my Rubicon for winter- but love my Prius!

 

A really friendly Mailman (City Carrier) Gave my 00' Civic to my son. This C is perfect for my 24 mile one way commute to/from work (90% of it is highway) PLUS I like to save $ on gas too!

 

Software Engineer. The Prius c is a technical marvel and was far less than what I planned to spend. I ride a motorcycle ("only" 40 mpg) most sunny days but my wife drives the Prius when I ride the bike, which is often ('07 CR-V, two kids). So this is really our third vehicle, the commuting car, my rain car, what have you. We plan to keep it for quite some time.

We bought on a 60 mo loan from our credit union at 1.75%, traded in a 2000 Acura TL which was my previous 'snowmobile'

 

Surgical Neurophysiologist here. I bought the c because I recently moved to a city (Philadelphia) where I work most days, but I also have to drive up to 150 miles round trip for work several times/month. My previous car was a 2003 Pontiac Vibe, which I loved for it's practicality- and for those who don't know, the Vibe was manufactured by Toyota and identical to the Matrix under the hood. The c seemed like the perfect solution to my commute. I've had it now for ~3 months and I have to say, my feelings are mixed. I actually get excellent mileage on longer highway trips (never less than 50-53mpg on 40+ mile trips but sometimes over 60mpg) but my commute within the city is so short I can never seem to take advantage of the hybrid system. 3-4 days/week I drive 1.5 miles each way to work (I'm required to take my car otherwise I would walk) and I average anywhere from 25-40mpg on those days because the engine doesn't have time to heat up and the battery can't charge in that time. It seems to me this car is perfect for long trips in mixed urban/suburban/countryside environment with a lot of long stretches at 25-40mph but it's misleading to really call it a "city" optimized car. On the other hand I can't really complain b/c the short trips are SO short they barely dent the fuel gauge. I paid for it with a big fat dealer loan and I'll be paying about 5k in interest when all is said and done unless I can pay it off quickly, which I hope to do. I'm a recent PhD grad and my current fellowship stipend is meager. But even so, I'm really surprised at how many people on this thread paid cash for their cars- I had no idea that was so common.

 

What mileage were you getting on your Vibe on those short city trips?

 

Position: Jr. Graphic Designer

Why: I had been driving my parents old 96 Caravan and going through nearly 2 gallons of gas a day (not to mention the constant fear of it crapping out on me and lack of working air conditioner/heater). I needed a new car of my own and one that would get good gas mileage on my 16mile all non-highway drive into work. I looked at several cars before I stopped at a Toyota dealership wanting to check out the Yaris, but while perusing the lot I spotted a bright orange C1 and I fell in love. I had originally not considered a C because I assumed they would be out of my price range, but when I found out that was not the case my decision was made. I remember back when the first Prius cars came out I had said I would really like one one day, but how I also wished they were smaller. So getting a C was getting my dream car and I wasn't even originally looking for it!

Paid for with some cash down and financing through the dealership. Waiting on some settlement money from getting rear-ended a couple of years back and going to put that towards the car when it comes in.

 

I really have no idea, other that I'm sure it was much worse. With the Vibe I consistently averaged 28-31mpg, which was the rated fuel economy, while I was living in NH. Once I move to Philadelphia my mileage would fluctuate drastically depending on where I drove- and weeks spent in the city without any highway driving were of course, the worst.

 

Short trips are the worst, but yesterday I drove on local streets in light traffic about five miles to a restaurant (with the A/C on), parked there for about an hour, then drove home, and I managed just about 50mpg. But if you're doing only 1.5 miles per trip you're never going to get good mileage in any car; the C will still be quite a bit better than a non-hybrid, though.

 

Commercial liability insurance underwriter.
Purchased my (US equivalent) C4 because I liked its looks and mileage. I work from a home office but do commute once a week and occasionally on business trips.

 

I'm a Special Education Teacher

I considered a bunch of different cars before settling on the Prius c. I was looking at ones that were all similar styled, small, and fuel efficient (like the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Accent) but something about the c just got my attention. I LOVED the orange and blue colors it came in too!

I decided to stick with a Toyota because my mother leased a 2009 Rav4 and liked it so much that she got a 2012 when the lease was up and my fiance's mother has a 2008 Prius. I've driven all of the cars and liked the ride.

When I saw the blue Prius c in the showroom I just knew I had to have it! I LOVE the fuel economy and I just love how it zips around in the city situations it was made for. I'm going to be teaching in Brooklyn in the fall so I needed a car that would be easy to park!

 

another it-related field - unix sysadmin

i only need a car for errands and weekend trips, since i take public transport or bike my meager 6 miles RT to work. but my fiancée has about 60 miles RT for a commute, and our wallet felt the hit of my previous car's ('04 Mazda 3) sub-25 mpg. i love compact cars for their agility and hatches for their practicality. did a ton of research and there's nothing else in the $20k price point that compares for cost of ownership. just the gas savings made this car about $3000 cheaper to own over 5 years, let alone its likely decent resale value.

 

I'm an IT Manager at an Air Force base + a CMSgt. in the reserves. Bought the C because my beloved G37x was costing me $375+/mo. on gas. 100 mile daily commute. Now, my gas bill is more than halved.

As far as financing, I had enough equity on my trade + cash that I financed very little. In fact, just sent the payoff check, so she's all mine! Now 100% debt free. Wonder how long that will last..

 

Mechanical Engineer at a North Carolina university.

Sold a SUV and Mercedes Diesel so that I could put 1/2 cash down.

I own a Gen 2 and wanted another Prius so that my wife and I could commute efficiently. I drive 50 miles round trip and she drives 40 miles round trip daily.

I am very happy with my C.