My next car will probably be a compact hatchback. And I'm an efficiency nut. So Prius C is an obvious choice. The Prius C would cost at least $4000 more than a similar car. That's affordable, but at this time I'm not driving very much. To pay extra for the Prius C is a no-brainer if you're putting on the miles. It's wasting money if not. If I didn't buy a Prius C, I might be looking at the (not yet released) 2014 Fiesta with a new 1-liter engine. That will be a nifty car at the top of the non-hybrid MPG list. Makes sense. On the other hand, if there's another gas crunch (not unlikely), it could be nice to have the king of efficiency. (Would be even better to have a plug-in or the like, but that costs more serious money.) I do not know.
If you drive rarely, but long distance when you do drive, the c may be more attractive. If you drive daily, but for very short distances, say 5 blocks, it will save you less. In your situation, the cheapest MSRP would appeal to me. Cheapest Cars of 2013 -- Least expensive cars on the US market
Last year I drove about 8000 miles. My car might go unused for as much as 4 or 5 days sometimes, but rarely longer. Just to be safe, I tend to add an ounce of Sta-Bil when I fill up, so as to keep the gas a bit fresher. Is the Prius any more prone to unhappiness from inactivity than other cars? I figure the electrical systems don't have any problems; it's just the lubricants that may go stale. And of course concern about the battery discharging.
Keep in mind the Prius is low maintenance. They only car I would say is lower maintenance if you drive very few miles is the Nissan Leaf (there is a 2013 leaf that is a cheaper version that would compete with the Prius C though it still might be more expensive). Assuming you qualify for the tax deductions and depending on your cost of gas and electricity the Leaf S could be cheaper than the Prius C both out the door and cost per mile. But could you stand being range limited? Personally I'd be happy to drive either car but I'm not you.
The 12 volt battery can become unhappy in 3 weeks when new and one week when near end of life. The big battery is good for 3 months when new.
8k miles per year is not insignificant. Most "toy" cars and most motorcycles rarely see that much use throughout the year. With that many miles, you're cycling through fuel often enough that you're just wasting your money on Sta-Bil, honestly. Just change the fluids by time instead of distance. Oil once a year, brake fluid every 3, etc. It's all spelled out in the owners manual. If you were only driving the car 3k miles a year, with weeks between operation, there'd be more to talk about. Do you simply want a new car, or is the MPG attraction enough to offset the new car cost. The Yaris is the same platform underneath the Prius C, but without the hybrid powertrain, it's much less expensive to buy new, and their resale values are still strong.
8,000 isn't bad. i only have 7,500 and i bought mine last april. i drive 5-6 days a week tho. as jimbo said, the 12v is the main worry, but you shouldn't have any problem with it. take a long test drive, if you love it, go for it!
I drove my car 1200 miles last season. If the C is what you want, buy it. I wanted my car and bought it even though it sits more than driven. Mike Mobile on my SGH-i717
Thanks, it's interesting that not all Prius drivers are piling on the miles; I see that some here are happy enough in moderate use. The Nissan Leaf looks like a neat car, but probably best in a 2-car family where the second car isn't of limited range. I'm currently driving a '95 Saturn, and am torn between the inclination to keep it going forever and to join the 21st century before my old car falls apart. I actually live pretty close to a Toyota dealer (Toyota of Pasadena), which would be convenient -- except that this dealer's Yelp listings are abysmal. Been perusing this forum -- lots of useful stuff here! -- and I see a SoCal dealer who seems to be spoken of in favorable terms (Dianne Whitmore); perhaps I'll give her a call if I get serious.
$14,370 is cheap in 2013 money for a functioning new car, especially compared to $19,080 for a Prius C. If you look at the math, that's 32.8% more expensive, hardly a trivial change in price. Even the OP pointed out the big price delta.
I'll probably have just over 6,000 miles on my car when my first year is up in March. No, I'm not saving that much money on my 3.4 mile commute (about $0.40 per trip says the car), but you know what? It's the car I wanted. I was drawn to it, I love it, and I wanted it. So it's the car I bought. I plan to keep it for a number of years, so perhaps my commute will increase, and I'll save more. But regardless of that hypothetical, I bought it because I wanted it. People always focus on whether a Prius is "worth it" over other cars. If the fuel savings are really the only reason you're considering the car, and those savings are minimal, then maybe it's not. If it's the car you truly want, and you can afford it, it is worth it.
Unless "new" is a non-negotiable condition, I'd suggest a compromise and get a used, factory certified Prius.
There is a lot more to any car than sticker price. US News rates the Yaris 7.1 and the Prius C 8.2 overall, with the critics ratings at 86. vs 6.8. Comparing a C-1 to a base Yaris is not apples to apples. A Yaris 5 door auto LE is closer, and is then only $2500 cheaper.
14,370 is for the 3 door version without delivery fee (or any other fees/taxes). 15,395 is for the 5 door lowest trim version. I don't know about your location but in my neck of the woods they add $795 to those prices for "delivery fee". Prius c "one" is more expensive off the lot but it'll save money on gas, maintenance, and repairs vs the Yaris at hardly a trivial change in cost.
I totally agree. This is the car I wanted and I have no regrets. I only drive about 8,000 miles a year, but could not personally justify buying a car that got less milage. Although, regardless of the milage, I have to say that I love, the interior layout, comfortable seats, the decent stereo, the quiet ride, road feel, and I have no problem at all with acceleration. Although, so far, I am only achieving a realistic average of about 46 MPG, it's always a thrill to see the computer tell me I'm getting over 60 MPG under optimal conditions. Because those really short trips kill the overall milage I find that I walk a lot more, which is a good thing.
