Just curious to see what you all think, what kind of car do you buy after owning a Prius? I bought my certified 2010 in October with 32k miles on it. It now has 50XXX on it. I drive a lot for work. I typically switch cars twice a year to keep my losses down since I drive so much. I am starting to get the itch to get something different but I am having a very difficult time choosing something else. What else can you buy slightly used for around $20k that is so reliable and efficient. I can't believe that in my searches I find myself thinking "ugh 30mpg is horrible!" A year ago I had a 2006 Pilot EXL and a 2004 Lexus GS430. I was lucky to see high teens in the pilot and the GS was about 24hwy. How quickly we change..... If you we're looking at something different, what else would you get? I drive 3000-4000 miles a month, 85% freeway in WI, IL, MI, IN, IA, MO. The Prius with winterforces on got me through the winter just fine.
Are you happy with your purchase? That is a option as well. Is it quieter? I don't by the cars new, I get them used and buy them right. This way I am not taking a huge hit every time. I actually thought about getting another low mileage one (2012) and giving this one to my wife instead of our XB.
I think most likely will be another Prius but however I do have 2 cars in my mind. Tesla Model S, or Fisker Karma.
In retrospect I would have liked the v5 more than a v3, I miss 3 door SKS, other than that, the only downside of my purchase was the part about having my Gen 2 totaled by a semi trailer. Road noise is quieter, rain and hail are louder. It is much smoother and handles better.
I just rented a Camry hybrid LE for a couple hours today (costs only $10 to do so). btw, I'm not looking at current Prius' these days, but I'll have a look at the 4th gen in a couple years. Camry hybrid is much more powerful (200 vs 134), much quieter inside, drives very well, although I wouldn't call it 'fun to drive' or 'sporty' by any means, but check this... after Camry hybrid was warmed up, MPG gage was reading 43.x MPG and was up at 45.8 MPG when I turned it in. My Prius is up at 52.6 well into this tank. Do the math of how much difference in gasoline after 450 miles, cause it's less than 2 gallons. Camry hybrid sticker is $27k, Prius 2 is $25k, that is not very much difference < 10%. I wouldn't buy the hybrid LE because the manual adjust seat doesn't work for me. XLE has a power adjust seat. But, i'm not changing anything now.
The Camry Hybrid is a great car but too large for me. Try to find a used 2012 Prius Four that has a power drivers seat and all the electronic extras including automatic headlights. I agree that after averaging over 50 MPG it would be difficult transitioning to a car with less fuel mileage.
After more than 9 years with my Prius, I got a Tesla Model S...there are several other current or previous Prius owners in the Model S club. To be fair, I'd had my Prius less than 6 years when I ordered the Model S.
I was in the same situation several months ago, looking for my next car. Currently have a 2011 Lexus IS F-Sport. Mindset was the new Gen 3, Lexus IS 350, due out this fall. Another Mercedes, which model? Sold a SLK 55 ///AMG two years ago. Wifey has a SLK 350. BMW, Cadillac, Acura, Toyota Camry? Spent a Sunday afternoon looking. When I got home, my wife asked if I saw something I liked. I stated yes, but you'll never guess. It was a Prius 5. Within two weeks I had a new 2012 Prius Plug-In Advance (I wasn't kidding, well close). Self employed 62 year old worker bee. I've lost my lust for higher dollar, fancy cars, that I don't have much time to enjoy or take care of. Always irked me to pay premium gas or diesel fuel prices when regular unleaded was expensive. Always been conservative with my money, but a nice car was my reward for hard work. Time for a change, something new and different. My Prius fits my need for basic transportation, exceptional mileage, all the must have options I want, including exciting technology. Way too new to the Prius to be thinking, "next car"? Not a clue, but chances are, I see myself as a multi generation Prius owner. If the current PIP is this good, what's next?
I'm with css28. If you put high miles on a car, then an analysis would show you that you minimize the losses by getting a vehicle with high reliability and keeping it LONGER. Up-front depreciation, sales tax, fees, and the factor of an unknown vehicle eat up cash, time, and mental energy. If a person is addicted to changing cars twice a year to gratify the ego, then that is fine. Claiming that one does it for economic purposes is plain dishonest. Unless your employer offers lucrative financial incentives to frequently replace your car.
Which is why I went with the Prius - I figure I am driving mine until either she quits or I quit.... and had a knowledgeable source tell me "They are great, reliable cars - you should have a lot of good miles with yours."
Were you one of the first 1000? Did you goto the factory? I so wanted to buy a Model S before I bought the Prius, but I couldn't swing it financially.
I agree that a Prius changes your perception of what "good" MPG is, anything under 30 looks/sounds positivly guzzly in context.
I am just going to blurt out: "CAMRY HYBRID". That's what I really wanted in 2006, but Prius was better car then. However, we are starting to ramp down our jobs/miles driven. Car taxes are awful in Northern Virginia, especially on a Toyota (low depreciation hurts annual prop taxes) with possible new hybrid taxes on top of that. Therefore unless things change here, we need a non-hybrid, non-Toyota for our next vehicle. Sorry. If you are putting on the 15,000+ miles/year in VA, then you can start to pay off the hybrid.
I was not a signature buyer (the first 1000 or so), but I was a very early buyer on the "friends and family" list. My VIN is 01267. I'm in Missouri, so I had it drop shipped to me at work...really! Delivery Day-Model S by efusco, on Flickr
So far, I've been able to only lose about $1000-1500/car by putting 15-20K miles on it. So I drive 30-40K/year with $2-3K/year in losses. That $2K includes taxes, maintenance, etc. To reiterate, I buy them used, in good condition and I used to do this for a living so I like to think I know what I'm doing. And yes, I am addicted to switching cars often. I had a demo for 4 years where I had a different luxury car every 2-4 weeks and since then (5 years), I haven't been able to own a single car for longer than a year.
