Thinking of buying a prius.

I'm not going to recommend you get The Prius.

I think anyone purchasing a Prius, should be doing it because owning a Hybrid is a priority as from what they want from their next vehicle.

If that isn't the case? And your priority is simply long term reliability.

Then a 3 year old Civic with less than 35,000 miles should be a fine, reliable choice.

If you want a Prius...you have to want a Prius, and all the benefits of owning a Hybrid. If you are not to that point? Then get the Civic, it's a nice, relatively economical vehicle to own and operate.

 

Agree. If I didn't drive enough to make the fuel economy advantage really add up over a few years compared to a regular fuel efficient car, the Prius probably wouldn't have been on my list. Ultimately it was a numbers thing for me for cost of ownership. Less fuel, less brakes, 15" tires instead of 17s or even 19s on a Mazda 6.

Bonus for the slight advantage of utility with the hatchback, HOV access, and anticipated reliability.

 

I do agree that most who own a Prius buy it because of the fuel savings, less dependence on foreign oil and a lower carbon footprint as well as emissions. Along with those items the individual who buys a Prius appreciates the technology that comes with the product.

FWIW, when scanning Maintenance Schedule - Honda Civic Forum I do see and note folks talking about timing belts and alternators which a Prius does not have. The ICE has a timing chain, not a belt that does not have to be maintained. Furthermore, there is no alternator or starter as the MG1 and or MG2 fulfills that purpose. It seems that with regenerative braking on the Prius, that the brakes tend to last longer than the average car. Some report here of not changing pads on front till over 100K. All the other typical stuff seems to be about the same. Spark plugs, oil changes, and what have you. One other thing to think about. There is one belt on the Gen II Prius. I am betting there are more than that on the Civic.

Both cars should last a long time. No one can predict when either car will fail as mechanical devices are hit or miss. The main thing in both cars is the maintenance. IMO, the Prius actually has less maintenance than the Civic. However, I am sure that someone will argue that point.

To me, like other's have already pointed out it boils down to what you the buyer really wants and needs. Both cars should be reliable as long as they are maintained properly.

I uploaded a pdf file that shows the package's on the 09 model. I don't have the earlier model info. Also I think the "IV" could be a misprint, however I could be mistaken also.

Best of luck to you and welcome to Prius Chat.

Ron

 

If you will look at the pdf file I posted, it should give you an idea of what the different packages have. Basically, the higher the number the more goodies.

I would look for a newer year model if it is affordable as it seems the biggest fear that most have is the traction battery. Remember that the Prius comes with a standard 8 year, 100K mile warranty on that. It seems that heat affects the battery more than anything. Some reports here on Prius Chat seem to show that car's in the south tend to need traction battery service sooner than those that are in the north. When looking at the possible repair/replacement of the traction battery there are a lot of choices and alternatives if that particular item comes up during ownership of the car. If you are in a CARB state, the warranty should be higher 10 year, 150K. Check with your local Toyota dealer for verification as it does pertain to what state the car was sold in originally as well as where it is being licensed and operated.

Ron

 

I live in Houston, TX and it did not stop me. Like I said, there is a lot of alternatives. Besides, if you look at traditional cars and then look at the Prius, you will still have to consider transmission failures that sometimes are more common place than traction battery failures. I am referring to transmission's in traditional cars. It seems that just about all of them fail somewhere around 100K. Some more, some less. But sooner or later they usually act up.

As I said earlier, with all mechanical devices it is hit or miss. Even if my traction battery failed tomorrow and I could not get Toyota to fix it under warranty I would still repair the car. To me the car is worth the amount it would cost to fix it. I am one of those type that keeps cars a long time. I won't trade them in the first time something goes wrong. Even a three or four thousand dollar repair bill is still a lot cheaper than a new or used car to the tune of $13K to $30K or more.

First Numbers on Hybrid Battery Failure - HybridCars.com

Ten-Year Old Toyota Hybrid Priuses Defy Early Critics

Will hybrid batteries last? - MSN Autos

Remember that I wrote "the biggest fear".

Ron

 

I don't put any limitations on "Why" someone wants a Hybrid. Over the years I've discovered those reasons can be surprisingly unique and diverse.

Obviously Hybrid Fuel efficiency is usually the biggest reason, but it is by no means the only reason.

But whenever anyone says I'm thinking of buying "A Prius" or "Regular Car X", I always think the determining factor must be how much do you want a Prius? How much do you value having a Hybrid?

And in a lot of cases I think if you are being tempted by a regular vehicle in comparison? Then you probably really aren't as dedicated to owning a Prius or Hybrid as you should be.

I say this with some experience. 3 years ago I looked at a lot of vehicles. Including Prius. I really liked the whole idea of Prius ownership and owning a Hybrid, but I also was interested and tempted by The Honda Fit. I ended up buying the Fit. I really have no regrets. I enjoyed The Fit for 3 years of ownership before recently getting my Prius.

I don't think I was really ready to own a hybrid 3 years ago. If I had bought my Prius in 2010? I probably would of enjoyed it for a while, but then started to wonder about owning a Fit or Honda Civic.

I hadn't quite reached the level of really wanting a Hybrid "enough". Buying The Fit...was getting that out of my system, and now I can enjoy owning a Prius and Hybrid 100%.

 

For me buying my first Prius was a choice of chance. There it was, a good car, with low mileage at a decent price. Because of Toyota's excellent reputation for quality, I took a chance. Now, I never looked back. If it wasn't for those circumstances, I probably would have never bought a Prius but now, I don't know if I could do without one. I think our attitude changes after you buy a Prius and the car really changes you and how you drive (it did me anyway).

 

I also bought my Prius because Im a technie-nerd
I came from an SUV that I owned for 8 years. I couldnt be happier.

My niece owns a 2013 Civic. Nice car, sure. But its noooooo Prius!! She pays more each month in her lease payment vs. what I pay for my car payment.

Because of its gadgetry, touch screen, etc... people think my Gen2 is a 2012. They NEVER guess it to be a 2007 and are shocked when I tell them.

BTW, I bought my super clean 2007 Level 5 with 50,000 miles for $13k last September. (just for you to comparison shop, etc)

 

Like the other's have said, it really boils down to what you want. You cannot compare apples to oranges because they are two different types of fruit. The same thing happens if you try to compare Prius to Civic. There really is no comparison.

Each product is a individual. What one has to decide is what they really want in the type of vehicle that they drive. When that decision has been made, it will be clear whether one should buy the Civic or the Prius.

What is trash to one person is riches to another, it is all in the eye of the beholder.

Ron

 

Do you drive 10 mph over the limit or 5 under?
Is your commute 8 miles or 40?
When you drive, are you interstate or stop and go traffic?
Do you value power or innovation?
8k miles per year or 20k?
Spendy or thrifty?
These questions can tell us more about your driving needs, but do not make for a complete picture of your needs.
Left side leans to gas only cars
Right side for hybrids
Everyone help out here if you have other deciding factors.

 

Do it!! And dont forget to post pictures for us who are drooling over this for you...lol

 

I don't think its so much that you need to want a hybrid, its more that you need to realize its a hybrid and will have its fair share of quirks and has unique parts that will likely need replaced every so often. Some of the quirks are that you probably won't get 50MPG in a GenII driving like the average person. Getting more than 45MPG will likely require you to adjust your driving habits and/or your commute route. As for repairs, the best thing is knowing how to do at least the diagnosis yourself, which is easy with almost no tools and reading this site. The dealer will likely just throw parts at the problem until something fixes it, leaving you with a bill several times larger than what it should have been (the same can be said of most any car). I love my Prius and will keep it as long as I can keep it going (which should be quite a while).

Have you driven a Prius or Civic yet? I would recommend doing that first, even if the particular one you test drive isn't exactly the one you want to buy.

 

I'm gonna dumb it down a shade...

If you want a Prius, get the '06.

If you want a car that lasts forever, grab a Corolla or Yaris. The Civic is grossly overrated because your insurance for a Civic is high, the timing belt is expensive, and they have a terrible sound system. Not to mention that the 06-11 Civics have cloth seats that feel like rocks, I owned an '09 before.

 

I don't think the heat issue is all that. I might just be having good luck, but more likely it's an awareness that this could be a problem. Being a Prius owner sort of predisposes you to understanding the technology as best you can and being very proactive about maintenance. Either DIY or have a good working relationship with a respectable Toyota dealer service department. A person can also take steps to reduce the impact of desert living. Parking in the shade (if you can find it) and using air conditioning helps. I periodically check my state of charge (SOC) to detect imminent failures which might leave me stranded. I haven't read anything about the 2008 model having premature ICE failures. Something for me to search for later. I have been driving my 2008 for a little over 2 years and have added nearly 80,000 miles to the odometer in that time. Trouble-free miles thus far. I have only good things to say about my car.