I contemplated buying another Prius, simply for the Tax Credit. Then decided the Math did not pan out. I picked up a Honda Civic LX for $16660, which was a great buy. When comparing the mileage figures for the two cars, 05 Prius & the 06 Honda, I think the Prius has a 14MPG edge. both City and Highway. However the Honda saved me around $9000, that's a lot of gas, plus it's a mite more comfortable, luxurious and feels good. So am I against the Prius now? absolutely not, it's fun to drive, it's revolutionary in concept and appears extremely reliable now that the 12V Battery was replaced by the dealer. But, there was a learning curve involved, and of course this site has helped tremendously. And Johns' site also. All in all I'm very satisfied with both cars and if I had to do it again. I would purchase either or both.......AGAIN. (if you followed all that, your a genius)
you sold a Prius for a Civic? I see. I don't know, I'm not a Civic guy cause I find Civics to be cheap (although this new 06 is really quite an improvement). I was contemplating a loaded 05 Corolla LE before testing driving the Prius.
if its a just a question of money, then a hybrid will never make sense. with a Prius, there is just so many other reasons that normal cars cant claim. enjoy your new car, for what it is, it is one of the best
All things considered if you didn't want a second prius, I think you did ok. I hear the honda hybrid is pretty clunky..... they don't have it down yet in the area of hybrids compared to prius at all, but they do make a good car otherwise. Myself, I bought two prius's, but If I wanted to save I would do what you did.... Only problem.. I don't think I would drive the Honda and I dont' want my wife stealing my car all the time.. so I bought her one too! Sometimes the bucks makes it all matter, othertimes there is more to consider than bucks!
Just curious -- what is in the LX trim that you chose it over the base, and how much extra did you pay ? And then the flip question, what is in the LX you bought, that is not in the base Prius ? 25K would buy the full trim Prius .. Are you saying that your LX has DVD nav, bluetooth, HID, .. and the rest of the package ?
That's a great price if you also got the automatic trans. I might have went for that if I would have gotten that price for an LX auto. I was very much in the same debate. I had my name down on a waiting list while I thought deeply about sticking with Honda (which brand I have always owned since 77). Well when my wife told everyone she knew that I was buying her a Prius, I didn't have that option anymore. So I paid $23,870 + tax, lic. for my package 3. So with my Tax credit eventually, I can say the differential is 3-4K now from the Honda Civic. But the Prius is in another league and I get the 50+ mpg, HOV lane access, smart key, rear camera, and a great chat room. So would I have been happy with the Civic. I think so. It would have been my sixth Honda and they have all been good to me. So only time will tell if I will get haunted by the spirit of Sochiro Honda for changing brands. Meanwhile I get to play with EV mode, pulse and glide and fuel tank bladders.
Here's the features for the Civic LX (non-hybrid): LX • 1.8-liter, SOHC i-VTEC® 4-cylinder engine • Drive-by-Wire Throttle System™ • ULEV-2 (Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle) • 5-speed manual transmission • Available compact 5-speed automatic transmission • Control-link MacPherson strut front suspension • Reactive-link double wishbone rear suspension • Power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering • 16-inch wheels with full covers • P205/55 R16 89H all-season tires • Dual-stage, dual-threshold front airbags (SRS) • Front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) • Side curtain airbags • Active head restraints • Outboard Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) • Immobilizer Theft-Deterrent System • Integrated rear-window antenna • Body-colored power side mirrors • Body-colored door handles • Power door locks with auto-lock feature • Cruise control • Air conditioning with air-filtration system • Map lights • Floor mats • Power windows with auto-up/down driver's window • 160-watt AM/FM/CD audio system with four speakers, WMA and MP3 capability and speed-sensitive volume control (SVC) • Maintenance minder system If think if it were a feature to feature comparison, he would come closer by comparing the DX (which is $19k or 20k if you add Nav) to the base Prius (if you can find any Package 1's). But if he was willing to pay $19k for a Civic, then he may as well spring a couple thousand more and get the Hybrid Civic which has the CVT tranny AND THE TAX CREDIT WHICH COULD KNOCK IT BACK TO $19k-$20k. But if cost was the ONLY factor, I think he made the right choice with the DX. Civics are a hard bargain to beat. I think Toyota should re-vamp the Corolla to compete better with the Civic. Heck I wouldn't mind a Hybrid Corolla.
Thanks for listing all that for me, I could never have done that. I have the AT. It's really my wifes car, so when we are going to a local destination together, we use her car, I drive. On a self local trip or a together long distance trip, we take the Prius, ....I drive. Works out nice. My wife is afraid of driving the Prius, some of you will find that incredible, me too but, I don't fight it. Anyway she loves the Honda. We deposited the old Honda, a LX, at my Granddaughters door, it had about 85000 miles on it and drove like a new car She was delighted. I never had the car in the shop for anything. So Honda Reliability is incredible. Tideland Prius.....You totally misread the post. Costs was not the main factor, My wife loved the car. The car comes equipped with everthing that Clint listed, as for the blue tooth and GPS, Im not overly enthusiastic about either. Driving the car, talking on the phone and looking at the GPS would interfere with my Peace of Mind, I value that more. As for the Honda Hybrid, it just did not impress me in the same way the Prius does. Windstrings: Had my wife been wildly in love with idea of a new Prius then I would have ended up a 2 Prii Family also. The Honda has a little button that tells you the oil level, (mine is 90% full). As an aside, does anybody play Caroms? Im getting a table and am looking for a skilled player or two to invite over and take their MONEY. If you don't know what Caroms is, do a computer search. Hope I have replied to all. Prius uber alles.
oic... i thought you traded your Prius for the honda...ok...cool. the honda is a great car...but its not a Prius. and yea i do find it strange that your wife is afraid to drive it. i think if she ever did try it though... you might be out of a car!
I can understand your wife's POV. The Prius puts a lot of technology in one's lap. If your wife finds that distracting, then I'd rather meet her on the road when she's driving the Honda. Re: Caroms. I played a bit when in India. Fun game.
Did I? My mistake. Well if it's for your wife and she's afraid to drive the Prius, then by all means. Only my bro and dad would drive it. My other friends think the Prius is this cool car that only I can drive lol. I guess the button and the joystick stopped them right there. While I'll agree the screen can be a distraction (it can be turned off if you want to), I'd rather use Bluetooth than hold the phone in my hand. At least I have 2 hands free to steer. As for navigation, I don't know. I never had one in my car but I figured it can come in handy. Especially on our trip down the I-5 in pitch darkness and heavy rains back in May. It's nice to see the exits on the screen instead of peering into the darkness and hope you can merge to the right in time.
For what it is worth, I just sold a Civic to buy my Prius. The Civic was a GREAT car. I just wanted to do my dirty gasoline burning cleaner...and have a bit more room. And power. And electronic toys.
The new Civic looks great. I thought about it - but I wanted 4 doors and a hatchback. The mpg is a plus too w/the Prius, though of course the price is higher, even w/ the tax break, the the Civic. But I think you will love the Civic if it meets your needs. We also have an Odyssey - Honda makes great cars!
There is a couple that come to the portland meeting that did the same thing.. bought a prius and a HCH.... they say when they go for a trip together... its the prius they always get in!.... The Honda is a quality car with good gas mileage... the prius just offers more with extras.... so its funner among other things... but it does cost more!
