Would a hybrid make sense for me??

Honestly - it sounds like a perfect fit for your needs. Evan covered all the other details. I just wanted to vote.

 

I'm a teacher. I got an excellent loan from my credit union. If you do direct deposit and can also do instant payment that might help with the interest rate also.

My commute is 12 miles one way, mostly freeway.

I'm getting about 45 mpg or better.

I'm getting PV installed on the roof in a few weeks.

If you can afford to buy the car, it sounds like a good fit. Like you, I buy a car about once every ten years.

Do you have a niece or nephew, son or daughter to "inherit" the old Corolla?

 

Hi another teacher here.

Well we traded in a completely reliable and sound 98 corolla with 145,000 on for the Prius and didnt regret it for a moment.

got an immediate improvement of about 18mpg.

But if you are a geek, you have to buy the prius, its the best gadget on the road !

 

Wether you know it or not, a hybrid makes sense for everyone. Think past yourself and think about the environment. We need to get away from big oil, and a hybrid can get us in that direction.

 

The biggest question is whether you are ready for a new car. The most cost effective transportation is to continue with your current vehicle, but if you have decided it's time for a new car, then by all means a Prius is perfect for your driving.

Tom

 

Then there is always the argument that the Gen 3 Prius is due out in a year or two. You might want to wait for the shiny new model, with better gas mileage and all of the good things you could possibly desire (well except LiIon batteries and a plug-in charging system....)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bc104 @ Jul 18 2007, 06:01 AM) [snapback]480828[/snapback]</div>

I agree with this, but you have to decide if the Prii is fiancially feasible, especially with the finance charges, which would increase the time you would get your investment back. Realistically you can get a 40+ mpg car for thousands less, which would buy a lot of gas, and would probably be less to insure and register. Don't get me wrong the Prii is great, and it seems it would be a very good fit for you, but you have to make the decision what is right for your situation.

 

I think that a Prius would serve you very well as long as you don't break the bank to get it. The people who tend to be disappointed with the fuel economy are those who a) drive very short trips only or B) like to drive well above the speed limits. Sounds like you experience neither one of those things so you should be good to go.

On the other hand, you are 100% correct that you can hypermile a regular car, and a Corolla is a very good candidate. If you don't want or need a Prius right now you could spend ~$170 on a Scangauge II in order to learn a little more about how driving habits impact fuel economy. (It's basically a computer that calculates fuel consumption in real time and over the course of the trip, the day, or the tank. Highly recommended for anybody with a "regular" car and an interest in saving gas.)

 

Hi there, fellow geek here, and stay-at-home mom and wife to a public school teacher - so I know the budgeting woes.

Yes, you can afford the car! We went through the educational credit union, and got a great rate on our loan because he's a teacher (and we agreed to use the "automatic payments" where they take the money out of the checking account every month automatically). We then went to the dealer, played the "underpaid teacher / stay-at-home-mom" card hoping for a bit of sympathy. We ended up getting a better deal than others I'd heard of in our area, so MAYBE it worked (??). Then for the financing, we played our great Credit Union rate off of the dealer's financing, and of course Toyota beat it for an even better loan rate. To sum it up - using the fact you are a teacher gets you a few more perks than you might realize! And if you play them off of each other, it can get even better!

Listen to what these folks on here say about the technical aspects of the car, the mpg you'll get with your type of commute, etc. But I do know this - it is so nice when those mediocre paychecks come thru to be budgeting so much less on gas!

 

des101, you may want to rent one for a day or two to ensure that you are comfortable in the car. The Scangauge II can be plugged into any car so if you buy it now you can plug it into the Prius later. Read through www.carbuyingtips.com. If you want a "new" car then keep looking for a new 2007 or a used 2006. These have an upgraded MFD, backup camera, and a few other changes. (Nothing wrong with older models though.) If you can't find what you want then you may be looking at a new 2008. Federal tax credit expires Sept 30 for the new car. I am sure we can all agree that you will be happy with whatever model, year, option package, and color you finally choose. Good luck.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(des101 @ Jul 18 2007, 10:08 PM) [snapback]481419[/snapback]</div>

I rented one for two weeks, using it for both my commute and weekend trips. If you can rent one, even for a day or two, it's great. You can drive your roads the way you drive. If you're parking in a garage, does it fit? Will it fit your family? Also, not everyone is comfortable with the seats. I have no problem, but others are in pain after 30 minutes. Driving a Prius for a few days would help discover how comfortable (or uncomfortable) it is.

 

Yes, definitely rent it! If you rent it for a week, it's about the same price as if you rent it for 3 days. Depends of the rent-a-car company though. Also check the rates of renting the Prius from your Toyota dealership.
I'm right where you are right now. I've always liked the idea, was never sure, decided to finally rent it and now I LOVE IT! If you can't afford it, don't rent it, because you'll definitely want to buy it, after you try it!
On the highway, you'll get 50 mpg easy! I just did 700 miles in two days, 65-75 mph, temp in the 100s, driving up steep mountains, A/C, passed a few cars, pretty much driving like I stole it and it did beautiully! I wanted to test it in every way possible and it PASSED!

Oh yeah forgot to mention, I was very comfortable in the seats during my 700 mile, two day trip!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Mad Hatter @ Jul 18 2007, 11:40 AM) [snapback]480905[/snapback]</div>

Also, if you start making a "car payment" now into a savings account you should have a nice fat downpayment ready when the 2009 model rolls out. Like qbee42 said - as long as your Corolla is doing fine that will be the cheapest transportation you can get.

My previous car was a 1995 Buick Regal which I was happy with. 127,000 miles and still doing fine. But 6 weeks ago I got into a low speed accident(I was turning off the main highway to a side street, she was exiting a parking lot past the "wrong way" sign and smacked into me) and my car was totaled so I was suddenly in the market for a new car.

And because I hadn't had a car payment for quite a few years, I was able to write a check for my new Prius. It was a wonderful feeling.

Oh and you may want to test drive both a standard sedan and one with the touring package - they do drive a bit differently.

 

Why rent it? You already know you want it. The only question I see is how much to spend, which is basically a question of what year/mileage to buy, what tax incentives you'd get if you bought new, and whether you'd buy less insurance if it was yours and not the credit union's.

We've got an '01 with 75K on it and all is still terrific with it. If owning outright would save you money (do you have comprehensive insurance now, or just liability?) then the per-mile variable cost of an older Prius may be lower.

OTOH, these cars hold value very well, making the used-Prius market less attractive vs buying new. If you expect 130K from the car, then a new Prius costing twice what a 75K car costs has a lower per-mile fixed cost.

 

If you're maxing out your retirement accounts(ie doing your 403/401k and then doing a self directed Roth ira) and you can still afford it, then go for it.