is a prius worth it?

That is absolutely not what you said in your original post.

 

I sometimes make the mistake of assuming someone can follow the reasoning without resorting to a crayola and Big Chief pad...

 

Jeez, people, switch to decaf, or Quaaludes :_>

 

It won't take a jillion miles. I doubt it will even require 100,000. Even so, I assume that when your family is done with the vehicle, someone else will drive it? Or are you planning on not maintaining it and just tossing it in a junkyard?

Assuming that you will sell the vehicle and someone else will drive it, you would do the same with a less fuel efficient vehicle? If so, then even when you are done with the vehicle it will continue to produce less pollution than some other vehicle you might have been done with. Assuming that the vehicle is reasonably well taken care of, it is likely to exceeed 100,000 miles in it's lifetime. So go ahead and buy it, and feel good about it.

 

If you really want to be sure you're being environmentally friendly, buy a used car with a bad engine and have someone convert it to total electric.

Otherwise, the Prius is currently the best you can do with a "normal" car. The shear number of times you are in your Prius with the gas engine NOT running is priceless...

 

Exactly. This sums it up. The break even point for CO2 is about 12,500 miles (2.5 oil changes).

 

Quaaludes, theres a blast from the past.

 

is the prius worth it as a pure electric car? NO

actual proof
=========
various estimates are based on the actual cost per gallon at the time of purchase

the following amounts DO NOT include the $1,400 i got from the IRS for buying it

stats as of 07/28/2008
miles driven = 34,946
cost @ 25 mpg (estimated to date) = 4673.92
cost @ 18 mpg (based on a suv/ estimated to date) = 6,487.80
actual cost of gasoline = 2739.94

actual money saved (drumroll) 1,933.98 compared to the 25 mpg i was getting

 

How long did it take to drive 35,000 mile. That's over 2 1/2 years for most people. 24 mpg and $75 a month is a more realistic comparison to a car rather than an 18 mpg Hummer. $75 a month is about what the Prius was saving me.

 

I think the "Hummer more emvironmentall sound than a Prius" schtik was from Rush Limbaugh....nuff said. Maybe not, the inclusion of photos of the mines from the 80s should cover it's credability.

But for assuaging guit nothing beats a bamboo bicycyle.

 

What's important to you?

You can get a Nissan Altima Sport for $20,000 and do better than 24 miles per gallon. Much better performance and a more comfortable interior than the Prius. However, it's a bigger threat to the Tasmanian Fuit bat.

Edmunds

Powertrains and Performance
The four-cylinder engine provides enough giddy-up for most buyers ¯ zero to 60 mph is achieved in the mid-7-second range. In our tests, a 3.5 SE sedan with the CVT ran to 60 mph in just 6.6 seconds, while a six-speed manual coupe we tested did it in 6.2 secondsFuel economy is impressive considering the car's power; four-cylinder/CVT sedans have a 23 mpg city/31 mpg highway rating

 

1 year, 5 months, 25 days

 

You are going to be the coolest kid in High School.

Have you seen what you can DO with a Prius?

Seriously, kudos to you!

 

No, a Prius is not worth it. Don't bother. You will regret it. It's a big mistake.

 

jps000 - why do you feel that way? if you do have an 08 #2, i'm sure there will be a LINE of people ready willing and able to take your "problem" off your hand.

 

Economically rational choice for you then. For me at just under 14,000 miles a year, not so much.

 

the best thing you can do for the environment is DO NOT drive at all! any car whether it is a prius or a VW Diesel! everytime you start a car you are using fossil fuels, and spewing toxins into the atmosphere.