Difference between 2010 Corolla and Pirus

As everyone else has pointed out, this analysis is all claptrap filled with falsehoods and misperceptions. Are you, by any chance, a Corolla owner? Or an enthusiast at the very least?

 

It was obvious from the beginning that the post was meant to incite banter and the putz never returned to at least be part of the debate. I've read through all the posts and everyone has proven their point. This debate has been addressed in other threads over the years and it really gets so boring!!! It takes common sense to realize that these two vehicles should not even be compared. The Corolla is great transportation but that's it. It is probably one of the most boring and reliable cars on the road.

 

I very seriously considered the Corolla. I am simply interested in the best value for the 10 years I have to drive 360,000 miles until retirement. I looked at all costs, maintenance, insurance, taxes, gas. I calculated the break even point for my situation was $3.20 per gallon. I expect gas to cost more than that on average over the next 10 years so have decided on the Prius.

 

360,000 miles?

 

My son's 1983 1300cc Corolla manual with 2 blown speakers cost $400 so does that win?

 

I'd say they sound right, and it's highly likely that gas prices will average above $3.20 over the next 10 years, with seasonal spikes WAY over that.

But there have been several similar decision statements made in this thread, and I really can't get my head around them. Each person has to make their own decisions, but as analytical as I can be, I don't really see a break-even-point calculation over 10 years being THE decision-maker for a car. (Much less the ridiculous 5-year calculation of the originator of this thread.)

Will you have the same job 5 years from now? Will traffic be the same 5 years from now? (In both cases, I'd say the answer may well be "no" and that actually drives your calculations further in your favor, as they would increase gas costs, but how do you account for that numerically?) How much money is it worth to have twice the cargo space? How much to have a higher-tech car with more options? How much to have a heavier (i.e. safer, other things being equal) car? What about styling? What about environmental factors? What about fewer maintenance stops (not just lower maintenance cost)? What about... ?

Certainly you don't want to spend 10x on one car what you would have on another, without even realizing it. Certainly you don't want to buy a car that you cannot make payments on. But saying the break-even point is $3.20 a gallon and so it boils down to the average price of gas over the next 10 years being greater or less than that?

Personally, it seems like there are too many other factors to account for. Price and cost are factors, but we routinely pay more for things that look better (clothes, jewelry, even houses) or have other factors besides cost of materials and maintenance.

 

A fair weeks work
Why not?

 

Either OP is a troll, or does not know how to think clearly. It might be true for him that his two choices are narrowed down to Prius and Corolla, but that is very subjective and hardly worthy of his conclusion. He is also rather disingenously ignoring the differences between the cars.

That said, a money comparison *must* take opportunity costs into account to have any hope of being meaningful. Moreover, the typical '5 year' analysis is fraught with silliness, because it upfront negates most of the fuel savings a Prius is going to give the owner. All this is before the rather obvious problem of not knowing future fuel costs.

Here is a better, but far from excellent, analysis --

Assumptions:
250,000 mile life over 15 years
Same repair, maintenance, insurance costs
$23k Prius acquistion, $16k Corolla acquisition cost
$4/gallon fuel
29 mpg Corolla, 50 mpg Prius
5% interest rate -- either borrowing or lending. I'll use my own money.

We will compare in future dollars, to allow interest to be accounted for.

Acquisition:
Prius ---- 23,000(1.05)^15 = $47,815
Corolla - 16,000(1.05)^15 = $33,262

Fuel:
Corolla $191 a month, = $51,052
Prius $111 a month, = $29,669

Time to add costs up:
Prius $47,815 + $29,669 = $77,484
Corolla $33,262 + $51,052 = $84,314

So for people who are frugal AND environmental, the Prius leads the pack.

 

Prius comes with climate control, alloy wheels and touch sensitive buttons on the steering wheel. Matrix base has none.

 

To the OP....

Not one single hybrid exclusive premium feature was mentioned here. How much would you pay for a moment of silence without vibration during the red light? How about the jet-like smooth transmission? How about the instant response from regen brake that performs like new even after 150k miles? How much value do you put on at AT-PZEV emission car? How about a car that get you 50 miles per gallon? How many miles can you walk from consuming a gallon of milk?

The bottom line, you are missing out the hybrid features because you are not aware of them. That's why we suggest you go test drive both cars. Prius owners don't want to go back and own a non-hybrids. That tells a lot!

If you are looking at the Corolla buy it. You are not in the market for the Prius. If your main priority is the lowest cost, there are better options than the Corolla... take a look at Yaris or even a used one. However, if you are looking for the "best bang for your buck" there is no comparison to the Prius. Prius gives you a load of latest and greatest technology covered in 2,000 patents!

 

I am not sure what the situation is in other states, but in Connecticut the state waves sales tax for cars getting more than 40 miles per gallon. Most every other car costing $27,700 like my Prius would have added another $1,760 to my bill. On a $20,000 Corolla that is another $1,200. Even before you take into all the other things mentioned in this thread, at least in Connecticut the starting costs narrow tremendously.

 

I wish I can change car any time that I want to without financing problem. I do not hope to keep car for 15 years because I don't have money. I might keep the car for more than 15 years because other reasons etc...:focus:

 

Over the years, I've gotten really tired of hearing "Corolla to Prius" comparisons. They are nothing alike and the Prius is in a completely different class.

Bryan

 

I thought the focus of your original post which favored the Corrolla over the Prius (NOT "Pirus") was cost. You've suddenly switched gears and decided that the Camry is better than both the Corolla and the Prius because it's SAFER. Isn't a Camry more expensive than a Corolla and use more gas (unless it's a hybrid, in which case it's much more expensive)?

 

Does the Camry have the pre-collision feature that the Prius V does?

 

You really shouldn't tease him like that. I think we need to fess up and tell him about the new Pirus model that's coming out next year called the Pirus Type VI Carmy. Most people don't know about it, but we have insiders on this board that let us know such things, and we shouldn't be afraid to share. (REMEMBER: What's said on these boards, stays on these boards!)

The 2011 Pirus Type VI Carmy is rumored to be a serious upgrade to the 2010 Pirus that gives it the mileage, styling, handling, and size (hence safety) of the Camry, but at the same price as a Camry. Not sure how Toyota will manage all of that, but the bottom line is a car that will be safe in a collision with a "big truck", as requested.

 

How is Camry safer than the Prius? Anyone has the crash test results?

I know Prius has 7 airbags standard, including for the knee.

 

Actually, the other rumour is that Toyota will be partnering with GM to produce the Privolt-Hummer solar-powered EV Hybrid 2012, which will be the largest, most fuel efficient, and truck-resistant vehicle of all. It will also be the cheapest because you'll get a 50% government subsidy to buy it.