Having a hard time justifying 2010 Prius

Touche. Its true that I may not order all $2433 of the available accessories for a Prius, but the IV's and V's in my area typically include about $500~1200 worth whether you want them or not. Unless you custom order one, of course...

This accessory packaging and pricing of them brings up another issue I have with the stealerships and its not just Toyota. An integrated Nav w/ backup camera is what I truly wanted, but everywhere you look, the stealerships seem to package many other items together to charge you more and call it a savings.

Just for kicks though, try configuring the Venza. It is similarly priced w/ a 4 cyl and probably on a more stable chasis w/ better driving dynamics than a Prius. Like I said, Prius is a marketing dream for Toyota and almost seem have a cult like following.

 

It also has less than 1/2 the combined EPA mileage of the Prius, at 24 or 23 mpg depending on whether it's the AWD version or not.

 

To me it seemed like he knew the economic analysis, but was looking for other reasons.

 

i tested the fit, insight, and fusion.

i choose the prius for it's 4 door hatch utility, quietness, safety, and it's smoother more "grown up" ride.

the fusion was too expensive, worse gas mileage, lacked the hatch utility but rode a little better. i could of lived with it but was not willing to spend extra $$$

the fit sport corenered well, ok pick-up better price but, the ride was not one i would want to live with over the years.

the insight is 4/5 a prius and a little too much "economy" for me. it has the 4 utility i wanted.



so take the best of the fit, fusion, and the insight and you got a........prius

 

The sales figures will show the beef. The Toyota Prius seems to be doing a good job.

 

my neighbor has has the insight. its not a bad car at all and hers was $3000 less than mine. she does not have the features i have, but the big thing is she does not have the room i have... not even close. the back seat is not fit for an adult or even a big teenager. there is NO LEG ROOM at all. reminded me of a late 80's 2 door compact backseat.

but she almost always drives alone or with her child who is like 3. so it fits her needs pretty well and she is getting almost 50 mpg.

so if the question is between the insight or the Pri, i think you will be happy with either choice. yes, the Prius is more money but because its simply more car

**edit** oh forgot, the difference in price would have been much more if not for my discount i got.

 

Indeed, the Prius is "more" car for more money than the Insight.

I must admit when I first read about the designs, the Honda hybrid simple IMA system is appealing and if these designs were ever become mainstream and affordable, the simpler, less costly design is preferable. But it is disappointing the current Insight does not achieve better gas mileage.

IMO the move upscale (leather, power seats etc) and towards "bigger is better" is the wrong direction for this class of hybrid vehicles.

 

I think this statement is at the root of the confusion. On the one hand, it could be interpreted to mean that Toyota has done an excellent job marketing the Prius, and therefor it has been successful. The other interpretation is that the Prius is incredibly well designed and engineered, and therefor sells itself and improves the image of Toyota, which is a dream for marketing. The second interpretation is correct.

The success of the Prius comes from its fundamental good qualities, not from clever marketing. These same good qualities have engendered the cult like following of its devoted drivers. Toyota's marketing people are smart enough to recognize a good thing when they see it, and now are trying to use this halo for all they can.

Tom

 

I believe that over 90% of 2010 Prius owners could not justify their purchase financially. My new Prius was actually justified financially based on my needs but it was the first time I bought a car with that in mind...

 

I don't get it. I remember when Cadillac announced the "Cimmeron". I was excited. I would be able to get a small luxury car that had good FE. Unfortunately it was a dressed up chevy. A cheap one at that.
What's wrong with people wanting a nice (meaning loaded options_not bigger) car with a hybrid system? Granted the Lexus 250h is now out, but that has a luxury price tag since it mandates some options that may Prius owners do not want.

If Toyota wanted to keep it a cult car, that's OK, they could have made it a little funkier looking so that when you see someone in it you will know right off they are an anti-car dedicated environmentalist or hippy because no one else would be caught dead in it. Or make it stylish and attractive (whick Toyota did) to appeal to many and thus bring about a movement towards mainstreaming the car for the masses. I thought even the environmentalist and hippys wanted to see all of us start thinking about using less resources?

If one wants to look different, don't put a custom aero package or new wheels on it, just add bumper stickers. Oh, but then you'd look like 80% of the people that drive Gen 1's.

(Don't get mad, the 80% is just a guess. I know there are at least 20% of you that bought the Gen 1 and 2 for the same reasons I bought the 3_ It's a great car that gets great FE)

 

I'm just glad I'm an adult and I don't have to justify it.

 

Like I said, if you own one you'll understand why.

 

So... a smaller and less efficient hybrid is the right direction?

I would pick a bigger hybrid that gets higher MPG which also translate to lower operating cost (gas $$).

 

If you do need to justify... keep in mind which car you would rather be driving in 10 years down the road. In 2019, would you rather be driving the Prius or the Civic?

 

Why not throw in Fusion hybrid and Tahoe hybrid in the comparison then? They all are hybrids.

 

The 2010 Prius starts at $22,000. I have a package 3 that I paid 24,000. It has smart key entry, blue tooth tecnology and satalite radio. It is a wonderful car well worth the money.
Please do not spread false information about the price.

 

LOL...great comeback....

 

actually, the model V (with all packages i'll assume) is at $33k+, the model IV (with all packages like i bought just last weekend) is at $31k+

 

Sounds like you are already trying to justify it without even noticing...