Hybrids... worth it?

1. Most
2. And a lot of them get more
3. subjective
4. which conventional gas powered car?
5. I don't consider it a statement either
6. perhaps
7. perhaps
8. what should happen to it?

I am not sure if you have searched this board already, but all these questions have been answered numerous times hence my simplified answers.

 

I've just had my Prius a week but here are my thoughs.

1. So far I do love the car, is it perfect heck no but alot more to love than to dislike.
2. 80% highway, 20% city I'm getting 50+ mpg. All city I think I'd be closer to 45-47 mpg.
3. I sort of like the looks of it, grows on ya
4. Not sure what you are comparing the Prius too. The other two cars that I like and fit in were the regular Honda Civic and the Ford Fusion. I did a spread sheet and found that it would take ~3 years to break even with Fusion and ~6 years with the Civic. This assumes getting the tax credit.
5. I'm not into statements, I get what works for me.
6. I'm sure the car companies are watching and you'll see many more hybrids if the current models continue to sell well. I refused to pay anything over list, no extras. Told one dealer to go take a hike and walked out.
7. This will be interesting to watch. Without the tax credit I'm not sure I would have purchased the Prius.
8. I think the Prius will continue to sell well. I really don't like the looks of the new Camry, buy hey that is why that have different models

Ken

 

1 Amen
2 Well that depends I got 58.4 on the last tank. While I admit the tank by tank measurements are not as accurate as say 3 or 4 tank averages, try that in the winter and let me know how you do.
3 I disagree
4 again I beg to differ
5 That is at it should be.
6 The Prius "goes before" soon the Camry will have the HSD, and the Prius will have ?"

 

Well I'm certainly not going to try an talk you into something that is most obvious an awesome car. My car is only 11 days old and I'm getting 47.5 to 50 average mph.... it drops a little when I cruise at 70 - 80!

The way I figure.. my mpg will go up even more when it gets warmer and my car gets broke in and the winter gas goes away.

If your going to compare to the tercel... I feel like I am in a luxury car with supurb handling and feel. My gas milage is already upwards of 70% better than yours in your tercel.. and It should be double yours by summer.
I have tons of room inside. I can load my 88key keyboard in the back with room to spare behind the drivers seat and still have room for a rear passenger.

As far as looks.... Well I can think of cars that look better on the outside.. But one of them is certainly not a tercel!!!
Mostly because of the tiny tires... but it is a look thats just different.

Different always takes a while to warm up to.. whether its food, clothes or just fashion and looks.. we tend to like what we have warmed up to in the past.

The looks are very appealing once you've been around it for a while. I actually prefer it more than the boring look that every other car looks like.

There are some other hansome or "pretty" cars out there too... but the prius does grow on you. I like it twice as much as I did only 10 days ago.

When its in the sun, it looks like a shiny jewel under glass... very classy!

To each his own!..... but please don't buy a prius to ease your guilt or please anyone else... if you don't want one, you can enjoy what you have.

But I dare you to drive a prius for about 10 minutes... if you still don't like one.. its not for you. If it is for you.. it will instantly melt all of your preconcieved ideas of what a hybrid is all about.

I get 50mph and my car is not even broke in yet.. and I only have 500 miles on it... if your not into 50+ mpg and a smooth large luxurious ride with gaboodles of high tech gadjets, you can enjoy your tercel instead!

The Camry is no competition.. the mpg is much worse.. its more of a power machine, if they made it more for mpg, they would have another prius with different looks.. but its more to compete with Honda by adding power without losing mpg of the standard camry.

 

I can understand checking out sorces for info but when it comes down to making a decision about something it is something that each person should be able to do for themselves.

I try to approach everyday as though it could be the last but with half a thought toward living as long as possible. That means that I drive pretty much what I want (still within the confines of a budget), buy, sell or make what I want. I try to have fun and encourage those around me to have fun while still getting the necessary "work" done.

Try taking that route and you'll find alot of decisions get easier...life is too short!

 

1. Yes I am very happy, we even got two of them.
2. Depends on how you drive. If you drive conservatively then you will get about 50-55 mpg. If you drive aggressively or lots of small drives then expect about 45-50 mpg. Either way it is more than a normal car.
3. At first I thought the Prius was very ugly, but the look grew on me. Now I like it beause it is different.
4. Traded in my F250 for the Prius = instant payback. Wife traded in her Honda Civic so she will break even in about 6 years. BUt you do not buy any hybrid for the money. Overall it is cheaper to just by a $4k used small sedan that gets 30 mpg and drive it till it dies. I would like to think driving the Prius reduces pollution and oil dependence. Who knows I could be naive.
5. To me it is both a tool and a statement. Why cannot it be both?
6. Car manufacturers are interested in the bottom line. So if they sell then they will be interested. As gas prices increase and the governemtn offers more incentives hybrids will catch on. I get asked about my Prius at least once a day.
7. Once everyone wants the hybrid and manufacturing figures out how to make them cheaper I think the incentives will stop, but that may be a ways away. The only thing definite is Death and Taxes.
8. I do not think anything will happen. Two different cars, thus will attract two different types of people. For instance, if you want a hybrid and not look like it the Camry and Civic is probably for you. However, if you want something with a different look then the Prius is good. Also I do not think the Camry will get a good fuel economy as the Prius. The Carmy will have more power, the Prius more room inside (generally hatchbacks have more room). etc.

 

If you're retired and drive a Tercel I'd assume you're on a fixed income. Why would you consider a car that you deem ugly. I happen to love the look of the car. It is unlike anything else on the road. Not to be a snob, but I would not be caught dead in a Tercel. Can we say "low rent" ???

 

1. got that right!
2. no car gets sticker. you get mpg by how you drive it. drive like a racecar driver and you get racecar mileage. drive nice and get good mileage. takes a while to adapt your driving style for efficiency but worth it in the long run.
3. don't hate it because it's ugly, hate it because we use less gas than you :lol:
4. going on that line of thought, it will also likely take more than your natural lifetime to recoup the additional expense of an automatic tranny over manual. or a/c vs not having a/c. or 4wd vs 2wd. base model vs upgraded model. you get the idea.
5. ok. so?
6. dealers are in business for profit. they'll mark up any popular model, hybrid or not. but not all dealers do this. most of us paid msrp, and anyone who didn't likely would have paid an extra 2-3k markup for a camry too. at this time, hybrid systems are more expensive than a regular ice. more volume= lower cost per unit. eventually hybrids won't cost much more than conventional cars.
7. sure, ok.
8. different car, different market. i think because another hybrid is out there, some people who prefer a more conventional looking car or maybe something with a trunk rather than a hatch will go to the camhy. but the prius will stick around, no doubt about it.

 

You know.. life is very short... I was listening about the space challenger accident and I was thinking it was about 7, maybe 10 years ago... when they mentioned 20 year anniversary.. I almost fell out of my chair!..

Time flys.

Its wise to be frugal and not spend every dime you have so that when you look back 5 years later you still have nothing because everything you bought was cheap crap and now you have to buy it again and again. Also when something catches your eye of real value you'll have the money to take advantage of those rare opportunites!

I'm sure many wish they could take advantage of the prius tax credit, but timing feel short of good for them right now and they may be forced to buy later without that credit.

Thats one reason I too bought two of them.... I knew I was going to have to buy for my wife soon anyway.. might as well be now and save some bucks and sell her old car while its still low miles.

Some things are just worth it. As you get older, its fun to go on cruises, trips, etc etc for sheer pleasure and entertainment.. but those are vain pleasures that demand constant feeding of money to sustain the thrill.. similiar to having to keep feeding a fire to remain warm.

The prius will definately give 30K worth of pleasure over all the years and "everyday" driving.

Many buy things they can only use once in a while.. then its either over, or you have to wait till next summer till the water warms up again,or it sits nice and pretty in some jewerly case somewhere in the dark!

The prius is an enjoyment you can access everyday and it pays you back too!

I'm just having a blast driving this car!... It has so many angles and devices to capture my attention!
It will take a long time to get bored!

Another sad thing are folks that are so frugal, they finally die rich but might as well have been poor because thats the way they lived all thier life?

Money is no good unless you use it. Yes, we need some for emergencies and wise investing..... but life is too short just to survive all your life and never live.

Surviving is normal when your young and you haven't had time to build and/or invest and get a good job.. but if you can still only survive and your middleaged, either you are terrible at managing your resources, or you have had a terrible mishap happen that leveled your finances?

I know I'm going to catch flack for this statement.. but compared to many other cars... the prius is an investment!... look at what it gives you back in savings an how long it lasts and the service it brings?
A good investment is not always something that will make you money... sometimes its something that will not "lose" you money?.. see the difference?.. remember a penny saved is a penny earned?

My wifes car only has 78K on it and I need to sell it for a fraction of what I paid for it, for fear it will start falling apart "because its a chrysler " :lol:

I don't expect I will have that problem with the prius and if I do sell, it will bring a hansome price as they always do.

You can't take money with you.... but don't spend money you don't have..

but if you have it.... don't marry it and worship your stash everyday.. ease up a little and don't feel bad about buying one of the most modern coolest cars made today.

 

I'll start off by saying that I don't think the Prius or perhaps any hybrid is right for you yet. No problem there. Most hybrid owners are early adopters. It sounds like you would prefer common sense, practical transportation. Consider the Toyota Corolla or Scion ? Honda Civics are also great. As a retiree I would recommend getting one that is at least a year or two old so that you don't take as much of a depreciation hit.

To answer your points:
1. Most owners are happy with their new cars, regardless of whether it be a Prius or whatever. As a new Prius owner there are things we like about the car and things that we are still getting used to. It's not a perfect design, there is a lot of technology forced upon you all at once. But overall, it is a roomy mid-size, with good power and economy.
2. This seems to vary a lot. Some are getting great mileage. Seems to be better in warmer climes and with flatter roads. I have to rebut the claims that all mileage stats are wrong. Our 4 cyl Odyssey is better than the EPA reported for that year. Our ex-Subaru Legacy was almost exactly what the govt. figures estimated. So far our new Prius is coming in at 39.5 mpg. Not great, and far from govt. specs, but we'll see how it averages over a year before complaining. It's much better than our other Japanese cars under the same driving conditions. (20-22 mpg in winter, short trips, hills, etc.)
3. Then go for a Civic. It's a great car too.
4. The math doesn't back you up unless you only drive 500 mi. a year. But that isn't the only reason to own a hybrid. You are also contributing a lot less crap into the atmosphere, so there is a social aspect as well.
5. So drive it like one. The Toyota and Honda hybrids have a good track record from a maintenance perspective.
6. Maybe a fair statement for Toyota. The Civic hybrid doesn't seem to have this issue. The price is fair for the added technology and Honda really loads the car up.
7. We'll see, you may be right.
8. do not know. Again, we'll see. More important is what is going to happen if plugin HEV's start coming out that get double or more the mileage. Or what's going to happen if the price of gas doubles due to yet another conflict, catastrophe, etc.. That was part of our motivation to act now. The Prius has proven itself so far as a pretty good hedge against the future.

 

I'm resisting giving my opinion on all of those... just because everyone's answer is basically the same for most of them.

1. we love reliable cars.. if they made a really good reliable automatic that got as good gas mileage and was as green... this group might have a new name. ( i like a green car that gets no lower than 40mpg with a heavy foot)

2.try telling that to the guys who got 110mpg on a tank. Hybrids also have a longer break in period for the motor. I had a 5 to 10 mpg jump when i hit 15k miles. I could get over 60.. but again.. heavy foot. So i get mid 40s.

3. I don't think it's ugly. I think the new civic is ugly. The prius is simple in my opinion with body style.. but it's the hidden key things that make it great.

4. Prius will cost you thousands less in maintenance.. go ahead, compair numbers. 5k oil changes, no timing, no belts, etc. there are a lot of factors overlooked on this subject.. plus it's not about making up cost.. it's about a good car.. again...

5. I consider it an investment for my future... a safety cage for my future children... i don't care what statement it gives.. it's a good car.. i swear i just said this. ( good car, reliable, low maintenance cost.. etc )

6. Dealers want to make their cut.. that's life. Isn't it all business anyways? Someone makes a profit somewhere.. might as well be with a good car that cost the consumer less over time. yes.. there is a premium for a good car. Instead of Luxury, we'll call it Reliability.

7. Next ( i see no point to this )

8. What happened to the Prius when the 400h came out.. nothing. People buy a different car because they want a different car. My paren't didn't want a hybrid.. they wanted a Lexus 400h. Camry buyers won't want the prius.. they will want a conventional camry.. a little less techy i guess we could say.


All in all.. goood points. The fact remains that the prius isn't here to make us rich off of our dollar spent.. it's here to get us from point A to point B.. and do it with low cost over it's lifetime and do it safely with the lease amount of problems while we own the car.. or.. untill we run it into the ground.

 

Why have you been a PC member for such a long time? The negativity of your comments translates that you're not even considering the Prius as an option.

There are tons of cars under $10K that'll get over 35 MPG and be fairly reliable. Why not buy one? I just bought my college-attending daughter an '02 Saturn coupe with a sunroof, and fewer than 30K mi, and it gets 30-40 MPG, for $7800.

 

Two preconceptions I would counter:

1. More expensive. The correct answer is it depends. Compare to new, similar size, with similar feature set, and the Prius breaks even after about 20K miles. Don't generalize, just pick you other choice(s) and do the arithmetic.

2. Technology demo. Yes in the sense that it broke new ground on many levels, no in the sense that it is unproven. Prius came out in 1997, and is now in it's 3rd iteration. The model's reliability is unparalleled. Owners are confident they have a 200+K miles car.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Calling Prius ugly promotes this discussion how ?

 

Sounds like the Prius is not for you, sir.

Good luck in your car search.

 

I love our Prius, but if/when we get our next car, I'll hope to go for a bigger hybrid. I'm hoping the Rav4 is made with a hybrid in the next few years because we need to have room for up to 6 people...we get a lot of visitors.

 

This is opinion. I happen to think the Civic and the Camry are, well, not ugly but certain not that attractive. Definately not head turning. Bland, unexciting, boring, typical, average all come to mind. I like the styling of the Prius. The Prius is shaped that way for a reason. And as more cars are developed with that shape, it will become less "ugly" and more "normal". I will say I think the shape of the '04-'06 is much more attractive than the first gen U.S. Prius. That car is what I'd call ugly. Or at least bland, unexciting, boring, typical, average. No offense, but I think the Tercel is downright ugly.

No offense taken. This forum is for getting answers. Glad you came to look around. Look some more. Even if you don't want a Prius, I'd suggest you test drive one anyway to experience what you read about here. If you can't find a dealer where you are that has one to test drive, you might find a Priuschat Prius owner in your area that would be willing to give you a spin. I'm in San Diego, CA and have done that

 

I too have a Tercel - a 94. It has been such a good little car - I could not bare to trade it in - so I am giving it to my brother ( who is retired) as a second car.

My Tercel could with care last another 10 years, but, since it was my only form of transportation I needed a dependable car because I am not retired. If I had planned to replace it with a Corolla I would have continued to drive it into the ground before buying a new car.

I chose to buy a Prius because of the MPG and the tax credit - but a Corolla would have been cheaper by about 8K after you consider the tax credits. But, I am getting much more car in the Prius than in the Corolla.

Biggest advanatage has been the HID headlights. For 20 years I limited my driving at night because of poor night vision. I can now drive at night without any problem. This has opened up a whole new world for me.

Next, I got a great price on a leftover 2005 with NAV. Not only can I now drive at night the NAV system guarentees that I will never get lost again - day or night!

And don't get me started about the Key fob - keyless entry - no looking for my keys to open the door or start the car. Will not allow me to lock the door with the keys in the car - a dream come true!

I never enjoyed driving before - the less I did the better. I now actually look forward to driving this car.

Take a test drive in a Prius - before you decide you can live without one.

Springtime

PS Ugly??? I don't think so. I guess it is in the eye of the beholder - it's just different.