It's all in how you read the stats

Where is the "original" Edmunds.com article? Is this the one?
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/...13/article.html

See also the CNN.com (Reuters) article:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/AUTOS/08/22/bc.aut...reut/index.html

You're right - it's interesting to see the same numbers be viewed differently; the comparison results aren't consistent, so you can pick whichever set of numbers you want in order to reach your conclusion.

One more link... a related thread:
http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=23671

 

As I have been commenting elsewhere, another approach is to use realistic depreciation values in Edmunds' total cost of ownership analysis of Prius. Hint - it is less expensive to operate than they suggest.

 

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics.

 

The Edmunds analysis also assumes that the Prius costs $2,000 more than most of us paid. If you look at the details of their analysis, you'll see that they assumed that buyers paid their TMV (true market value) which is more than $2,000 over MSRP. In this informal poll here at PriusChat we can see that most PriusChatters have recently been paying MSRP. Paying less than MSRP is far more common than paying more than MSRP.

If we partially correct the Edmunds analysis by assuming that the Prius costs MSRP, rather than more than $2000 more, the Prius costs less than the Camry LE as soon as you receive the $3150 tax credit. The fuel cost savings are gravy, or compensation if you preferred the Camry.

They also neglected to even add the optional aluminum wheels and ABS to the Corolla, which are standard on a Prius. This raises their TMV for the Corolla by $662, and reduces the miles till fuel savings overcomes the purchase price difference to 7.2 years or 109,000 miles. Adding a hatchback takes us further. The 2006 Matrix XR with ABS costs only $2057 less and gets 28/34/31 mpg EPA. The tax credit and the gas savings of the Prius overcome the lower purchase cost of a Matrix in only 3.2 years or 49,000 miles.

We all know that the Prius is a much nicer car in the meantime, and if you sell the Prius before 49,000 miles, you're likely to make-up the rest of the purchase price difference with a higher resale value for the Prius as opposed to the Matrix.

Of course, all this assumes that you were lucky enough to get your Prius between January and September 30, 2006, and that you aren't subject to the alternative minimum tax.