A close friend of mine is on the market for a used Prius. He loves the idea of saving money at Pump and is fascinated by how a Hybrid system works. So the debate is to go with either a V or a C. I can only offer what I know about the V and how relieable it’s been for me this far. But the other question is how much more or less is the C compared? Which cost less to maintain?
That depends a lot on the type of driving. They are actually 2 opposite ends of the Gen 3 Prius. The Prius c is smaller than normal and designed mainly for city driving with little highway. The Prius v is bigger & heavier than the Gen3 Prius to enable you to haul more. The Prius c is more economical, generally, than the Gen 3 or Prius v. My son really enjoys the extra space for his dogs & gear in the Prius v compared to his previous Gen 2 Prius. If a Prius C is run hard, I would expect it could need more maintenance. I think all 3 models have the same size engine. The Prius c may have a smaller battery though.
The center floating console that the liftback has, lol. We're both big guys, I'm 6ft and weight about 220 and he is 6 ft 3 inchs and nearly 300lbs. Granted the C is smaller, but from what I've seen, it utliizes space better by now having a center floating console that feels like you're being hugged by the car. I test drove the regular liftback and didn't care for it just for that reason alone. I was thinking maybe the V would be better for him since he's a bigger guy and tends to be a heavy foot. I'm trying to teach him not to be, lol His commutes are usually in town though. My commutes are 90% highway.
big size difference between these cars. Big. The c is smaller and simpler. The hybrid battery is smaller and (probably) cheaper once that day arrives. And I think they made a lot more of them. Carver represent! I've spent a lot of time around there... I still cite Georgio's as an example of why Massachusetts is known for some of the worst pizza on earth. Really nice guy, but unforgettably bad pizza.
Thats one of the major pros I can think of for the C. greenbean battery offers a replacement for $1500 while the V is almost $2000. Not a huge difference, but on a budget, it is. Thats another reason why the C is in consideration, is from what I've read, is how much cheaper is to maintain from other Prius. I couldn't agree more about Georgio's, lol. Their pasta is even worse. I grew up in a Italian family, we love our sauce..or as we old schoolers call it...gravy. Their sauce is like the water you'd get out of a ketchup bottle. I'm originally from South Plymouth, and spent every weekend of my childhood on the Cape staying with my mom. Carver seems like the perfect in between, where its not in Wareham and its not in tourist central...aka The Cape. Literally just a few minutes away from my old stomping grounds. You need to go to Marc Anthony's in Onset, Ma. They legit have the best pizza around imo. They've been on nurmous tv shows, as well a number of celebrities have ate there. I've had pizza from Chicago, New York, Jersey, I'm telling you, Marc Anthony's is legit the best.
Well, I grew up big and tall eating other pizzas and fit just fine in the c. The V has much more room in the back seat, but for a single occupant commuter appliance the c has my vote. Y'all have a big fancy library across the street from Georgio's, I had something tangential to do with it appearing there. I'll have to look up Marc Anthony's next time I'm up there. My dad spends his summers in the quietest corner of Plymouth, and one of my besties is just up in Pembroke.
I guess what it will come down to is comfort and price. Right now, they are a number of C's in my area that are going for a decent price with decent miles. Yup, that big library is still there. I still haven't gone yet. I honestly don't venture much on that part of town. Myles Standish Forest is only a few roads away from my house, so thats more of my thing. Definately check out Marc Anthony's when you visit. Its only about 15 minutes away from Carver. You can't be Plymouth, you've got forests and ocean waterfront all with in a very short driving distance. Less touristy unless you venture down towards Plymouth Rock. Pembroke is a nice town, my aunt use to live there, lived a tiny little horse farm.
The c has the 1.5 liter engine, like the Gen 2. The v has the 1.8 liter engine, same as the gen 3. If you get a v, you want 2015 or later. Both the body and the engine were improved.
A vast majority of people here avoid refurbished batteries from companies because tear downs of failed ones have determined they do not take the proper time and care to match, balance, and recondition the pack.
greenbean from what I read is a pretty reliable third party that offers a 5 year warranty. *shrugs* I thought I read that both cars got top safety picks
AFAIK both cars did get good safety ratings, but usually those are relative to same size & weight vehicles. If my wife were more comfortable handling larger cars, we probably would have bought something bigger. She loves the c, and that confidence translates into a real safety factor. It's all a balance, gotta find what works for you.
Off the top of my head? Smaller/cheaper traction battery- if you count that as maintenance anyway. Smaller/cheaper tires. I think the oil capacity is slightly lower- this wouldn't show up as savings unless you did your own oil changes though. If I'm not mistaken, the c isn't going to need EGR/manifold cleaning the way the 3rd generation liftback & v powerplant does. If true that would be a real moneysaver.
that would be important to verify. i don't recall any c clogged egr's, but i don't recall any v either
Agreed- I'm just going from @JimboPalmer's generalization that the c is a descendant of the 2nd generation model, and the v of the 3rd. I don't know if they're the same in terms of EGR penalty.
I own both a 2013 C and a 2011 Prius. The C is 500 pounds lighter than the Prius. Not sure about the V. My C now has 130k miles and usually gens 53+ mpg when my wife uses it to commute 30+ miles one way. No EGR issues. I bought the Prius with 139k miles on 12/31 with a bad head gasket due to EGR problem I didn't know about. Dealers/stealer fixed it for $3500 1 year warranty unlimited miles. I installed a catch can to prevent future problems. If you get a C get a level 4. Leather,heated seats, sunroof, GPS. They are roomy for a small car. You will need to add a rear sway bar. They don't come with one. Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
Two things to note in this statement: 1)Not all C4s have moon roofs. (it is a moon roof, not a sunroof. sunroofs do not retract, only pop up). 2)The Cs (both 3 and 4 had moon roofs as options) that had the moon roof, actually have lower head room than the non-moon roof Cs. So if you're worried about your head hitting the headliner, you probably don't want a moon roof C.
