Should I Switch to Prius?

I'd stick with the Corolla. We didn't buy our Prius for the mileage although that was a bonus and we're having fun getting over 50mpg average. We also didn't give up another car to buy the Prius. Unfortunately my wife was in an accident and totaled her car so we had to buy something.

Our parameters were reliability first, $15-25K, and good mileage, but we were surprised by the comfort, features, quiet ride, and luxury feeling of the Prius and that was why we bought the car.

Were I in your shoes I'd stick with the Corolla and wait for a plug in that can make your whole commute on EV.

Good luck with your decision,
jd

 

Hi Proteus..,

I have recently gotten some new instrumentation for my Prius. It shows the trip mpg as one drives along. It reaches 35 mpg after about 2 miles, and its usually well above 40 mpg by 8 miles in suburuban street driving (max speed 45 mph). Depending on the situation (5 mile return trip on an errand run for example - car warmed up, and advantagous gliding situations) I have seen it as high as 68 mpg.

 

Sounds like with your driving profile, financially, it would be better to keep the Corolla as long as it's still running well.
Danger! If you learn more about the Prius technology, or take a test drive, you might suddenly want one regardless of cost!

 

Hello,

I'm in a similar situation to you (commute of 6 miles each way, an older import--a Civic--that ran fine) and agree with some of the posts here. If the sole purpose of buying the Prius is to save money on gas, it won't pay off quickly in your situation. However, if you also like the Prius itself and are looking to replace your car with a newer car anyway, then it may be worth it. From what I can tell, the Prius is getting double the mileage of my old Civic--but I live in Florida, and the car warms up easily in our heat.

I've done the math and realized that we're only saving at most $200/year in commuting costs. Having a more efficient car, however, has made long-distance travel more affordable and expanded our options. Given that our two cars were mid-90s Civics, it made sense to locate a family car that would both have better safety features and be more efficient. We liked the design and ride of the Prius, which is why it was our choice. Our Prius is a week old, but we're thrilled with it!

 

This was a no brainer for me. I traded in my H-3 that was getting about 14 - 15 MPG. At $3.10 a gallon, I was paying about $130.00 a week for fuel. With my Prius, I am getting 49 - 50 MPG which is running me a little under $30.00 a week. Granted I've only had four fill ups, but I'll still accept the 49 - 50 MPG. My car payment is a little over $400.00 a month.

In short, My Prius is paying for itself.

My only issue is judging ground clearance

 

I used to drive a chevy lumina minivan. I install 33"+ sized satellite dishes and carry a 16 foot folding ladder with me. I used to spend $250+ a month on gas... that was when gas was 80cents a litre... now at $1.20 eek!

I went with the Prius last october... haven't been sorry. But I went with a used 2005... spent just over $20k CDN... My brother went with a Honda Fit new... he spent nearly the same...

But the lumina and several other vehicle have all had issues with their automatic transmissions. As a person with an engineering background, auto trannies are the worst concept in the universe... it's wonder that they are even in use today. So I figure the prius will last longer than my brother's fit... we will see...

It's a no brainer for me to get the prius... but from a corrola? Only if you need to change cars anyways... Buying a new Prius is a bit pricey. Buying used in my opinion is a bargain...