The "eco" cars (hybrid economy w/o the cost)

In some states you have a window to say "this is not working" and can get some relief. In the past two months, I've gotten at least five "offers" to buy our 2010 Prius for their used car lots. Of course they were also trying to get me to buy their latest model and you've already identify the 'attractive' ones. I am OK with 'buyer's remorse' and fixing it sooner is better than later. I have some experience with buyer's remores.

In 1970, I enlisted in the Marines for an extra two years with a 'ground electronics guarantee' but did not realize an electric typewriter with pin-feed paper doing OCR font was in the 'ground electronics' skill set. So I used "request mast," a way to appeal over the chain of command and got my wish.

The commander said,'Wilson you are right. This is a clerk typist job and I've sent off to Paris Island for some typist and you are headed to the computer unit' a true ground electronics assignment . . . only it was 9,000 miles away in Okinawa Japan. But it finally burned out the last of my lifer-tendencies and marked a distinct turnaround in my life.

The low mileage of your Prius could get you in one of the lower cost cars list:

You can treat the depreciation as 'Prius rental' and be happy.

Your posting is in the heart of Prius expertise surrounded by thosewilling and able to help you achieve higher, Prius urban performance IF you simply ask. But if you want to sell some other car, then go trade in that Prius and replace it with one of the cars you've listed. The only barrier to your car happiness stares back in the mirror.

Bob Wilson

ps. Jesus, the spiritial leader of Liberals, took a whip to the temple and set the example. So I have no sympathy for those incapable of 'helping themselves' while whining like a spoiled child about some boo-boo. Grow a pair or go bother those willing to be suckered by the noise. Some have suggested using the "ignore list" . . . thinking about it.

 

Spoiler Alert!

People don't direct hate at you b/c you drive a Prius.

Good luck with yours.
If you're inclined, post your mileage results.

 

These alternators also have to run the lights and all the other electric gizmos now in the car.
While I could probably find the amp rating of the F150 on Ford's site, they seem to think this isn't something a car shopper would want to know. Supposedly, the 2011 Fiesta alternator puts out 80amps@ 750rpm and 124amp@2300rpm. I think most cars have a stock alternator rated for at least 100amps these days.

The rule of thumb for the inverter incoming amperage seems to be inverter watt rating divided by 10. A 1kW one might be near the limit of what you would attach to one of these cars, but you may not need that high a rating. I don't know specifics, but people were using inverters powered by typical cars after Sandy around here.

A hybrid like the Prius could power your entire house. Any car now available should be able to handle the essentials like the frig and microwave. Perhaps not at the same time, but you can get by for the usual potential power outage after a major storm.

 

In the news cycle yesterday...
California town mayor says bullying victims need to ‘grow a pair’ - NY Daily News

 

I think to "get real" on MPG, you should be using Fuelly.com numbers, or the "our user's averages" off of fuel economy.gov site. Using the EPA numbers is a total Joke! They simply are not real numbers!

I am at the final stage of the Lemon Law process for my 2013 Dodge Dart 1.4L turbo DDCT. (Car repurchased, dropped off, & Waiting for the check from my attny.) I was enticed to buy that car by its EPA numbers, which are 27 city 31 combined, 37 hwy. In Reality,, we were averaging 22-26 mpg all the time (using premium gas), with 80% hwy driving! Add to that MPG insult, 14 repair visits, in 15 months of ownership, and you can see why I went for the Lemon Law! So, anyone buying a car for MPG had better do their homework! Sure, your new car came with a fantastic warranty, but how much time are you willing to spend taking it to the shop, waiting for it, then driving it home, only to find, it is still not fixed? So its not only MPG you should REALLY look at, but what is the cars Real repair rate / track record from real owners.

My last rant is on all the Turbo cars so many manufacturers are now putting out, to get high horse power, out of tiny gas sipping engines. Guess how those EPA MPG numbers are obtained? Flat ground, totally unreal driving situations, probably tail winds, probably no spare tire, 1/8 a tank of gas, you get the picture. Take a turbo into real driving conditions, with hills, mountains, traffic, and it = always being in the boost. Which = good power out of a tiny engine, but also = BAD MPG as your Always in the boost, sucking gas, never getting that good gas mileage you bought the car for! The other issue with the non-turbo cars, is they are such dogs in the power department. We drove the new 2014 Toyota Corolla on your above list, 0-60 in like 13 sec.??? No thanks! The Mazda 3 was the closest competitor to the Prius in our book, yet, after the Dart, I will never by a First model year again! I want to see a track record, and read what others are getting in real MPG and needed repairs! The Prius is pretty impressive in all of those! I was amazed at how much get up and go it actually has, for being a hybrid / gas sipper! Made me a believer. Even with my lead foot wife driving, she is getting high 40's in MPG!

 

I'm really interested in the Fiesta 1.0 liter especially since it comes with a manual. I usually gravitate towards the manual for lower initial costs and higher fuel economy. This hasn't been the case lately, so the Fiesta is a welcome surprise. I'm really disappointed the start stop system didn't make it over the pond. I assume it is because EPA testing has no provisions for start/stop. Ford and the customer would pay an additional $300-$400 for the system and show identical EPA fuel economy numbers. It's a shame.

I seriously doubt the Focus would only take a 1 mpg penalty on the same engine.

 

Ford's auto stop is $295 on the Fusion. It and Kia Rio get maybe a 1mpg in the city test. Even without an increase in the window sticker results, auto stop systems get a CAFE credit.