Thinking about jumping ship to a used Prius (from a sporty car)

Hey guys, I've been poking around these forums for a couple of days to learn as much as I can about the Prius before making any brash decisions. First off, a bit of background...

I'm 31, a freelance video editor and live in the Phoenix area, whose temperatures range from mild (in the winter) to scorching hot (in the summer).

I currently drive a 2007 VW GTI 2-door hatchback, fully loaded with leather and navigation. It has 56,000 miles on it. Those familiar with the GTI would know that this is a performance-oriented car ("fast" version of the Golf). I bought the car (brand new) because I had always wanted a sports compact that blended good performance with reasonable fuel economy. In that regard, the car is phenomenal. It has brisk acceleration (0-60 in a little over 6 seconds) and superb handling. And at the same time, it gets low 20s around the city and around 30-31 on the freeway. Overall average for me has been 25-26 mpg, give or take.

Over the last year or so, I haven't been driving a whole heck of a lot. Because 80-90% of my work is now done from home, most of my trips during the week are short errands (grocery store, post office, etc.). On the weekends, I may drive 60 miles roundtrip to visit my folks outside of town. So, 100 or so miles per week would be my average. In other words, well under 10k miles per year. The novelty of driving a sporty car has somewhat worn off.

My main reasons for considering the Prius are the attractive fuel economy and Toyota reliability. I have owned other VWs in the past and after a while, they do become a bit of a nuisance with reliability quirks and expensive maintenance. My GTI in particular has already been a relatively expensive car to run and maintain (premium gas, $900 sets of low-profile tires, pricey fluid changes, etc.). My income isn't at the level it used to be, so this is starting to become a bigger concern moving forward.

The GTI has been paid off since 2009, so the idea here would be to sell it privately while I can still get decent money for it and then put that towards a used 2nd-generation Prius. I've done some resale value comparisons and it seems that this is very doable. I've seen a lot of well-equipped Prii in my area in the 2006-07 model range for around $14-15k (private sellers). I'd like to avoid buying new if possible - I'm really not in the position for another car payment at this time.


So I guess this question is really for the folks who have converted to Prii from sporty cars. I obviously don't expect a Prius to be fast and agile like my GTI and honestly, that's okay. At this point in my life, it's looking like basic transportation with a bit of flair would be ideal, and it seems like the Prius fits that bill perfectly.

I've read a few used Prius buying guides online and most of them say to check for things like vehicle history (important on any car), CVT condition, battery condition, maintenance records, etc. But the consensus seems to be that it's best to pay a Toyota tech to inspect the vehicle prior to sale to make sure everything's in good working order. I'm also a bit concerned about the "gas bladder" issue I hear about on the 2nd-gen models. Basically, I don't want to make the mistake of bringing home a used Prius only to find out that it needs thousands in repairs I can't afford.


Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Sorry in advanced for the long-winded post.!

 

Thanks for the reply!

I might go ahead and rent one just to see how they drive. I don't necessarily HAVE to flip my current car. Right now, I'm still playing around with my options.

 

Yeah, I've already determined that selling privately is my best option. And since I'm in no particular hurry to do anything (it's not killing me to keep this car, per se), I can wait, even it takes a month or two.

Good to hear. If I'm going to get a used Prius, I rather pick it up privately anyway, to avoid sales taxes and other stealership fees (already went through that on the GTI purchase). And I definitely will hire a Toyota tech out to fully inspect the car prior to purchase.

I imagined this to be the case, is with practically any car. I wasn't expecting 50 mpg figures simply going to the grocery store across the street and back. But I would imagine I'd see significantly better numbers (versus my GTI) driving 30 miles outside of town (at reasonable highway speeds) to visit the folks. Or in the rare instances I need to take a road trip to San Diego or LA (once or twice per year, at most)... I rarely drive above 70 mph on the highway (for safety and fuel economy reasons), even on the GTI.


Another (unrelated) question, considering I'd be coming from a sporty car. At 56k miles, my GTI is already ready for its 3rd set of tires (will be replacing prior to sale). The first set (Conti SportContact summer tires) lasted maybe 25k and I got a little over 30k out of these ones (Goodyear Eagle F1 all-seasons). 25-30k seems to be around the high end of "normal" for 18" low-profile (40 series) tires. And at $900 average per set, it's pretty expensive.

Assuming a good set of 15" all-seasons (like Michelins) on a typical Prius, what kind of mileage would you normally expect, assuming proper rotation and inflation for the life of the tires? On my last VW (a Golf), I used to get around 55k miles on a good set of 15" tires that cost significantly less ($500 per set, IIRC).

 

Thanks for all the good info, cwerdna! The "thanks" button isn't showing up though...
EDIT: Okay, now it did. Hehe

I'll read up on all this info you posted.

I test drove a 350Z before I bought the GTI. I liked that car a lot too, but it was a bit more money than I wanted to spend (and the insurance was more).

 

Yeah, that's pretty much in line with the fuel economy I get on my 2.0L Turbo GTI, except I have the upgraded 18" tires and the optional 6-speed sequential (DSG) transmission.

The R32 was a limited production model manufactured in 2004 and 2008 (but the 2004 was based on the previous-gen GTI). They only made 5,000 of each car. I see '08 R32s on dealer lots quite a bit here - one even practically new with under 10k miles on it. I would imagine this is because the R32 offers very little performance benefit versus fuel consumption over a normal GTI.

 

The suspension tweaks sound pretty cool, although I do have my reservations on the long-term expense (tires) of swapping out to larger wheels. I never really expect a Prius to equal the handling of the GTI I'm potentially leaving, even with mods. My roommate drives an older (1998, I think) Accord and that feels like a "tuna boat" when compared to the GTI, but not overly so. I simply adjust my driving habits accordingly when driving the Accord; I avoid attempting maneuvers that are easy on the GTI but probably impossible (or scary, at the very least) on the larger, softer car. A test drive should give me a much better idea of what I'll be missing and whether or not it's something I can live without. But I have this feeling that the pros will outweigh the cons...

Well, that gives me a bit more encouragement, coming from an ex-Porsche driver. Roadster to 4-door hybrid liftback is a pretty big change.

Actually, one of the initial things that attracted me to the Prius (in its current 2nd/3rd-gen forms, anyway) versus other hybrids was that I've always been partial to the hatchback/liftback style. I prefer being able to fully fold down the back seats for a ton more cargo room (especially in height) versus a traditional trunk. Maybe that makes me "Euro" minded, but who knows?

 

Trust me, I know what you mean by dynamically brilliant. I think the same can really be said about most sport-oriented German cars. There's something unique about their composure, the way they handle and how you feel "connected" them. It's something I always miss whenever I have to rent a crummy American econobox when I fly out somewhere on business. I guess I just really need to test drive first and see for myself.

What makes this decision so difficult for me is that most of what I've owned has been German. Two prior VWs and a Ford pickup truck (and trucks are radically different beasts, so that doesn't really count). I've driven my roommate's Accord quite a few times as well and it doesn't feel remotely close to the driving mechanics of my GTI, although it would be foolish to expect that anyway. But I wouldn't necessarily characterize that as "bad". The Accord serves a different purpose; it's a family sedan built for dependability and economy. No shame in that.

 

I have factory navigation in my current GTI, although it's a bear to use. It's not a touchscreen, but rather operated by push buttons and rotary dials instead. The unit itself will play CDs (at the expense of taking out the map DVD), but oddly, no MP3 capability. For that, I have to use an iPod parked into its factory adapter in the center console. The nav screen also lacks the capability to display song/artist info from the iPod. Annoying. For the 2009 model year, VW updated to a much improved navigation system that mostly addresses these problems, but I wasn't about to spend $3000 to get one, either. But in the end, the nav system is so cumbersome to use, it's easier just to whip out my Android phone and use Google Navigation instead.

Factory navigation isn't a huge priority for me in a car, honestly. If I really wanted it, I can get a cheap Tom-Tom or Garmin unit and slap it on the windshield for trips if I wanted to free up the Android.

My GTI has Xenon lights, too. They're certainly brighter, although it isn't a "must-have" feature for me.

Actually, I don't get an awful lot of "speed challenges" from other drivers in my GTI. Maybe 3 instances on the freeway since I bought the car in July of 2007. Two of them were trucks (I won both times) and one was a de-badged Neon SRT-4 (I lost). But if someone were to challenge me today, I would probably just let them have their fun. In Tempe, cops seem to lurk in every corner and I don't need a speeding ticket to prove that my car is fast.

I used to care a lot more about mobile sound systems when I was younger. But in those days, it was a lot easier to install aftermarket electronics. Now, it seems that you need special trim plates and adapters to install aftermarket head units in just about any modern car. Besides, a few break-ins have taught me over the years that aftermarket stereos are more trouble than they're really worth (to me). My GTI has the "premium" sound system and it has been good enough for me.