To C or not to C

Buy my used C that includes a set of like new snow tires and be way under budget and happy! Still 3k miles left on factory warranty and only asking 15k!

Seriously though I've loved my C, the only reason I'm replacing it is because my wife got a job at my employer. She current drives a Venza, we now will both be in the car with our two kids from home to school/daycare to work and back. With sports etc and grocery runs after work on the way home we are just going to need a little bit bigger car (so looking at a Prius Plug In).

I've put about 33k on it in 14-15 months, and I'm in it at least 2 hours of each day. Very comfortable and the ride is not that bad. The majority of my commute is non expressway, but back roads with limits of about 55mph. Because of that though I often get 74+ MPG on the way in to work, and with that kind of mileage I'm not complaining about anything.


Chris

 

If you drive mostly on roads in poor condition, I would not get the C. The great gas mileage does help to mitigate some of the C's shortcomings like ride quality and wind noise at highway speeds, but you'll have to decide if the trade off is worth it. It is for me, but I drive 25,000 miles a year so my gas savings has been pretty dramatic, even over the Accord I had which got 27-28 MPG average. Give it a good test drive on those poor condition roads you mention and see what you think. The regular Prius rides better, so if gas mileage is important to you, and you find the C's ride a bit too harsh, then I would look at a used one.

 

I vote for the C, however, I've always loved small cars. In addition, I drove semi truck for over 50 years so ride quality is a non-issue with me. I find the C's ride a luxury. I also drive the roads of Michigan which are probably among the worst in the nation despite the fact that our gas taxes are very high. My C2 is comfortable and relatively quiet. It provides excellent gas mileage and is rated as very reliable. Although I only have 29,000 miles I am pleased to report no unscheduled repairs have been required.
If you purchase good snow tires you should have no problems in Cadillac, MI. I drive through that area in my snow tire equipped C frequently during the winter on my way to TC. I've never been stuck.
Either car you are considering should provide you with good service. I vote for the C, but, buy the one that puts a smile on your face and never second guess your decision. Best wishes.

 

If drive in the city with alot of rough roads/potholes, avoid the C. I got a 2012 C four model. The shocks are pretty stiff. My brother's 2014 Prius liftback has a softer ride. The C is not a bad car, just don't expect it to ride like a regular Prius. The navigation isn't all that good. I rather use my phone's navigation over my C's. The cargo space is not big.

My advice is to take them both for a longer drive over rough roads and see if you like the ride. They're both loud on the freeway, no way around it. Because the C is light, it does tend to get push around by high wind. It's more of a annoyance then a safety concern. It's fine if you're driving against the wind, it becomes a problem when it's blowing sideways.

 

i would take each one for a test drive. and don't let the salesperson talk you into going over your budget!

 

I'm in week 2 of owning my 2014 C, and I was able to snag a really good interest rate through Toyota. In the past I've had primarily had some sort of sports compact car, but living in and around a metro area, I decided to pick a C up. I've done several hundred miles on the highway thus far and I honestly don't really notice any wind noise that's worth worrying about. I've getting a combined MPG of about 58....I really think this is a solid buy, and yea maybe I'll trade it in down the road...but if I don't, I know I have a reliable car that just sips on gas. The only real thing I find frustrating, is that there are no "go fast" enhancements I can really buy that I'm used to from having other hot hatches in the past.

 

I would get a regular Prius slightly used. Better ride, much better interior, bigger car for same money IMO.

- Aleks

 

Unless you get rooked by the dealer you're nearly always better buying used, since part of the depreciation/hybrid premium will have already been paid by owner 1.0.
You also have the advantage of buying from a private owner and you can split the dealer's profit between you.

Of course.....you have to find one that is dependable, but the Toyota emblem will tale care of part of that, and a little due diligence on your part will do for the rest. Granted it's not as much fun as having a dealership kiss you behind the ear and whisper that they'll always be there for you, but if I were going to be bouncing and lurching along wintry salt-laden county roads I would not be as worried about that "new car smell."

Your call.

 

I was in a similar situation. They were offering some great deals on the liftback when I was looking at the C. With a MSRP price diff btw the P2 and C2 of $4K, but only $3K after the rebates, that was a too bit close since the liftback does offer more for only slightly more. We already have a liftback in the family, I didn't want a "me too" car, and I was downgrading, so the choice was simple and ended up the C2. Haven't regretted it since. If we didn't already have a liftback and it wasn't everywhere on the road, I'd prob consider getting it over the C2.

Bottom line, you'll be keeping it for a while, so have you driven both back to back and see which you prefer and feel more comfortable in?

 

the items for comparison are
interest rate 2012 used vs 2014, i.e the monthly payment
the length of ownership
warranty backup
insurance cost​

The QThe items at discussion are
1. interest rates 2014 vs 2012 usedUOTE="Benjamin Howell, post: 2071211, member: 128211"]Hello,

I am currently in the process of purchasing my first Prius and I have a dilemma I was hoping some experienced owners could help me with.

I have a $20,000 spending maximum with 7,000 down. I was originally looking into purchasing a ~2012 Prius III+(original) with 20,000-30,000 miles ~3% APR. Now, as I'm working with myal dealer, he is really trying to push me into the 2014 C. The primary advantage being 0% APR and the 36 month warranty. lso the joy of owning a br


















n

d new vehicle.

My hesitation is that it will put me probably 3,000-4,000 outside of my spending limit to get a 2014 Prius C III+. Navigation was very appealing to me on either model. I would have loved the backup camera. While I don't haul much cargo, the space sounds like it has become a problem for even small tasks in other forums.

I have also heard rumors of more expensive insurance and less pleasant rides in the Prius C.

My driving conditions will be mainly small town/medium city. Maybe 15,000 miles a year. Severe winter driving conditions at times (both would have quality snow tires). Also, our roads are in poor to worse conditions in most areas.

What would you do if you were in my position? I would love to hear any and all opinions and experiences.

Thanks everyone. [/QUOTE]

Be sure to get a comparison of the monthly payment between the two cars. It may turn out it costs less per month for the new car though the final amount will be greater.
If you have a mileage/length of ownership then compare the cost of both cars over the time you intend to own
The 2012 has little warranty left compared to a new 2014, but then CR's annual auto issue gave the C high marks for reliability even though they found it noisy. No owner I know (3 or 4) found it noisy so we don't agree with CR on that issue.
When you say sending liit is that really the case? Mostbuyers have a limit

The issues are the monthly payment, remaining warranty, insurance cost, and length of service expected.
check the monthly payment between both the 2012 vs 2014. For most the monthly payment fits the budget even though the total cost might be more.
Dcide how important is the warranty. CR gives it high marks tho they didn't like the car. all 3 of Prissy owners I know don't share that opinion. Me either.
insurance will likely be higher for the 2014 but check with your agent.
decide how long you intend to keep the car and that decides about the length of any loan. That will decide what loan you get.
Now check the wear and tear on the 2012. Will it need new tires soon? other maintenance items? how well has it been cared for? A net set of tires will cost $300 or more.

 

I would get the liftback. It is just so versatile and the combined mpg of 50 is the same for both vehicles. The liftback is just more versatile.

 

Start calling dealers that are within a few hundred miles of you. Ask for the sales manager and tell them you are calling around getting prices (on the specific model and color you want). You will eventually find a dealer that will sell you the car for under invoice price. Especially this time of the year.
Toyota financing offers also differ by region. It may be 0.9% for 60 months in one state and 0.0% for 60 months just one state over.

 

I would buy a regular prius. I really like my c, but if I were driving on bumpy rough roads I would go for something with a better ride. the prius is logical if mpg is real important, We own a Camry hybrid and it gets 40 mpg and rides very well and has a ton of power. the car is much bigger. It is not a hatch so it is limited in what you can haul. The C is light and gets great mpg. I think it will hold up for a long time as toyota cars usually do. I would buy a new car with 0% intrest. that is what I did with mine 5 year 0%. with 0 down.

put the 7K in savings or pay off a credit card. you should find out what a good price is for the cars you are intrested in before you get ready to buy.

 

OP: you wrote $20k maximum. Seems like you answered your own question.

Personal opinion: Not a great idea to pay top dollar for toys on a Yaris, albeit a hybrid version. If you want a new 'c' find one for around $18k before taxes and install your own nav/camera 3rd party

 

Having driven a c and a liftback, I'd have to give the edge towards the liftback, based on what you've said. I had to drive over some rough roads to work in my c (living in Wisconsin, and it was pretty bad this winter too, potholes galore), and I felt each and every bump as I drove over them.

While I still feel the bumps in the liftback, due to the longer wheelbase and heavier weight of the car, the bumps aren't as noticeable.

There was some road/wind noise, but it was largely mitigated because I blast music anytime I drive to work. I have the c 4 one, so it's slightly above your price limit, but I like the fog lights and the keyless entry/push button start, along with the navigation (not the greatest, but I like that it's in the car in case my phone dies or no service). The c doesn't have a "Power" mode button like the liftback does, so getting up to speed on the freeway will make it struggle, and it really whines when you push down the pedal to get that power. The liftback only whines like that if I really press down on the accelerator going uphill, but I've found I don't need to press it as hard like in the c to keep up with traffic on the freeway.

No backup camera for the c (in the US anyway, though I think Aussies get them), but you can get the OEM one from Toyota, which several posters here have done already and can give you advice on how to do it if you so desire one. Same with a homelink mirror. I think only the trim four and five liftbacks come with a homelink mirror, so you'd have to get one installed, but they're really useful if you do a lot of night driving, or tend to forget your garage door opener.

If you do a lot of city driving, the c's smaller size will make it vastly easier to find a parking spot and parallel park. It's smaller size also means it gets better mpg in the city vs the liftback. If you do a lot of freeway or suburban (40 mph+ speed limit), the liftback does slightly better there. If there's a lot of strong wind gusts that day, the c will get pushed around more than the liftback.

MPG-wise, I seem to have gotten slightly better mileage in the c vs the liftback driving it to work (averaged 58 mpg in the c, about 54 in the liftback doing about 66% freeway, 33% city/suburb driving roughly 19 miles one way) and driving them both with hybrid driving techniques such as pulse and glide. But that's probably more because the liftback I own is a trim five, which has 17 inch wheels vs 15 inch ones the c (and lower trim liftbacks) have on them (bigger wheel/tire = slightly worse mpg), and the heavier weight, while it lets you coast longer, also takes more gas to get moving.

As far as cargo space, the liftback definitely has more room for obvious reasons. In the c, I could get several bags of groceries in without dropping the backseats, but it was usually a tight fit. In the liftback, the same amount of groceries only takes up maybe half to 2/3rds of the space in the trunk.

Regarding new vs used, I bought both the c and the liftback new because I didn't want a car with a "history" behind it (and that new car smell loL). But in general, priuses are pretty reliable cars, and people have driven them for 150-200k miles with no major issues, even ones that were bought used. So you can't go wrong with either one. Ultimately it's up to you, and hopefully my opinions on both cars give you some useful advice on how each car handles.

Decide carefully what you really plan to do with the car. If you get the c and then do a lot of camping with friends, it won't have as much room as the liftback. Or if your roads are really bad, the c will bounce a lot, and you will feel them. But driving a liftback in the city won't be as fuel efficient as driving the c would be if that's all you do with it.

 

My only two comments are:

My daughter loves her C, on all kinds of roads but has had "small" cars all her life.
I like mine too but only for around town and short trips; I'm over 60 and it gets to my back on long tips.

AND don't let built-in NAV sway you from or toward anything.
That option alone is priced at about $800 and it takes about $150 to update the maps, which should be done every couple of years......and a good Garmin can be had for about $150 with free map updates.

I use the one in my C but don't really like it. The one in my Focus is only slightly better.

 

A couple of suggestions/comments:
- Test drive them both before making a decision
- As far as insurance costs, you can give your insurance company a call and they'll tell you which one will be more expensive
- The C doesn't have a backup cam
- Financially speaking, I'd go for the gently used car over the brand new car any day

Having said that, I do love my C and I picked it over the liftback primarily for looks and price.

 

Two things:

1. Your dealer has or has access to trim levels 1-3 and will be just as happy selling you one.
2. I haven't heard good things about the navigation system. You have to pay to update maps, and how many good standalone GPSs could you buy for the increase in price?