| Author | Message | ||
     Panhead_dan |
She's currently driving a 14 year old car and has backed my plays enough that she deserves a brand new car (her first ever). The question I put to the members here is; is a prius the right choice? | ||
| Hughlysses |
Jetta diesel! Similar mileage, gobs more torque, massively simpler powertrain. (IMHO of course.) | ||
| Racerx |
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| Froggy |
Why a prius? Any specific reason? Any reason to not get say a Chevy Cruze, a Ford F150, or a Ferrari Enzo? | ||
| Sifo |
It wouldn't be my choice. Is it her's? | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Cool vid but even if she drives her current car real easy the whole 2 miles to work and 2 miles home every day she's burning a tankfull of fuel every 2 weeks at about 15mpg. It gets about 25mpg on the freeway but she's nearly never on the freeway. | ||
| Strokizator |
I say it all depends on her driving habits. Short stop and go trips = hybrid electric high speed freeway commutes = conventional I tried to talk my wife into a high MPG vehicle and she politely pointed out that she "doesn't drive that much" and would get whatever she wanted because it wouldn't make much difference. When she complained the other day that premium unleaded was $4.59 I told her "Good thing you don't drive that much, huh?" In all fairness, her car gets about 21 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. | ||
| Sifo |
Ferrari has been my answer for years every time my mom asks what I want for Christmas. Maybe this year! | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Sifo Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - 05:51 pm: -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ It wouldn't be my choice. Is it her's? It's mine really. She's all gaga over a new car, I think and she deserves one. She doesn't know much about a Prius. (She asked me where we would plug it in.) A prius is about the max we can afford. In fact, it's a tad over the max. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Hughlysses, Her current car is a '97 STS. She aint gonna go for a Jetta. | ||
| Hootowl |
LOL but she'd go for a prius? The Jetta will out handle the prius all day long. It's German. (mine is mexican)  | ||
| Froggy |
A Volt would of been perfect, but your budget doesn't allow it.  2 miles? Why not seriously look into a scooter a bicycle. I still think an electric would be a good bet, there are electric cars that are catagorized as "limited use vehicles", they pretty much are glorified golf carts, but they cost nothing to run, insure, and maintain. | ||
| Badlionsfan |
Being a truck driver that drives over 2700 miles a week, I've created profiles in my head for the drivers of just about every car on the road. most of them are fairly negative, for good reason. Prius- "I give up, I just can't figure out how to drive these damn cars. Let me just get over here into the left lane out of everyone's way while I drive 61 mph. | ||
| Panhead_dan |
Froggy Posted on Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - 06:13 pm: -------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ A Volt would of been perfect, but your budget doesn't allow it. I agree. 2 miles? Why not seriously look into a scooter a bicycle. I've tried, she aint goin for it. I still think an electric would be a good bet, there are electric cars that are catagorized as "limited use vehicles", they pretty much are glorified golf carts, but they cost nothing to run, insure, and maintain. I would love that but.... | ||
| Sifo |
If she's only driving a couple of mile on her daily commute I would be asking how many years before you can potentially get back the premium price you pay for a high tech hybrid rather than an equally nice conventional car that won't carry that premium. Even if you get 25 mpg better than a comparable car... 20 miles per week is about 1,000 miles per year. At 25 mpg gain you only save about 40 gallons per year. That's $240 per year at $6.00 per gallon. Did I do the math right? You might be able to do better for her and still save some cash. Plug in your own assumptions and weigh the economics. Then check out the cars and see which feels right. If the Prius doesn't feel right you have to keep it a long time to make a dent in the premium price being paid. But it the Prius turns her screws then make her happy. | ||
| Dynasport |
I say get her what she really wants. I seriously thought that is what I had been doing for the last several cars we had purchased. It turns out, it wasn't. My wife politely told me I had pushed her into the cars I thought she should have instead of what she really wanted. So this last time I totally stayed out of the process. She did the research, she did the shopping, and she bought the car. She bought a Toyota Venza with all the toys and she absolutely loves it. She talks about how much she loves it all the time. She never did that once on the cars I "helped" her pick out. From now on, her car means her car. | ||
| Just_ziptab |
What's a new battery pack cost every five years or so? OUCH is my guess. | ||
| Zenbiker |
The Hybrids are really only good in stop and go traffic, where the braking action recharges the batteries, otherwise you are buying for prestige or were misguided in your purchase. On the highway they are like every other car with 300 extra pounds of cargo. That said, you may want to go to the airport and rent a prius for a few days to see just what you are getting into, she may not be happy. An if Mama ain't happy.... | ||
| Teeps |
I've not driven a prius. But I have driven Honda Insights ver 1.0 and 2.0, CRz and the defunct Accord hybrid. I'd be happy to share my experience driving Honda products with you, just PM your phone number if interested. | ||
| Aesquire |
My Dad has a Prius. Loves it. Awesome mileage in stop and go. Got over 65mpg stuck in Chicago rush hour traffic while just passing through. In dead calm, flat land highway, still gets good mileage. Claims 45+. ( think he had a tailwind ) Downsides, crappy visibility out the back, & rear sides. Potential very high service costs if you keep it a decade. Heavy for the power... May not be comfortable, depending on body size & shape. You do have to climb down to get in. Not a real sporty car, not a total dog. Payback for the higher price will probably not happen. Upsides, decent room for cargo, ( not as much as it looks, the battery is huge ) Heavy for the power, but has enough, with electric boost, for commuting and all around useful driving. Status symbol for some folk. Pretty comfy seats. ( not STS comfy ) #1 in real world mileage. 2 caveats. If you get a Prius, Sell it in 5-6 years. You will get great trade in. It won't have paid for itself in better mileage at 25 miles a week, no matter how long you keep it. Battery should last 7-10 years. and Get the keyless entry. My Dad didn't want it, but now that he's used to it, he won't ever buy a car without it. Key fob in pocket, walk up, open door, push button to start car, never pull out key or fob. Get it in any car your wife wants. Seriously. I've got a Jetta Sportwagen TDI. 40mpg highway, 33 city, no bull, no hypermiling. Downsides, high priced diesel fuel. Diesel smell on shoes if you fill at truck stops where slobs have been. ( true with gas cars too ) low seats, fat old me has to get down into car. Small car. turbo lag. ( but nowhere near a 70's turbo car ) Upsides, i can get over 50mpg at 55mpg on flat land. I routinely get 40+ on x-country trips, including extralegal speeds. Very good handling. Very good. The TDI has the GTI suspension ( but not the Brembo Brakes ) putting it in Audi and BWM handling territory. massive torque. Sorta like my Cyclone, I can leave big, but not beat much over 120. With the DSG transmission, ( dual clutch auto ) Ferrari class shifting. very good build quality. Other mileage master picks include the New Ford Fiesta, A few Hondas, and some Kias & Hyundais. It's going to be her car. If it doesn't fit her, she won't like it. Check out the new Caddies, too. They get better mileage now, and she's used to them. Also, Ford F150 with the V6 turbo "ecoboost" motor. ( then she can pick you up if your bike breaks down. ) I say be supportive, and take her shopping. (Message edited by aesquire on April 27, 2011) | ||
| Prowler |
My wife's very happy with her loaded 2008 KIA Spectra. Gets 40 MPG on the highway (w/4 people on board!) and she could have bought 2 of them for the same price as a Prius. You will not likely ever get an ROI on a Prius vs. a similar petrol economy/compact car. I don't get why people buy those things........ | ||
| Azxb9r |
Strokizator hit it on the head. If you want it for commuting in stop and go traffic, the hybrid is a good choice. Contrary to what you might think by watching them on the road, the Prius is not that slow. I wouldny call it a sports car, but if you lean on the throttle they do accelerate smartly. I have several customers that own them, and the only time one of them has been left stranded was when the 12v battery went bad. Toyota covers the high voltage battery for 8 or 10 years(I dont recall which at the moment). The hybrid drive system is also covered for longer than the rest of the car. If you do get one I would recommend reading the owners manual cover to cover. The Prius has some nuances that are unique to it(such as the start sequence) that you want to be familiar with. As Aesquire mentioned, the keyless system is very convenient. It also eliminates the possibility of locking your keys in your car. The advice I usually give my customers when they are thinking about a new car is to do some shopping. See what is available and definately do some test driving. Sometimes you will drive a car and it just doesnt feel "right". Sometimes a car that you might not have considered will have exactly what you want. | ||
| Aesquire |
Prowler, status. The In thing. New Stuff. Liberal cred. etc. I could have bought a small korean job and got about the same mileage. half the money. hard to beat the math. But. I wanted a few contradictory things. I wanted a sports car. I wanted a Van. I figured I could compromise down to a small wagen for most of my needs, and honestly can't afford a Ferrari. That leaves me at Hot Hatch. My needs are not yours, or his wifes. Also, it's quirky to have a 2 litre turbo diesel. I wanted to be able to carry a suit of armor, a large tent, and get 100mpg. Still waiting. Went with what works today. If the VW gets totaled and I live, I might even go for a Kia. ( or a used f-150 with ecoboost. I'm going to have to wait for that one. ) | ||
| Sayitaintso |
Anything but a Prius. I'll bet 1/2 the time there is a car holding up traffic by driving slow in the left lane ..its a damn Prius. Please for the sake of everyone else on the road, dont get a Prius. I did see a CRz a few weeks ago, very nice....it brought back lots of memories of the CRX I had right after high school. | ||
| Benm2 |
My wife has a Prius and a 40-mile one-way commute. She regularly averages 45mpg. She is NOT ever in the left lane holding up traffic, she has a lead foot. That 45mpg is with her on the highway at 75 MPH. They do have dog-slow acceleration, and they make more strange whirs and clicks than any other car I've ever had. Other than that - I think Aesquire summed up the car perfectly. We did briefly consider the Jetta Sportwagon TDI, but discounted it for two reasons: 1) It has less passenger room. Believe it or not, the rear seat of the Prius is slightly wider and there's more legroom. With three kids riding back there, it was a concern. 2) Diesel is harder to find, and my wife would NEVER even consider stopping at a truckstop. Good luck! | ||
| Britchri10 |
I'm with Dynasport on this. Set a purchase figure between you & let her choose her own vehicle without any interference on your part. My wife & I did this for her last vehicle. I hate it but she loves it. That is all that counts, really. | ||
| 1324 |
The Prius has always amazed me. Not for it's technology, not for it's fuel economy, and certainly not for it's looks. Nope. What amazes me is the success they have experienced. There are exceptions to everything, and this is no other. But how many Prius owners truly did the math to justify the cost of ownership, as Sifo points out? The savings in gas takes very many years to offset the premium paid for the car. In fact, I had a buddy who dumped his not too long ago. Back when Toyota was in the news everyday, the value of the Prius fell through the floor. It didn't help that fuel costs were still low. If it weren't for the tax credits offered on hybrids, I would love to think this car wouldn't have been as successful. But, I could be wrong. It seems like many owners buy the car because of a perceived savings at the pump. That justifies it all, right? I won't even touch the cost of a battery replacement down the road. Oh wait, no one owns cars that long any more... IMO, the Prius is what happens when Washington dictates technology policy. Rather than set meaningful fuel consumption and emissions targets, they bolster/subsidize 'feel good' technology. Honestly, it pisses me off. Of course, the elephant in the room that very few people are willing to confront is the carbon footprint. Cradle to the grave, the Prius is NOT an environmentalist's wet dream. There is no other way to say this. Mining, transporting, processing, and decommissioning of the lithium ion ore is hazardous at best. Not familiar with this? Do some research. Those flowery Toyota, et al commercials don't show the hazardous impacts on the environment. I recall what they taught us in first grade about recycling. Reduce, resuse, recycle. I don't recall "buy" as an inherent step in this process. However, we've all been conditioned to believe being environmental is about consumerism. Sorry, rant over...almost. My prediction? The viable transportation fuel of the future? Oil. | ||
| Glitch |
Smart Car, girls like the Smart Car. Connie (Bambi) bought one and loves it. | ||
| Dynasport |
I guess the diesels must have gotten better. Years ago (1990 or so) when I was working on a masters degree in engineering (that I never completed), I used to carpool to school with a guy who had a Jetta diesel. I think it was the slowest car I ever rode in. I was honestly concerned we would get run over in that car. The guy did tell me that he got 50 mpg though, which was nice even then when gas/diesel was so much cheaper. I had a V8 Mustang at the time. I don't know what my gas mileage was. I don't think I ever checked it on that car. I was happy to pay for his diesel instead of put gas in my Mustang, though. | ||
| Benm2 |
I don't think there are any good environmental car choices; dig deep enough and you'll find something not to like. Personally, I liked commuting on the M2. I suppose she could walk, but 40 miles is a damn long way. We didn't really pay much of a premium for the Prius. My wife has a long commute and we travel a lot. We got it for 20K, and that was for the mid-range model. Her gas expenses went from over $100 per week to about $40 per week. I'm confident in the payback. Toyota has done more to develop hybrid tech than the other companies and they benefit accordingly. Hybrids take best advantage of your fuel of the future by allowing better energy capture and more efficient operation in heavy traffic. By using an electric-based drive system, the gasoline engine can be set to operate at a better efficiency point, more like an on-board generator. The hybrids are just going to keep getting better. |
