F4mandolin
Full time employment: Posting here.
The Prius is a car not a religion.
I'm not too happy with religion either....
The Prius is a car not a religion.
We've done the math a few times (last three times we bought cars, actually) and as late as last October it still has too high of a cost for the payback, even if we assign a pretty significant value to its environmental factors. From our standpoint, soon, but not quite yet.I totally agree that one would have a hard time justifying the payback on any Prius.
....The insurance is less than my Subaru WRX. ...
All this Prius love, and yet not much analysis.
Just my two cents...I don't get the Prius. If you love the hybrid technology then I would say - go for it. But if your intent is either to save money or to save the planet, then you need to think hard because the Prius does neither.
For a tiny subcompact car it is a very expensive car compared to gasoline versions. Where I live the Prius goes for around $10k more than a Corolla.
It's pretty clear then that the Prius is no bargain, any way you look at it
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Then add in the extra costs for interest/registration/maintenance.
I would never give up a perfectly good car in order to buy a hybrid car just to save on gas money.
I think many (not all) that buy the Prius don't do the math, but it somehow it makes them 'feel good.'.......
If the minivan uses 5 gallons per 100 miles, at 4.00 per gallon, that costs 20.00
In 1000 miles, the minivan uses 50 gallons or 200.00 worth.
The hybrid uses 2 gallons per 100 miles. at 4.00 per gallon, it costs 8.00.
In a 1000 miles the hybrid uses 20 gallons of fuel, or 80.00 worth.
How is the mini van more economical please?
I have heard the following things about the Prius and would be interested in an owner's POV:
1. the battery the car requires uses HAZMATs, so it's not really green to build or dispose of
2. there is an EPA disposal fee associated with getting rid of the battery which will need replacing every 8-10 years depending on driving conditions (that is why they are often abandoned on side of the road in CA)
3. cost to insure a hybrid vehicle is higher
4. in an accident, a firefighter's job working on a hybrid takes special additional training
...
2. there is an EPA disposal fee associated with getting rid of the battery which will need replacing every 8-10 years depending on driving conditions (that is why they are often abandoned on side of the road in CA)....
Lets beat this thing to death and do some math...
lets say you drive 12k miles a year (1000 mile/month) and Gas cost $3.80/gallon ...
A Prius at 50 MPG it would cost (1000 miles/50mpg)*3.80 $/gal = $76/month
a Corolla at 34 MPG would cost (1000 miles/34 mpg)*3.80 $/gal = $111/month
So net fuel savings on a Prius versus a Corolla is perhaps $35/month or so. Now is that worth paying $150 or more extra cost a month to finance the extra cost or a Prius ?
Then add in the extra costs for interest/registration/maintenance.
I have heard the following things about the Prius and would be interested in an owner's POV:
.........
4. in an accident, a firefighter's job working on a hybrid takes special additional training
My Dw bought hers for about 4k more than a comparable Corolla in 2005 and we got $2k back in the tax credit. At over 170,000 miles so far we figured she has saved around $4500-$5,000 in gas.
It drives OK in snow, but you definitely use the FWD, traction control and anti-lock brakes. I haven't had any accidents, so I'm able to keep it under control. It can be a snow plow in a heavy snowfall, but I live in the suburbs, so our roads are kept clean enough for me to get to and from work even with some of the heavy snowfalls we've had since I've gotten it.DW is keen to get one, but how is it in the winter in snow? IIRC it is pretty low for aerodynamic reasons and it seems like it would be a snow plow in more than a few inches of show. Drive wheels are front, right?
We too did the cost analysis, and figured that it's a wash. The hybrid engine isn't saving us anything...
I bought my Prius new for $21k, and after five years and 80k miles I still get excited about it. I think that's rarely heard from other car owners. I've gotten slightly better than 50 mpg over its lifetime, and done only regular maintenance: conventional oil every 5k miles, new tires at 60k, and new wiper inserts just last month. The brakes look like they'll last forever. Some batteries have failed in hot climates around 100-150k miles, but it mostly seems to occur when the cooling fan gets choked with dog hair. I checked mine recently and it looked pristine (I don't have a dog), so I'm expecting no trouble.
Discussions about "the math" of buying a Prius are a lot like discussions about "the math" of tax policy and federal budgets: inescapably colored by ideology. Personally, I don't see a $10k premium. Like I said, I paid $21k for mine. A new Corolla with an automatic transmission runs $15-16k, but I own a Corolla too and they are clearly not in the same class: the Prius has substantially more leg and cargo room. Regardless, after enough miles the Prius always wins in terms of total cost of ownership. It might take 150k miles, but it still wins. If you don't want to wait that long, and you don't need a mid-size vehicle, then a Corolla or Civic or Fit is a fine choice too.
Tim