Rented a Prius

[Mykl]

I'm not sure I've ever seen a Trader Joe's that wasn't insanely busy. It seems like the trick is to show up early in the day, at least here.

Back on topic... researching other cars that people recommend as good alternatives if buying new I've found that if you go used, the Prius seems to be a much better bargain. An example is that I found a '10 Prius III with 65k miles on it for $14,500. Next I searched for Honda Civic with no more than 75,000 miles and less than $15,000. On the high end, there are Civics that cost the same as that Prius with the same miles, but on the low end you save maybe a couple thousand dollars and get a car with half the miles.

But are those ~30k miles all that big of a deal with a car that's as reliable as the Prius seems to be? Here's the numbers...

300 miles a week @ $3.40 a gallon measured at listed combined rating (sanity checked on Fuelly to determine reasonable accuracy)

Prius @ 50 MPG costs $1176.66 / year
Civic @ 29 MPG costs $1828.97 / year

Prius saves you $652.31

So lets say you buy the Civic in similar condition for $2000 less, which is a reasonable estimate... if you plan on keeping this vehicle for longer than three years the Prius wins. There are many solid alternatives to the Civic, like the Cruze Eco, but the equation seems to work out to roughly the same numbers in the end.

 

[Nebroch]

Prius might be repair shop's nightmare. Regenerative braking cuts brake wear, there is no serpentine belt, timing works with long lasting chain etc.

I'm considering to buy Lexus CT with same powertrain.

 

[CaspianM]

You can't do better.

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Prius battery cost is way overblown. There are rebuild batteries with new cells these days for only $2k (need to return your old one as core) on the older hybrids. For something with 150k warranty (and likely last you 200k miles, it saves so much fuel cost that it is barely anything in the long run.
an unexpected $2000 repair would be a major problem to many. me included


1) It is pretty much expected and

2) Your fuel saving over this 15 years (likely) and 150k miles will be much more than how much you spend on a rebuild $2k battery.

3) You probably recoup 1/2 that in reduced cost in brake pad replacements over 15 years if you don't do the brakes yourself.

Since Prius has a planetary gear with no hydraulic valve and wet clutch pack, you can say what you would roll your dice on for auto tranny repair would just go to a new battery once in a while.

 

[Nebroch]

Originally Posted By: PandaBear

Since Prius has a planetary gear with no hydraulic valve and wet clutch pack, you can say what you would roll your dice on for auto tranny repair would just go to a new battery once in a while.


Oh, forgot that one. No regural or wet clutch = no repairs and very low need to change tranny oil.

 

[Mykl]

After much waffling around regarding what I'm going to do with the GTI, I've decided to start shopping for a Prius. I've researched all the popular fuel sippers and the Prius keeps coming out on top when it comes to low operating costs.

I'm trying to keep it as close to $10k as possible (lower is better), but I can stretch to $14k. This should get me a good second gen model.

Maybe I'm taking this pinching pennies thing too far, but saving between $1200 and $1600 a year in fuel and maintenance costs is what I need right now.

 

[L_Sludger]

Compared to my 60mpg Insight, the Prius is a far superior platform.
BUT my Insight cost $1400. I'd have to pay 20 times as much for a new Prius.

 

[Mykl]

^ I wouldn't mind one of those. The problem is, if Autotrader is any indication, I would have to buy a plane ticket to get one because there aren't any for sale anywhere within one days driving distance.

It's a shame the CR-Z is a bit of a dud.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
^ I wouldn't mind one of those. The problem is, if Autotrader is any indication, I would have to buy a plane ticket to get one because there aren't any for sale anywhere within one days driving distance.

It's a shame the CR-Z is a bit of a dud.
actually thats what I did, I bought a ticket to Lawton OK to get mine. I jumped on it!

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
It's a shame the CR-Z is a bit of a dud.


I think a lot of people in the Honda world believe the only proper powertrain for a car like the CR-Z is a K20 with a 6-speed stick...make it a true modern CR-X.

 

[Mykl]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
I think a lot of people in the Honda world believe the only proper powertrain for a car like the CR-Z is a K20 with a 6-speed stick...make it a true modern CR-X.


Yes, totally agreed.

But in the absence of a K20, getting over 50 mpg would have been nice. You'd think that all the advances since the original Insight they'd be able to get there in that kind of car.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: Mykl
But in the absence of a K20, getting over 50 mpg would have been nice. You'd think that all the advances since the original Insight they'd be able to get there in that kind of car.


Well, I think they COULD, but it's not tuned for it. The original Accord Hybrid was a sales flop because there wasn't a market for a "performance hybrid" back then. They fitted electric motor bits to a V-6 Accord, made it faster than the conventional model and more efficient than the conventional model. But this was back in the mid-2000s when hybrids were still just beginning to penetrate the market, and folks bought them either for the recognition (the Accord Hybrid didn't look much different than a conventional one) or for the significantly higher fuel economy (and the Accord Hybrid didn't have that either). It was a "performance" hybrid that was marketed when people weren't looking for that.

I think the CR-Z has found the same fate. Despite having similar powertrains, the CR-Z and current Insight don't have similar fuel economy estimates. The CR-Z is rated at 35c/39h (with CVT). The Insight gets 41c/44h (also with CVT). I believe that these cars are tuned differently to appeal to different markets and, as with 8 years ago, there appears to be a minimal market for a "performance" hybrid.

I had a current Insight as a loaner vehicle one time. And it can get great mileage. I got 58 mpg on my 20 mile commute to work one morning. Excellent mileage out of a small car. I think if Honda tuned the CR-Z similarly, decent mileage could be achieved from that car as well.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Here I was cruising down the highway in near 100 deg F weather easily getting 50+ mpg.

 

[Mykl]

I think the problem here is consistency. I can't plan my monthly fuel budget based on occasionally getting beyond typical economy every now and then. If I knew that I could get 45 mpg at 70 mpg consistently in a CR-Z, I would make it an option simply because I think it's a neat car.

The problem is that the average fuel economy for this car as reported on Fuelly is still in the 30's.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/cr-z

 

[whip]

The CR-Z is a mystery to me. It doesn't handle exceptionally well, doesn't drive great like the old CR-X, and gets marginal economy.

 

[moving2]

Originally Posted By: FocusTi
The Prius owners that crack me up are the ones that bought it for better MPG in mostly highway driving. They rule inner-city MPG, but do no better than a Camry at highway speeds. I have a friend who bought one and regularly drives it between Denver and Fort Collins. He's not exactly overwhelmed with the mileage and realizes now he could've just bought a 4-cylinder Camry.


FocusTi- 35MPG (2014 Camry 4 cylinder) vs. 48MPG (2014 Prius) doesn't sound remotely the same to me. Sounds close to 40% better. Oh, and feel free to tell your friend.

 

[FocusTi]

Get on the highway with the Prius and re-set the MPG calculator. It won't be any better than any other 4-cylinder car, as the electric motor adds no assist at freeway speeds.

 

[dhise]

moving2 is correct. We replaced our '03 corolla with an '05 prius several years ago. The corolla would get mid 30's mpg on an all highway drive and the prius will do upper 40's mpg on the same trip.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: FocusTi
Get on the highway with the Prius and re-set the MPG calculator. It won't be any better than any other 4-cylinder car, as the electric motor adds no assist at freeway speeds.

The CVT allows it to select the most efficient rpm for the power needed, plus its much more aerodynamic than most other cars. Every thing I've read is that Prius owners average high 40's on the highway, while most 4 cyl's might break into the 40's for the odd tank, but average high 30's. Plus as the speed inceases the Prius aero drag advantage increases.

 

[edwardh1]

what does the replacement big battery cost?