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Thinking of buying a Prius

S

slidetounlock

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 12, 2008
100
0
Hey all...so I have heavily looked into this lately. I live in Los Angeles, and I drive everywhere, because thats all that is really available. I want a Prius, but the Ford Escape hybrid also catches my eye, and is eco friendly and gas friendly like I would like to have!

Are there any owners at there with an opinion. I have test drove both, I have th emoney, ready to buy it outright, I just want those who have driven for a period time to give some feedback if they can!

Thanks all
 
Take a look at a nickel mine, then get back to me on how eco friendly you think the car is.
 
I haven't driven either one, but I have coworkers who have both and swear by them. The Prius owner came from a Chevy pickup (still has it, but mainly drive the Prius). The Escape owner came from a Chevy van (still has it too, but drives the Escape to work most days). Both get fantastic mileage compared to what they were used to, and both have been pretty much trouble-free.
 
What is your goal? I believe in order to actually "save" any money you would have to drive quite some distance, over several years ( i think like 25k miles per year for 5 or something in that range is what I heard). Then you have to consider the cost of the upkeep and maintenance on them (battery replacement? generator issues?)

If you want to save the environment, then just get a bike.. or a motor bike even. The batteries are horrible for the environment for starters.


Plus the Prius looks like a roach :) lol

It's up to you, the prius owners i know say they are ok with the car because of the tax break you get. their biggest complaint is they say it feels underpowered.
 
Depends on what sort of driving you do? If it is lots of slow stuff in jams then the prius is meant to be good as it just uses the electric engine, but other wise the electric engine is just there to assist the petrol.

The batteries and electric engine weigh allot so its ruins the mpg and also makes the car handle sluggish so you might as well go for a efficient petrol equivalent.
 
What are you currently driving? If it gets relatively good gas mileage and is paid for, you might be better off keeping it. Don't forget to look at insurance expense as well.
 
Duff-Man says....my gf drives a Prius and loves it, has not had any trouble with it, and is getting really good mileage out of it - avg about 45mpg. I've driven it a bit and never noticed any terrible sluggishness but then it depends on what you compare it to as it's not going to compete with any high hp care. They're great cars for city driving and 'good' (but not awesome by any means) on the freeway. Personally, I like how they look too....oh yeah!
 
If you don't do a lot of City driving you might want to take a look a the 2009 TDI's from Volkswagen. They get excellent Mileage and the engines are known for having great longevity and you don't have to worry about the batteries either.;) It doesn't hurt that the TDI's have better torque and power than the Prius too. However if you do quite a lot City driving you may be better off with the Prius or a non-hybrid small car with good mileage.:apple:
 
MonksMac said:
If you don't do a lot of City driving you might want to take a look a the 2009 TDI's from Volkswagen. They get excellent Mileage and the engines are known for having great longevity and you don't have to worry about the batteries either.;) It doesn't hurt that the TDI's have better torque and power than the Prius too. However if you do quite a lot City driving you may be better off with the Prius or a non-hybrid small car with good mileage.:apple:
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TDI is great if you want a vehicle that can pull a fully loaded avg American family (half ton of beef) and their clothes up a hill without a sweat.

If you do a lot of city driving the Hybrid is great, but if the majority of the driving is freeway -- getting a simple corolla or civic really doesn't lose a whole lot.

---

If you are a light foot a Hybrid or regular gas car works.

If you are a lead foot, a TDI might be a better choice since the vehicle tends to get better mpg when the turbo is singing. And the drop off for rabbit start/stop might actually be and increase in mpg.
 
OscarTheGrouch said:
What is your goal? I believe in order to actually "save" any money you would have to drive quite some distance, over several years ( i think like 25k miles per year for 5 or something in that range is what I heard). Then you have to consider the cost of the upkeep and maintenance on them (battery replacement? generator issues?)

Plus the Prius looks like a roach :) lol
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The hybrid drive system is a $4000 premium over the standard gas/petrol version, before any dealer BS mark up ($3000 in some cases because they can:mad:). Surprisingly the hybrids are lower maintenance than standard gas versions. I have yet to hear about any hybrids needing a battery replacement, so it'll probably last as long as you own our car. Unless you're like me and keep it until every screw drops out.:rolleyes:

Yeah, the Prius is ugly.:p That's why I settled on the Camry Hybrid.

I'd recommend checking out Edmunds or some other site that specializes in car reviews.
 
I would get a used car that gets good gas mileage for sure.. then just use the money you would save by not buying a Prius on gas. Insurance will probably be cheaper too, so you will save money there as well.

This is my plan once my lease is up. I'll probably get a Scion xB due to how roomy it is while getting great MPG at the same time.
 
south-park-smug-313.gif


I personally would go with a VW..
 
djellison said:
If you want to feel smug and think you're doing something about the environment without actually doing it...by all means.

Get a TDi VW if you want to actually make a significant difference to your fuel consumption.
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The Prius would definitely be better on fuel consumption if you drive mostly in the city (Prius: >45mpg regular, TDi: <35mpg diesel). As for doing something about the environment...
 
djellison said:
If most journeys are in the city - the 'eco' route is to use public transport.

The Prius is about looking green, without being green. It's environmental lip service.
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Most cities in the south have pathetic public transport (Austin being one of them). Where I live I would have to drive more than half of the way to work before getting to a bus stop (there are no other alternatives) and it would double my commute time. And all I said about the Prius was that it would get better fuel consumption - it had nothing to do with cost or being 'eco' friendly.
 
danny_w said:
The Prius would definitely be better on fuel consumption if you drive mostly in the city (Prius: >45mpg regular, TDi: <35mpg diesel). As for doing something about the environment...
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The EPA estimates usually are wrong. Small Diesels almost always get better milage than rated. Also the new diesels are not sooty and unsightly thanks to the new ultra low sulfur Diesel and the fact that they are not just gas engines converted to diesel like in the late 1970's. They can be run on BioDiesel so they are more green the the Prius. :apple:
 
I wouldn't worry too much about battery costs. By the time your battery goes out, which you shouldn't have to worry about for hopefully 8 years, I would expect the price to be pretty reasonable compared to now.

People who bought the first Honda Insights are now starting to need battery replacements, and that's only some, not all owners.

Since you are looking at a Prius you might also take a look at the Honda Civic hybrid. It's also my understanding that Honda is going to come out with a full revamped Hybrid line for this upcoming year. Keep an eye out.

jon
 
Priuses have quickly become fashion statements. New England is swarming with them. :rolleyes:

Given the money and a desire to save gas and the environment I might go with a used Diesel...maybe even a Mercedes if I could find one I liked. You could probably find something in your price range that would get you 40mpg in the lap of luxury. Or, for less of a statement, the VW TDIs are great.

In the same situation but wanting a new car I'd take a high-ish trim Civic over a Prius. Still good gas mileage, better overall car, in my opinion.
 
Rhosfelt said:
south-park-smug-313.gif
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LA well be destroyed with smug if you buy a Prius!!! :p

Seriously, they are not really that eco friendly, as has been pointed out already, and not always that economical either, they drove one behind a BMW M3 on Top Gear at normal speed and the M3 for better milage.

The bloody things are still everywhere, though! I cant go down a road without seeing a Prius!

If you want to save gas buy a diesel car and run it on cooking oil.
 
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