Where/how to get a cheap Prius?

[HitchHykr]

How is a Prius more expensive to maintain???? Oil change & gas, that's it. If the main battery goes kaput that's another story but that's like saying that the TDI is expensive because if the timing belt goes you will be paying tons of $$$ to fix.

A Prius or any other hybrid is not for everyone, it really depends how many miles you drive daily and if you can find a nice used one. It's hard to justify the cost for a new one.

Edit: I'm not trying to be argumentative, maybe I missed something in the maintenance of my old Prius

 

[eXan]

How is a Prius more expensive to maintain???? Oil change & gas, that's it. If the main battery goes kaput that's another story but that's like saying that the TDI is expensive because if the timing belt goes you will be paying tons of $$$ to fix.

A Prius or any other hybrid is not for everyone, it really depends how many miles you drive daily and if you can find a nice used one. It's hard to justify the cost for a new one.

Edit: I'm not trying to be argumentative, maybe I missed something in the maintenance of my old Prius

I'm sorry if I used incorrect word, by maintenance I meant the cost of replacing the battery unit. On such an old car it should be done sooner, rather than later.

Besides the mentioned downsides, you don't even need a diesel to best the hybrids' hiway mpg. These cars are only good if you are stuck in jams all the time.

 

[jasonvp]

Another good option would be the VW Pre owned TDis, they get well above 40mpg and can easily last 300,000 miles

I'm all for diesels as I have one in my pick-up and it's a beast. But some things need to be taken into consideration, specifically given the OP's location. It can get chilly during the winters in CT. It'll require keeping the vehicle near an outlet, assuming the car comes with a block and fuel line warmer. Diesel can gel up when it gets cold, and once it does that you're not going anywhere until it thaws.

(I've seen it happen here in VA).

Also, the North East of the US is better at this than other places, but: you still have to "think like a trucker". Not all gas stations have diesel pumps available, so you sometimes have to plan on where and when you're going to go for fuel.

Ultimately, diesels are popular for the vocal minority (sorry guys and gals) on the Intardwebz. They really haven't been readily accepted by the vast majority of Americans. That may happen at some point, but one thing that needs to happen first: the price of diesel needs to come way down. Nothing fluctuates in cost quite like the price of a gallon of diesel. As the temps get cooler, the price goes up to near high-test gasoline. This is in part due to the fact that diesel is cut from the same part of the crude as heating oil is. Demand for the aforementioned shoots up every winter, thereby making it a bit trickier to refine diesel.

All said: I'm not trying to downplay the suggestion for a diesel. It's just: there are some important things to keep in mind when taking that step.

 

[HitchHykr]

I'm sorry if I used incorrect word, by maintenance I meant the cost of replacing the battery unit. On such an old car it should be done sooner, rather than later.

Besides the mentioned downsides, you don't even need a diesel to best the hybrids' hiway mpg. These cars are only good if you are stuck in jams all the time.

Really? What gas powered car can consistently get 45 MPG on the highway? Any gas car that approaches that is probably not bigger than a tuna can. The Prius gets that easily without even trying and it's fairly spacious. Hybrids work best in the city but they still get great mpg on the highway.

 

[Tsuchiya]

+1 for the VW TDI route

I can appreciate what the Prius is for.

But it's still a piece of ****.

 

[yg17]

Really? What gas powered car can consistently get 45 MPG on the highway? Any gas car that approaches that is probably not bigger than a tuna can. The Prius gets that easily without even trying and it's fairly spacious. Hybrids work best in the city but they still get great mpg on the highway.

Let's do some math here.

Using the Prius's 50 MPG combined figure, lets assume you drive 12,000 miles a year. At 50 MPG, that's 240 gallons consumed.

The Fiesta (with SFE package) gets 34 MPG combined. At 12,000 miles a year, that's 352 gallons. The Fiesta uses 112 gallons more, and at a price of $3.50/gallon (current price around here), that's $392 over a year. That is significant, I will give you that.

Now, here comes the fun part. The Fiesta (configured with the SFE package for 34 MPG) is $17,185. The Prius is $24,200. Difference of $7,015. So, the only way the Prius saves you money in the long run is if you plan on keeping the car almost 18 years. And that is not taking into account the cost of a battery replacement if one is necessary during that time. If you plan on keeping your car 18 years, then go for the Prius. But since hardly anyone keeps a car for that long, you're better off with a Fiesta or one of the many other non-hybrid cars in its price range.

And of course the most important thing with the Fiesta is you'll still have your dignity in tact when you buy one.

 

[G51989]

And of course the most important thing with the Fiesta is you'll still have your dignity in tact when you buy one.

I think that's the most important part, every time I see a Prius with a " don't pollute my planet " bumper sticker or something of that nature on the back, I always think " wow! There goes a douchebag ! "

 

[Mousse]

A Prius or any other hybrid is not for everyone, it really depends how many miles you drive daily and if you can find a nice used one. It's hard to justify the cost for a new one.

Edit: I'm not trying to be argumentative, maybe I missed something in the maintenance of my old Prius

The Prius main benefits are in city driving. If you do long trips on the interstate, then the extra weight of the electric engine actually lowers your mpg. At highway speed, the electric engine isn't running, except when you need an extra boost to maintain speed up a slope. That's a few hundred pounds of dead weight.

If you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic during a hour long, 15 mile commute (welcome to my world ), the hybrid spanks the pants off anything except a pure electric.

I was in the market for a Prius a few years back. The dealer wanted $4K above sticker price. I ended up getting a Civic instead. The $12K price difference took a lot of the sting out of those trips to the pump.

 

[stonyc]

I think that's the most important part, every time I see a Prius with a " don't pollute my planet " bumper sticker or something of that nature on the back, I always think " wow! There goes a douchebag ! "

You're conflating all Prius drivers with douchbags... that's fair.

I don't understand why people can't have a discussion based on the actual merits of the options under study... without resorting to overly broad generalizations and name-calling.

See... here's how it's done:

• OP should buy a <insert-make-and-model> because at the price point considered, finding a used Prius with decent miles would be difficult.
• Further, the money in gas saved per year by driving a Prius is only made up after <amount> years relative to <insert-make-and-model>.
• For the OP's price point of <amount>, used <insert-make-and-model>s can be commonly found, thus increasing negotiation leverage at time of purchase.
• Etc.

 

[HitchHykr]

Let's do some math here.

Using the Prius's 50 MPG combined figure, lets assume you drive 12,000 miles a year. At 50 MPG, that's 240 gallons consumed.

The Fiesta (with SFE package) gets 34 MPG combined. At 12,000 miles a year, that's 352 gallons. The Fiesta uses 112 gallons more, and at a price of $3.50/gallon (current price around here), that's $392 over a year. That is significant, I will give you that.

Now, here comes the fun part. The Fiesta (configured with the SFE package for 34 MPG) is $17,185. The Prius is $24,200. Difference of $7,015. So, the only way the Prius saves you money in the long run is if you plan on keeping the car almost 18 years. And that is not taking into account the cost of a battery replacement if one is necessary during that time. If you plan on keeping your car 18 years, then go for the Prius. But since hardly anyone keeps a car for that long, you're better off with a Fiesta or one of the many other non-hybrid cars in its price range.

And of course the most important thing with the Fiesta is you'll still have your dignity in tact when you buy one.

At 12,000 per year of course no hybrid is worth it, but that's pretty low miles per year. Let's do the math with an extreme case such as mine but probably more realistic if you are looking at a hybrid. I drive 160 miles per day, that's 41,600 miles per year.

Prius:
At 50 MPG, that's 832 gallons consumed. $2,912/year @ $3.50/per gallon

Fiesta:
At 34 MPG, that's 1,223 gallons consumed. $4,282 @ $3.50/per gallon

A difference of $1,370/year. Payoff for a Prius is then 5.1 years.

How many miles you are planning on driving matters a lot, for 12,000 miles/year this isn't even worth discussing. Like I have stated in my posts the hybrid is not for everyone, if you are concerned about looks then don't get a hybrid. Other people are more practical and/or have two cars, like I do (neither one is a hybrid, BTW).

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The Prius main benefits are in city driving. If you do long trips on the interstate, then the extra weight of the electric engine actually lowers your mpg. At highway speed, the electric engine isn't running, except when you need an extra boost to maintain speed up a slope. That's a few hundred pounds of dead weight.

If you're stuck in bumper to bumper traffic during a hour long, 15 mile commute (welcome to my world ), the hybrid spanks the pants off anything except a pure electric.

I was in the market for a Prius a few years back. The dealer wanted $4K above sticker price. I ended up getting a Civic instead. The $12K price difference took a lot of the sting out of those trips to the pump.

A Prius still gets 45-50 MPG on the highway "dead-weight" and all. $12k premium for a hybrid is ridiculous but that's probably when gas was $4/gallon, right?

Frankly I don't know why I'm defending the Prius so much, I used to own one that I got used for a good price. I'm just trying to be fair and there's a lot of misinformation on this thread regarding it.

For the OP, I don't think you can find a Prius at that price range, I would definitely would not get any hybrid with more than 150k miles on it as the main battery may have to be replaced soon but YMMV, literally.

 

[question fear]

I have a 2008 Prius. I love my Prius, but it's not a cheap car, and it's not for everyone. Honestly, I don't know that I'd buy another Prius, mainly because when things do go wrong (and it's car, **** happens) the Prius parts can be pricier.

The biggest place I've noticed this is in the tires. I have a Touring edition, and for some reason none of the tire stores around me stock Prius tires. Not a big deal for regular tire changes, as I wait for sales, order online, and have them installed when they arrive. But if I get a sudden flat, it's either wait 24-48hrs for a tire to be ordered, or suck it up and pay whatever price my local Toyota dealer quotes for a tire. I plan to buy a full size tire for emergencies but just haven't had the chance yet.

The hybrid battery, IIRC, has a really long warranty, something like 10 or 12 years. The auxiliary battery, however, can go, and it's $300 to replace that. You don't want it to die completely, since you can't start the car without it.

Oil changes and regular maintenance are about the same in my experience, so it's really the tires that are a sticking point, and from what I understand later models don't require special low-profile tires. But at your budget you're going to be in the same position as my car.

Now, I got a really great deal on my Prius because it was an '08 and the '10s were coming out. However, my situation was very specific: I walked in, told them what my down payment was, told them what I was willing to pay monthly to finance it, and told them if the Prius didn't do that I'd find a different car somewhere else. It only worked because of the timing. And yes, I probably would have saved a little bit buying a regular non-hybrid hatchback, but I've used and abused my Prius, routinely average around 42mpg, and it makes me happy. I also love having the hatchback, and have crammed incredible amounts of stuff in that car.

But for a budget of under $10k, there are better cars that would give you far more bang for your buck. A Prius that cheap either has issues or is very old, and you don't want to mess with either when you can get a used compact car with decent mileage and better condition for that price.

 

[Mousse]

A Prius still gets 45-50 MPG on the highway "dead-weight" and all. $12k premium for a hybrid is ridiculous but that's probably when gas was $4/gallon, right?

Yar. Gas prices was pretty high. I'm the sort who keeps a car for 10+ years, so a Prius would have paid for itself. Since my daily commute averaged the 25mph, that day would have been sooner, rather than later. The Missus put the kibosh on the Prius purchase of the $4K dealer's tax on top of the $3K hybrid tax*. I looked at used Prius as well, but they were going for 90-95% the price of a new one.

*Of course, there isn't a gas only version of the Prius. I'm basing my comment on the usual sticker price difference of the Camry and Highlander.

 

[eXan]

Really? What gas powered car can consistently get 45 MPG on the highway? Any gas car that approaches that is probably not bigger than a tuna can. The Prius gets that easily without even trying and it's fairly spacious. Hybrids work best in the city but they still get great mpg on the highway.

While none in my circle have a Prius, user reviews state that it does 5 to 7 litter/100km on highway. This is comparable to my Focus with 2.0 liter engine that does about 6-7 L/100km and my car has a much more powerful engine.

Thats why I said that it's not hard to beat hybrid's highway mpg even with a similar petrol car.

 

[iMarvin]

In europe we have a hybrid auris/corolla, maybe that's not avalible in the US though, nice if you want a normal looking hybrid.