<p>I need some car advice here. I drive a 1998 Dodge Caravan, which has needed an increasing number of repairs lately. I commute 60 miles to and from work each day (60 miles total; 30 each way), nine months out of the year. With gas prices what they are, and the increasing repair bills, I am thinking this might be a good time to invest in a new car. My first thought was a Prius, but after some research I’m learning that I would not save all that much on gas because a major part of my driving is highway miles. Plus the battery thing worries me, as well as the extra expenses like synthetic oil. I do like the idea of using less gas, but I don’t know if the extra expenses of the Prius (including an initial extra $8,000 or so compared to the Corolla) are worth it.</p>
<p>I realize that the Prius is larger than the Corolla, but that really isn’t a factor. Assuming I could get a Prius (I know they are hard to come by, but a dealer nearby says he can have one on the lot in a few weeks), does it make sense to go with the Prius?</p>
<p>Buy a used Corolla. They cost less than the Prius and will cost less to maintain. Not only is the battery costly to replace in the Prius, but they can kill you or emergency personnel due to an accident.</p>
<p>We had a similar choice a year ago when one of our cars was passed down the “food chain”. After serious considerations, we ended up buying a very nice Corolla hatchback (aka Matrix). It is very roomy in the back (fits almost as much stuff as a Highlander), has foldable rear seats if you need to carry a bike or skis, and the 2009 version should have a built-in navigation system option (if it is the same as Toyota’s other nav. systems by Fujitsu, it should be quite good). Our Matrix gets 32 mpg consistently (mix of city/Hwy driving), but came at a much lower cost than a comparably equipped Prius. Plus, if you have to finance the car, Toyota often offers very financing rates for Corollas. We thought 0% was not a bad deal (after we already negotiated the price with the dealer ;)).</p>
<p>Go for the Corolla or a Camry. Here in S. Cal they are marking the Prius’ up 4K over invoice…talk about gouging. The Corolla is a god choice, it’s good with the mileage and it handles nicely. Camry is a step up and is quieter and a nicer ride. Can’t tell you how nice it is to fit easily into a parking spot once again since we ditched the van.</p>
<p>Can also attest for the Matrix…though the 2009 model has a bit of a bad blindspot on the side…they reconfigured the back windows. Bunsen is right about the roomy back fold down set up.</p>
<p>I can only speak for my personal experience buying a Prius. I bought one last year, a 2005 model. I paid $19,000 for it with 20,000 miles on it. I bought the extended warranty to cover the batteries or other mechanical diffuculties. My son drives the car to his PA HS which is about 25 miles away on SoCal freeways. We dont have a carpool sticker, but he still averages 42 to 45 mpg driving on the freeways. I have had NO problems with it. I love the mpg and the fact that we can fill it up for less than $35.00 if it is completely empty. I know that there is a waitlist if you want a new one, but you can go onto Carmax online and find used ones for sale on a regular basis. I definately love my Prius and dont miss my 99 Town & Country van at all. Good luck!</p>
<p>I have to put a vote in for the prius. I drive 80 miles r/t 6 days/wk (school
on Sat). We hold onto cars a long time. We bought a prius a month ago.
The pros- we get 55-60 mpg average, the minuses- the car doesn’t feel as
substantial or roomy as our Honda. I figured I would save about 1300 on gas
a year at least, and after a few years would recoup the investment. Also- gas could go higher…</p>
<p>We have an old Chevy Prizm, which is mechanically the same car as the Corolla. We have a stripped-down version - the kind you have to push down the locks by hand (always funny to see teenagers in the back seat trying to figure out how to get out) and windows that crank. H took it in for some body work (car got hit in a parking lot) and the shop people drooled over it. It’s been a mighty find car for us over the years. Our middle son will own it as soon as he lives somewhere other than NYC. He’s been waiting a long time.</p>
<p>The nice thing is that either the corolla or prius will be reliable and will cost less for gas.</p>
<p>We have a 93 camry with 150K miles on it. I still love it. And we got the prius about 4 years ago, it is a 2004. it is a great commuter car. I find the back window blockage and side window views quite restricted tho’. That is the only thing negative I can say about it. It gets the advertised 45 to 50 mpg and always has (it now has 47K on it). The battery comes with extended warrantee so no worries on repairs to it.</p>
<p>Every battery can blast a careless maintenance person. We jumped the prius, no problem when something failed on the electrical system. The other thing I don’t like about it, is that it isn’t a manual shift, so I can’t roll it down the driveway and pop the clutch to start it like I can the camry. This year’s camrys are about as big as corolla’s used to be… but they still ride better than the corolla!</p>
<p>If you’re interested in a Corolla, what about a Honda Civic hybrid - about 45mpg hwy (says Honda)? It still has the big $7K or so price hit over the non-hybrid version though and the ‘normal’ engine’s rated at 36mpg hwy so the delta is only 9mpg. It’d probably take a long time to recoup that extra $7K for the hybrid.</p>
<p>Regarding reliability of the hybrids, battery packs and sometimes the hybid components usually have a longer warranty period than normal and sometimes these are even greater in certain states like California.</p>
<p>Better yet, if you’d be otherwise content with the old minivan and are concerned about cost, take a look at a 2-3 y/o used whatever you’re interested in. You save the initial steep part of the depreciation curve and still have time left on the factory warranty should there be an issue.</p>
<p>Pontiac Vibe is a twin brother of the Toyota Corolla-Matrix, just like the Prizm was a Corolla sedan in disguise. It should cost a few bucks less.</p>
<p>I saw a used Prius for sale at a Honda dealership in Seattle - $29K :eek: (as much as I could see form the bus window, it did not even have leather seats!) I highly doubt one can negotiate that down. Next to the Prius, there was quite a selection of gently used Honda Civics for sale, staring at 15K.</p>
<p>Prius - synthetic oil? Don’t tell my Prius that it needs synthetic oil. I consistently get 52-54 MPG highway - I95 to be precise. I have never used synthetic oil. This is my second one - I traded in the original model for a hatchback in '05 and I have just about 80k trouble free miles. I extended the warranty to 100k when I bought it. I did lots of research on the batteries and still read up on them and I have not found any reason to be concerned.</p>
<p>I just love it when people post about the Prius who have never even driven one, let alone owned one. You will not be electrocuted, the battery has been demonstrated to last >200,000 miles in real world use, it is rated a very safe car on crash tests, it has the highest percentage resale value of any recent mainstream car, and I consistently get 50+ MPG in mine on the highway. </p>
<p>You can certainly argue the styling and/or cost premium with dealer markups these days effecting a decision vs an econobox. But let’s stick to facts.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to look at the Hyundai Sonata…or the Elantra…or their hatchback coupe…we got a no frills Sonata last yr…and it gets about 30 miles to the gallon…has a LOT more head room than either a Toyota or a Honda… new ones (2009) have a lifetime warranty on the drive train… it is spacious and very quiet to drive… and it has 5 star safety ratings… def worth a close look…</p>
<p>in fact, we are looking at getting another one… they are made in the USA in Alabama…and they are very affordable. The Honda dealer nearby had a $2000 user fee on cars a week ago due to increased sales as a result of the price of gas…last week the user fee was only $1000… that to me is just robbery… </p>
<p>Hyundai only gives its reps commission if they get a great review after the sale when you are called…supposedly… it is the only dealership that has ever called us proactively to schedule oil changes etc… ps, I have NO interest or stock in the company… just really like the car and the packaging and pricing.</p>
<p>We have a Toyota Camry hybrid. Despite what the dealer said and still insists on saying, mileage on the highway is much better than around town: 42 v 29. I love it: roomy, even for my 6’5" son, and cheap on gas.
However, with both kids home and driving this summer, I’m stuck with the Expedition! Yuck, I hate it, but it is good for moving the kids in.</p>