<p>yup…</p>
<p>Sounds like you have been given some great advice already but here is mine
Get a new corolla and it will last forever. If money was absolutely not an issue I would try the Prius but because it costs so much extra now and used car buyers in the future may want a discount to help offset the cost of replacement batteries I view the Prius as somewhat of a $ risk…
Small used cars are selling at a premium right now so why buy used.
The Corolla has the best view of the road of any car, you always know the position of every other cars on the road and avoid many a potential accident. The Matrix window placement drives me crazy.
I have a 99 Corolla with 210,000 and a 97 Camry with 110,000, have never spent $ on any major repairs and would drive either across country tomorrow without needing any prep.
SeeYaLaterCarivan</p>
<p>I’m curious about the trade-offs not only in terms of purchase cost but also of cost of gas.</p>
<p>the Prius gets 45-50mpg on the highway, as per post 16 by Iron Maiden. The Toyota Camry hybrid gets 29mpg in town and 42 mpg on the highway as per post 19. The Elanta gets 30mpg as per post 18.
For someone having a 60 miles roundtrip commute like the OP. How long would it take to recoup the additional cost of a Prius if all the cars were bought new?
I’m thinking additionally, that buying more gas in order to save on the cost of buying a hybrid helps keep the price of gas high. How much, I do not know.</p>
<p>I’m asking out of curiosity. We’re not planning to buy a car, having gone carless for a year.</p>
<p>My first suggestion is that if you have been driving a minivan you might go and test drive any sort of sedan. After having a minivan for almost 20 yrs I needed a new car 2 yrs ago. I thought I wanted a sedan. Researched and looked but did not test drive till I was almost ready to buy one. When test driving I realized after sitting a certain way all those years in a minivan I did not like the feel of being in a sedan. I ended up with a small SUV.
A young woman I know just purchased her first car. She wanted a Prius but after doing all her research and analyzing her finances she went with a Honda Civic. She would have had to pay 10,000 more for a Prius. So as much as she was driven enviromentally to buy a hybrid when she came down to her pocketbook the Civic made more sense.</p>
<p>I agree there will be a big difference between the minivan and a small sedan. I went from an SUV to a Prius, without test driving the Prius. On the way home, I thought “OMG, what have I done. I am in a tin can and the SUVs are gunning for me.” It took a few weeks to get used to it but now I feel just as uncomfortable driving a bigger car. You will get used to it, so if you’re determined to get a smaller sedan, don’t let just a test drive change your mind.</p>
<p>Just to clarify Marite, I said 50mpg+. My current tank is at 54.3mpg. I’ve never gotten 45mpg, even driving 70+ with the A/C on.</p>
<p>You really can’t compare the Prius and the Elantra or Civic or Corolla. More std features in the Prius and it is a bigger car (we also have an 06 Civic).</p>
<p>I bought the least expensive Prius in 2006 for $21,000 out the door and got a couple thousand $ tax credit on top of that. That made the decision for me a no-brainer even at $2.50/gallon like gas was then. It makes even more sense now. I was comparing to the Camry / Accord.</p>
<p>Economics are different now. No such thing as a base Prius any more and dealers are marking then up over MSRP. The tax credit has expired. Strictly based on gas savings vs a base Camry or Accord or Sonata I don’t think the Prius is worth it now. If you take into account the extra features and ultra low emissions then maybe.</p>
<p>The battery in the Prius is NOT an issue. They have gone more than 250,000 miles in cabs without a problem. And you don’t need to replace the whole thing, just individual cells if there is a problem. 100,000 mile warranty on the battery. Not an issue.</p>
<p>The new Sonata is a fine deal as long as you intend to drive the car until the wheels fall off. They do not keep their value well still.</p>
<p>Iron Maiden:</p>
<p>Thanks. We now rely on zipcar. My H has gotten used to the Prius after some initial adjustment and loves it. If we ever buy another car, it will be a Prius or something similar. Zipcar has raised its rental fee on regular cars but actually dropped the fee for Prius.</p>