Media Reasoning

[jimfcarroll]

Hello all,

I've been a bit mystified by the reasoning I've read in many articles about why people buy hybrids. There is the constant claim that they are more expensive than their non-hybrid counterparts and only hard-core environmentalists buy them. While it may be true that there is a 'premium' to be paid when buying a hybrid, I compared a series of $20K cars including:

VW Jetta Wagon TDI
Subaru Outback
2004 Toyota Prius

... and found that, APART from the fact that it is a hybrid, I preferred it to the others.

Also, because I was concerned about the mileage hype I rented one for two days and put a little over 200 miles on it. Before I returned the car I filled it up with exactly 4.0 gallons of gas. I estimated that with my driving habits the fuel cost savings would equal the cost of a complete battery replacement long before the 100K warranty on the hybrid parts (including the battery) ran out (and that was assuming 50 mpg and $1.50 / gallon for gas).

The details: My former car got 20 mpg. That's 5000 gallons for 100K miles. The Prius at 50 mpg is 2000 gallons for 100K miles. That's a savings of 3000 gallons. At $1.50/gallon I would save $4500 in the first 100K miles over my old car. A Subaru Outback, assuming good gas mileage for a Subaru (25 mpg) would be a savings of $3000, which is nearly the estimated current cost of a complete battery replacement. Now, with the price of gas at $1.80, the savings becomes real.

This decision was made WITHOUT considering the environmental aspects which I added in as simply a bonus and not a factor in my decision.

To date I have 1100 miles on the car and am averaging well over 50 mpg. (first 500 miles were at about 51 mpg, the second was at 52 and the first 100 miles of my third tank is closer to 60 (my driving conditions are ideal to extract the higher mileage)).

Of course, I did get ripped off on the Extended Warranty - but that's another story....

Jim Carroll

[Danny]

You can cancel the warranty and buy it somewhere else. You'll only lose a prorated amount and perhaps you'll come out ahead in the end!

Glad you're enjoying your Prius!

[jamarimutt]

I traded in my previous car because I broke a leg and no one in the family knew how to drive (or wanted to learn how to drive) a car with a stick-shift transmission. I bought the Prius because of the technology and because it promised to give me twice the mpgs, which it had done. This is a very nice car indeed.

[Tempus]

I would just like to point out that the Topic of this Post is an Oxymoron

[woemcats]

I love my Prius, but I wish the interior was as nice as the Jetta. The only thing I regret about buying my Prius (driftwood #9) instead of the car I was planning to buy (VW Beetle TDI) is the slightly less comfortable interior. I really wanted leather and MP3 support.

Well, that and the Prius cost about $10K more. thanks to dealer mark-up and the exended arranty, though I returned that.

Otherwise, though, I agree. To me, the Prius isn't "extra" or "more expensive." It's just a $20K car. No matter how many news report make the claim, it isn't a Camry or Carolla. It's a Prius. The only thing I care about "making back" over the life of the car is the $3K dealer "market adjustment." Which won't even matter once the car is paid off, which should be in about 2 years.

[TonyPSchaefer]

[I keep reading and rereading and I can't tell if this is a rambling reply.]

I have one car on my "next car" list and that's the Millennium Silver #9 I'm waiting for. In the event that something happens between now and delivery forcing the purchase of a car, the two alternatives are Scion tC and Buick LaCrosse (two completely opposite cars, I know).

Both of those cars cost considerably less than the Prius, especially if I trade in my Regal, get customer loyalty, and incentives at the Buick dealer. However, I believe that hybrid technology and ultra-efficient vehicles are necessary. I am not buying the Prius in hopes of saving money, but in hopes of saving the future.

Someone interested entirely in saving money could just as easily purchase a less expensive car. For example, the Echo MSRPs just over USD $10,000 and EPA says 43MPG highway.

But in the end, I'm willing to pay the extra money for the Prius because I want to increase the demand for hybrid vehicles and prove to automakers that the people who buy cars are turning away from pollution machines. I also believe that increased demand will yield improved technology (better MPG) and increased competition (lower MSRP).

If this puts me in the category of a "hard-core environmentalist" than I guess I'm guilty as charged. Though I don't chain myself to trees or eat only vegan, I do recycle and get a little sad when Bush signs over acres of natural treeland to logging companies. Like most working adults, I contribute to my 401(k), and tuck money away into savings accounts. That is done focussing on a financially sound future; the Prius is an investment for an environmentally sound future.

When the day comes that the MSRP for hybrids are the same as non-hybrids or when non-hybrids are totally phased out (think leaded gas), my opinion might change: the long-term fuel savings might be a selling point and lower emissions the benefit.

[daniel]

I believe the "they cost more" myth arises from the Honda Civic Hybrid, which I gather costs about $2K more than the Civic non-hybrid. Since there is no non-hybrid Prius, there is no way to refute the claim, other than the subjective comparison of cost vs features and quality between the Prius and other cars.

In my opinion, the features:cost ratio of the Prius, along with Toyota quality, is such that there is no extra cost for the hybrid drive train, compared to conventional cars.

But reporters who have never driven one will not take my word for it, and other people will not agree with my opinion, and the reporters will continue to parrot the myth, citing the $2K difference for hybrid in the Civic.

It would be interesting to know if the hybrid Civic has value features that the regular Civic does not have, making the real cost difference less.

I do believe that Toyota is keeping its profit margin narrow on the Prius, while it breaks into the market.

[DaveinOlyWA]

I would just like to point out that the Topic of this Post is an Oxymoron

amen to that!!

now if you had entitled it

"Media mind control"

or "media madness"

or "Misleading media propanganda"

or ....

[Larry Page]

Hello all,

I've been a bit mystified by the reasoning I've read in many articles about why people buy hybrids. There is the constant claim that...

I might not be typical but I bought ours because I'm a techno-geek and an early adoptor. It has cost me a lot of money over the years and puzzled my friends and family but I'v had fun. I was the kid in HS that set up the movie projector for the teacher; I bought the first tape recorder in our town in 1954; in the 60s it was Accutron watches; my first DVD player cost over $1000; surround sound the first time available; early Apple II; Mac 512; Direct-TV first week available; digital camera; recumbent bikes; Hi-Def TV; DVD burner; etc, etc. All this on a salary of less than $40,000/year. I'll die poor, but happy.

[Wolfman]

I bought my Prius as I drive on average 100 miles a day - every day - including my days off of work. I was also having serious reliability issues with the vehicle it replaced. This also put me into the situation of trading in my second vehicle in 18 months. I could not afford to get into another problem car. A co worker and friend already had one, and had excellent luck with it. Toyota's quality reputation also factored in. I cross shopped the Jetta wagon TDI as well, but the Jetta was just incrimentally smaller in all the wrong places to be viable as a vehicle that could also adequately carry passengers. Add to that, the rubber band driven camshaft on a design that will gurantee engine destruction, if the rubber band breaks, in addition to VW's resurgance of quality control issues. The Prius stood out hands down. The $20k price tag was moot in the regards that my cross shopping all fell in the same general price range.

On top of all this, in order for me to keep a vehicle long term, it has to keep my interest. The hybrid system and the techno goodies in the car fill this need nicely. The car's quality and fuel mileage will all save me real money in the long run, and will mean getting the car paid off before having to replace it - unless some idiot wrecks into it. To that end, my gap policy will take over.

The environmental benefits did not really weigh into the decision. Any benefit is a bonus, IMO.