is a prius right for me?

[jasonneedshybrid]

hello everybody. first post here. i need your help deciding if a prius would be right for me. boy would i love to have a hybrid. i owned a 2004 civic hybrid for a month or two. it was just a flip car and we made $1500 on it. i would have kept it but my wife doesn't want a stick (for good reason) it got me an avg of 44-45 mpg over the four tanks we owned it. it was so much fun driving it to maximize gas mileage. even before we owned that car ive wanted a hybrid, and i always yell at jenny when she breaks harder than she needed to. (a prius could save our marriage, lol) at stoplights if i know i'll be a while i turn off my dodge ram (which i need for work) and i try my best to coast when i need to stop and not to tailgate.

but still there are pros and cons to a prius for me, i was hoping you guys could talk me through them.

cons
1. i don't fit very well in a prius. i'm 6'4" and need a roomy car. in our 99 camry my leg rests on the console in an uncomfortable position. it would be fine if the seat went back a few inches. i seem to remember my prius test drive being the same way. i kept wanting to scoot the seat back. i love my truck for that reason.

2. i don't have a car payment right now. i could swing one if i had to, but it would outweigh some of the benefits of the gas savings.

3. i need a truck for work. i was mainly thinking of using the prius for work. we have a car and a truck, and it's me that wants the prius, not my wife. i could cram alot of my stuff into the hatchback in bins and survive i suppose, but the back of a truck is really ideal.

pros
1. i gotta have a hybrid. i hate pulling up to stoplights and every day i am desiring a hybrid vehicle.

2. resale value. i've heard people selling these vehicles for more than they paid new for them. amazing!

3. gas savings. duh! when gas gets to $4.50 plus, it will be impossible to get by without one!

so there you have it, my pros and cons. help me decide if its right for me and to talk my wife into it, lol.

[richard schumacher]

Save your money until you can pay cash. By then there will be more to choose from.

[Bill Merchant]

Hello Jason, welcome to PriusChat!
Many tall people like you don't fit well into a Prius. No matter how much you intellectually want one, if it causes you pain to drive it, a Prius may not be right for you. While the Prius is an amazing car (look for a thread on how much it can carry), a truck for work may be what you need to keep.

I've found that trying to talk my wife into something she doesn't really want has rarely worked out for the best.

The 2010 Prius is rumored to be quite different, maybe you should aim for that one.

[jasonneedshybrid]

good advice guys. maybe i'll check out the silverado or ram hybrid when they come out next year
thanks,
jason

[jjksutton]

Jason, I'm 6'4" and the driver's seat is tight. But I put some spacers under the front two seat mount points and the extra height at the front of the seat does improve the feel. I drive about an hour or so each way to work and I don't have any issues. I've taken a few 6+ hour trips and while my lower left side starts to get a little sore, if I move aournd a little, or place a small pillow in my lower back it helps a good bit.

Not a perfect solution, but it's not so bad that I can't live with it. There are a few folks here who've made some significant seat modifications. I'm not at the point where I need to do that, but at least I know it's an option. There was also a discussion about seat rail extenders, but I think there were some safety/liability concerns that kept it from becoming reality.

I think Bill has good advice though...perhaps the 2010 model will provide improvements for the tall driver's comfort.

I don't think you should buy into it thinking you're going to "flip it" though. Used 2008's have been going for new MSRP or higher here, but I don't think the market will sustain that for long. My wait for my wife's 2008 was less than a month paying MSRP. I'm not the most patient person in the world, but I couldn't imagine paying the same (or several thousand $ more) for a car that has 10K miles.

Best of luck to you.

[onlynark]

since you were driving a civic hybrid and loved it, have you taken a look at the newer civic hybrids?

[DaveinOlyWA]

having a super efficient vehicle for other than the "truck required" transpo needs is a very good idea... you are dreaming if you think gas will stop at $4.50 a gallon. i feel that 5.50 to 6 is where we will end up FOR NOW...its my opinion that the world has past the tipping point between demand and supply and the remaining supply of oil will be a target of a constant bidding war until there is no more. that will make oil available for several more decades, but i for one will do what i can to buy as little into that as i can

and any purchase of a high efficiency vehicle would be long term commitment (unless you think gas is going back down) so the sooner you do it, the better off you will be.

as far as fit, i know two people, both 6'5" one has no complaints, the other is actively looking at getting a seat mod because he still loves his Pri but wants more legroom, so i think its just how your body is made. some people are mostly leg, some are not. the one guy who is looking at mods is having it done and last i talked with him, he said it would run like $800 i think. but i think if you are mechanically inclined, you could do it yourself for much less.

but financing always adds a TON to the equation and if you can swing cash, i say do it. if not, then its a much tougher choice for you to make...it all depends on what kind of deal you can make. either way, good luck...

[jasonneedshybrid]

well guys i test drove a civic hybrid today and no dice. i just don't fit. my leg rests on the emergency brake handle of that car. i wonder, does anyone design a car around the driver? cause in some cars there are really stupid seating positions.

[patsparks]

How about a Hibrid Hylander?