Should I buy a Prius?

[efusco]

I think many of us really appreciate how quiet the Prius is compared to the TDI.

Most of us appreciate how dramatically more environmentally friendly the Prius is compared to diesel (albeit getting better all the time).

Many of us prefer the styling and interior space of the Prius over the more traditional look of the TDI--of course that's all about taste and many think the styling of the Prius is 'weird'.

Many of us prefer the spacious hatchback design of the Prius.

Most of us prefer the available high-tech features of the Prius...once you have the SKS you'll never want another car without it!

I didn't give the TDI or any diesel any serious consideration before buying the Prius. I've learned more about the TDI since then and consider it a viable option if the Prius weren't available. But, for me, there's a real 'feel good' feeling one gets with the Prius that I just don't think one can/would get with the TDI...the fact that you're supporting truely cutting edge technology that can lead us well into the future and that you're doing the absolute best thing you can for the environment if you must drive a gas car. On top of that you get Toyota reliability, easy maintainence, great resale, and one heck of a fun car.

[sluggo42]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pault842 @ Sep 3 2006, 03:22 PM) [snapback]313564[/snapback]</div>

I've been trying to decide if I should buy a Prius or a Jetta TDI. I live in NH where for 6 months it's cold. I do a lot of city and highway driving but the main issue is I don't really want to worry about "how to get good mileage". I drive 75-80 on the highway. I like to accelerate quickly (no not pedal on the floor). I was planning to buy the Jetta until I started to run the numbers. I have a deposit on a '06 (package 4) for list price ($24430). When I add the tax credit it's much less costly then the Jetta (they both list pretty close).

Thoughts?
[/b]

Great question. I struggled for a few weeks before buying my prius. I test drove 02,04,05,and 06 VW TDI's. The o5.5 and 06 TDI's are VERY nice, anything earlier seems very cheap. The interiors are much nicer than the Prius with power, leather heated seats, ass-kicking stereo, huge trunk. My wife is still upset at me for buying the Prius.
Here in California, we can't buy a new TDI due to some weird smog rules or something like that, so we would have had to by a "new" one with 7500 miles on it, for $31,500, package two. Who knows how the car is treated by the person hired to put on those miles?? After the tax break I end up paying $26.5 for my pack 7 with cool chrome wheels.
Apparently, getting service done on the TDI is questionable as VW doesn't train well for them, and I hear they are very quirky in some areas. The injectors are very finicky, and I would be very careful about running bio-diesel, or "vege-oil" from Mac-D's.
"Real world" TDI mileage is 34 compared to Prius's 45. (I'm getting 51 200 miles into my third tank)
I dig diesels and terribly miss my dodge cummins for pulling my bass boat rig. (18 mpg !!) <_<

Conclusion:
Either car IMHO is cool. The Prius is more techie and "now man", but the TDI was very cozy and the stereo rocked right out of the box. I contemplate buying an older tdi for my run-around car and using the GMC Envoy for boat towing only, as wifey will be using the Prii exclusively as soon as we sell the Lexus pig. (17 mpg) She doesn't want to sell it though, another reason she is upset. She really wanted the TDI, as it almost matched the Lexus in creature comforts.

[daniel]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(sluggo42 @ Sep 3 2006, 04:48 PM) [snapback]313671[/snapback]</div>

Here in California, we can't buy a new TDI due to some weird smog rules or something like that, ...
[/b]

"... weird smog rules..." = Diesel is filthy and California doesn't like filthy cars.

While biodiesel is carbon-neutral, it still is particulate-filthy. And it smells like french fries. If you burn fossil diesel it stinks to high heaven. Prius is SULEV (Super-Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle).

VW has a reputation for mediocre build quality. Toyota has a reputation for stellar quality.

Prius has excellent acceleration.

ANY car will give you its best mileage if you drive it "right," and that takes learning and practice. In this respect the only difference between the Prius and the VW is that many Prius owners are concerned enough about the environment to make the extra effort.

Buy the Prius. Of course, the folks on jettachat.com will have a different opinion. But that's only because they don't know... hee hee hee.

[pete bogumill]

YES! PETE

[galaxee]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel @ Sep 3 2006, 08:10 PM) [snapback]313692[/snapback]</div>

While biodiesel is carbon-neutral, it still is particulate-filthy. And it smells like french fries. If you burn fossil diesel it stinks to high heaven. Prius is SULEV (Super-Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle).
[/b]

the classic prius is SULEV, but the second gen is even better than that

the 04-06s are AT-PZEV (advanced technology partial zero emissions vehicle)

[silly]

I've owned 4 VW TDI's and liked them a lot. But go with the Prius if you want a more luxurious and bigger car than the Jetta. Also, the Prius CVT (automatic transmission) will provide about the same fuel mileage as the Jetta TDI 5 speed transmissions. The TDI automatics will average a lot less. I don't think the new VW TDI models get as good a fuel mileage as the older ones like I had. Here are some stats.

2005 Super White Prius pkg. #6 30,031 miles 46.74 avg. mpg.

2003 Jetta TDI Silver Wagon Automatic 11,629 miles 31.92 avg. mpg
2001 Jetta TDI Blue Sedan Automatic 39,749 miles 35.85 avg. mpg
1999 New Beetle TDI Yellow 5 speed 15,843 miles 44.40 avg. mpg
1998 Jetta TDI White Sedan 5 speed 56,456 miles 43.50 avg. mpg

I've just bought another Prius, a 2006 Black pkg. #7.

[bradysplace]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pault842 @ Sep 3 2006, 03:22 PM) [snapback]313564[/snapback]</div>

I've been trying to decide if I should buy a Prius or a Jetta TDI. I live in NH where for 6 months it's cold. I do a lot of city and highway driving but the main issue is I don't really want to worry about "how to get good mileage". I drive 75-80 on the highway. I like to accelerate quickly (no not pedal on the floor). I was planning to buy the Jetta until I started to run the numbers. I have a deposit on a '06 (package 4) for list price ($24430). When I add the tax credit it's much less costly then the Jetta (they both list pretty close).

Thoughts?
[/b]

Hi Paul, I've owned both cars. A 06 Jetta TDI and a 06 package 8 Prius. Both are excellent automobiles. I had little or no trouble with either car. These are some of the differences: The TDI got better Interstate (65-75 mph) gas milage (it always was 50+ mpg), however when you calculated the overall mpg it feel in the low40's. Thats my experience over the 22,000 miles I've put on the TDI. The interior of the vw definitely had a edge over the prius. The plastic did not seem to be as obvious. I found the sound system to be average. I found the overall comfort of the vw to be greater than the prius simply because the seats were totally adjustable in tilt, vertical adjustments etc. The vw has a 4 year 50,000 mile bumper to bumper compared to the standart 3 yr - 36,000 on the prius (the hybrid stuff on the prius has a longer warranty). I had no problem with getting or pumping the fuel. Once above 45 mph you can't hear the engine. It definitely has more torque than the prius. The prius on the other hand is a better performer overall. Unless you do just long distance high speed driving without any around town motoring the prius will generate another 7-10 mpg making it a bit more fuel stingy. However in my case the prius (option 8) was approx. 5 thousand dollars more expensive than the tdi. It would take me over 75,000 miles of driving just to break even. I purchased the prius because of the toyota rep. for building a good solid car. I like the technology, hybrid, gps, back up camera, blue tooth etc. all in one package. The sound system in the prius is just average. The design of the car - well you either like it or you don't. To cheat the wind you have to look like a wing going thru the air and thats what toyota has accomplished with the prius. You can't go wrong with either car. And yes, you will find faults with both cars - but if I had to choose just one - it would be the prius. Not to mention your doing your part to reduce harmful emissions. Keep in mind the tax credit starts to disappear the end of sept. 06. And you might not get the credit anyway - talk with your tax advisor.

[iluvmacs]

VW's reliability over the last number of years has been somewhat lacking... Toyotas often last forever. Think about repair costs, as well as the lower maintenance costs of the Prius (oil changes half as often, never need to replace brake pads, no tranny work to be done, etc...)

[Ari]

I also considered a TDI at one point, but I could never get over the perceived unreliability of VWs. Every time I see a new JD Power automobile quality report come out, I notice VW on the lower end of the scale while Toyota tends to be near the top. I don't put a whole lot of stock in surveys, but the general trend can be seen.

The two people I know who drive VWs have had their transmissions changed at least once, whether auto or manual. I'm sure many people have no problems with their VWs, but when I factor in the difficulty of actually getting a TDI here in California, the Prius is an easy choice.

[pault842]

Thanks to all who replied. I had a chance to drive a black package#4 on Friday and found it a very pleasant car to drive. The test drive was about 35 minutes (about 10 minutes on the highway and rest in city). I was amazed at how seamless the transition was between gas and electric once it got warmed up. I thought the power was as good as the 4 cycl Camry I was also considering. I didn't notice it to be particularly noisy on the highway and I thought the handling was fine. Seat seemed comfortable to me. I wish it went back just slightly more (I'm 6'1") but I can live with it. I cannot understand why they didn't allow the seat to go back a little further given the amount of space in the back. A couple of questions:

How do I properly start it? I pushed the power button twice and all kinds of light came on, I could only shift into neutral. Pressed power again and then it seemed to work OK?

Does anyone sell a DVD play that could hooked into the MFD?

I ended up buying a silver package#3 from another dealer due to a real "low-ball" offer for my trade. He basically offered me 1/2 of the wholesale value. He was willing to come up a bit but I felt he was just trying to pad his profit since he sells the car at list. I found a dealer willing to sell me a car for a few hundred below list and give me book for my car. Unfortunately the car won't be in for 2 weeks. I am looking forward to getting it and seeing just what it can do.