To Buy, Is It Worth It?

[zacdl]

To get it out of the way: I've done quite a bit of research on Prius and hybrid vehicles. I just think talking to some actual owners would answer my questions better.

Basically, I don't know if I should get a Prius or not.
I know resale on them is pretty good, so the first question: New or Used? I'm not sure of exact numbers, but if there is only a couple grand difference between new and used, is it worth it buying one brand new vs used? Related, how fast does the resale value diminish?

The general next question: Is it worth it, period? Please, all bias aside... is it really, truely worth it?
I know I will save on gas, as I primarily just drive around the city.
I guess all these factors (and others I am forgetting) play into the "is it worth it" quesiton:
Insurance- does it raise or lower it, generally?
Mechanics- Consumer Reports rates it pretty well, but I notice being so electric (tons of electrical features inside), does it have any problems in that area?
Battery- So they are rated to 100K miles (correct me if I am wrong). I've heard reports of folks driving them past that (over 200K miles). But, what if the battery does go out, and needs replacing? Is it worth buying a Prius at that point in time?

I guess I am struggling with buying either a Prius, or a good car of some sort that gets good gas milage, which is obviously cheaper.

Anything to guide me in my confusion

Thanks!

Edit- Thought I should also add some questions I had reguarding the models.
What of the major features comes standard in the base models?
For instance, is the display standard? What about the keyless system? Backup camera? Bluetooth?

[JimN]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zacdl @ May 19 2007, 04:11 PM) [snapback]445801[/snapback]</div>

To get it out of the way: I've done quite a bit of research on Prius and hybrid vehicles. I just think talking to some actual owners would answer my questions better.

Basically, I don't know if I should get a Prius or not.
I know resale on them is pretty good, so the first question: New or Used? I'm not sure of exact numbers, but if there is only a couple grand difference between new and used, is it worth it buying one brand new vs used? Related, how fast does the resale value diminish?

The general next question: Is it worth it, period? Please, all bias aside... is it really, truely worth it?
I know I will save on gas, as I primarily just drive around the city.
I guess all these factors (and others I am forgetting) play into the "is it worth it" quesiton:
Insurance- does it raise or lower it, generally?
Mechanics- Consumer Reports rates it pretty well, but I notice being so electric (tons of electrical features inside), does it have any problems in that area?
Battery- So they are rated to 100K miles (correct me if I am wrong). I've heard reports of folks driving them past that (over 200K miles). But, what if the battery does go out, and needs replacing? Is it worth buying a Prius at that point in time?

I guess I am struggling with buying either a Prius, or a good car of some sort that gets good gas milage, which is obviously cheaper.

Anything to guide me in my confusion

Thanks!

Edit- Thought I should also add some questions I had reguarding the models.
What of the major features comes standard in the base models?
For instance, is the display standard? What about the keyless system? Backup camera? Bluetooth?
[/b]

Welcome to the site. Future resale value is anyone's guess. If supply is low and demand is high then a used one will command as much as a new one. When the technology changes so that an old one ONLY gets 50mpg the resale value may soften. At its worst I would expect a Prius to depreciate like other Toyotas. If you plan to drive the car until it dies then resale value is not a factor. The brand new car will have a full warranty. A used car will not.

Is the Prius "worth it"? Is the car built by GM, Ford, Chrysler, or anyone else that you by for $25000 "worth it"? IMO at the same price point the Prius is delivering better technology, lower maintenance, and lower operating costs.

Ask your insurance company if owning a Prius will increase or decrease YOUR insurance. My impression from reading the posts is that there is a 50/50 chance.

The Prius has a high rating for reliability period. No unusual electrical or mechanical problems.

Once the traction battery fails it will need to be replaced at your expense if it is out of warranty. The hybrid components are warranted for 100,000 or 150,000 miles depending on the state. As far as I know, the useful life of the traction battery has yet to be determined. In your current car if you need a tranny or engine out of warranty was it worth buying the car?

What do you consider "good" gas mileage? In round numbers I get 50mpg in my Prius and 25mpg in my Intrigue with a 3.5 liter V-6 in the same conditions. Go to www.greenhybrid.com to see what others get for various cars.

Go to www.toyota.com to get the options list. The display, ABS, and side airbags are standard. The camera may be standard by now. if not you will probably have a tough time finding one without. Bluetooth is a higher option package while the SKS (keyless entry) is in a lower package.

For general car buying advice go to www.carbuyingtips.com.

The bottom line is that only you can decide what makes sense for you to buy. Rent a Prius for a couple of days from a dealer to see if you like it. Part of the rental may be applied to the purchase. Good luck and happy hunting.

[qbee42]

I'll second JimN's comments and add that other cars are not "obviously cheaper". Sure, you can buy a little econo box for less money, but it won't be the same car as a Prius. The Prius is a mid sized car with lots of great engineering behind it. The Prius is loaded for its price. Even without the fantastic gas mileage, I consider the Prius a great car and would buy another one in a heart beat.

Tom

[zqfmbg]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(qbee42 @ May 19 2007, 03:38 PM) [snapback]445850[/snapback]</div>

I'll second JimN's comments and add that other cars are not "obviously cheaper". Sure, you can buy a little econo box for less money, but it won't be the same car as a Prius. The Prius is a mid sized car with lots of great engineering behind it. The Prius is loaded for its price. Even without the fantastic gas mileage, I consider the Prius a great car and would buy another one in a heart beat.
[/b]

Agreed. Since all I do with mine is drive myself to work, though, I probably could've gotten by with the bottom-of-the-line Aveo.

[priussoris]

Agreeed as to the above mentioned, I too average 52 or so mpg with the prius with the gas going up I save even more at the pumps than our trade in jeep 13mpg . Plus the Prius comes with SRS air bag system driver /passsenger curtains /door etc... plus has the stnd 6 spkr am/fm/cd/stereo sounds good to me. smart key system no need to fumble with key to unlock climate control cruise tilt wheel but that is not great
a lot of cargo area rides nice smooth electric motor and not just electric assist as in honda's . best thing to do is to go to your dealer drive it oh but first read on this site about pulse and glide and try that during your test drive and you will see the energy screen show some good mpg numbers plus the technology is there in the toyota. I wished I would have bought sooner.
It is amazing car. It will change the way you drive in most cases to some point.

good luck and happy test driving

[zacdl]

Thanks for the comments!

It looks like they average out at 48 MPG according to that website. Better than what CR rated.

I have a question reguarding the SKS... Does the little "remote" (for lack of a better term) have a battery? If it does, what happens when it dies? Wouldn't you be pretty much screwed?

Bluetooth isn't on my priorities list (neither is GPS), so I guess that high-end package really won't be too much different for me. Is the high-end package pretty much additional software? I mean, could you upgrade it later?

The low-end package seems like what I would like. Backup camera would be a super handy feature, as well as SKS.

Quite honestly, I didn't know a Prius had all these features. Which is why I am so darned interested in it

[tanglefoot]

There is a little metal key that is stored inside the SKS remote. Each of the front doors has a keyhole that the key works in. Once you're inside, there is a socket in the dash you stick the remote into if the battery's dead. So, no, you're not at all screwed if the remote's battery dies.

I have a package 1 and really like it--it's definately loaded.

I'm averaging 59-60 mpg and it's not broken in....only 600 miles on it. I hear milage can improve up to %20 after a few thousand miles are on the clock.

The 4-door hatchback is very versatile. There's plenty of passenger space, and cargo space is impressive with the split-folding rear seat, under-trunk storage, and even a place to store the cargo cover under the trunk. They do think of everything. Right now I have a huge mountain bike, one of those patio fireplace bowls from the hardware store, and a few bundles of wood in mine and nothing's blocking the view out of the back. I could probably throw in another bike or two.

Eric

[Bill Merchant]

The "fob" battery (common parlance for what you called the "remote") is a standard electronics battery and can be easily replaced, as well as what tanglefoot said about using a "dead" fob.

As for new v. used... The hatchback body introduced in 2004 is expected to stay the same through 2008, outwardly. The sedan model, prior to 2004, is still very much a viable option. Of course, refinements and features have grown over time. The HSD model (2004+) has a stronger traction battery and gets marginally better MPG. The 2004 and 2005 did not have the backup camera, the 2006+ has a higher resolution display. Leather enhanced seating was not a factory option prior to 2006.

One thing to keep in mind: The Prius was designed as a low pollution vehicle; high fuel efficiency is a byproduct of not wasting gas and putting its combustion products into the air. No other car, other than an electric vehicle or used Honda Insight, will pollute the environment less. I hope that counts for something in your thinking.

[Brian04]

[quote=zacdl @ May 19 2007, 04:11 PM) [snapback]445801[/snapback]</div>

To get it out of the way: I've done quite a bit of research on Prius and hybrid vehicles. I just think talking to some actual owners would answer my questions better.

Basically, I don't know if I should get a Prius or not.
I know resale on them is pretty good, so the first question: New or Used? I'm not sure of exact numbers, but if there is only a couple grand difference between new and used, is it worth it buying one brand new vs used? Related, how fast does the resale value diminish?

The general next question: Is it worth it, period? Please, all bias aside... is it really, truely worth it?
I know I will save on gas, as I primarily just drive around the city.
I guess all these factors (and others I am forgetting) play into the "is it worth it" quesiton:
Insurance- does it raise or lower it, generally?
Mechanics- Consumer Reports rates it pretty well, but I notice being so electric (tons of electrical features inside), does it have any problems in that area?
Battery- So they are rated to 100K miles (correct me if I am wrong). I've heard reports of folks driving them past that (over 200K miles). But, what if the battery does go out, and needs replacing? Is it worth buying a Prius at that point in time?

I guess I am struggling with buying either a Prius, or a good car of some sort that gets good gas milage, which is obviously cheaper.

Anything to guide me in my confusion

Thanks!

Edit- Thought I should also add some questions I had reguarding the models.
What of the major features comes standard in the base models?
For instance, is the display standard? What about the keyless system? Backup camera? Bluetooth?
[/b]

Hi,

I just bought a used Prius on May 15, 2007. It was a 2004 Package 8 with 27,000 miles on it - for about 17,500 (plus tt&l, plus 3 yrs. extended waranty). I traded in my 2005 Dodge Magnum (it was an impulse buy) for it.

Let me just say that I love this car. I drive 80% of the time in Chicago city traffic with a 40 mile round-trip daily commute. During my commutes so far I have averaged 60.3 mpg (per the car). I haven't calculated it yet, as it had approximately a half a tank of gas when I bought it on Tuesday, and I just filled it up today (total cost of $20.85] 3.56/gal for 87 octane).

Aside from getting approximately 3x the commute mileage (ONLY double on the highway), the Prius drives smoothly, has decent pickup (for a car designed for efficiency) and SKS rocks!

As more '01-'04 owners trade up for the '07 and '08 models, a great deal of these well maintained used cars are hitting the market. In my case, the dealer that sold me the car was the dealer that had sold it initially, so they had all the service records showing the driver performed all scheduled maintenace.

The benefits of buying used is that you avoid the big hit of initial depreciation - the drop in value as you drive off the lot (arguably the largest cost in purchasing a new vehicle). However, buying used means that you are inelligible to receive the U.S. Federal tax credit for buying the prius. At the same time, Toyota reached its 60,000 vehicle maximum some time ago and the credit for buying a Toyota is being phased out. I believe that as of today, you're looking at only getting 25% of the credit for a new Prius, or $3,150 x .25 = $787.50 (which is a dollar for dollar reduction in your tax liability, unless you are subject to AMT).

Please note that I am not a CPA and the above should NOT be taken as tax advice - please consult your tax advisor!!

In regards to your battery question: Since these cars have been around less than a decade, there is some question as to whether the battery will last for the long-haul. So far, the majority of batteries that have been replaced have been due to accidents or driver error (i.e. don't drive on an empty tank) - and as you said, many individuals have kept them for over 200k miles. BUT, take comfort in the fact that you will probably never have to replace your transmission - a cost-comparable repair that you would incur on any conventional car you purchase.

I bought used because I got a great car at a price I could afford. Also, I bought the 2004 after reading the consumerreports.org article - it rated the 2003 model as having a "poor" reliability rating for its electrical system (everything else on the car was rated good to excellent). I may get crazy and buy a 2012 Prius when 80mpg is no big deal. Until that time, I plan to maintain 50+ mpg!

Sorry for rambling, but I hope the above helps to clarify - if only my decision. Good luck with your purchase!

[D1CK1E]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(zacdl @ May 19 2007, 09:07 PM) [snapback]445922[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the comments!

It looks like they average out at 48 MPG according to that website. Better than what CR rated.

I have a question reguarding the SKS... Does the little "remote" (for lack of a better term) have a battery? If it does, what happens when it dies? Wouldn't you be pretty much screwed?

Bluetooth isn't on my priorities list (neither is GPS), so I guess that high-end package really won't be too much different for me. Is the high-end package pretty much additional software? I mean, could you upgrade it later?

The low-end package seems like what I would like. Backup camera would be a super handy feature, as well as SKS.

Quite honestly, I didn't know a Prius had all these features. Which is why I am so darned interested in it
[/b]

Hail from Oklahoma.

Package #2 comes with the backup camera, smart key, and VSC. That's what I suggest (and own). I love driving my Prius and I still smile when I look out the window and see it waiting for me. =P