Who says a Prius is a waste of Money??

composter · 01-04-2008, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIGGDOGG

Well I read that you didn't need to but no one told me not to. So does everyone just use regular?

Biggdogg, don't use premium gas in that Prius!

We just use regular on 2005 Prius for 3 years now (not previously mentioned in my gloating over the 2008 purchase). The low mileage may or may not change in the cold. With my 2 or 3 mile commute and very little other driving, we have gotten as low as 38 mpg on occasion in very cold weather. More typically 46-51 mpg, on regular.

Gee I'd be doing so much better if I were a former SUV driver....

Guess I am clueless, but WHO DOES say that Prius is a waste of money? Nobody I talk to (but I don't go looking for trolls to chat with). In my experience, any new car can be considered a "waste of money" because of the beating I take on collision and comprehensive insurance. Never needed that on my string of old cars and I will never save enough on gas to make up the cost differential. Everything always depends on what it's compared to. But we love Prius 1 and expect to love Prius 2 in another week! We consider the Prius a good value.

N3FOL · 01-04-2008, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIGGDOGG

Ok I just joined Prius Chat, and I just filled up my tank for the 4th time so I now did the math.
33.762 gallons consumed 1300 miles on the car = 38.5 mpg.
Now I know it seems bad compared to the rest, but it is really cold here in northern NJ. I also did the math compared to the car I used to own (nissan Pathfinder) I have had my Prius since Nov 12, 2007. filled it up 4 times (not even on empty) I would have filled up my pathfinder 8 times in that period and would have put in around 16 gal each time. To cut things short I save roughly $275.10 every 2 months, thats 1650.60 a year. I had the pathfinder for 8 yrs so If I have the prius for 10 yrs (and I will) I should be close to what I payed for it. (this is counting my trade in and assuming my MPG goes up in warmer weather). So I don't care what anyone says to me about the prius being a waste. I Bought it because I love everything about it, not because people think its a fad.

Does anyone else have anything to say about how it saved them money?

Oh yeah and once I get a warm day or two I will be installing mud flaps, shark fin antenna and some tint.

Be easy on the throttle. It is not like your Pathfinder that has a lot of horsepower.

I also have an '08, but I get between 44 to 46 mpg lately. (2.3K)

I warm-up for about a minute in the garage and after that you can hear a slightly different tone on idle, which is an indication that you are ready to go. Anything longer than that the engine will shut-off

.

Drive safe.

richard schumacher · 01-04-2008, 11:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by N3FOL

I warm-up for about a minute in the garage and after that you can hear a slightly different tone on idle, which is an indication that you are ready to go.

?? When mine is ready to go it says "Ready" on the dash. Unless you're defrosting the windshield there is no reason to let it sit and warm up for any length of time. Doing so is a waste of gas.

BIGGDOGG · 01-04-2008, 12:30 PM

Once Again I just wanted to thank you guys and This morning I hopped right into the car and drove to work with out letting it warm up. About 30 seconds into the drive my window fogged over and I had to hit the defrost on or pullover. I gues I will have to have defrost on in these cold conditions for now but at stop lights I will cut it off. And last night I threw the car into neutral to try driving like that and I was impressed.... It almost felt as if I was gaining some torque flipping into neutral. As I said I am still learning all the ways to drive this awesome car, and soon I will find the one that suits me best

richard schumacher · 01-04-2008, 02:27 PM

Defrost goes faster using outside air instead of recirculated air. Note the display on the dash.

The main battery does not charge when the car is in Neutral. If you shift when moving the loss of charging action can feel like the car is leaping forward. Fanatics can improve their MPGs by using N but they must carefully watch the battery's state of charge.

brick · 01-04-2008, 02:53 PM

After two road trips up and down the east coast totalling nearly 5,000mi, I can't imagine a better bang-for-your-buck car. For one thing, it holds a ton of stuff. On the way back south we had two people, two cats in carriers, one black lab, one huge duffel, one small duffel, a whole bunch of christmas presents, and some formal wear on hangers. There was some other miscellaneous junk (books, shoes, food) stuffed into the cracks, too. We didn't think everything would fit but there was room to spare even while giving the dog the entire hatch area to herself. (Try that in a Camry!)

As for mileage, I've never driven this car as hard and fast as we did the other day. I hate to confess to sinning, but travelling with the flow at 70-75mph made a huge difference over each 900mi leg vs. my normal commuting speed of 60. My old Accord was good for maybe 27mpg in conditions like that. The Prius returned 46mpg despite the really nasty head/crosswinds and temperatures of 37F at most.

Not bad for a car I bought new for $23k.

usbseawolf2000 · 01-04-2008, 09:42 PM

Study also agrees that Prius is the most reliable, fuel efficient and most satisfied car of 2007.

patsparks · 01-04-2008, 11:17 PM

I bought home my new 46 inch flat panel TV in tha Prius, I don't think it would have fit between the suspension towers in the Camry. Still very happy and not a waste of money.

Rae Vynn · 01-05-2008, 02:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by usbseawolf2000

Study also agrees that Prius is the most reliable, fuel efficient and most satisfied car of 2007.

Gosh, that makes me glad that Rudy is satisfied!

ausblogger · 06-04-2008, 08:42 AM

I can't help but comment on NRMA's calculation on the operating cost of the Prius. It seems very high at $199.60 per week which is comparable to my previous car a Honda CR-V at $200.47. This includes fuel costs and running costs over a 5 year period. It shows obvious savings in fuel costs but it did not explain how it arrived at the running costs.

Light cars - 2007-2008 Operating Costs table - NRMA Motoring & Services

First of all, the CR-V felt a lot higher to maintain in terms of fuel costs - around 12 litres/100km in the city. The Prius at 4.7L/100km. Maintainence of the Prius (servicing, part replacement) is cheaper than the CR-V. Consider this: $180 standard service; $350 major service (Toyota) compared to $250 standard service; $800 major service (Honda). My comprehensive insurance is cheaper by 35%.

My only conclusion with NRMA's high calculation is that they think it costs more to maintain a Prius... perhaps its the battery that needs constant replacement, therefore leading to a higher than average depreciation. However, the Prius battery dying is a very rare occurrence. In fact, the Prius is known to drive for 400,000km in 2 years without any incident. It is used by cabbies in Canada.
DailyTech - Cab Driver Passes 400,000km Mark in Prius

The Prius won many awards last year including Lowest Operating Costs and Lowest Ownership Costs.

Looking at the reports below, we can clearly see that the Prius is a lot cheaper to operate over a 5 year period.

2007 Toyota Prius - Cost of Ownership
2007 Honda CR-V EX 4WD - Overview

My conclusion is that NRMA needs to revise their running cost figures. Prius is definitely cheaper to run.

01-04-2008, 12:30 PM	#34
BIGGDOGG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Morristown,NJ Posts: 298 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? Once Again I just wanted to thank you guys and This morning I hopped right into the car and drove to work with out letting it warm up. About 30 seconds into the drive my window fogged over and I had to hit the defrost on or pullover. I gues I will have to have defrost on in these cold conditions for now but at stop lights I will cut it off. And last night I threw the car into neutral to try driving like that and I was impressed.... It almost felt as if I was gaining some torque flipping into neutral. As I said I am still learning all the ways to drive this awesome car, and soon I will find the one that suits me best __________________ 2008 Prius Pkg 2 1/2 Blocked Grille for the winter BT Stiffening Plate Stub antenna No back up beep Tires 42/40 Still working on modifying it I love my "Gray Ghost" aka "Electric Dream Machine" "98% of the population like to copy and paste random facts. If you're one of the 2% who hasn't, copy & paste this in your signature."

01-04-2008, 02:27 PM	#35
richard schumacher nacreous lacquer Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: United States Posts: 4,126 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? Defrost goes faster using outside air instead of recirculated air. Note the display on the dash. The main battery does not charge when the car is in Neutral. If you shift when moving the loss of charging action can feel like the car is leaping forward. Fanatics can improve their MPGs by using N but they must carefully watch the battery's state of charge. Last edited by richard schumacher; 01-04-2008 at 02:31 PM.

01-04-2008, 02:53 PM	#36
brick Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Columbia, SC Posts: 698 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? After two road trips up and down the east coast totalling nearly 5,000mi, I can't imagine a better bang-for-your-buck car. For one thing, it holds a ton of stuff. On the way back south we had two people, two cats in carriers, one black lab, one huge duffel, one small duffel, a whole bunch of christmas presents, and some formal wear on hangers. There was some other miscellaneous junk (books, shoes, food) stuffed into the cracks, too. We didn't think everything would fit but there was room to spare even while giving the dog the entire hatch area to herself. (Try that in a Camry!) As for mileage, I've never driven this car as hard and fast as we did the other day. I hate to confess to sinning, but travelling with the flow at 70-75mph made a huge difference over each 900mi leg vs. my normal commuting speed of 60. My old Accord was good for maybe 27mpg in conditions like that. The Prius returned 46mpg despite the really nasty head/crosswinds and temperatures of 37F at most. Not bad for a car I bought new for $23k.

01-04-2008, 09:42 PM	#37
usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 1,624 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #3 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 47	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? Study also agrees that Prius is the most reliable, fuel efficient and most satisfied car of 2007.

01-04-2008, 11:17 PM	#38
patsparks Uneducated bird-brain Aussie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Adelaide South Australia Posts: 4,905 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 17	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? I bought home my new 46 inch flat panel TV in tha Prius, I don't think it would have fit between the suspension towers in the Camry. Still very happy and not a waste of money.

06-04-2008, 08:42 AM	#40
ausblogger Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Sydney Posts: 1 My Car: 2007 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? I can't help but comment on NRMA's calculation on the operating cost of the Prius. It seems very high at $199.60 per week which is comparable to my previous car a Honda CR-V at $200.47. This includes fuel costs and running costs over a 5 year period. It shows obvious savings in fuel costs but it did not explain how it arrived at the running costs. Light cars - 2007-2008 Operating Costs table - NRMA Motoring & Services First of all, the CR-V felt a lot higher to maintain in terms of fuel costs - around 12 litres/100km in the city. The Prius at 4.7L/100km. Maintainence of the Prius (servicing, part replacement) is cheaper than the CR-V. Consider this: $180 standard service; $350 major service (Toyota) compared to $250 standard service; $800 major service (Honda). My comprehensive insurance is cheaper by 35%. My only conclusion with NRMA's high calculation is that they think it costs more to maintain a Prius... perhaps its the battery that needs constant replacement, therefore leading to a higher than average depreciation. However, the Prius battery dying is a very rare occurrence. In fact, the Prius is known to drive for 400,000km in 2 years without any incident. It is used by cabbies in Canada. DailyTech - Cab Driver Passes 400,000km Mark in Prius The Prius won many awards last year including Lowest Operating Costs and Lowest Ownership Costs. Looking at the reports below, we can clearly see that the Prius is a lot cheaper to operate over a 5 year period. 2007 Toyota Prius - Cost of Ownership 2007 Honda CR-V EX 4WD - Overview My conclusion is that NRMA needs to revise their running cost figures. Prius is definitely cheaper to run.