Who says a Prius is a waste of Money??

BIGGDOGG · 01-02-2008, 11:17 PM

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.

nerfer · 01-02-2008, 11:59 PM

One of the more 'credible' reports saying hybrids don't save money over 5 years of ownership came from Consumer Reports, April 2006 car report. They had a few assumptions though:
1) compared the Prius to the base Corolla, which is arguable and obviously different from your Pathfinder.
2) accidentally included "hybrid premium" twice, which they corrected (quietly) in their online edition, so the Prius did save a slight amount of money
3) assume the hybrids have worse-than-average resale value, which their own research is showing to not be true, but many detractors still stick by that.
4) assume gas prices "rising to $3/gallon, and then $4/gallon", which sounded scary enough in the beginning of 2006, but they failed to mention their math used gas prices of $2/gallon for the first 3 years. So far, they're proving to be under-estimated significantly here: 2006 averaged about $2.57/gallon and 2007 was $2.79/gallon (according to a recent article from the AP). It's looking like 2008 will average $3/gal (if we're lucky), who knows what 2009 and 2010 will bring.

AussieOwner · 01-03-2008, 06:09 AM

I have just read an Australian article where the writer quoted reports from the NRMA and RACV (the major two automobile associations in Australia) where they compared the running cost of the Prius with that of a Camry - so comparing similar sized vehicles. The report takes into account depreciation and all running costs in its comparison with the result that over a five year period they come out much the same, and from then on, the Prius is saving money.

Note, however, that this is using Australian costs - petrol at $1.50 per litre, and the cost of the car at $37,400 for the Prius and $29,990 for the Camry.

Full article:
http://wimmera.yourguide.com.au/deta...tegory=science

Rangerdavid · 01-03-2008, 07:30 AM

Hi BIGGDOGG and welcome to PC!!

Your reported mileage will definately go up!! The car has about a 5000 mile breaking period, and you need to become more accustomed to driving it. In addition, the cold weather is have an adverse affect as you pointed out. I'm glad you like your car. I've had mine since July '06 and I look forward to driving it every day!!

You may want to consider an EBH. That would really help with your cold weather mileage, especially first thing in the morning!!

patsparks · 01-03-2008, 07:33 AM

Interesting read.
I found these sentences which caught my eye,

HERTZ invested more than $10 million in a fleet of 300 Toyota Priuses, primarily because its customers wanted them...

... marketing director, Wayne Burgoyne, says it is one of their most popular rentals: "A lot of our customers were asking for it, ...

"The whole corporate sector is really developing a conscience and becoming quite green."
"Some of our corporate customers are renting this car instead of a full-sized Falcon or an Aurion. Obviously it's our customers that pay for petrol, not us, but petrol prices are certainly one of the drivers.

Earthling · 01-03-2008, 07:55 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.

It's colder here, and my numbers have never been that low.

Don't warm up the car in the driveway. Get in and drive it.

Anticipate traffic lights and make a strong effort to get off the gas just as soon as possible. The more coasting you do, the better your mpg's.

I drove the car in a snowstorm a couple of days ago, with wind, and still got over 47 mpg.

Harry

BIGGDOGG · 01-03-2008, 08:37 AM

Thank you everybody. RangerDavid, I live in a apartment so a EBH is a little out of the question, I am still reading up ways like covering the grill and I probably will be giving those a try at some point.
Earthling, Thank you for your input as well, I do leave my car running for a couple min everymorning before I head out to work. I will try getting in and just driving for the rest of this tank (which is full) and then I will see how my mileage is.
And I know that my math about cost and my pathfinder might have been off a little. It is cause I just estimated that When I owned it I filled it up everyweek so 2 months equal 8 fillups. I did not calculate mileage for the pathfinder.
Thank you all. I can't wait for warmer weather when I can actually clean and wax my car. (I don't trust the car wash places)

Doc Willie · 01-03-2008, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIGGDOGG

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

... and a BT plate and new seat covers and a subwoofer and floormats and an engine block heater and fancier wheels and Tom's struts and an MFD hood and an EV switch and a Lockpick and . . . there goes all your savings.

At least that's what's happening to me.

sulman · 01-03-2008, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patsparks

Interesting read.
I found these sentences which caught my eye,

HERTZ invested more than $10 million in a fleet of 300 Toyota Priuses, primarily because its customers wanted them...

... marketing director, Wayne Burgoyne, says it is one of their most popular rentals: "A lot of our customers were asking for it, ...

"The whole corporate sector is really developing a conscience and becoming quite green."
"Some of our corporate customers are renting this car instead of a full-sized Falcon or an Aurion. Obviously it's our customers that pay for petrol, not us, but petrol prices are certainly one of the drivers.

Yes...the old "We are Green" advertising mantra. We wouldn't say it, if we didn't want you to believe it.

Unfortunately, Hertz operates a fleet of 478,000 vehicles. While it may be a start, 300 Prii isn't even a dent. Maybe less than 1/10 of one percent?

How much do you think they spent on gas guzzlers?

HeyKB · 01-03-2008, 09:14 AM

Well, those 300 are in Australia. I venture that Hertz doesn't have nearly so many cars there. It's probably a sizable purchase in comparison to the Aussie Hertz fleet.

One does wonder how many Prii are in the major car rental company fleets in America.

01-02-2008, 11:17 PM	#1
BIGGDOGG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Morristown,NJ Posts: 297 My Car: 2008 Prius Package: #2 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 4	Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? 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. __________________ 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."

01-02-2008, 11:59 PM	#2
nerfer A young senior member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chicagoland, IL USA, Earth Posts: 1,319 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #1 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 3	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? One of the more 'credible' reports saying hybrids don't save money over 5 years of ownership came from Consumer Reports, April 2006 car report. They had a few assumptions though: 1) compared the Prius to the base Corolla, which is arguable and obviously different from your Pathfinder. 2) accidentally included "hybrid premium" twice, which they corrected (quietly) in their online edition, so the Prius did save a slight amount of money 3) assume the hybrids have worse-than-average resale value, which their own research is showing to not be true, but many detractors still stick by that. 4) assume gas prices "rising to $3/gallon, and then $4/gallon", which sounded scary enough in the beginning of 2006, but they failed to mention their math used gas prices of $2/gallon for the first 3 years. So far, they're proving to be under-estimated significantly here: 2006 averaged about $2.57/gallon and 2007 was $2.79/gallon (according to a recent article from the AP). It's looking like 2008 will average $3/gal (if we're lucky), who knows what 2009 and 2010 will bring. __________________ "We must be the change we seek" - Gandhi Last edited by nerfer; 01-03-2008 at 10:43 AM. Reason: Found newspaper article with avg. gas prices

01-03-2008, 06:09 AM	#3
AussieOwner Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 219 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 have just read an Australian article where the writer quoted reports from the NRMA and RACV (the major two automobile associations in Australia) where they compared the running cost of the Prius with that of a Camry - so comparing similar sized vehicles. The report takes into account depreciation and all running costs in its comparison with the result that over a five year period they come out much the same, and from then on, the Prius is saving money. Note, however, that this is using Australian costs - petrol at $1.50 per litre, and the cost of the car at $37,400 for the Prius and $29,990 for the Camry. Full article: http://wimmera.yourguide.com.au/deta...tegory=science __________________ *Eric* Crystal Blue 2007 Prius Base Model - Schneider reversing camera added

01-03-2008, 07:30 AM	#4
Rangerdavid Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boone, North Carolina Posts: 1,024 My Car: 2006 Prius Package: #5 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 7	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? Hi BIGGDOGG and welcome to PC!! Your reported mileage will definately go up!! The car has about a 5000 mile breaking period, and you need to become more accustomed to driving it. In addition, the cold weather is have an adverse affect as you pointed out. I'm glad you like your car. I've had mine since July '06 and I look forward to driving it every day!! You may want to consider an EBH. That would really help with your cold weather mileage, especially first thing in the morning!!

01-03-2008, 07:33 AM	#5
patsparks Uneducated bird-brain Aussie Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Adelaide South Australia Posts: 4,438 My Car: 2004 Prius Package: Base Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 12	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? Interesting read. I found these sentences which caught my eye, HERTZ invested more than $10 million in a fleet of 300 Toyota Priuses, primarily because its customers wanted them... ... marketing director, Wayne Burgoyne, says it is one of their most popular rentals: "A lot of our customers were asking for it, ... "The whole corporate sector is really developing a conscience and becoming quite green." "Some of our corporate customers are renting this car instead of a full-sized Falcon or an Aurion. Obviously it's our customers that pay for petrol, not us, but petrol prices are certainly one of the drivers. __________________ All the warranty I need. And for thrills -> Still averaging 4.4L/100km across town 2004 silver base model Prius Shark fin, genuine mudflaps, colour matched side mouldings, rear bumper scuff guard, sheepskin seats, BT Plate. I love it!

01-03-2008, 08:37 AM	#7
BIGGDOGG Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Morristown,NJ Posts: 297 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?? Thank you everybody. RangerDavid, I live in a apartment so a EBH is a little out of the question, I am still reading up ways like covering the grill and I probably will be giving those a try at some point. Earthling, Thank you for your input as well, I do leave my car running for a couple min everymorning before I head out to work. I will try getting in and just driving for the rest of this tank (which is full) and then I will see how my mileage is. And I know that my math about cost and my pathfinder might have been off a little. It is cause I just estimated that When I owned it I filled it up everyweek so 2 months equal 8 fillups. I did not calculate mileage for the pathfinder. Thank you all. I can't wait for warmer weather when I can actually clean and wax my car. (I don't trust the car wash places)

01-03-2008, 09:14 AM	#10
HeyKB Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 87 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 0 Times in 0 Posts TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Re: Who says a Prius is a waste of Money?? Well, those 300 are in Australia. I venture that Hertz doesn't have nearly so many cars there. It's probably a sizable purchase in comparison to the Aussie Hertz fleet. One does wonder how many Prii are in the major car rental company fleets in America.