Gas prices plummeting, and so are hybrid sales

You can bet on that.

No, they will never learn. There is no hope.

 

My poor ole Z-71--- 18 mpg--- Parked!! Put a ''Battery Tender'' on it every few weeks and triple my gas mileage-- Yeah buddy! I will 'fess up though, I just love to drive that bad boy. No going back for me now, G/F is on her 3rd Prius, keeping her, and WE will keep a Prius each. Got to have a pick-up though-- keeping that also.

 

When I bought my Prius the first thing my brother said was that I'd be happy when gas prices went up.

Stupid Statement.

Oddly, and coincidently since I bought my Prius, gas prices have steadily gone down.

I don't care, it's all relative. I'm still enjoying gas savings with my Prius. It's still a matter of being able to drive nearly 500 miles for around $30, more or less.

And at whatever the price per gallon at the pump happens to be, that's a sight lot better than for my friend, who has to take a few stiff drinks before filling up his Diesel Dodge Pick-Up.

When he told me the cost of his fill ups? Well I don't know why anyone invests that much into "Go Juice".

 

I have had my car nearly a month now and use it 5 times a week on my 100 mile commute. I used to blow through $70 worth of Premium every four days. Now my savings in gas nearly make my car payment (I bought used). The best part is that although I took a lot of heat from my friends for buying one, everyone who rides with me says, "you know this car is not what I expected". And now that I have it, the weekend car can go insanely fast, get horrible gas mileage, need to be worked on every other month, and be lots of fun with no consequences.
P.S. Glad to hear they aren't selling well. I bought mine super cheap from the local dealer. It had been on their used lot for a few months and they needed it moved. I doubt they made much if anything on my deal.

 

Gas prices are still high, they have just dropped a little. They will go back up, you can bet on that. Not only are you saving money now but owning a Prius is good insurance against future price increases and a disruption of oil in the Middle East. That will happen again sooner or later.

 

I really don't like the comparisons made about the Prius and its ~50 mpg vs a corrolla ands it ~40 mpg and the ~5k difference in price. The cars are not in the same class at all. The Prius really does fall into a mid size category. Its about the same size as a fusion or Camry. So when comparing it to another car don't compare it to a compact. And when you compare it to those other carsmin the same class for most part their prices are similar. Yet the Prius gets you ~15-20 mpg better (combined).

Hybrid prices are going down. But that's because there masses are pretty stupid.


For the record I do not have a Prius. I am on the bubble between a Prius and a Fit. Very very different cars. Like with most major purchases I will take months weighing everything. In this case I will weigh the size difference and mpg difference compared to the price difference (~4-6k). But under no circumstance would I ever consider the two in the same class of car

 

Understandable. Unfortunately most people are going to do the "prius vs corolla" comparison, especially considering the cars are often right next to each other at a new car dealership.

Yes, some people will look at a car for what they need to do, such as buying a mini-van for their small and growing family.

Then there are others, who need a vehicle for their 50 mile commute to work, then decide that a truck or SUV that gets maybe 22 mpg will be the ideal vehicle for that purpose. They never go camping or offroading either, just like big vehicles riding high on the road. Then they're the ones that complain about spending $50-100 a week on gas, probably while also mocking hybrid/ev owners for their "small" cars.

 

Just visiting the gas station 50% less often ought to be enough incentive. That would take another oil shock to sink in.
I would buy my '08 again whatever the fuel prices. My new gen 3 has a lot to live up to. So far, the sound system and handling are trailing the II. Rear blind spot worse on the new one as well.

 

Drive sections always advertises Camry LE for $2,000 less than Prius Two and Corolla LE $5,000 less than Prius Two.

Prius (liftback) is fabulous on gas no doubt, but awfully expensive for the driving experience it provides.

Or you could spend a bit more and get a Camry hybrid that would require only 12.5 gallons to refill after 500 miles (500/40) vs. Prius 10 gal to refill.

Actually you could easily go 600 miles pertank on Camry Hybrid (40 x 15) and visit the station even less often.

... 2.5 more gal to refill after 500 miles ... big deal. I'll take the 200 HP over the 134

Let's see, Prius (liftback) has a 106 inch wheel base, is 175" long and under 70" wide ...

Camry (2015) has 109.x " wheelbase, is 190.x " long and almost 72" wide ....

and Prius is 'about the same size as ..... Camry'??

In everyday terms, Camry (and Accord, Fusion , etc ... ) are known as MIDSIZE sedans.

Prius at best is between a COMPACT and midsize.

No true midsize sedan has 134 HP either. Maybe in the year 1993, but not now.

 

I'm 6'6". When I compare cars first and foremost I compare the passenger compartments. The Prius is not that far off from the Camry or Fusion as far as passenger compartment. My knees are about as comfortable in a Prius as they are in a Camry or Fusion. Heck, in the back seat of the camry I have less space than in the Prius.

I agree that wheelbase, overall size, and whatnot should also be considered but never forget the interior. The Prius is most definitely in the same class as other midsize cars when you take into consideration interior passenger space. The corrola? I cannot sit comfortably in the backseat. Not nearly the amount of space as the Prius. They cannot possibly be considered fully comparable cars for that reason alone

 

When diesel was over $5/gallon, I was putting over $300 per day into my tank. That was a Dodge 3500 with Cummins pulling a 24' trailer. It killed all profit of my business when the franchise contract prevented me from adding a fuel surcharge or adjusting the price of the product accordingly.


Not a Dalek

 

A Prius is only a "midsize" because it is a hatchback.
That means that everything that's on the inside of the car is counted as interior "room" including what would have been considered "trunk" space if there were a bulkhead and a trunk lid.

In other words?
It's marketing.

Dimensionally the G3 is about the same size as a Corolla, and both serve about same purpose...that being a 4-5 pax, 4-5 door, entry-level front drive, people hauler.
Since most people only haul 1-2 pax in their cars and since a large fraction of a car's general purpose is to haul you back and forth to work, the Corolla to Prius comparison is an apt one...in my never to be humbled opinion.
If I'm shopping for a car, the only comparisons that makes sense to me, are those that I make for me.
YMMV.

 

Gas prices go up or down, I still save money. The price of gas, high or low, was only a very small consideration. I bought a Prius simply to reduce my fuel consumption and saving money was just a byproduct of that decision. Gas prices have gone down, so for now I'm saving even more money overall, but the primary goal was to use less fuel and still be able to take 30-60 day road trips while also saving fuel on short trips around town.

Within reason, range is not very important. I used to wait to get fuel every 450-500 miles in our van regardless of price, even though we stopped every 2-2.5 hours for other reasons. Since most of those stops are for restroom breaks (medication-related), I check Gas Buddy and get fuel whenever it makes sense to do so. I found that we usually save 10-20 cents/gallon over waiting for the 450-500 mile mark. Depending on the trip, the savings are enough to buy a lunch or dinner. Small potatoes to be sure, but doesn't cost me anything and I enjoy the planning.

 

So the measurements of the front and passenger compartments are completely irrelevant when classifying a vehicle? Only outside measurements and HP alone matter? Perhaps for those of you at average or below sizes. But those of above average height (or weight I suppose) the interior compartment matters. And when taken into consideration you do not compare a prius to a corrola. It is better compared to a midsized vehicle.

 

I want more power! But more power uses more fuel.
I want a bigger car! But a bigger car uses more fuel.

More fuel costs more, no matter what the price fluctuations. This is a normal price blip that happens to be in our favor for a change. Enjoy it while it lasts, but please understand that even at $2.79 a gallon, gasoline is still expensive. Cheap gasoline is 17 cents a gallon. That's what I paid for it during one of the gasoline "wars" way back in 1971. I was driving my very first car and getting 29 miles to the gallon!!

Rest assured that our global Oil entities are busy planing the next devastating crisis to help nudge those "low" oil prices upward again.

In the mean time, those with really short memory will no doubt be seduced by this fuel price plummet and end up trading their Prii for that larger and more powerful vehicle. Bigger, better, faster. Works every time!

 

I don't believe that is either what he said, nor meant.
Measurements of interior space are certainly a factor. Outside dimensions play a role in addition.

Edit**************
I stand corrected.
In the US, for passenger vehicles, outside dimensions play no role at all.
However, the cargo space in the hatch IS included, so a Prius may get its classification only because it is a hatchback.

 

You have got it just exactly right. I live in a Chicago suburb. They are talking about how cheap gasoline is here at $3.19 a gallon. Really!! That is high. It is just a little cheaper than it was. The gas guzzlers will be selling big time and then reality will set in when the price of gas skyrockets to record levels like always. Then people will dump their gas guzzlers again. They just never learn.

 

Darn, Okinawa,, filled up Saturday in Meridian, Ms ''Sam's Club'' for $2.65 per gallon. That is a $.54 difference, lots of disparity within 600-700 miles. Averaged 55.6 mpg by ''Fuelly'' on that tank, making my Prius look good. I had surgery on my right knee a few weeks ago and G/F Elsie [ A.K.A.: Elsio Andretti ] has been driving me around a good bit--- glad to get somewhat back to ''normal''. Let those chumps scoop up the gas guzzlers, we can enjoy the lower prices now as well, save for a rainy day.

 

When I purchased my '07, gas in Florida was always under $2/gal. At one point, it was $.99/gallon. I was elated to drive a week on a tank for under $12 bucks! If I remember, oil was about $50/barrel or less. Why are we paying $2.87/gallon at $80/barrel? Because of the Fed's QE and the deteriorating value of our currency!

As far as the Saudi's, they are not lowering production because they are predominately Sunni and they are trying to hurt the Shi'ite countries economically, ie. Iran. There is a proxy war being waged via oil prices and the Saudi's know that the Shi'ite countries depend on oil being $100/barrel to finance their military's and to support whatever flavor of terrorism helps their cause. We are just pawns, so enjoy the "cheap" prices while you can.

On a side note, it is obvious that we have all been brainwashed over the last seven years because $2.87 is NOT CHEAP and $4/gallon is an atrocity...

 

4 bucks is an atrocity? A bit hyperbolic, dontcha think? It takes more to make a gallon of gasoline than a gallon of red bull. And i would think that gasoline has more practical uses. You would expect the gasoline to cost more.