How Much is Too Much to Pay for a Prius ?

Assuming you are buying new, buy what you want. You will very very rarely make money off of a new car purchase. It is not an investment, it is a constant expense. So why spend $20k on something you can tolerate, when you could spent $25k or $32k on something you will love.

Additional addons like DRCC and the solar roof are all neat, but you wont get your money back in a sale later. Your $12k in extras may equate to less than $1k difference in price between your car and the base model when you want to sell it 5-10 years from now. The fancy tech of today is the base model tech of tomorrow.

So if you want it, go for it. But never expect it to be a better value.

I would pay whatever it takes to get whatever I want. If I can't afford what I want, I won't buy. I have learned from previous personal experience that if I buy something "close" to what I want or "mostly" what I want, I am unhappy, out the majority of the money, and usually end up purchasing what I wanted in the first place at a later date. Had I of just bought what I wanted when I wanted it, I would have samed some money and been much happier. Everyone's different, but something to consider.

 

Now or when gas goes to $3? Or $3.50?

 

I pay whatever it takes to get what I want, but not a dollar more.

 

I made a determination between what I want and what I need, and ended up buying something in-between. If I were to buy what I want, I'd be paying 6 figures. What I need is something very basic. I was contemplating buying a Tata every year for $2,500 or some crazy amount, but thought I could easily afford a few desirable extras. I thought the Prius II to be more than I should pay for car. But the gas milage made me think I was doing something for the environment.

My Prius doesn't have much. My radio is basic because I'm losing my hearing and only listed to ESPN. I don't talk much on my cell phone so I don't need Bluetooth. I pretty much know my way around town so I don't need GPS. I had a sun roof on my prior car and NEVER used it. I don't like leather seats (which I had on my prior car). However, I would like the lumbar support.

I admit that I liked the lit door sill, so I bought that. I also just bought the fog lights that I will install over the weekend. I still have a ways to go before I spend anywhere near what it would have cost for a Prius III or higher.

But the bottom line is that I saved a lot of money by buying the Prius II instead of a higher model. And maybe more important is that with the money I saved I was able to buy my girlfriend a couple of real nice Chanel purses. Now she's real happy, which, in turn, she makes me real happy (if you know what I mean).

Dumb Mike

 

I went with the V because the 17" rims are a must. The LED headlamps are also very high up in priority. For 7 years prior, I had a car that just got me from A to B and I couldn't have cared less about it. This time, I bought something I really love. So I would have paid MSRP and w/o any govt. incentives. That's how much I love my car. It was an emotional purchase, not a financial one.

 

When it comes to a car? Nothing makes sense...
You have to buy what YOU think is appropriate for your situation.
I'm a car guy. I've had everything from a Miata, to 2 4x4s, a '70 Chevelle, a 300ZX, and a 92 Geo Metro XFi, and a dozen other flavors in between...including 2 bikes and my 2009 GMC Sierra.
All of those vehicles were good to GREAT for varying reasons, or (in the case of the Miata) for NO reason other than that was the car I wanted!
Generally, I buy base model vehicles because you take a much larger depreciation ding when you up-option your new ride.
The "typical" Prius driver is either interested in getting crazy good gas mileage, or they're just interested in being a Prius driver, for varying reasons.
If you're interested in saving money by buying a Prius, then it does not make much in the way of walking around sense to plunk down an additional 30-percent, AFTER you pay the "hybrid" premium, for a bunch of options.
This tells me that most people drive Priuses because...(pause for effect...)they WANT to buy a Prius, and thus Toyota offers a variety of option levels to entice them to do so.

What makes sense?
Well....I guess it ALL does for one reason or other, since Toyota is still making them!!

Drive what you WANT...and can afford.


Peace.

 

my 04 was loaded, 25K. because there was a waiting list and that was all i could get. my 08 is bare bones, 21K, and i missed the steering wheel controls at first, but not anymore. looking at stripped 10's, 19K!!! how can you go wrong. i love the idea of some of the new options, but not enough to justify another 5-10K. seems like most of them are in the experimental stage.

 

In my case, I was coming from an Escalade and Mercedes..so this was a jump in vehicle. I knew if I went with more of the base model, it would be too drastic of a move for what I enjoy. That's why I ended up getting most all of the opts (IV w/ sunroof/solar, nav, etc). Will it make a difference at trade? Probably not. However, I will tend to keep it longer. If I had done the stripped one, I would have tired of it quicker.

Plus, you're saving on gas big time. Splurge a little on the front end if you think you'd regret not getting some of the options later.

Good luck...you'll be VERY pleased with your purchase! I drove mine a couple hundred miles and was just thinking a few minutes ago that it has the best "fit" of any highend car I've owned. Seats are more comfortable, plus just a smart layout.

 

In a few years a V with 40k miles will go for $15k. Are you going to cry? No, because you made your best informed decision at the time.

 

I bought the base Prius II because I didn't want to pay finance charges (even if it's only at 3.5%) on gadgets. I'd feel the same way if I leased (I just wouldn't want to "rent" gadgets).

If I bought a Prius with straight cash in a one-time transaction, I'd maybe consider a few extra items. In the end I'll probably at least add fog lights and get some all-weather floor mats and nice seat covers.

My driving experience in the Prius is still very comfortable and rewarding without leather seats or navigation devices.

 

Fog lights and NAV systems are easily added on later - MUCH more cheaply...in fact, if I were able to, I'd add fog lights to my PRIUS right now.
I'm a bit opinionated about NAV systems. Yeah, I know---I aught to fit right in here! , I've almost been killed numerous times by latte-swilling GPS Jocks and cell phone queens on my motorcycle(s).

I'm thinking that the NAV system on the "V" might be "idiot resistant", but I do not have one on mine, and I haven't read where it is or isn't. Either way, the question of whether or not a $25,000 Prius, or a $32,000 Prius is "right" for a specific buyer is purely subjective.

As they say in the MSF (motorcycle safety) classes....YOU have to ride YOUR ride!

 

Fiscally there are not two sides to this argument. It is beyond dispute that you'll get better bang for buck going with a II vs anything higher because they all get the same mileage, and options depreciate faster than the "meat" of the car anyway. Get options if you want to treat yourself, not because it's fiscally superior.

 

I'm a little curious about that. If I'm not mistaken...and I might be, since I'm a noob to Priusdom, the V has 17" wheels, while we poor shlubs in the II's and III's have 15" plastic adorned wheels. If everything else in the drivetrain is equal, wouldn't that alter the MPG even a little?
(All pigs are equal, but some pigs are more equal than others...)

What say you hypermiliers???

 

Yes the touring with 17in wheels do effect mpg slightly, generally 1-2mpg.

 

The more stuff that we stuff in our cars...the less time we have our eyes on the road. Even if the gadgets are hands-free, we're all getting quite distracted. Sorry this is going off topic. But like ETC(SS), I'm just not excited about getting run down by distracted drivers.

 

When I bought my wife's Prius, we were in the market for cars around 27k. It's typical of what we spend give or take. (my HHR SS was 23K, her Odyssey was 31K). We prefer certain options because she drives a few hundred miles a week for work. We wanted something that got better than 30mpg with some decent options. The Prius was the best bet all the way around.

My Prius (company car) was to replace my HHR SS (company car) because it simply kept breaking. I drove 50K Caddy's, BMW's, Volvo's, Lincoln's and in the end the Prius was more comfy, had a better ride and to boot, better MPG's.

In short we bought them because the fit our lifestyle's. We don't camp, haul a ton of heavy stuff (my dad has a truck for that).

We bought Prius's because they fit, not because they were a Prius.