What do you think?

Pilot, I drive 40 miles each way and the Prius gets 50+ on the highway even in the winter. The long drive also keeps the traction battery charged. If I were hauling my small children around in it I would invest in some super child safety seats though. This would be for my piece of mind...big SUV's out there. Side air bags will help some. I love mine, but don't use it to haul the kids around much.

 

If the Prius is big enough for you then it sounds like a good car for you. The fuel economy will be much better than anything else out there - even here in Europe the only car that beats the Prius for mpg's is a 2 seat Smart diesel and that's it!

The Prius is a smooth, easy to drive car and roomier inside than it looks from the outside. Go give one a test drive and see if it suits you.

 

I agree with the others. I chose the Prius over the Civic hybrid (2005 model year) for a number of reasons, one of which is the roominess. For the occasions where you might need to haul the kids or other passengers, there is ample room in the rear. The hatchback adds to the functionality.

Depending on weather, terrain, speed, and driving habits, you can expect fuel economy in the 40s for your highway trips, at a minimum. FE for your around-town errands is less predictable. Worst case is short trips; FE in the 30s wouldn't be unrealistic in cold weather. Longer trips with careful route planning and conservative driving, and 50+ is a distinct possibility -- even better if you learn advanced high-FE driving techniques.

 

What problem(s) are you solving: minimizing total cost of ownership? Minimizing use of petroleum? Maximizing fun? The answer depends on the question.

Statistical experience shows clearly that SUVs are *not* safer than smaller cars; if anything they're more dangerous. They roll more often, and drivers get (unconsciously?) overconfident because of their larger size.

The lady at Alamo is correct, but Prius has proved so reliable that it's not worth worrying about. (If you do worry about this the correct tactic for any car is to keep $1000 sitting ready in the bank, not to spend $1000 on an extended warranty.)

The ratio of driving to sitting time you predict is small enough that I'd advise using a 12V battery tender/minder to keep it charged, or disconnect the battery while it's parked.

 

FYI, SUVs are generally more dangerous than sedans. I would consider hauling the kids in the Prius for even more piece of mind.

-Brad

 

For minimum cost of ownership there are several other new cars with good fuel economy that cost many thousands less than a Prius. Prius is not an econobox. And of course a clean used car can save thousands more than a new car.

A site search will turn up several posters describing their battery tenders. Apparently a simple wiring harness is mounted, either directly to the battery terminals or to the jump point and a ground under the hood, and then the user connects the tender/minder through an external connector. It keeps the battery topped up at all times. Don't use an ordinary trickle charger for this purpose because over days it would overcharge and kill the battery.

If you have to park where no power is available then a tender is not an option. Other possibilities:
- pull one or more fuses (I don't know which)
- turn off the smartkey function when you leave the car for days (there is a button under the dash; this should be the single largest background drain on the battery unless you have some poorly-behaved after market electronics installed)
- install a Solar charger
- monitor the situation; you might drive enough that it will never be a problem. If it is you can replace the OEM battery with a rather larger Optima Yellowtop, which should be more tolerant.

 

I'd get rid of the Civic before the exhaust manifold cracks and the radiator springs a leak.

My girlfriend bought an '01 Civic LX for her kids. The car has 150k on the odometer and I started poking around the car to check for basic safety issues. I found a the exhaust manifold was cracked. After some searching I found this to be a very common issue with the 2001-2005 Civic. Cost for replacement parts is $500-$600+ labor because the manifold is connected to the catalytic converter. I fixed it myself but $500 for the part is ridiculous. The dealer wanted over $1000 to make the repair.

Within a few weeks of finding the cracked exhaust manifold, the radiator cracked up near the filler neck. This is another common problem with this model. Thanksfully this is an easy job and the part is cheap at $80 but it sure was messy!

Anyway, just providing some examples of potential costs that may be hiding in your Civic.

 

I have two daughters (4 and 7 yrs) and there is more leg-room in the back for them than in our old Volvo V70XC station wagon. I can even fit their two bikes in the hatch back (although am looking at a hitch to mount a bike rack for next year, now that their bikes are growing too). I understand it will not be your only car... so kids-wise you will be fine for sure. Others have probably already mentioned that it's a great car, especially for commuting!
-Mike

 

I give you the thumbs up to buy yourself one.

 

Check out ... http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-volt-battery-dead-after-17-days-parking.html

One post suggests under 10 days is OK. I have personally left my 2010 3-5 days without running and had no problems.

 

See post #63 of the thread listed above: