Decision time - your thoughts on long term reliability please

No brainer.

The Ionic will be the most reliable....and it's new to boot, so you do not have to worry about how it was treated during those early formative years.

However (comma!) I would not impose a false deadline that compels you to make a decision before you HAVE to.
That's how bad choices are made.
Get back with us after you drive both again.

Also you need to widen the parameters of your decision.
If your going to pick a car solely based on reliability, then "how much you like to drive it" is a triviality.
On the other hand....why drive a car that you do not like to drive?

Final thought...
2-4 years is not "long term."

Cars are designed with a more or less 10-15 year lifespan.
If you're going to be swapping them out every 2-4 years, then buy which ever one you LIKE the most, because 'affordability' cannot really be your top issue.

Good Luck!
Let us know what you decide!!

 

I've never touched a Hyundai or its cousin Kia ever, and I never will. So I can't speak on their reliability. However, the battery lifetime warranty is intriguing, but only if you plan on keeping the car forever. My first Prius was a Gen 2 that had 150k miles on it when I had to replace the battery. I bought that used though.

I expect my current Two Eco to last at least 10-15 years with regular maintenance, and the battery to last at least 10 years before having to be replace. The lithium ion battery tech in the Prius is similar to the lithium battery used in Teslas and those have gone 160k miles with 10% degradation.

One thing that you did not mention is how much you drive. My work commute is about 45 miles round trip, so the savings in gas for me are high.

What are you currently driving?

 

You never know what will happen in 7 years. If you want a hybrid you know Toyota is the right choice. But it’s hard to pass up on a 10 year warranty and lifetime battery replacement.

 

Concur.

Not as much as you think.
If you have good credit, you can get a good rate and ALMOST ALWAYS the cash that they offer in lieu of the teaser rate is more than the interest payed over the life of the loan.
Even with a 60 month loan, you're paying less than $2,000 in interest - which in many case is hundreds less than the money that they will knock off if you arrive at the dealership with a pre-approved loan.

You're wanting to make the monthly payment easy....which makes you more apt to make more monthly payments.
MY AIM is to have beads of cold sweat break out on my forehead at the very thought of having to MAKE a monthly payment because I want to be able to retire someday.

Your call.

The best way to do that is to sell your current car.
If you trade it in....you lose.

Every single time.
They'll tack a little on this side of the deal and take some off of the other side and make you think that you did OK, when in fact you're always giving up some equity in a dealer trade.

Also....this is a very poor time to buy a car and a very GOOD time to sell a car because people have tax refund checks burning a hole in their back pockets.

 

It should.
Of all of the things that keep people from being able to retire early buying too many new cars has got to be the number one avoidable cause!

Good question.

Of all of the answers you hear out there, I like the simple "late in the month and late in the year" one the best.
Businesses are driven by profits.
Profits are measured in periods of months and years.

Also...Late in the Year is when people are usually spending money on other things....and businesses are usually calcuguessing things like quarterly and annual profits.
January and maybe VERY early early February are also good because people are still paying for Santa (or looking aghast at the bills from Santa!) and the lots are empty, and the sales force is a little more motivated to pay for THEIR Christmas.

Ever wonder why upscale car companies have their commercials at the end of the year, while the garden variety makes always have their blowout sales in the spring?
Think about it....

Good call on the used Ioniq versus new....btw.

Don't be afraid of the Korean brands.
You might be old enough to remember when Japanese makes were cheap because there were lingering memories of their not being such well made cars as American models.
Much the same thing is happening (IMO) in the Pacific Rim right now.
If they ever start punching out cars in the Nam, then the Koreans will have to up their game somewhat.
China too.....but they are getting pretty rich pretty fast, and NOBODY wants their kids to work on an assembly line if they have alternatives.....

Korean models are not what they were even 5 years ago.

YMMV.

 

The Hyundai Ionic looks like a rather small vehicle. I’ve seen them on the highway in the Bay Area. They remind me of a Honda Insight. The lifetime battery warranty sounds good, but who knows how long the car or manufacturer will be around and willing to honor said warranty. Toyota’s HSD been around for 20 years and works perfectly.

 

They're essentially equivalents by 2 different makers. I notice you didn't include the price of a new PRIUS - are there any run-out deals of 2018s with the new model coming online?

PRIUS is proven - ~20 yrs reliability at the top of the vehicle fleet for many of those years, many very high mileage cars with original everything.

IONIQ is new, the Hybrid drive appears to be quite different and much more complex, with a DualClutch transmission which seems to be less integrated than TOYOTA's Hybrid Synergy Drive. The other thing which gives me doubts is the unreliability of some DualClutch transmissions.

I had a KIA from 2006-2008 - absolute reliability, and, better built (panel gaps and paint) than my 2016 PRIUS.

BUT - you've got a new car warranty, and that long battery warranty.

Throw the figures for both cars (and a new PRIUS if the price will be low enough) into a spreadsheet to work out the overall projected value over 3 or 5 years included projected resale.

THEN - decide which you like best and can live with every day. Sometimes the $$$ doesn't win the war. Otherwise they'd have sold a billion YARISes or other "ordinary" cars, and they'd never sell Bentleys.

 

7 years isn't an issue. the issue is, how many miles do you expect to put on in 7 years?

if it is under 110,000 the first prius will be just fine.

 

An hour before closing. The guys want to go home and will make a deal much faster.

Hyundai is a huge corporation and build a lot more then cars. Cars are just a small piece of their portfolio. Hyundai is going no where.

 

In your questions of reliability I would look to resources such as Consumer Reports for concrete information how reliable these cars are over the years. Being a long time Prius owner (now of 2 different models) I can tell you they are exemplary, rock solid reliable. Also looking at the Consumer Reports reliability reports it shows and amazing super reliable record. Toyota certainly has years and years of experience to be good at hybrid technology. Is a Hyundai a good bet? Maybe... I always like to listen and look on the owners web sites to get a real feel for the true experiences of the owners. I can tell you that having a big Asian car warranty may sound good but it doesnt stop you from having problems and taking it in for repairs. I had first hand experience with this on a Kia, where we took it in again and again for issues until we traded it off. Certainly the Korean cars have upped their games and improved reliability since then. Lastly you have to ask yourself what your car will be worth after your done with it. A good trade in on the next car is important. Old Prius bring a lot of money even though they have 200/300,000 miles on them. I can tell you with my experience on my first Prius ownership of about 225,000 miles was that it was absolutely amazingly reliable. My second ‘17 has been excellent so far too so Toyota has earned my repeat business. The others have not.....

 

I’d take a certified or slightly used Toyota over a new Hyundai/Kia ANY day. A 10 year warranty sounds nice until you’re using it constantly or your engine catches on fire.

The Korean marks have vastly improved over the years, but they still have a long way to go.

 

I'd disagree - going back 13 yrs, the first car I ever had without a warranty claim or recall was a 2006 KIA(*). My daughter has 2 KIAs (Carnival and Sorento) which are both high kilometres now.

(* I claimed on the accessory floor mat which wore under my accelerator heel at almost 3yrs old - and KIA replaced the full set.)

My PRIUS has had 2 recalls, and 2 warranty claims.

But - as I said above, I'm not convinced that a Dual Clutch will be as reliable as a Hybrid Synergy Drive which is almost faultless.

 

I like the lifetime battery deal on the Hyundai myself, but given all the other "unknowns" out there with the newer drivetrain, engine, transmission, and such, could be a disaster in other costs down the road. I do like the much bigger battery pack and also maybe opting for the large battery pack to do some commuting plugged in, if that works for you.

However, A co-worker of mine had a CV joint fail on his 2007 Kia several years ago he purchased new with 38k and was 7 years old and wouldn't cover it under the 10 year 100k warranty which I would have fought it but he didn't.

 

I was walking through the grocery store parking lot a week ago when a Toyota with a body style I had not seen before crossed my path. At first I thought it was an old Yaris but as it passed I saw the "name"on the trunk - Prius! After it parked I asked the elderly lady who was the owner what year Prius it was. 2004 she said and planned to keep it a few years more!
I have kept all 5 of my Corollas for over 10 years. At 72 my 16 Prius just may be the last car I will need! And at the end of the month it is paid off...

SM-T380 ?

 

There are a lot of Prius of this Generation in Los Angeles.