To buy or not to buy (2008 Prius)

Well I'm assuming you have no transport at this time. You can crap in one hand and wish in the other... With you're own experience has the hype of a new car ever lived up to its name?

I would say get an 08 while they have this generation of Prius almost perfected after 4 years (04-08 models).

If you have decent transport wait and can wait until 2010 then wait.

Or most importantly if you have $98,000 and can wait until 2010 get a Telsa

 

If you're planning on keeping it until the wheels it can be smart to get a used one that already has say 20,000 miles on it. You can save quite a bit of money that way, because it's already depreciated considerably, and buying a used Toyota is very safe. My 05 Camry has 100,000 miles on it and is as good as new, it drives like a dream, it's never seen a tow truck and all we've replaced is the struts! Of course, if you want the newest Prius, you'll have to buy new, but if you buy a pre-08 when the new one comes out, you could get an extremely good deal.

 

I don't think a 2008 Prius will be obsolete and relatively worthless anytime soon. Regardless of how improved a new generation might be, the current generation is still better than any other midsize car available when it comes to fuel economy.

 

I bought mine 3 weeks ago and am glad I didn't wait. The 2009 won't have any significant improvement. You'll have to wait until 2010 for that. So, yes, that's a good price and you should go for it. With gas prices rising, the depreciation on the Prius will be less. Already it's hard to find a used Prius that's not almost as much as a new one.

my $.02

 

You might as well get a new one. Used prices are not much lower. At the same time I would avoid buying the first year of a significant redesign. There are always design errors in the first year.

 

If I lost my Prius today I'd start looking for a 2008 Prius tomorrow. If I lost my Intrigue, well I still have my Prius. Something about "a bird in the hand..." The most popular regret from Prius owners is that they didn't buy it sooner.

 

Buy a 2008. I just bought mine last month and I love it! I read that a Prius retains 71% of it's value after 5 years making it a "Best Buy" when it comes to cars. Freakin 71% !!

I would NEVER NEVER buy the first year of a new technology. Never. Ask people on here about the 2004 Prius. I have piece of mind knowing that my 2008 has had the majority of bugs worked out.

Buy the 2008 NOW before it goes above MSRP when gas hits $4.00-$5.00 per gallon this summer. I'm glad I did.

 

Buy. I regret waiting as long as I did.

 

I don't know if it is that high, but it's very very good. Coupled with cost of driving around $.06/.07 per mile, and TCO in the upper teens, you'll save enough in the FIRST YEAR to warrant the decision. And gasoline isn't going to go down.

Or you can buy something else and live on beans and weenies....

 

If you don't believe 71%, then read this:

The-Best-Cars-for-Your-Money: Personal Finance News from Yahoo! Finance

"The Prius retains 71% of its value over five years. And though it may look small, it has about as much interior space as a Toyota Camry."

 

I agree that you should get the 2008. I initially had a similar thought process as you to wait for the next generation. I am very happy with my 2008 and will wait for them to fix some of the bugs of the next generation.

 

I'd buy now. Whether the Prius is able to maintain 71% of its value over the next five years or not is hard to say. But it'll be a lot better off in the resale department than will a lot of cars presently on the market. Meanwhile, Toyota will undoubtedly continue to innovate and make improvements, as will other auto-makers in their own right, but every new vehicle or 'system' that comes along will, as others have mentioned, be subject to growing pains coupled with that huge rush of initial demand which results in higher than MSRP prices, waiting lists, lack of option/color choices, and all of the sort of 'fad' stuff that happens when a new exciting car comes on-the-market. Prii were that way until quite recently, and remember the new style VW Beetles when they first came out, or the funky PT Cruiser. Both are now considered to be veritible dogs in many automotive circles, and yet because of styling and being "something new" they were in huge demand when first introduced, and to get one you had to pay a couple grand over MSRP in some places, if you could even find one. If you need a new car, and it sounds as though you do, get a Prius. The next generation won't be reasonably available for a decent price, all of the bugs worked out of it, for at least five years IMHO.

 

I drove my Mighty Max for 20 yrs B4 trading in for my 2008 Prius

 

I would buy and really lean on the sales people. You can get away with murder right now they are so desperate.

I was waiting for all sorts of next-gen cars that were supposed to come out in 08, or 09, and now '10... etc. The Prius is hands down the best car I have ever owned and is awesome. Take a test drive, or two.

Gas prices will start rising very soon again. With inflation over the next 4-10 years and a bad economy expect gas to go over $8 a gallon. Plus, in terms of inflation future cars will also be much more expensive and investments won't be able to keep up with inflation.

Single car families are the way to go, and use a Prius. Ideally bus, ride, and walk is by far the best solutions for your purse or wallet.