is a prius worth it?

All cars consume resources and generate pollution, but if you have to drive a car, the Prius consumes less fuel and emits less pollution than any gas or diesel powered car currently sold. The Prius has the lowest total cost of ownership of any family car, and is the most reliable car on the road. Stop worrying and enjoy your new car.

Tom

 

As the proud owner of new spectra blue Prius, it is economical. I'm not really driving much differently than I ever have (since 1972) and getting over 50 mpg (with less than 2K miles on it). It's about as green as you can get right now. It handles fine, at least in comparison with my Chevy Blazer. It accelerates well, at least in comparison with my Chevy Blazer. It is only about 1/10 as polluting as my Blazer. The battery does last more than the anti-Prius crowd would have you believe. While it isn't as fun to drive as some sports cars, at 8 cents a mile you can drive more...

Is it perfect? Nope. Take it from a guy who's driven lots of different cars and SUVs over the years- love em and enjoy em for what they are.

 

No the Prius sucks and is not worth it. That is why Toyota sold so many and the msrp went up a couple grand, but it is a good car in terms of fuel economy but I still like driving the 05 Maxima SL better.

 

If your goal is to save money, then the Prius is not for you unless you plan to keep it for 300K+ miles. There are other cars that are just as capable that get mid to high 30s fuel economy.

If your goal is to reduce greenhouse emissions as much as possible, have cool tech gadgets, and freak people out in golf cart mode in parking lots and such, the Prius is the only way to go.

There are exceptions or qualifiers:

1) If you believe gas is going to go to $10 gallon(like I do) then you would buy a Prius to save money, and if it doesn't but you look at it as a hedge in case it does, then your buying fuel economy protection against your income in case it does.
2) If you do most of your driving in town and you do a lot of it, like in the courier class level or taxi level, then the Prius is the only game in town. No other vehicle comes close in stop and go traffic(except Honda Civic and Honda insight which isn't made anymore).
3) If you believe the demand for the Prius will still be as high a few years from now, your depreciation will be less than any other car you could buy meaning you could sell it and retain more of your principle for purchasing a future car.

 

Ditto sorka exceptions/qualifiers #1, 2 and 3, also

4) If you believe there will be gas shortages like in the 1970s (like I do), then you will spend less time waiting in long lines at the gas station, and you'll have more left over gas rationing coupons to sell on ebay.

 

You might even find yourself NOT handing those keys over to Mom & Pop after two years...

 

The Prius is a great car and buy. How can anyone feel good about paying 4 to 5 dollars or any amount for gas and knowing how it is draining our economy. We are filling the pockets of those who hate us or want to destroy our economy. The satisfaction of not paying 80 to 100 dollars every time you fill up is worth the price.
In California the Prius battery has a 150,000 mile warranty. That should rest some worries alot of prospective buyers have. The car has the best satisfaction of owners than any other car - I think that saids it all.

 

For a single person you can always do better cost wise. (You don't need as much car, you aren't hauling around children, and your spouse doesn't need an automatic transmission--although to be fair, a manual is a pain in the nice person in stop and go commuting, fun elsewhere though.) For a family of four looking for an economical and reliable ride the Prius is a good deal regardless of how many miles you drive annually. For a family of five or six the options get bleaker.

 

My only concern would be when it's time to scrap the battery.

It takes what it takes to make a car. Even if you go to carbon, it might be lighter, but then you have a bunch of chems.

 

Cars and batteries have been around in excess of 100 years or so now. When's the last time anyone gave any thought to the scapping of cars and batteries.?
Why is it that all-of-the-sudden this is a issue since the Prius showed up. Every car has got a lead filled battery and has for 80 years. When you dump it off at Wal-mart or autozone or wherever for a new one, did you loose any sleep over it. The thing is recycleable.

You cannot even fathom how many batteries have been produced, and the one in a Prius doesn't even hold a candle to that.

 

Obviously, you're not buying it, so why do you care? If you need a car, and someone else is dropping it into your lap, then you can't do better than a Prius. What would the alternative be that will make you feel warm and happier?
Since when did you question if a car would midigate, or equal out, it's production impact.
I just don't get what your issue is...

 

Start here:
LA Car.com - The Cars and Culture of Southern California Magazine & Directory - WHEELS OF FORTUNE

And in November vote YES on Measure R, to increase transportation funding in LA County.

 

...which is one of the nice things about NiMh batteries as they are recycled 100% without creating or using hazardous chemicals. Thank god we don't use NiCads. NiMh batteries are *way* more environmentally friendly than lead acid batteries too.

 

The high voltage battery (I assume that's the one you are referring to) is nickel. Quite recyclable, if you choose to do so. Lasts quite a bit longer than the 12V in any other vehicle, so I'm more concerned about the multiple 12V batteries that vehicles need to scrap (and frequently aren't recycled) than about the Prius high voltage battery.

Don't believe everything you read, here at PriusChat or anywhere else for that matter. Make sure that the source of the information is reliable.

No transportation vehicle of any type will ever "equal out the energy used in production". It is always better for a vehicle not to be made, no matter how much it is used. I've not seen any reliable information yet comparing the amount of energy used in Prius production to any other vehicle. However, driving does not create energy or oil. No matter what vehicle you choose (even a Prius), driving LESS will always be better for the environment than driving more.

I can't. Can you give actual figures or solid proof of your concerns, or have you given in to rumors, false reports, and F.U.D.

 

This is absolutely ridiculous. How do you know how much car I "need" because I am single? Newsflash: everyone in the world is not like you.

For the OP, just relax and drive the car. It will get you and your friends/family where you need to go, it will use less gas (mpg better than mid-30s - I get 45-50 mpg on 4-mile trips full of stop signs and red lights, and that's about as bad as conditions get for fuel economy), and it will emit less polution. It also has tons of room if you need to haul stuff around.

 

Nickel is running about $8/lb (new) as I understand, so I can't imagine just chucking these batteries if they die.

The Prius does take more energy to make on a per pound basis. I've seen a quote from Toyota on the matter and I believe they said about 25% or so. However, most of the energy consumption for vehicles comes from operation, not production (including materials.) When you consider that in 150,000 miles it will save over 1,500 gallons (over 9,000 lbs) compared to an ~30 mpg car or over 6,000 gallons (over 18,000 lbs) compared to a 15 mpg big SUV/full size truck like mine, then it puts some perspective on things. And of course the big truck/SUV's are far heavier to begin with as well, so on overall production basis the Prius should come out ahead of them even by that measure.

 

You completely misinterpreted what I was saying and got it backwards. I was pointing out that folks can indeed find inexpensive reliable vehicles if their hauling needs are less demanding (typically, no family). I'm not claiming to know what they need because it is not one size fits all. That's why I point out how silly many of the comparisons are (in reviews they often compare to a smaller vehicle with manual transmission then pronounce a "hybrid premium.")

EDIT: And the reason I pointed this out is that invariably folks say things like "If your goal is to save money, then the Prius is not for you unless you plan to keep it for 300K+ miles" which you seem to have missed earlier in the thread. I had just seen a post in another thread about how you have to drive 30K/year for the Prius to make economic sense, and in others folks are going on about how cars that are too small for my family would be equivalent. In reality it depends on your needs. "What would you buy in its place" is the question to ask.