Thanks. See, the golf isn't that far off. Beats out every other petrol engine coming in just under all the hybrids. The fun to drive factor and the interior quality may overcome the loss in mpg. We shall see though. No decisions made yet. Talk about your fun to drive factor. GIMME!
Fun to own factor is so under-rated that not many talk about it. Does Golf's smaller interior work for you?
That's one of the slight drawbacks i have to think about. Currently I'm driving the A3 which has a bit bigger boot than the golf. I believe most other measurements are the same. Front and back seats are fine in my A3. I definitely wouldn't mind if the golf was a tad larger for the rear facing child seat, but as is it should be ok. Right now the wife is driving an fx35 suv but will eventually be getting a Prius. She decided that for sure. So even if the golf is a bit smaller cargo wise, we would still have the suv or her prius. Thanks!
Re: Prius Self Destructs at 120,000 Miles James, I have a 2007 Prius with 156K on it this morning. Runs like a top. I'd keep it but I need the PHEV coming for the HOV stickers. If you maintain them well, and DRAIN/REPLACE/CHANGE OUT THE TRANNY FLUID at 60K, 90K, 120K etc, you have a better chance at a longer lasting car!
I don't have any stick time in the Golf, but I do with the Jetta TDI. No doubt about it, Das Volkswagens are much more fun to drive than a Prius (almost any car is) and the interior appointments are at least an order of magnitude better than the G3. However (COMMA!) as much fun as they are to drive, they're not that much fun to own!!! Two close friends have them. The dealer network SUX, the parts are Ferrari expensive, and you're going to be stuck with a five figure repair bill or wait for weeks for some 200 dollar repair part to come over from the mother country sometime during your ownership experience unless you're lucky or change out cars every few years. Service? Don't take my word for it. Get a price quote for an oil change. Good Luck!!! Let us know what you decide!!!
How about a Honda Fit? Cheaper, the Sport version handles well and has received high ratings from the automotive press, more solid than the current Prius. 35 or so mpg is what I see on average: good, but not Prius-like. I just gave a co-worker a ride in mine, he couldn't believe how there were no rattles and how substantial the interior was. Commented again when he closed the door, called his Prius "tinny." But he was also getting 55mpg.
Ya, jap cars just arent my thing. As nice as the fit may be. And I do like the latest refresh. The ONLY reason i'm even considering the Prius is because of the MPG. The golf gets the best mpg of any petrol car, and it's german like I'm used to so that's why it's down to those two choices. And of course the third choice is just keep my A3, pay it off in a year, and hope for no big repairs. So far it's been a very reliable car and its a blast to drive, especially being Stage II modified. I would just need to deal with a year of highly increased gas costs with the new commute AND the monthly payment.
In regards to your commute, how many miles are highway? Of those Highway miles, how many are typically "slow and go" or "stop and go" vs free flowing? The TDI will do quite well MPG wise on the free flowing miles, but will start to suffer on the "slow and go" and "stop and go" phases (not to mention City miles). The Prius does well on free flowing highway miles too. But it excels at "slow and go" and doesn't suffer badly on "stop and go"/city streets. When you check Fuelly for average MPG's, try to find folks that have editted their account to show the highway % vs City %. That might give you a better feel for your expected MPGs. Of course, traffic patterns, speed driven, weather all play a part too. There is an intangible about the Prius is that it will make you a calmer driver in traffic and where slow and go and stop and go might aggravate the bejeezus out of you now, when in a Prius, it is an opportunity to "boost your high score" on the MPG game. A totally different way to look at driving.
BTW, Jap is a racial slur. I'd imagine if you used the term Kraut in the presence of Germans, that might raise some eyebrows... Sounds like you've almost totally made up your mind to get the Golf. I've believe already stated my views about VW/Audi based on all the reliability data I've seen. Since owning a Prius, I HATE driving non-hybrid cars now in city traffic or being stuck in traffic jams with them. It really bothers me to have the ICE uselessly running when stopped or running inefficiently at low speeds. It also irks me to know that when stopping all of my kinetic energy will be turned into useless heat and brake dust vs. some of it being recaptured. When I had still had my Z, all of this bothered me a lot.
jap was short for japanese. just being lazy. I could have said ricer if i wanted to raise eyebrows. I haven't made up my mind yet at all. Prius, golf, or keep the A3 since i only have 1 year left of payments. That's my three choices right now.
I also read jap as a racial slur. I have no experience with German makes, but I read recently that VW cheapened the interior quality in the most recent model revision to keep costs down. This was wrt to VW, sorry I cannot remember model specifics. There is something discordant about worrying about the cost of fuel for another 150 miles a week, but accepting the cost of frequent car replacement because of worries over reliability. If 'luxury' and cost are your two priorities then I also suggest looking at Lexus, with the idea in mind that you will keep the car considerably longer than 3 or 4 years.
As to the more helpful comments above, yes it was the jetta they dumbed down. I guess the jetta is like vw's Civic or Corolla now. Oh well. Per the xtra 150 miles comment, i see what you mean. But if you add it up, it's like an extra $3k per year. That's pretty substantial. :noidea: This is the longest i've owned a car, ever. Currently 4 years and just over 40k miles. And I still enjoy it, which is pretty crazy for me. I've always been a car enthusiast, can't leave anything alone but then I end up getting bored and move on to the next. Since 1997 when i bought my first new car I've had 8 new cars. So actually paying off a car would be a huge accomplishment. Maybe its the fact that i've never had a car out of warranty that scares me.
Gen 3 Prius IV. It will give you great gas mileage and good interior volume. You also get leather interior. Although the V with the technology package has some cool stuff, it's expensive. Unless you are a real sunroof guy, skip the solar roof, it's also expensive and reports are that it works just OK.
150 miles a week extra is about 7500 miles a year extra. A 50 mpg car would cost (at $3.5/gallon) $525 dollars in fuel; a 25 mpg car double at $1025. So the savings is going to be at most $525 a year, and not $3k as you posted. Then definitely do not add up how much you have spent to stay in warranty. That would have you shitting your pants from fright if the ~ $45 a month from extra fuel costs has you dithering.
The best driving hybrid is the FFH. It's not a hatchback and it gets 10 mpg less than a Prius. It's got a lot of gadgets.
