can it do this? i hope i hope

I don't see why not. Lifespan/Operating costs - Prius Wiki has some examples, but most of them are 2nd gens (04-09). 2 fas 4 u is past 451K miles on his 09 Prius.

Advanced Vehicle Testing Activity - Hybrid Electric Vehicles has some two 3rd gen Priuses in their fleet. You can see one's past 154K miles and the other is past 134K.

 

Because you will always have a passenger in the back seat, with frequent entry/exit, then you should make a point of cleaning out the hybrid battery fan once/year, but otherwise, there are no special considerations and as far as new cars go, a Prius would be hard to beat on the cost/benefit.

 

That is plenty long enough to warm up and get good mileage. Short trips are lower MPG than long ones.

How long is it shut down? If your 75-90 is several short trips separated by hours, it may not be as ideal.

My Prius is a workhorse, yours will be too. I admit I carry fewer passengers.

Half a million miles?
For budgeting purpose, I would assume I needed a $2000 battery every 200,000 miles.
Plan on a $200 12 volt battery every 4 years.
The inverter can cost $5000 and is most at risk if you ever jumpstart your car wrong. I carry jumper cables that don't let me do it wrong. Buy.com - Michelin 5100 Smart Jumper Cables w/ Surge Protection
A transaxle is also $5000, for about $100 every 60,000 miles you can have the ATF changed.

Here is my 'who should not own a Prius' post http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/94450-considering-prius.html#post1334003

 

I wouldn't worry about the shutdown. The longer the shutdown period, the more time the engine has to cool down and hence, the longer/bigger the mpg hit (due to cold/cooler engine). But, this isn't specific to the Prius. This affects all IC engine based cars.

Now, you have the tough choice of picking a leftover '11 Two or a '12 Two. See http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...490-2012-prius-now-dealers-2.html#post1454606. The '12 Two gets a lot of features that previously required you to pay more for, but I doubt you'd see great deals nor incentives on the '12s yet, since they are just now hitting showrooms vs. dealers wanting to clear out old '11s.

 

Since you are using it for business, take a look at a V when you go shopping. It will attract much more attention. On the other hand, the very soon to be delivered c will be thousands less and deliver the same MPG. Basically, any Prius will do!

I urge you to contact Dianne Whitmire at Carson Toyota. http://priuschat.com/news/the-original-prius-super-saleswoman-dianne-whitmire-back-carson-toyota

 

...the thing is, the Prius is a good work horse. I would think you fit the profile of many Prius users: they bought it because they put on a lot of miles and need to reduce cost per mile. Where you might want to focus is comfort for so many miles, no complaints here, but our 06 interior is not quite as comfortable as say a Camry or Accord type vehicle for multi-hour (long) rides.

 

OP should take comfort from the Prius as a taxi experiences.

 

Wonder if he'd have 2 passengers all the time. If so, c might be too small.

I think when people actually see the c, they'll do a double take as in 'wow, it's pretty small'. Not sure everyone realizes c is a subcompact car. It's 4" shorter than Honda Fit.

 

I think the Gen III Prius would be great for your need, assuming you don't need to carry a lot of heavy cargo along with your passenger. (I assume there will be driver and one passenger, yes?) Since you said you have a lot of residential (stops, I assume), I would strongly advise getting a 2012 with the standard EV noisemaker function. I have had adults look right at me while driving slowly in EV mode and walk in front of the car because it was silent. I can imagine that kids on neighborhood driveways and streets would be worse.

 

It is not too small if you are the driver.

Seriously, to have the choice between 3 cars of varying size/utility with 45-50 mpg ratings is another giant step in the right direction.

 

The Prius has been in use as taxi cabs in cities like New York, racking up crazy miles (we are talking 300,000+ miles in the space of a couple years) under harsh urban stop-and-go conditions with virtually no problems, aside from operator-caused errors (i.e. accidents).

If the Prius is tough enough to serve as a taxi cab, at the hands of some of the most abusive drivers this world has ever seen (NYC cabbies!), the Prius will handle your demands like a walk in the park.