new car shopping

But the '12 Camry and HyCam are redesigns. Whatever your mom had was a previous gen, possibly several generations back.

 

I'm a Korean-American & although national pride makes me want to say go Korean(Optima), IMHO, the prius (although they are not in the same category) is the better buy because it will hold its value & almost guaranteed more reliable(dependable). The hybrid drivetrain in the Kia & Hyundai are new & thus hasn't been proven yet. Plus, they tend to get old real quick in appearance & quality. Sure, they look "chic" now but after 2-3 years, they look dated faster than the U.S. or Japanese brand. That being said, I believe the Korean brands have gotten so much better especially in appearance & in all other categories & are catching up quick to it's japanese counterpart. BTW, true story, I almost bought the new Optima(but non-hybrid) myself as I liked the sporty look but the practical side of me told me to go w/ the true tested Toyota Prius. Guess what, I don't regret it a bit whereas if I bought the Optima, I probably would have some doubts &.

 

I have to point out only 2 negatives about Prius:
1.Pure interior quality- rattles like hell all over the car, i gave up trying to fix it. only radio turned up helps some time,but then doors starting to rattle from the volume up. i got Jbl and keep bass at 0, still rattles out the doors.
2.is blind spot when you look to the right trying to go in the right lane.
other wise, Prius all the way.

 

When I was researching cars the Kia, Hyundai, Honda, Ford, Toyota etc.... our 1 car (subaru) broke down. When I was talking to the Tow Truck guy I asked him about the cars he tows away & is there any brand I should stay away from. He said don't go near Kia he had towed more brand new Kia's with blown engines & other problems that he said run from that brand. So, I did & haven't looked back. He said Toyotas & Honda's just keep on ticking & so those were the 2 companies I really researched for vehicles. I am totally happy with our Prius 11. We might end up with another since my DH just got in an accident with our Subaru, all I saw when I picke him up from the accident was glass all over the place from the front of our Subie.

 

Prius

 

Why are you in a hurry to not drive the 2006? Keeping the older mechanically sound car is always the cheapest way to go. Yes, the Gen 3 was "defeatured". Going from a 2006 Package 3 to a 2010 V-AT didn't significantly improve my fuel economy but overall it is a nicer better car. To get everything in your Package 7 you'll have to go top of the line (as you did back then) and you'll get more gizmos.

If you are a member, go to www.aaa.com redirect to build your cars & get quotes. All new cars are discounted for only one reason: They aren't selling.

Nothing in its class is going to beat a Prius for fuel economy and low maintenance.

IMO the Korean cars would have to be half the Prius' price for the owner to break even including the carrying costs.

 

They are the same. Hyundai is geared more upscale while Kia is the sporty brand. Much like chevy and buick.

 

Like others have mentioned, Toyota is proven.
Money will always be the case, but the savings will add up over time.

That is why there is always name brand and generic, but you get what you pay for.

For the Kia/Hyundai, make sure you LOVE the dealership and trust them.
Then it would be easier for warranty issues.

Toyota gives me that. I trust them, including my salesman.
I just bought the Prius C a week ago, now we are buying a Prius 3 gen
because we love it and love Toyota (first time Toy owner...well have a Scion)

 

Wise choice!!!
CL is a good option. You might try a local auto-trader type paper -or- see if one of the local Credit Unions has a "swap-n-shop" site.

---or, just park it with a "For Sale" sign under a gas station's price board.

As far as the new vehicle? You're already a happy G2 driver, so it would seem that a new G3 might be just the ticket for you! You like Priuses, and it seems you drive a car long enough to get a payback on their higher price. No brainer really, unless you're just looking to get into something "different".
I'd steer clear of the Insight!!!
There is a reason that they're not selling a bunch of them these days, despite almost $4 a gallon gas!!!
The "C" is also a consideration, but I'd steer clear of it also for now, since they're in short supply it's very difficult to get one for an acceptable price. At least you can get a G3 for something close to what they're calling MSRP if you shop around.

Best of luck!!!

 

Enjoy!

If you have an iPhone, I you can limit the contact group that is synced on the phone under settings --> bluetooth --> touch the arrow next to your car's BT link. If you have a different phone, it may be similar.

 

Kia is not Prius. Technologically is not comparable.

Kia, I use to drive one. The people who put together that car before basically brought the engine from Mitsubishi and I don't know who made the transmission. Definitely not Kia. The car is the worse car I ever driven.
I swore, I would not buy it from a car company that does not know how to make a car.

Don't fall into that trap with the price. You get what you pay for. Toyota makes a much better car than Kia.