Not all Costs and Benefits are Measured at the Pump- Traded 2012 Prius Level 5 for a Truck

I'd agree with that: driving on wet road (melted snow) in brilliant sun, I pretty much gave up trying to see how fast I was going, could not read the dash.

 

This have been true in the past, but I think it may be changing.

I just recently went through the process of selecting a low-cost of ownership commuter, and at the price range I was looking ($10,000), the used Prii and Civics were very comparable in age and mileage. Add in the fact that the average Prius gets 15-20 MORE mpg than the average Civic. At $4 gallon gas, that 20 mpg starts to add up pretty quickly.. For my yearly commuting mileage, it came out to be a difference of about $1,000 per year.

 

I drive a G3 every day.
I also have a Pickemuptruck.

Both vehicles are pretty dang good at what they do. Neither are perfect at anything that they do.
The truck is an 09 Sierra base model extended cab w/tow. I paid (new) about exactly what aG3 costs, and I got it at just about the exact time that the company got my G3.

Since I live < 10 miles from work, gas isn't an over-arching concern for me.
Like I said. Each vehicle is really great at what it does, and the strengths and weaknesses of each have been (over) emphasized time and time and time and time again in these hallowed halls.

If you're reading this, you either drive a Prius, or you're at least a Prius fan.
That's great!
The Prius is a great car.....much better than I had anticipated when they threw one in my parking lot.
If you're reading this and you're just thinking about a Prius....drive one.
You might be pleasantly surprised as well, and chances are pretty good that it will be a really great car for you.
However (comma!) there really are aspects of the Prius driving experience that should be fully explored before you pull the trigger on one. Like my dumb old pickemuptruck....it's far from a perfect car, otherwise there would be a helluva lot more of them on the road, but I'm thinking that there ought to be more of them out there anyway.
Many people have negative perceptions of the Prius that are (IMHO) driven by equal parts automotive cultural inertia and the negative stereotypes of the Prius driver. The former will go the way of the Allosaurus on its own.
After all, cars don't weigh 6000# any more, and they no longer have large fins on their sterns.

The latter?
That's on us.

Happy Labor Day!!

 

I don't own a Prius, but I am seriously thinking about purchasing one. The OP raised a few points that I had not been aware of (the 800 lb limit for one). Most of the other issues that he had would have been the same with any small car. It's really difficult to compare a small care to a truck. It's like comparing apples and oranges.

IMHO, you should do some research before you buy any care. Evaluate your needs, consider all of the options, look at the forums for cars your interested and see what others are saying.

I was pleasantly surprised when I drove one at a dealership last week. I still want my wife to drive one and see how she likes it. I'm a bit concerned about climbing hills and what it's going to be like with my wife and 2 teenage kids though. This will be our "small" car. We also have a small SUV that we take on long trips. So far, it looks good though.

I think I prefer buying new because the used ones cost almost as much as new, so why not get a new one and make sure it's maintained in tip top condition right from the start?

 

The 800lb payload capacity isn't great, but it's not that bad for the size of the car. Payload capacity for most smallish-midsized cars is around 850lbs.

The Honda Civic 4 door, Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, are all 850lb, for example.

 

I think the Prius shines as a one or two occupant vehicle for 100-200 mile trips. For shorter distances I would advocate a Plug-In, and for more occupants the choices tend to be driven more by passenger comfort and safety.

If you use 150 occupant miles per gallon as a benchmark, you have lots of choices.

 

I think you'll be fine. I drive up and down the Sierra Nevada range (8,000ft.) all the time and have zero issues with hills. Sure the engine sounds like it is working hard on really steep sections but the gas mileage is still remarkable so who cares. Engine wear is a non-issue with the Prius. I would just ensure your teens can fit back there. Our 20yr old is 6'2" (i'm 6'3") and he fit back there but he is thin like I am. The real problem would be weight in the rear. 2 really large people may cause the rear to sag. It's not so bad in the GenIII but the GenII it was terrible!

 

Hills are going to be a non-issue. The G3 has something like 125 bhp on tap and it's actually quite spritely from zero to 20....largely due to the torque from the HSD system. Even with 3 pax...like I said. It's a non-issue.
As far as the rear pax? Well....they're teenagers. It's something that you're going to encounter with any Eco/Econobox. One thing that might be a problem with the Prius...or a benefit, depending on how you exploit it. The Prius has more blind spots than a Congressional inquiry. You're going to have to be careful when you teach the kiddos how to park the thing.
Safety? That's a hotly contended argument. Many of the crossover SUVs on the road today have the advantages of both the additional ride height and the mass of a truck, along with the stability (against rollover) and unit body construction of a smaller car. The Prius seems to do very well for a car its size with the crumple zones, big pillars, low ride height, and (now)industry standard multiple air bags.
However (comma!) if I knew I were about to take one for the team?
I'd grab the SUV or truck every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
The Prius is a small car. The fanatics always yell at me when I say that, but the classification of a Prius as a midsize car is based on interior volume. Dimensionally? It's a Corolla. The Corolla has a trunk. That's not considered interior volume.
In a wreck?
Sir Isaac Newton doesn't give a crap about the Napoleonic complexes of the car's driver.
JMHO...
It's obviously not a deal breaker for me (I have 2 motorcycles ) and as I said before....it's a very hotly debated issue.
YMMV.

If I were buying one now? I'd go for a base model, and try to cut a good deal on a new base model G3. The used car market for the Gx is really REALLY tight, and there's not as big a delta between new and used for the buy in....and as you say, you'll be assured that the car is assiduously maintained....IF you DIY. This wil be very important if one (or both---depending on age separation) of the kiddos will be using the car as college transportation. If you're going to be keeping the car well past 100,000 miles? Pay a little more up front and get a new one.
JMHO.

The Prius has just as light a maintenance schedule as any other small, FWD car. Out to something like 150,000 miles? It's mostly fluids and filters. If you live in a CARB state, many f the Hybrid components are covered past the OEM warranty. Look that up if you need ammo to convince your CFO to add a Prius to your driveway.
I think that one each: Prius and Truck/SUV make a very flexible vehicle combo. The benefits and limitations of each complement each other as a total package.

Best of LUCK with your coin toss!
Good luck with the kiddos!!

 

I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee that I traded in for the Prius. I didn't really lose that much interior volume from the JGC to the Prius, and I don't have a need for the 4x4 as I am out of the snow belt now. The change from 16mpg average to 50mpg average was enough to sell me on the switch.

 

Well,you may regret one day.

 

Scenario:
You know you're about to collide with...say, a Ford Tarus in 60 seconds and you can't avoid the wreck.
You get to choose either a Prius or a truck to do it with.
Same model year for each.
Clock is ticking.....
Make your choice.

There's a saying in the M/C community. There are two types of riders...those who have gone down on a bike, and those who are going to.
So...
I wear a helmet. Every time I throw a leg over.
Now....
Somebody in the "Cyclists Against Helmet Laws" could massage the accident data rates and probably conclude that by not wearing a helmet, you're much more likely to avoid an accident by not having your hearing and/or visibility reduced by the aforementioned helmet. Statistically....it could be a valid argument.
Me?
I'll keep putting the helmet on.
YMMV.

The Prius is as crashworthy as they can (currently) make a 3200#, low-slung car.
That should be enough for most people.
If you think that a Prius is "as safe" a vehicle as an SUV?
Well.....Like the CAHL crowd..."statistically" you might be correct, but I'd be more willing to take the crash that I talked about earlier in the truck if I got to do a coin toss before the accident.
Again….YMMV.

 

I believe it was the IIHS' numbers. They report age-adjusted fatalities across different vehicles types.

Example: http://www.iihs.org/externaldata/srdata/docs/sr4605.pdf

Despite the supposed advantages of increased visibility and weight pick-ups are apparently not safe vehicles.

I was wrong in my wording, since depending on the model of pick-up it might be a bit safer than a Prius, just that overall the statistics don't really indicate that pick-ups are safe. If you want safety, pound-for-pound SUVs and minivans seem distinctly better.