What is a good replacement for a gen 1 prius?

I've always been intrigued by the Toyota Yaris. Sure, coming from a Prius you will sacrifice some MPG's, but you have no worries about HV batteries, inverters etc. Reliable, simple, economical. This was a very popular car overseas before it was brought to the US market in 2007.

Here's some info from Edmunds:
2007 Toyota Yaris

 

The Yaris hybrid has just gone into full production in the UK.

 

have you considered avalon? very quiet and comfortable for longish commutes. otoh, for your daily 10 miler, pip would be perfect and there are some spectacular deals out there right now.

 

I just purchased the Prius V - Three for $27 k. I had to replace the 2006 Prius that was recently t-boned. If you are looking for something that compares in size to the Gen I you should look at the Prius C. They were in the $20 k range in the DC area.

 

The obvious replacement is a 'prius c'. Used ones are not yet available but:

• 1.5L engine - both, cooled EGR and coolant heat recovery in Prius c
  • cooled EGR means higher efficiency at higher power
  • coolant heat recovery shortens warm-up improves cold weather performance
• 20 vs 38 modules - newest style with lower internal resistance
• nearly identical internal space but more usable because rear seats fold down
• significantly improved transaxle - eliminated the water coolant loop
• ~45 MPG (NHW11) vs ~52 MPG (prius c), user reported MPG
• significantly improved safety features (air bags and structure)
• 0-60 mph, 11.3 sec (Prius c) vs 13 sec (NHW11)

Bob Wilson

 

Three Prius V's for $27k not bad. I'll have 3 LOL.

 

...if possible go with Prius Gen-3 you can try a smaller Prius c but why not the proven standard Liftback?
Gen3 has the advantage (over used GenII for example) of better MPG on those short 5 miles commutes.
If you're trying to keep price down go with lowest trim Prius 2 but some Michiganders (?sp) are heading to NY to get great year end 2012 deals on Plug-In Prius (Liftback) can be had in the range $24-25k after federal tax credit rebate of $2500. But that's for a 2012 so at some point they will get sold.

 

Doesn't exist in the US.

I'd say Gen 3 regular Prius (aka liftback) would be a good candidate and possibly the Prius c. I personally wouldn't buy the c unless I were on a really tight budget (which I'm not).

 

I'm looking forward to the Prius c transmission enhancements showing up in the 1.8L Prius and other models.

Bob Wilson

 

It will but there are two versions. One for UK/EU that has Li battery and one for US with Nimh battery, sorry I do not no why.

 

I would stay in the Prius family for sure if It were me. The C is better for city driving but it looks like you do more highway driving. I drive a gen 3 hatchback no compaints.The PIP seems to be a good deal with federal and state rebates on taxes, 60 months of zero percent financing and 1,000 rebate from Toyota. It also gets 90 MPG and the electric charge is the equilivant of $2 per gallon gas. However the C has the lowest price point. If you have a family the hatchback or V is great with the extra space. Good luck.

 

According to your statements you're doing about 12,000 miles per year, mostly highway. Based on your odometer, how many miles are you actually traveling per year at the moment?

Also, what mileage are you currently getting in your Gen 1? That would help us know about your driving style and whether you'd be matching EPA or not. (Incidentally, the Prius c EPA ratings are better than the old EPA ratings of the Gen 1!)

If you're open to used I'd suggest looking at later-year high-mileage Gen 2 Priuses that are out of the hybrid warranty. Their prices should relatively low making them a good deal for somebody comfortable with the Prius.

If you're looking new and the Gen 1 Prius has the utility you'd need I'd suggest you look at a Prius c, which should, being conservative at least break even on running costs compared to a conventional subcompact, with a decent chance of recovering the hybrid premium. The more miles you do per year above the 12,000 your post indicates the better a deal it would be.

 

About 12 years ago I used to put 35,000 miles a year commuting to work. I purchased a Honda Civic and put a good aftermarket stereo in it for enjoyment and i had a good cell phone plan. The car was efficient for highway driving, highway driving was easy on the brakes and car, I did change my oil every 6 weeks or so, and the car was inexpensive to repair. It did the trick for me. A Prias hatchback is great on gas 50 MPG and it is common for people to get over 200,000 miles with minimum repairs.