Prius v?

I had a Gen 2 Liftback and now a v
If you needed a station wagon, you would know. (This may be a sexist reply, but I would like to think I would give a young man this same advice)

You are coming up on 16, this is not the time to buy a car based on how many carseats and strollers it can hold, try to delay that as long as you can.

You will get at least 8 MPG better mileage in the Gen 3 Liftback. The passenger space is pretty similar. I use my cars as cargo haulers (see my avatar) the Liftback is less slow.

Do you carry lots of cargo? (96 cheesecakes)



This is the first generation of the Prius v, so all are the same. (there are 3 trim levels)

Since 2010, the third generation of the Liftback has been for sale, prior to that the second generation was sold from 2004 to 2009. The older you go, the more mechanical you need to be to keep them in shape. As a guess, I would stay in 2008 and up. (Gen 2 gets about 5 less MPG than Gen 3 as well)

 

No question that the girls will like the liftback better. Lets keep the priorities straight.

 

With a name like Olivia, she may not care what the girls think. But if she does, I am OK with that as well.

I plotted to have my daughter drive a car no young man would be impressed with, that would be a point in favor of the v.

 

I think Prius c is better for you.

 

She has even a smaller window to find a used c, they have just barely been out a year, I think.

(if she goes away to college, the Liftback has better highway mileage, but if she drives mostly in town, the c excels)

 

Maybe a new c?

 

So how much do you have to spend? How many people does it need to carry? How much stuff does it have to carry in addition to the passengers in that trip you take every week? Will it be the car to go school shopping in? Will it be vital to have it take all your stuff back and forth to school? Is the school in the snow belt? Are you now? How good a driver are you? A safe and cheap car is better for your first crash.

Just thoughts from a daddy perspective.

 

Sounds like you don't need a v. You might be able to fit a 2010 or 11 liftback (not v) into your budget. Trim three gets you Bluetooth built in. I wouldn't recommend Prius c, only 98 HP total, weighs much less than liftback, not recommended by Consumer Reports. 2 or 3 year old Civic might be a bit easier on the wallet. Skip 2012 Civic, was first year model and lots of upgrades for this year.

 

Tradeoffs are always necessary.

It does snow in AZ, been skiing there.

I live 45 miles south of Raleigh, 8" is the max daily snowfall in the last 10 years. At the same time I've played golf on Xmas.

Atlanta...spent a month and it snowed...rare.

I ask because part of getting the mileage the hybrids get is having low rolling resistance tires with high tire pressures which aren't the best all season and certainly aren't snow/ice rated.

Sounds like with $15k to spend you may be limited to either a conventional small car or a much older hybrid. Repairs can be needed on any car but increase as age and mileage increase. How much experience do you have dealing with repair shops? (I remember how much hassle repairs were when I was going to school too.) Going to have the $ to insure the car and keep it repaired also after buying?

I dashed over to ebay and found a new 2013 Kia Rio (30/40 MPG sedan) selling for $15k. Probably less ownership hassle because of the new car warranty. New car means no battery/tire etc expenses for a few years. Buy a Prius and the same $ gets you several years older and lots more miles and no warranty beyond traction battery.

My kids got my older cars when they turned 16 and could prove they could drive to my standards. I knew the maintenance history and safety things like tires and wipers were best you could buy. Some kids had bumps and scrapes that made me glad they weren't driving expensive cars. They weren't clunkers but just safe transport. I figured they could buy the fancy car when they were paying and after they had more experience and went through the dangerous years of early driving. Drive with me for at least 40 hours. No radio on, no passengers for 9 months, etc. No distractions. And years later one of them said my 'where is the danger coming from and what is your escape route' questions taught him to survive in very urban traffic.

Good luck in figuring out what you want... and in life.

 

I hate to be disloyal, but honestly, I'd be looking for a great deal on a newer vehicle. Even a new Focus, or new gen Corolla. Most of the used Prius I see in your price range are pretty high mileage.