What (if any) other cars did you consider before you bought your Prius?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Aug 4 2006, 06:39 PM) [snapback]298030[/snapback]</div>

I have a perfectly good car, only three-years-old, that I like a lot. When I started considering a new car ... something smaller, more economical to own and operate, more environmentally conscious ... I looked at offerings from Mini, Honda, Toyota, Subaru, Ford, and Mazda. I decided I would go with a hybrid, which reduced it to Toyota and Honda for the class of car I was interested in.

The Honda Insight was appealing to me but I want more than a two seater, the Civic and Accord hybrids aren't as appealing. I like the usable carrying capacity, comfort and styling of the Prius. I'll be giving up a bit of luggage capacity when I get the new car, but overall the trade-off seems advantageous.

Godfrey
- soon to be Prius owner -

 

Toyota Yaris Sedan, Corolla and Camry. I am 6'4" and drove a Corolla many miles over the last 3 years due to fuel economy but it was the base model with auto and air and thats it. Test drove the new Yaris and Corolla but was bummed by the lack of rear side air bags. The Camry was very nice and I was close to one but the fuel economy, I drive at least 20k/yr, just bothered me. Then I came across a beautiful white 2005 used Prius that Toyota checked over for me and told me it was in great condition, didn't even look at another car. I have always liked the Prius but had cars that were not ready to be traded until now.

You just have to love Toyota reliability, gosh I hope I didn't just jinx myself...

 

Volkswagen Jetta
Honda Civic Hybrid
Saab 9-2X & 9-3
Mazda 3

 

I kinda want one of these:

 

Top contender
Mazda3

New contenders
Honda Fit (released after our order, just before delivery of the Prius)
Honda Civic, Hybrid or LX sedan (for a real trunk).
Toyota Corolla
Scion xA
Honda Accord

Used (and pre-depreciated) contenders
Mazda Protege
another Hyundai Elantra or recent Kia Spectra
Ford Focus

Would have considered a VW TDI Golf if we didn't live in Massachusetts.
Briefly considered a Honda Civic GX, but uncomfortable with the dependence on CNG fueling options (not good for road trips and risky if we move).

 

Started out looking at convertibles. Saab 9-3 to be exact. Finally took a look at one at the NY Auto show. Just not enough trunk room with the top down. Couldn't justify the cost for a car that was so impractical.

Moved on to a Toyota Solara convertible at the show. Much better trunk room with the top down. The manual cover for the top when it's down turned me off. Doesn't look nearly as clean without it.

Saw the Prius at the show. Liked the looks (honest). Loved the gadget aspect of it. It's what I ended up with.

Note: I positively DESPISE the looks of a standard 4 door sedan.

 

I've wanted a Mini Cooper for ages.... but when it came down to it, the Prius just made a ton more sense. (all the toys, no sales tax, tax credit... etc, etc. And the Mini? Is really pretty small. Especially driving next to a tractor trailer, or a logging truck.). I love my Prius...

(that said, if some day I'm really, really rich? I might get a Mini, too. Maybe.)

 

No other cars. The Prius won Motor Trend Car of the Year for 2004. I checked it out on that basis, really liked it and traded my 2002 VW GTI for it. I still really like it, and will probably not replace it until something similar but significantly better comes along. The plug-in version maybe?

 

I considered a Scion xA, a Corolla Sport, a 2007 Toyota Camry (the dealer insisted I test drive it), a Civic Hybrid. I test-drove the Camry at an awful dealer, but also test-drove a used Prius and fell in love with it. I went to another dealer, tried a Scion and a Corolla, decided not even to try the Yaris, and put a deposit on a Prius due to come in within a few days. Got a better deal for a better package for less money before the 'ordered' one came in, and drove it home that same night - just passed 3200 miles, about 10 days short of 4 months ownership, and bought the extended warranty and pre-paid maintenance plan from Troy Dietrich while I was visiting my grandsons in western MA over the weekend.

The Scion and Corolla were just too under-powered and cramped; they were a 'bargain', but the Prius wasn't all that much more, taking the tax credit into account, and it has tons of room inside and is a zippy llittle machine with all kinds of neat features, in addition to the high MPG and low emissions.

My older grandson, not quite 5, is thrilled with my Prius, because with the weight sensor in the passenger seat, he can ride in the FRONT seat - a luxury he doesn't have in any of the other family cars. He's fascinated by the 'energy' display, and we got into a very deep discussion about gravity because he wanted to know why it shows orange arrows on the way up the hill and green arrows on the way down.

My other grandson is only 19 months old, so he still needs an 'infant' seat; he was content to play with one of the three toy Prius cars I brought up there with me. Both of them actually loved the toys, and I had a very hard time convincing them that the littlest one is MINE (1/60th scale with a hatchback that opens), and they'd have to be content with the 1/34th scale cars with front doors that open. My younger grandson, though, is very careful to make sure that the doors are shut before he 'drives' it. (It's ok for them to be open when he 'flies' it, though)

 

I wanted to buy my way into the HOV lane and get the max gas mileage I could as I drive between Sac and the bay area two or three times a week - at least one of those trips is Sac to Stanford - about 3.5 hours each way during commute hours. The Honda Civic Hybrid (HCH) and Prius were the only real choices.

Pluses on the HCH:

- More comfortable.
- Better handling.
- Pretty much 100% identical to operating a conventional car.

Pluses for the Prius:

- Notably better freeway entrance acceleration.
- Hatchback and fold down seats added versatility. (Civic seats don't fold down because the batteries are stacked between the back seat and the trunk.)
- More rear leg and head room.
- Fatter tax credit.
- Dealers here were not marking up above MSRP. (Honda dealers were adding almost $3K to the sticker.)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Aug 7 2006, 04:48 PM) [snapback]299238[/snapback]</div>

Actually, rear side curtain airbags are optional on many cars just as they are on the Prius, including all of these:

Chevy Cobalt, Chevy Malibu, Chrysler Sebring, Dodge Caliber, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Fusion, Honda Civic, Honda Fit, Honda Accord, Hyundai Accent, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Rio, Kia Spectra, Mazda Mazda3, Mazda6, Nissan Versa, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Vibe, Saturn Ion, Saturn L, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Toyota Yaris, VW Golf -> Rabbit, VW Jetta

Rear side airbags are standard on some of those and only a few offer rear torso air bags. Only in 2007 will the Prius come with any side air bags standard, and it still won't offer rear torso air bags.

 

The only other car I considered was the Civic Hybrid. After looking into the specs however I liked the bigger electric motor of the Prius. What I really would have liked is a pure electric car but thanks to (insert conspiracy theory here) there are none. So I settled on the Prius out of a field of two. A Honda insight did appeal at one time but they sold for $AU50K here new and those that are for sale have ridiculous prices on them. In addition, the Pri is a true 4 seater which was another big plus for me and the family.

 

Back in 2001 when the Toyota Prius first came out and was available in the USA, I considered selling my 4x4 pickup truck to get it.

Someone talked me out of it. And I had totally forgotten I had wanted one of these cars.

The car didn't sell too well in 2001-2005.

Fast forward to 2006, and my truck is now 10 years old. Time for a new vehicle, and here came the Prius again.

It made so much sense it was scary.

Jimmy

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Soylent @ Aug 7 2006, 11:47 AM) [snapback]299171[/snapback]</div>

You know it probably has a diesel/electric hybrid engine? I just found that out the other day, interesting fact?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Curtis SAC @ Aug 7 2006, 03:36 PM) [snapback]299288[/snapback]</div>

Similar to me. Apples to apples... only other option I considered against the Prius was the Civic Hybrid.

One of my favorite quotes from a MotorTrend article comparing the Prius & HCH:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jeannie @ Aug 7 2006, 05:18 PM) [snapback]299251[/snapback]</div>

Even with the weight sensor a child that young should still not be in the front seat under any circumstances. It's not safe.

I did not really consider anything else other than the Prius. The car I gave up was only 18 months old, and I loved it (Subaru Legacy GT Turbo), but wanted the Prius for it's greenness and fuel economy.

 

The only car I considered before getting my 2006 Prius was a used 2004 Prius. Once I saw the amount of the rebate on a new Prius, I figured the value was better buying new.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(withersea @ Aug 4 2006, 09:39 PM) [snapback]298030[/snapback]</div>

Same here! I bought a 98 Mazda Protege, new, when I was 17 and sold it in August 05 to get the 05 Prius. I would have held out longer had the air conditioning not crapped out in the Mazda- otherwise it was a really great car. She was on about 110,000 miles with no problems ever, except for the AC. I'm a windows down kind aman anyway, but I cannot handle 1 hour drives to work, in traffic, during hot summer months, so I bit the bullet and bought the Prius for myself as a college grad present.

Anyways.. I also strongly considered the Mini (an S convertible, by the way). I went with the Prius specifically for the environmental effects (the mini does get pretty good mileage) and to support the newer technology. The Prius also had bluetooth, which was a hueg selling point. I made the right choice, but I stoll want a mini. Perhaps I will get one as a second car one day after I strike it rich.