I'm looking at the little chart on Automobilemag.com ( 2010 Toyota Prius II Hatchback Ownership Costs & Maintenance at Automobile Magazine) and so far out of all the cars I've looked at, it has the 2nd lowest COO. Here are the numbers: Prius II - $24,479 Fit Sport - $24,990 Fit base - $23,645 Insight EX - $27,192 Civic LX - $26,538 Corolla XLE - $26,241 Accord LX-P - $32,471 Not bad...
That fits in very well with what I expect. I'm going to be buying my Prius next month, trading up from a Corolla. The Corolla has been an excellent car, very reliable, but I'm convinced to make the $3500 jump in MSRP up to a Prius because I'm confident it will come back to me in trade-in value and gas savings. The Corolla was no slouch, getting an honest 40mpg in mostly highway driving, but if I can get 50+ from the Prius, it's a no-brainer.
My Prius has definately cost me less in overall ownership than any of my previous vehicles in terms of everything but initial cost. The COO on the 2010 will take a few years to be determined since it is a new model and there may be quirks/bugs that show up later on.
Where's Art Spinelly when you need him ... shouldn't he be continuing to rant how the Hummer has the lowest C.O.O. ? Or is it because GM is bankrupt, that no more spin money is available ... .
