Having a hard time justifying 2010 Prius

What's your other car ? How old is it, Is it efficent and do you drive a lot of miles? Could the Prius become your primary car?

Unless you really need a second car, the extra property taxes, insurance and maintenance will hardly ever be justified. Then again, I don't justify my cars financially. If you're in the situation where you need to then I'm guessing there probably are better (IE:cheaper) alternatives. I consider my Prius as a nice addition to the fleet and it will get the most milage. But if I only could have one car it would not be a Prius. It just doesn't meet all my needs. For my low milage vehicle I have an SUV. Other than FE it could meet all my needs. However I don't WANT to drive it all the time.

If the used 2002 Camry is in good shape and you don't mind driving an older car then that's your best choice. (Our Green friends many disagree with this)

 

Honestly, unless you're a high mileage driver, I don't see the Prius as an economic decision. It's a political/environmental one.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with the FIT - it costs like 6K less than the Prius, gets decent mileage, and it's a Honda (reliable).

It's a bit noisier and feels a bit cheaper than the Prius - but IMHO it's not a bad car at all....

 

My decision to purchase either of the Priuses that I've bought wasn't particularly motivated by either politics or economics. I bought it because it is a neat car that has cool gadgets. The fact that it gets good gas mileage is a nice bonus.

 

You will have a hard time justifying (from a cost effective point of view) buying new when you can buy used.

Reasons to buy a Prius

1) It can and likely will become your primary vehicle. There will be instances when the Element will be the "better" choice for the tasks at hand, but I'd guess that the Prius will be the better choice the majority of the time.

2) Gas prices are still depressed....for now. How were you feeling 15 months ago when gas prices were well above $4.00/gallon and seemingly going up $0.10 per gallon per week? Gas will return to those levels, if for no other reason that we've shown we will still PAY that much for it. At least with the Prius, you will pay less, because you will use less.

3) You are also purchasing a car that will produce less harmful pollutants that are central villians in climate change.

We are a funny breed (Americans). We pat ourselves on the back for utility that we might use 15% of the time. ( For example: Got a SUV, because I drive up to the mountains to go skiing 8 weekends/year). The problem is, this vehicle, which is quite useful 15% of the year, is a poorer choice the other 85% of the year.

Convenience is a funny thing.....kinda leads to laziness.

 

One thing that is not talked about much on this forum is the STRONG re-sale value of the Prius. When I first started looking at Cars.com for used Prius (1-2 years ago), I was shocked to find 2, 3 or even 4 year old Prii with asking prices $22K-$28K.

When (not if) gas prices begin to climb, one should think of buying a few, as they will become an extremely hot commodity. Bank on that.

 

I bought my Prius to take care of any long or short distance driving. I bought a Tacoma 4 wheel drive truck to get me through any bad weather and tough roads.

 

If it's a "wanna have it" decision, I'd suggest you to wait for plug-ins if you have the patience. I did not have it!
I bought my '10 Prius II last week after a desperate 3week period of calling/searching
all dealers in the Bay Area; btw, Prius II is very popular so hard to
find. My decision was based on need, but, before I set for Prius, I was also thinking
to buy a 2007 Honda Accord because of the same cost reasons you
mentioned. After test driving both cars, and considering that the current gas prices
won't stay at this level too long, I setteled for Prius. Now, all I can tell you is that it will be very difficult for me to buy another gas-only car, especially after averaging
60MPG in almost 450 miles with my Prius.

 

There is no cost justification for buying a Prius, and gas would have to get much, much higher than $4/gal to breakeven vs a Honda Fit or a used Camry. When I did calcs for myself it would take about 5 years even if gas got to $10/gal - but there are quite a few variables. Driving the wheels off whatever you already own is the cheapest, greenest alternative until it won't run anymore.

Like others have said, if you buy a Prius it's because of technology/gadgets, political, environmental, 'keeping up with the (green) Jones's and/or other factors. It's your money, what you decide is all the matters...

 

I drive 35,000 miles a year, so a fuel efficient car has a quicker pay back than some, but a new car rarely makes as much sense as used. I bought mine because my wife wanted one, and I know that winning the battle may lose the war.

 

Don't understand the "laziness" aspect of this.

But, if 15% of the year I haul the family (me, wife, 2 kids +, spouses and 2 grandkids) to the beach or airport, or pull the jet skis, or pull the tractor, or go to the mountains to hunt, fish, camp or ski, or haul large things to the Mission, etc ... all with my SUV, what should we do?

I don't really want to give up 15+% of my life just so I can be smug. The Prius for me is the vehicle I use for the majority of my mileage. It will never be my only vehicle, but as long as I can afford two, it or something similar will probably always be one of my vehicles.

 

Just a note here - be careful of comparing the Fit's crash ratings (~2300lbs) w/ that of a Prius (~3100lbs) or a Civic (I don't know the exact weight, but closer to the Prius than to the Fit). Crash ratings compare cars in the same size class--the Fit is a subcompact, the Civic a compact, and the Prius a midsize (according to the feds).

That all said, I, as a longtime honda owner and current Prius owner, think all are good cars. Honestly, you'll have more fun driving the Fit, if you get a stick and are into such things. You could also (gasp!) check out the Jetta TDI, if you're willing to gamble on reliability. Nothing (easily available) can touch the mileage of the Prius. The Prius costs more. Tradeoffs...

If all my auto-buying decisions were based on $$ alone, I'd probably be still be driving around in my good old '93 Integra (had that car for 11 years with exactly $80 of non-maintenance repair--no sh^^kidding). But emotion and other factors often (and for good reason, safety and FE among them) trump pure economics. Also consider driver comfort--want a lumbar support? Neither the Fit nor the Civic (unless you get the Si) has one. That's the reason I'm in a Prius IV.

My opinion? If I were looking for back seat safety, I'd go with either the civic or the prius--the Fit (take a look at it) just doesn't have much room between your cute li'l kid and that moron in the Expedition blathering away on a cell phone until it's too late.

That Fit sure was fun to drive, though--stuck to the road around the corners almost as well as my RSX. And it's an easy $6-10G difference between it and a Prius, depending on the trim level.

You really can't go to wrong with any of these cars--have fun.
Cheers
T

 

We own both a 2010 Prius and a Fit (2007). The Fit is a nice peppy car but there is no comparison to the Prius. The Prius is far more comfortable. It gets twice the mileage. The design of the interior technology is superb. The emissions are far lower. The ride is smoother.It is far better than the price difference would suggest.

 

A Fit is not an equivalent of the Prius. You're paying more for a Prius and getting more of a car. If the Fit is a good size for you, save your money and get one -- especially for a low-mileage vehicle. But don't imagine that you're paying more for a Prius simply because it's a hybrid.

 

I agree with above.
If value is the prime factor and you will drive it under 250,000 miles then a 2010 Corolla would probably be a better choice. And this depends heavily on what the average gas price is while you own it. You can do your own calculations based on your driving conditions and assumptions. (I'm expecting gas prices to be significantly higher with China and India economies coming on strong in the future.)

There are many other reasons to upgrade to a Prius, the environmental factor being the main one in my opinion.

 

And even if gas does not rise that much the Prius has held its value very well. The lowest values, the trade in values on an average 2004 Prius are still $10,000 or more.

 

Used Gen II?
Impossible to get into your brain/shoes/suit and find out what are your priorities...