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Last Post - I'm going Civic

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Tomel, Dec 21, 2005.

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  1. Tomel

    Tomel New Member

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    I told you I would check posts to this thread before I signed off. Heck, I almost wish I'd bought the Prius so I'd have a reason to stay and watch everyone's banter.

    Sure, being a Tech Junkie, I would have really enjoyed the Pri, but I'm also very happy with the Civic (I've had both Hondas and Toyotas in the past and been very happy with both manufacturers).

    To respond to a few of the comments on this thread:

    o I do a lot of reasearch before making a major buy decision. The "whiners", as they were referred to, were certainly not the deciding factor -- only an element in the decision (where there's smoke there's -well, you know how it goes).

    o The dealer (by the way, this dealer was the third dealer that I had visited and, at least initially, gave me the best initial vibes) was certainly a factor -- once I was on the wait list and the lists in the area got longer, the dealer's attitude became more cavalier since he probably knew I was unlikely to tell him to take a hike and get in the back of the line elsewhere. When it came down to him thowing on that extra several hundred bucks with a take it or leave it attitude, I simply couldn't stomach "taking it", especially since I had a viable alternative in the wings -- the Civic.

    o The Honda dealer I bought the Civic from is the same one that's sold two other vehicles to members of my family. While the Honda dealer is "one town down the road" from where I live and about 30 minutes away, their customer service is worth the drive even though there is another Honda dealer 5 minutes from where I live. Listen you Toyota lurkers, even if you have a very desirable car right now, treating customers badly will come back to bite you eventually.

    o I would have gone with the Civic Hybrid IF it had had fold down rear seats just like the Civic ICE. I needed the fold down seats for the fishing poles that have taken the place of my briefcase since I retired.

    By the way, I do remember the Kaypro and also remember entering data on cassette. I also remember entering punched card programs and entering programs on rolls of punched tape. Boy, a lot has changed.
     
    #41 Tomel, Dec 24, 2005
  2. IALTMANN

    IALTMANN New Member

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    Good luck, and thanks for the visits and posts., you'll like the Honda too. Sometimes these dealers just plain are crooks, I hope Toyota sees this and does something, otherwise their cutting edge product is going to price itself out of the market. I had a tough choice for my wife's car and was smart about it, and finally got a 2006 saturn. With consideration for miles to be drive (she only puts on about 14,000 in 4-5 yrs), it made no sense to spend an extra $10,000 to get another Prius as much as I would have liked to. I have no regrets with mine, but the wife is still scared of this car, she won't even drive it. Sounds like the dealer just made you an offer you had to refuse, and yes there is competition out there. Your choice was a good one, and honestly the mileage claimed by Honda will be closer then the mileage claims by Toyota (EPA'S). A friend did get little over 40 mpg on the highway going about 62 mph in the Honda, if Toyota was telling the truth I should be getting over 50 on the highway...best I've seen is 45 mpg which is better then the 15-19 the Ford Explorer used to give me, but it is not the 50 City/60 Highway epa claim that Toyota advertises. I do care about the environment but not that much, I want fuel savings to save money., and I fully analyse all costs and useage consideration in order to make the best financial decision. Sound like you made one..Again good luck, happy holidays

    Immanuel Altmann
     
    #42 IALTMANN, Dec 26, 2005
  3. LaughingMan

    LaughingMan Active Member

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    Hm. Well mileage depends on the myriad of factors, and I have to say that my driving experience has been much different from yours.

    For highway mileage, the prevailing factors (considering the ICE is going to be on no matter what at speeds in excess of 50 MPH) would be terrain, the climate, the traffic, and of course driver technique, oh and A/C as well.

    Terrain is a big one. The flatter the terrain, generally the better mileage you will get. Mountainous terrain? Real killers.

    In my experience, i've found stretches of highway where locked in at 65-70MPH on the cruise control, i've been able to blow past the 51 MPG highway rated by the EPA.

    I'll give an example. Driving from New York City to central Massachusetts is a nice drive. Around the NYC area, it's very flat... on a fresh tank of gas, i've pushed 60 MPG going with the flow of traffic. Through Connecticut, though, once I have to make my way through the mountains, mileage slowly but surely drops. I've made this trip a good number of times, and so far i've still been able to average about 50 to 52 MPG round trip however.

    So... I disagree with language like "if Toyota was telling the truth." Firstly, it's the EPA "telling the truth" with their rating of the car, not Toyota, and secondly, there are many who are able to achieve and exceed the EPA rating with a combination of the terrain, the driver, and other circumstances. It's truly a case of YMMV.
     
    #43 LaughingMan, Dec 26, 2005
  4. tripp

    tripp Which it's a 'ybrid, ain't it?

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    Agreed. I have had to make several 65 mi round trips to the airport, an almost entirely hwy affair, and I'm getting over 55 MPG at highway speeds (55-75 mph). Even when the temps have been near 0 F I've still gotten 46 MPG on a tank. On the other hand, if I lapsed back into my old driving habits I think that high 30's would be attainable in winter. Trying to get better gas mileage nets me an easy 10 MPG easy. Probably more.
     
    #44 tripp, Dec 26, 2005
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