Prius dilemma

Consider a used 2005+ Prius.

There are no tax benefits in buying a new Prius, so used is an option on that front. Most Prius owners are careful of their cars, so it's unlikely the used Prius has seen much drag racing and off-roading. Gasoline will keep going up, so even if you fix your Mazda, you'll be paying a lot for fuel. If you buy a used Prius you will be helping the environment, and your pocketbook, and can buy a new PHEV or PEV later as your career progresses, in the meantime conveying your environmental concern and intelligence for not getting a high-performance gas guzzler.

 

Try finding a used Prius.. you know that it wont have much problems for next 50k miles... so try finding 30-50k mile used Prius for descent money...

WHen GenIII Prius comes about, you can wait for the second year or so to get a descent deal.. I am in similar boat as you.. i may wait until GEN III comes out.. Im waiting for my Lexus to sell which is paid off but the gas isnt all that great either.

My thoughts are that switching cars for me is going to save me money on gas (filling up once a week of 16-17 gal to SC430.. prices of gas is climbing up to $70+ now per full tank). That's $280+ per month, $3360+ per year... compared to $35 per fill up on Prius... for the same milage (I assume worst case scenario). That's at least half i'll be saving per year ($1500+)

So yes, i can justify the change but my Lexus isnt selling so im stuck.
Sometimes I just want to buy GEN II Prius and just park the damn lexus in the garage but that's a waste of insurance money of $800 per year. Dilema. Dont know what to do....

I may try to find 2005+ for near $20k. Seems hard these days.. I probably wont need all the fancy options since I dont care for NAV/BT (i can add portable ones and i'll be fine).

 

As has been said in this thread and others previous to it, the likelihood that the GenIII will be out much before 2010 is fairly slim, and then you'll face high demand (which = high "premium" pricing), low availability, no color choice (you'll have to take what you can get if you want one), and the inevitable process of working out bugs, recalls, TSBs, etc. I'm guessing it'll be at least 2012 before the GenIIIs are readily available, reasonably priced (relatively speaking.....with the dollar sagging and oil increasing in price, everything is going up at a fairly alarming rate, and imported cars is going to be a casualty of that as well, sooner rather than later), and bug-free.

You could fix the Mazda and wait a few more years......I wouldn't think it would be too much of a beater with only 71K miles on it, but am not sure what sort of mileage you get. I had a similar dilemma on my hands last December and decided to go with a fairly low package # Prius, so got the #2 and have not had two seconds of buyer's remorse. A Fit or Yaris will run you around $15K, a #2 Prius about $22-23K, so there is a significant price difference, but the Prius is waaaaaaayyy more car than either of those two should you compare them, gets better mileage by a fair stretch, and will protect you better in a bad accident. That was my thinking at the time and I've not regretted it.

 

If you can afford to pay the new car, i will say go for it and dont wait for the next gen prius. Like previous poster said, first year next gen measn high price, long waiting list.

If 22K-23K is too much, get a used or get a new Corrola or Civic, the milage is good too and lot cheaper than prius.

 

buy a repaired pruis at a discount from autobeyours.com they seem very upfront and knowledgeable. If you buy a used one it may have been repaired without your knowledge.

 

Congratulations, harmonyjandh! I know you'll be very happy with your new Prius.

 

Congratulations, Harmony! I think you're going to enjoy your baby!

I think the Prius was a good choice. My dad has a sport Fit that cost around $6000 less than my Prius, but it's a noticeably different car. While it's tall on the inside, it's not nearly as wide--and its 38 MPG on the highway doesn't come close to the 55 MPG city that the Prius has been getting. The Fit is a great car, but it's not the Prius!! Congraulations again!

 

Score!!!! '08 Silver Pine Mica #2, you just got the perfect car! Well, not to disparage other color selections or packages, but I'm convinced that #2 is the best deal unless you're married to bluetooth and a 6 CD changer and willing to pay $1500 or more to get them. I predict you will be very happy with your new car, as I have been. I don't know whether you have gotten to drive a Prius yet, but when I was shopping back in November and December and drove both the Fit and the Yaris, and then the Prius, well, there wasn't much comparison.